197
OF ENGINKEBING FORMDLÆ.
Report of German Railway Union—continued.
With two holes ou each side of the rail is the best to preserve
gauge.
Suspended joint preferred to insistent joint.
Oil paint preferred to other coatings fur bridges. New
ironwork should be cleaned before painting by plunging
first into acid and then into lime and water.
Expansion gear on bridges does not seem to be absolutely
necessary.
Expansion gear was taken from a bridge 280 feet span
without any evil result.
There is difficulty in obtaining steel of proper character for
bridges, but steel bridges erected have been satisfactory.
Coned bolts are recommended to replace long rivets of
more than 1 inch diameter.
Movable bridges should be so covered with distant signals,
that releasing the gear to open them should automatically
show danger signals.
WORKS AT STATIONS.
The distance between rail and guard at switches or cross-
ings should be inch on straight and Ij on curves extending
for about 3 feet opposite the point of the crossing, then
increased to 2| in the length of another 3 feet, and then
curved off.
There is no advantage In giving a cant of 1 in 20 to rails
and switches.
No general arrangement is adopted for ensuring position of
switches.
Facing points should be locked on the switch tongue.
Steel crossings are considered superior to iron.
It is objectionable to allow wheels to run ou their flanges
through crossings.
Straight or curved switches are used in about the same
proportions.
Iron switches are generally preferred to steel.
Facing points ou a double line of railway are objection-
able.
Fish-bolt fastening at head of switch is used about equally
with pivot.
It is preferable on single lines to pass over facing points on
straight rather than curve.
Fast trains running through should b? kept on the straight
line.