Weights Measures and Coinage

The weight, measurement and coinage system used by the Great Western Railway in the 19th century is completely foreign to the modern, neat decimal world.  Not only were British Customary units used but their usage was also that peculiar to railway practice.

Distance

Measured in miles chains and links.

1 mile = 5280 feet = 80 chains =1609 meters

1 chain = 66 feet = 100 links = 20.1 meters

1 link = .66 feet = 8 inches =  .20 meters

feet and inches were also used for smaller measurements

1 foot = .3048 meters

1 inch = .0254 meters

The Gauge of the Great western railway was 7 feet .25 inches or 2.14 meters.

Curves

Measured in radius in chains

Curves were seldom less than 10 chains including those in railway yards.

Curves on the main line were commonly around 150 chains say 1.875 miles or 3000 meters

Weights

Ponderous items such as railway locomotives, waggons and carriages  were typically measured in Tons, hundredweight and quarters.  

1 Ton = 2240 pounds = 1018 Kg

1 hundredweight (cwt) = 112 pounds = 50.9 Kg

1 quarter = 28 pounds = 12.7 Kg

other weights included the stone and the pound

1 stone = 14 pounds = 6.4 Kg

1 pound = .454 Kg

Waggons are often marked with their tare weight:  5 2 3  which should be read 5 Tons 2 Hundredweight 3 Quarters

or 11508 pounds or 5231Kg

Burnel reckoned passengers came 15 to the ton, or the average passenger weight 10 stone 9 pounds  or 149 pounds or 68 Kg

The coinage of the time was based on the Pound Sterling.  Literally a Troy pound of sterling silver.

The pound was divided in 20 shillings 

and 12 pence to the shilling so that there were 240 pence per pound.

Present prices for a Troy (12 oz) pound of silver are about 75 US Dollars or 42 modern Pounds.   An 1873 timetable list 3rd class Paddington to Bristol as 9s8d or 117 old pence or about 20.50 modern Pounds.  First Great Western List their lowest return fare Bristol to Paddington at 19.50.    It seems little has changed.

Outside the railway prices were usually written in pounds/shillings/pence.  1/6/2   In the railway timetables 1st and 2nd class fares were commonly written in shillings only so that calculating fares for intermediate stations only involved simple subtraction.  Third class fares were fixed by act of parliament at no more than a penny a mile.  Seldom was less than a penny a mile charged so that the distance between stations may be worked out by converting 3rd class fares to pence.