CAST IRON ROADS

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 33, 9 February 1932, Page 8

CAST IRON ROADS

SUCCESSFUL TESTS

ALL-BRITISH INDUSTRY

(From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, sth January.

■ Cast-iron roads^iire to bo laia experimentally in many'parts of tho country as a result of the success of the short trial sections put down, in Islington, Nottingham, and other parts. English labour and materials are used throughout for the work.

The iron road, which was invented about eighteen months ago by Major Prank Small, a member.of the original Royal Flying Corps (says tho "Morning Post"), consists of triangular castings laid on a foundation of cement thinly covered with bitumen. Tho surface has projections like a non-skid tread, and the first cost of the road is the same as for the be"st wooden paving. Iron roads are guaranteea for ten years, which is-about twice the perioa of the stone setts, which are made mostly of foreign granite, and more than three times the period of the wooden blocks, which are made mostly of foroign wood; . >■-.:. -.-..- ■ , r-Thor-borpugh.- engineer of Islington tpia me yesterday that tho motor trafdc was .extremely heavy at .tho place where the test section of iron had been laid, and that the road had given every satisfaction. There had been no trouble with it of any kind. He added that the period of test, rather more than-a.month, haa not. yet been sufficiently long to afford a final opinion on the merits of the roaa. AID TO BASIC IKDUBTRIES. ■In Nottingham the test section has been .down;, for more than a year, ana has mven no trouble, in spite of a great deal of heavy lorry traffic. , -Completesections are to be laia at Accnngton ana at Croydon, and there is a likelihood of,a section of five miles being laia near Liverpool. ■ Major Small has invented a special f ace_ for the castings where there is much, horse traffic, and is arranging to lay Bisection-at the Tower Brilge approach, where the horse traffic if very heavy. , The; object is to prevent the horses from slipping. .For motor-cars the surface is nonskid even in tho worst weather: moreover, the suction between tires and surface is eliminated^ so that there is much less splashing in wet weather ; Iho concrete bed does not give way m the manner experienced on the roads •surfaced with concrete, because it receives no direct shocks. Pot holes are ■impossible. -..--...

One value of this roaa sarface: if it proves satisfactory for all kinds of traffic, is that it will be of much-needed assistance to basic industries. If the system were widely adopted many blast ±urnaees at present idle wouia have to be restarted.