22 T. H. HOUGHTON. 



but since then it has become the practice to manufacture 

 most of these within the State in the Departmental Work- 

 shops, and, so far as ordinary interlocking gear is concerned, 

 the Department may now be said to be quite independent 

 of imported materials. 



The second line of progress in regard to this matter has 

 taken place in respect of power interlocking. The first 

 installation to be brought into use was an electro-pneumatic 

 power plant in Sydney yard in 1910. This comprised two 

 signal boxes, containing 59 and 203 levers respectively; 

 since that time progress has been very rapid. 



Additional electro-pneumatic installations have been 

 brought into use in Sydney yard and at Illawarra Junction, 

 and a large electric installation has been brought into use 

 at Flemington, in which no less than seven junctions are 

 operated from one signal box. A further plant of all 

 electric interlocking is now in progress of installation near 

 Sydenham, and from this four separate junctions will be 

 worked. The total number of power plants in operation 

 in the State is five, with a total of 600 levers. 



The third line of development has been in connection 

 with automatic signalling, and this has taken place not 

 only in the Sydney suburban area, but also on country 

 sections. At present the whole of the suburban line, from 

 Sydney to Sydenham, Belmore and Homebush, and the 

 Milson's Point line as far as Bay Road, are signalled auto- 

 matically. Numerous long sections in the country have 

 been divided by means of automatic signals, thereby giving 

 increased traffic provisions without the equivalent of 

 additional staff. 



The installation of automatic signalling is being rapidly 

 extended, and there is no doubt that there is a great future 

 for this form of signalling on the railways of this State. 



