Larmanjat guided rail system

The cross-axle was driven through spiral bevel gear reduction and the wheels were a loose fit on the axle to allow for different rotational speeds, so easing the negotiation of turns.

[11] Sharp Stewart delivered the first locomotive to Buckhurst Hill, Essex, in December 1872, where a length of demonstration track had been laid.

[10] In the conditions experienced in Portugal, Trevithick's engines and track were not successful: derailments occurred from stones obstructing the planks or the rail; in wet weather the locomotives struggled for traction on the warped and slippery planks; in dry weather gritty dust overwhelmed the passengers and entered the working parts of the locomotives, causing frequent breakdowns.

[14] After 22 months in operation, always running at a loss, the Lisbon Steam Tramways Company was deemed to have "completely failed in [its] undertaking", and on 16 July 1875 it was made the subject of a winding up order in the Chancery Division of the High Court in London.

It was stated in court that Grant had bribed financial journalists to report favourably on the investment, with the finance editor of The Times, Marmaduke Sampson, receiving £275.

Public consultation was ordered and in April 1874 (by which time the indifferent performance of the Larmanjat tramways at Lisbon had become evident) permission was refused.

[20][21] Larmanjat secured authorisation to build a 15-kilometre (9-mile) line on public roadways from Lausanne to Échallens, canton of Vaud, Switzerland, in June 1872.

Instead, the existing roadway was widened to accommodate conventional metre-gauge track, but the nickname "La Brouette" continued in use long after the new line was opened.

[22] In January 1873 Larmanjet secured a 40-year concession for towpath haulage of barges between Roche and St-Jean-de-Losne on the Canal de Bourgogne, a distance of 240 kilometres (150 miles).