18 HENRY DEANE. 
and four wheeled stock is the more common type, more 
experiments are required to throw light on the question. 
Mr. Fraser, Engineer-in-Chief for Existing Lines N.S.W. 
Railways, Mr. Pagan, Chief Engineer of Queensland, and 
Mr. Norman, Chief Engineer of Victorian Existing Lines, 
have furnished me with some valuable information on the 
subject of wear of rails, and Mr. Pagan of the remedy 
which he adopted. 
Mr. Fraser says:—“‘As verbally requested a few days 
ago, I have to inform you that the wear of rails on sharp 
curves is now somewhat heavy inthis State. On the main 
western line (Mountain section) we had before the 8 chain 
curves were cut out, 80 ib. rails worn clean out in 5 months, 
but on the 12 chain curves to which the minimum radius 
has been improved, we got a life, when working single line, 
of two years, and since the traffic has been reduced by 
double line working the line has been increased to three 
years. On the North Coast line between Cowan and the 
Hawkesbury River, rails on 11 chain curves on the steep 
gradient have been worn out in 13 months, and this is 
practically the present life of 80 Ib. rails on these particular 
curves. On the Illawarra line, between Waterfall and 
Helensburgh, 80 ib. rails on 10 chain curves have a life of 
approximately three years, the traffic though heavy being 
mainly slow. On the main Western line, between Bowenfels 
and Bathurst, we are now renewing 80 ih. rails on 12 chain 
curves, which have had a life of two years only, but the 
traffic on that section is both heavy and fast. 
“The foregoing will show that approximately the life of 
80 ib. rails on curves of 12 chain radius and under on single 
main lines, where the traffic is heavy and fast, varies from 
1 vz: to two years. Renewals on curves upwards of 12 
chains radius are not heavy—the difference in wear being 
very marked as compared with what we class as sharp 
