Scientific American Supplement, No. 488, May 9, 1885Various
Science
Scientific American Supplement, No. 488, May 9, 1885
Various
Science -- Periodicals
Elevated railways have been in operation for a long time in New York,
Berlin, and Vienna, and the city of Paris has decided to have recourse
to this mode of carriage, so indispensable to large cities. The
question of establishing a line of railways in our capital has been
open, as well known, since 1871. During this period of nearly fourteen
years this grave subject has at various times given rise to serious
discussions, in which the most competent engineers have taken part,
and numerous projects relating to the solution that it calls for have
been put forth.
The problem to be solved is of the most complex nature, and the
engineers who have studied it have not been able to come to an
agreement except as regards a small number of points. It may even be
said that unanimity exists upon but a single point, and that is that
the means of locomotion in Paris do not answer the requirements of
the public, and that there is an urgent necessity for new ones. The
capital question, that of knowing whether the railway to be built
shall be beneath or above ground, is not yet settled; for, up to the
present, no project has been prescribed in one direction or the other.
While some extol the underground solution as being the only one
that, without interfering with circulation in the streets, permits
of establishing a double-track railway capable of giving passage
to ordinary rolling stock and of connecting directly with the large
lines, others, objecting that such a road could not give satisfaction
to the taste of Parisians, and that it would necessitate work out of
proportion to the advantages gained, conclude upon the adoption of an
open air railway.
Preferences generally are evidently for this latter solution.
We have received from a learned engineer, Mr. Jules Garnier, a
project for an elevated railway, which appears to us to be very ably
conceived, very well studied out, and which we hasten to make known.
(1.) The system is characterized by the following fundamental points:
The up and down tracks, instead of being laid alongside of each other,
as in an ordinary railway, are superposed upon two distinct platforms
forming a viaduct, which is consequently so arranged as to permit of
the laying of one of the tracks at its lower part and of the other at
its upper.
(2.) The system of constructing the viaduct is so combined as to be
capable of giving passage upon the road to the rolling stock of the
large lines during the stoppage of the daily passenger trains.
(3.) The tracks are connected at the extremities by a curve that has
the proper incline to compensate for the difference in level between
the two, and which has a sufficiently large radius to allow the slope
of the track to be kept within the limits admitted. The running of the
trains is thus uninterrupted.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account