STOKERS AND POKERS: OR, THE LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY, THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH, AND THE RAILWAY CLEARING-HOUSE. BY THE AUTHOR OF ‘BUBBLES FROM THE BRUNNEN OF NASSAU.’ LONDON: JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET. 1849. London: Printed by W. CLOWES and SONS, Stamford Street. TO RAILWAY TRAVELLERS, AND TO THE PROPRIETORS OF THE GREAT WESTERN, MIDLAND, LANCASHIRE AND YORKSHIRE, YORK, NEWCASTLE, AND BERWICK, EASTERN COUNTIES, LONDON AND SOUTH-WESTERN, YORK AND NORTH MIDLAND, CALEDONIAN, GREAT SOUTHERN AND WESTERN (IRISH), LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN, AND OTHER BRITISH RAILWAYS, THESE ROUGH SKETCHES, DELINEATING THE DIFFICULTIES ATTENDANT UPON THE CONSTRUCTION, MAINTENANCE, AND WORKING OF A RAILWAY, ARE INSCRIBED. CONTENTS. CHAP. PAGE INTRODUCTION 7 I. ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF A RAILWAY 11 II. ON THE MAINTENANCE OF THE PERMANENT WAY 33 III. THE TRAINS, EUSTON 38 IV. THE RAILWAY CARRIAGES 48 V. LOST LUGGAGE OFFICE 53 VI. PARCEL DELIVERY OFFICE 56 VII. THE LOCOMOTIVE ENGINE--CAMDEN 61 VIII. GOODS DEPARTMENT 68 IX. WOLVERTON 81 X. LETTERS AND NEWSPAPERS 92 XI. CREWE 100 XII. A RAILWAY TOWN 109 XIII. THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH 113 XIV. THE RAILWAY CLEARING-HOUSE 134 XV. MORAL 144 APPENDIX 157 RULES AND REGULATIONS 159 INTRODUCTION.