PRESIDENTS ADDRESS—SECTION H. 139 
the Benevolent Asylum, where the cars are enabled to pass on 
to their proper track in George-street. 
The distance from Circular Quay to John-street is 3 miles 
20 chains, and is double track all the way ; the length of track, 
including cross-over roads and junctions, is about 7 miles. 
The rails used on this tramway are of the grooved girder type, 
83 lbs. per yard, 30 ft. in length, and of specially hard steel. 
They are laid on concrete 10 in. deep, and kept to gauge with 
wrought-iron tie rods. All joints rest on bed plates, and are 
provided with fishplates with 6 bolts and Pullen’s patent rail 
joint boxes, and are close bolted. 
On opening up the streets it was found that certain lengths 
of the concrete bed were sound and strong enough for the tram- 
way; in these places it was, therefore, made use of. For the 
greater part of the length, however, including the whole of Harris- 
street, and from Queen’s Wharf to Bathurst-street, the concrete 
was too thinly laid in the first instance to afford the required 
support. 
Double crossings are laid down at intervals so as to provide 
the means of shortening the traffic in case of any block occur- 
ring. 
The Edison-Brown plastic bond has been used on this tramway. 
Particular attention has been paid to the bonding, as this 
tramway will act as the trunk line for the whole of the western 
suburbs, and consequently there will be a heavy return cur- 
rent. As a supplementary return a copper cable having a sec- 
tional area of .49 sq. in. is laid between each track from Circular 
(Juay to Redfern. Each cable is connected to alternate rails on 
either side, so that every car will be connected direct to the 
cable. These cables are laid against their respective tracks, and 
cross connected every 60 yards, the connection between the cable 
and inner rail being made with a special gun metal clip bolt. 
At the intersection of Liverpool and George streets nine cables 
are taken direct underneath the Callender-Webber casing, carry- 
ing the return current to the power house at Ultimo, a distance 
of 900 yards. There are also from Engine-street two cables, 
and from Harris-street along William Henry-street four cables, 
which carry the return current. 
The sectional area of trolly wire used is 167,803 circular 
mills (equal to No. OOO B. & S.) hard drawn copper of figure 8 
section. The clips and ears are of Billings and Spencer’s make. 
The section insulators at the cross-over roads are of local manu- 
facture. 
The overhead conductor is carried for the most part by poles 
and double brackets erected along the centre of the track. The 
centre, span, and anchor poles are of Mannesmann manufacture, 
being solid drawn in three lengths of different diameter. The 
wrought and cast iron work has been made locally. 
