C. RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION (cont.)

King's Cross Goods Station

The goods and mineral station at King’s Cross may be selected as an example of such stations. It comprises coal depots and wharves, potato-stores, engine-sheds, repairing sheds, stores, stables, and all the necessary offices, buildings, and appliances required for the goods and mineral traffic of the company. Twelve lines of rail run into the goods-shed, with a platform at each side for the receipt and dispatch of goods. On the outer side of the rails, within the building, space is reserved for the vans engaged in collecting and distributing the goods. The outer line of rails at the east side of the platform is used for unloading the waggons with the inward goods, and that on the west side for landing the outward goods. The inner lines nearest to these are used for the arrival of goods trains, for empty waggons, and for making up trains for departure. The waggons, after being unloaded, are taken by means of turn-tables and cross-roads to the departure side of the station, where the business of loading and dispatching them is carried on. The platforms have each two rows of hydraulic cranes, of 1 and 2 tons lifting power alternately. The receiving offices are on the platforms, but the general offices are adjacent to the main building. The stables are under the platform; the granary is at the south end of the goods-shed, through which it is approached by two lines running through the middle of the shed,—two other lines, one on each side of them, being reserved for full waggons. When emptied, the waggons are removed by two lines which run one on each outer side of the goods-shed. The shed and the granary are supplied with water communication through tunnels under the roads to a basin on the south, and thence to the Regent’s Canal; and lighters can receive or discharge their freights directly under the buildings. On the west of the goods-sheds are the coal depots and staiths. The coal arriving at the station is discharged in some cases directly from the waggons into carts alongside; in other cases it is discharged through hoppers on the weighing machines at a lower level, and thence filled into sacks. For this operation there is a frontage of 343 yards; and there is in addition a coal depot in Cambridge Street, adjoining the goods-yard, with a frontage of 196 yards. There is a coal and stone dock or basin connected with the Regent’s Canal, where barges are loaded directly from the coal-waggons, either through doorways in the bottom of the waggons or by discharging the coal from the sides of the waggons into hoppers. There is also a hopper at the Cambridge Street depot for the purpose of loading barges on the canal. Adjoining the canal basin there are numerous private wharves for bricks and other merchandise. To the north are the locomotive and carriage sheds for repairing the stock, also two engine-running sheds, one round and the other rectangular. The goods, mineral, and locomotive stations cover an area of about 70 acres, and total area covered by the goods and passenger stations and the running lines to Copenhagen tunnel is upwards of 90 acres. The principal goods-shed and granary is 300 feet long and 175 wide, and the area occupied by the goods-warehouses, potato-market, coal-offices and other buildings amounts to 8 3/4 acres. In addition, 1 acre is covered by open sheds and 1 1/2 acres by the stables and the engineers’ shops. The engine-sheds can hold eighty-four engines and tenders, and they, with the workshops, tanks, carriage-repairing shops, and sundry premises, cover 2 1/2 acres. [Footnote 236-1] There are in the goods, mineral, and engine yards 28 1/2 miles of single line of way and more than 250 sets of switches, 200 turn-tables for waggons, and one for engines and tenders; of that length of line 11 1/2 miles of sidings are used for coal-waggons.

It is unnecessary to dwell at length on the arrangement of small terminal stations for branch lines. Where the line is single a single platform suffices, the trains being light and moving only in one direction at one time.





Footnote

236-1 The headquarters of the locomotive and carriage department are at Doncaster station.


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