Page:The Working and Management of an English Railway.djvu/56

 with rails weighing 28 lbs. per lineal yard, was used on the Stockton and Darlington Railway, and was subsequently adopted by George Stephenson when he constructed the Liverpool and Manchester Railway; but he increased the weight of the rails to 35 lbs. per lineal yard, their length being 15 feet. The rails rested for the most part on solid stone blocks, laid diamond fashion, but on embankments and on peaty ground oak sleepers were used (Fig. 3).

These rails, as will be seen from the illustration, were of the "fish-bellied" pattern, but in practice, and as the demand increased, these were found troublesome to roll, and this difficulty led to the introduction of the flat-bottomed or "flat-footed" section of rail, combining a solid head with a flanged base. This is known as the "Vignoles" rail (Fig. 4, No. 4), and, although still largely used in the colonies and abroad, it is very little in use in this country except in the case of lines laid down for temporary use by contractors.

Another form of rail, known as the "Bridge" rail (Fig. 4, No. 3), was introduced by Brunei contemporaneously with the "Vignoles" rail, and this section of rail, laid upon longitudinal instead of transverse sleepers, was adopted as the standard form of permanent way on the Great Western Railway.

In 1837 the double and equal-headed reversible rail, as shown by Fig. 4, No. 5, weighing 84 lbs. per lineal yard, was originated by Joseph Locke, and was adopted on the Grand Junction Railway. It was originally intended, when one head was worn out, to turn the rail and use the other, but it was found in practice that, unless the rail was turned very frequently, the lower head became indented, where