140 SECTIONAL ADDRESSES. 



but this would involve boring double sets of holes, and one set of holes 

 on each side could not be bored out until the rails were lifted from their 

 existing position. The work could be carried out in the following 

 order : Temporary permanent-way gangs would carry out the work 

 of adzing (if this were necessary) and boring the sleepers for the new 

 position of the rails, and would partly drive in most of the inside spikes 

 for the new location of the rail, drawing at the same time many of 

 the old inside spikes. When this work was complete the next opera- 

 tion would be to draw the remaining spikes of the rails to be shifted 

 and then to push inwards the rails in long lengths; there would be 

 no necessity to interfere with any of the fish-plates. The permanent 

 gangs of platelayers would follow up the work of these temporary 

 gangs and would complete the accurate gauging and spiking of the 

 track, and at the same time they would draw any spikes left in the old 

 position. Two constructional trains, one of the 4 ft. 8+ in. gauge follow- 

 ing up, and one of the 5 ft. 3 in. gauge going ahead, would be needed. 

 At all tunnels and stations it would be necessary to slew over the 

 whole track 3 J inches in order to keep the existing track centres. 



With regard to the rolling-stock, if details were carefully worked 

 out beforehand, no serious practical difficulty would occiu- in changing 

 from the 5 ft. 3 in. to the 4 ft. 8h in. gauge, though, in the majority 

 of the locomotives, new fire-boxes would be necessary besides the 

 requisite alterations to the frames and axles. 



Changing over from the 3 ft. 6 in. Gauge to the 4 ft. 8h in. Gauge. 



This would be a much more elaborate and difficult job, as both rails 

 must be moved outwards 7^ inches, and all earthworks, bridges, and 

 tunnels widened so as to be suitable for the increased gauge and new width 

 of formation; there would be, therefore, considerable dislocation of traffic 

 while the work was being carriecl out, and it would be necessary to 

 divide the countiy up into a series of areas and deal completely with 

 all the hues in one particular area before any work was started in another 

 area. 



Cost of Conversion. 



In preparing their estimates for the cost of the conversion of the 

 main lines only, the Commissioners based their figures on the employ- 

 ment of an 80-lb. rail and the necessary consequent improvements in 

 road-bed, bridges, &c., to allow for the heavier rolling-stock which 

 would be employed if an 80-lb. rail were in use. They had also in 

 their estimates provided for the cost of the temporary transfer stations 

 and the new permanent stations which would be required at Adelaide 

 (estimated cost 5()0,000Z.), Melbourne (estimated cost 880,000L), 

 Brisbane (estimated cost 15O,0O0L). If, however, it were decided to 

 convert all the 5 ft. 3 in. lines at once tO' the 4 ft. 8J in. gauge, much 

 of this costly main station expenditure would not be required. The 

 estimate prepared by the Commissioners of the expenditure required 

 for the work of complete conversion differs very greatly from the 

 estimate submitted by the five State Railway authorities, and the 

 attached table shows the enormous discrepancies between the two sets 

 of estiniate-3. 



