Waterloo and Whitehall Railway
1865 An underground pneumatic railway was proposed from Great Scotland Yard to an open space beside Waterloo Railway Station, of length about 5/8 of a mile. The first part, under the Thames Embankment to the river, was to be in brickwork; under the river it was to be in watertight iron-tubing, encased in cement and laid and fixed in a channel to be dredged out of the bed of the river; on reaching the southern shore, the line was to be carried in brickwork under College Street and Vine Street to a terminus on the north side of Waterloo Station.
The descending gradient from the North was to be about 1 in 30, over a distance of about 200 yards. On the opposite bank a similar tunnel would rise by a similar gradient into an open station at Waterloo; the contractor for this was Messrs Thomas Brassey and Co. Under the river a "submerged bridge" would be constructed by dredging out a trench in the bed of the river, and sinking a cylindrical iron tube of 12ft diameter into this trench; the contractors for this part were Messrs Samuda.[1]
The Thames Conservancy Board stipulated that the top of the tube should not be less than 30ft. below high watermark, which would be just two or three feet below the level of the river's bed.
The sections would be constructed down the river by Messrs. Samuda and the ends sealed before being floated to their location and sunk in place. Prior to this the tubes would be completely encased with 15 inches of concrete, and bound together by an iron network.
For working the traffic an engine situated at the south side of the river would drive one or two of Mr. Rammell's patent ejectors, which would alternately withdraw air from and force it into the tube, in advance of or behind the piston carriage. The area of tube would be such that a pressure of one ounce to the square inch would give a tractive force of about 900 lb., more than enough to produce sufficient speed for a train of 15 tons. It was reported that Mr Brassey might undertake the contract, with Mr Rammell and Sir Charles Fox being the engineers.
1865 The works were commenced in the autumn of 1865 but were eventually abandoned because of financial problems[2].
1868 Engineer is T. W. Rammell.[3]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ The Times, Jun 09, 1865
- ↑ Underground London by Stephanie Smith, 2004
- ↑ 1868 Bradshaw's Railway Manual