3401. Do you not consider that is a very serious limitation of the possible load that can be hauled?--- No, not so long as the gradients are balanced. I have no case of a steep gradient which is unbalanced ; by that I mean that there is no place where a train has to climb a steep gradient without the impetus it has acquired by coming down a similar gradient.
3402, Are you not aware that the railways are not satisfied unless they have a daily load behind their engines of 1,000 tons? --- It does not matter a bit what the weight is to the balancing idea. If a 1,000 - ton train has just come down 20 feet it will rise 20 feet. It does not matter what gradient you have. You can have a gradient of 1 in 6.
3403. As long as you do not stop the train? --- Obviously.
3404. The train is never to stop? --- No.
3405. But if it stopped in the hollow, how would you start it again? --- If it stops down in the hollow then there is a limit to what can be done in the way of getting up.
3406. It is a charming idea for getting over gravity in this way, and I should like to learn how to do it? --- You can arrange your signals so that you never would get stuck at the bottom except in the case of a breakdown of the current. There is no necessity to stop at the bottom.
3407. You are going to split it up into small sections? --- Yes.
3408. Then with regard to those yellow spaces. If I understood rightly, you said they might be covered over or they might be open. If they are going to be covered, for instance, there will be some system of girders and columns supporting the upper roadway, or whatever it may be ? --- Yes.
3409. Do you not think that if you were to do this it would be rather hard on the yard man and the inspectors who would have to thread their way through forests of columns? --- There will not be any yard men going about, except one or two men going about greasing the points.
3410. Are they never to uncouple the trains? --- That will be done in the Clearing House itself.
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