Page:Whymper - Scrambles amongst the Alps.djvu/83

Rh is disagreeable rather than pleasant. It is not so; the train is steady enough, and the carriages have remarkably little motion. outside they resemble the cars on the Swiss and American lines; they are entered at the end, and the seats are arranged omnibus-fashion, down the length of the carriage. Each carriage has a guard and two breaks,—an ordinary one, and a centre rail break; the handles of these come close together to the platform at one end, and are easily worked by one man. The steadiness of the train is chiefly due to these centre rail breaks. The flat face A, and the corresponding one on the opposite side, are brought together against the two sides of the centre rail by the shaft B being turned, and they hold it as in a vice. This greatly diminishes the up-and-down motion, and renders oscillation almost impossible. The steadiness of the train is still further maintained by pairs of flanged guide-wheels under each of the carriages, which, on a straight piece of line, barely touch the centre rail, but press upon it directly there is the least deviation towards either side. There is no occasion to use the other breaks when the centre rail breaks are on; the wheels of the carriages are not stopped, but revolve freely, and consequently do not suffer the deterioration which would otherwise result.

The steam is shut off, and the breaks are applied, a very few minutes after beginning the descent to Susa. The train might then run down for the entire distance by its own weight. In practice, it is difficult to apply the proper amount of retardation; the breaks have frequently to be whistled off, and sometimes it is necessary to