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DESCRIPTION OF THE RIGI RAILWAY.

THE gradient over about one-third of the line is 1 in 4, i.e. for every 4 ft. of length the line rises 1 ft. This is exceedingly steep, much steeper, in fact, than would be practicable for horse-carriages on ordinary roads, and in this consists the extraordinary character of the railway. To ascend or descend such a gradient by ordinary railway appliances would be impracticable; stationary engines and ropes would be difficult of application and highly dangerous, and it has therefore been necessary to adopt a system of propulsion which, though it was tried in the infancy of railways, has never been used in their practical development, namely, the rack and pinion. Two rails are laid down on the ordinary plan, but between them is placed a long-toothed rack, in which engage the teeth of a pinion or toothed wheel, worked by the locomotive, and the revolution of this wheel causes

the ascent of the train.

The engine is made as light as possible, there being no necessity, as on ordinary railways, to procure adhesion by weight on the wheels. It has little resemblance to an ordinary locomotive, the boiler being upright: and with a view to give it a vertical position when on the steep gradient, it slopes considerably when standing at the stations, wh appearan

rangements made with this view are worth a short description, to satisfy the minds of nervous people. C lisions at such a slow speed are not be feared; the dangers are of tw other kinds. In the first place the engine or carriage might get of the rails, which, with a precipice of some thousands of feet close alongside might have an uncomfortable resu This is provided against by a dip both engine and carriage, which braces two projections on the minde or rack-rail; so that if the finges the wheels should run off their m the vehicle cannot get aw

But a more serious guarded against is that of th becoming unmanageable down; a risk which always steep gradients even and still more in the ordinary railways fe fected by breaks pieda but on such and these would be all the wheels leche still run dow Hence it has bee an entirely most imposs The carriers als the

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