FLAT, OPEN, BOX VAN The Holy Trinity of secondary railways

the 1860s, the question of the nature and organization of secondary railways was still actively discussed within French railway circles. The Society of Civil Engineers (S.I.C. in the French acronym), in particular, focussed on the problem. The minutes of its meetings are packed with statements dealing with this topic. In 1870, Émile Level, a member of the S.I.C., published what purported to be a practical treatise on