GREAT EASTERN WORKS AT STRATFORD.

The Great Eastern Railway Company's works adjoin the station at Stratford. It is the nearest railway works the metropolis, and therefore much the easiest of access to members of the conference, who will no doubt find much to interest them. The enterprise of Mr. Holden and his assistants is well known, and the engines turned out from these works are of the highest quality.

Among the latest productions may be mentioned the huge decapod, as everyone calls it, which we illustrated and described a short while ago. Without doubt an example of this engine will be on view on the occasion of this visit. It is an engine specially designed to cope with the suburban traffic of the Great Eastern Railway, of which no other railway, so far as we know, has the like.

The original object in view when designing this engine was to produce a locomotive which would haul a heavily-laden suburban train weighing perhaps some 240 tons, starting from rest and reaching with it a speed of 30 miles an hour in thirty seconds. Trials have been carried out with it, but have not yet been published. We understand, however, that the original object has been attained, the speed of 30 miles an hour having been reached in just under the prescribed limit. We give on page 690 a plan of the Stratford works, and by its means the following description will be readily understood.