rrying small tram-lines which are set at sharp
declivities in the directions of the up and the down trains
respectively, and which terminate at a point just high enough to clear
the smoke-stack of the engine.

The small truck, into which the goods to be loaded are stowed with
suitable packings to prevent undue concussion, is held at the top of
its course by a catch, readily released by pressure on a lever from
below. The guard's van is provided at its front end with a steel,
upright rod carrying a cross-piece, which is easily elevated by the
guard or his assistant in anticipation of passing any station where
parcels are to be received by projection. At the rear of the van is an
open receptacle communicating by a door or window with the van itself.
At the instant when the steel cross-piece comes in contact with the
lever of the catch, which holds the little truck in position on the
elevated footbridge, the descent begins, and by the time that the
receptacle behind the van has come directly under the end of the
sloping track the truck has reached the latter point and is brought to
a sudden standstill by buffers at the termination of the miniature
"toboggan". The ends of the little truck being left open, its contents
are discharged into the receptacle behind the van, from which the
guard or assistant in charge removes them into the vehicle itself. For
catching the parcels thrown out from the van a much simpler set of
apparatus is sufficient.

On a larger scale, no doubt in course of time, a somewhat similar plan
will be brought into operation for causing loaded trucks to run from
elevated sidings and to join themselves on to trains in motion. One
essential condition for the attainment of this object is that the
rails of the siding should be set at such a steep declivity that, when
the last van of the passing train has cleared the points and set the
waiting truck in motion by liberating its catch, the rate of speed
attained by the pursuing vehicle should be sufficiently high to enable
it to catch the train by its own impetus.

It may be found more convenient on some lines to provide nearly level
sidings and to impart the necessary momentum to the waiting truck,
partly through the propelling agency of compressed air. Any project
for what will be described as "shooting a truck loaded with valuable
goods after the retreating end of a train," in order to cause it to
catch up with the moving vehicles, will no doubt give rise