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TRAIN, George Francis
Observations on horse railwaysLondon, Sampson Low, 1860
Description
G F Train, an American, introduced the horse-drawn street tram, which originated in America, into Britain. This pamphlet would seem to be his first move in print to get his transport system adopted and is addressed to the President of the Board of Trade, Milner Gibson. It spells out the advantages of trams, ridicules the aspersions cast upon it by Sir Benjamin Hall, includes a statement of the finances of several American tramways plus excerpts from the report of William Heywood, engineer to the Commissioner of Sewers, in favour of the system. He includes extracts from the Press and charts the efforts of the previous two or three years to publicize and promote trams. The pamphlet must have been instrumental in persuading the Board of Trade of the merits of the horse tram, for the first line was opened in Birkenhead in August 1860 and the first London line opened in 1861. A much enlarged second edition of this pamphlet appeared later in the same year.
Collation
8vo. 47 + (1)pp. Litho frontis and litho double-page plate. First few leaves crudely glued to new stubs. Modern cloth. 1st edition.Price
£350.00Catalogue No: 6367