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Report of Lieut-Col Sir Frederick Smith, Royal Engineers, and Professor Barlow, to the Right Honorable the Earl of Ripon, President of the Board of Trade, on the Atmospheric Railway

Document Summary

A report on the efficacy of railways run on the atmospheric system of propulsion. The report contains the result of numerous experiments conducted on the Dublin and Kingstown Railway.

This document was published on 15th February 1842 by Her Majesty's Government.

It was written by Lieut. Col. Sir Frederic Smith (RE, FRS) and Prof. Peter Barlow (FRS).

The original document format was Bound Volume, and comprised 19 pages.

This document was kindly sourced from Graham Teal and is in our Technical documents collection. It was added to the Archive on 25th July 2008.

Copyright Information

This document is Crown Copyright, and is subject to the terms governing the reproduction of crown copyright material. Depending on the status and age of the original document, you may need an OPSI click-use license if you wish to reproduce this material, and other restrictions may apply. Please see this explanation for further details.

"It is therefore, as above observed, no longer a question whether trains of carriages may be worked by means of atmospheric pressure; the points now to be decided are-

1st. Whether this principle admits of its being advantageously applied to greater distances than half a mile, which is the length of the present experimental line.

2ndly. The probable expense of constructing a railway on this principle, and of supplying the locomotive power.

3rdly. The relative economy in working such a line, as compared with a railway worked by locomotive engines.

4thly. The degree of safety which the atmospheric system affords, as compared with other locomotive means."

Timeline:
Atmospheric railways

15th February 1842
Report of Lieut-Col Sir Frederick Smith, Royal Engineers, and Professor Barlow, to the Right Honorable the Earl of Ripon, President of the Board of Tr...

24th April 1845
Report from the Select Committee on Atmospheric Railways

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