PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 51 
main Western line. The original structures were through 
bridges with plate girders, and both the main and cross 
girders were found to be rather weak for the loads imposed 
by the heaviest classes of the new engines. The method 
of strengthening adopted was the insertion under the 
centre of the cross girders of a new main girder, designed 
practically to carry the whole of the load imposed on 
the bridge, and of course by giving the support to the 
cross girders at the centre they were strengthened at the 
same time. 
Another important bridge work was the renewal of the 
Wagga Wagga viaduct, originally a timber structure with 
29 feet 6 inches spans. The same span was adopted in 
the new structure, light plate girder taking the place of 
the timber superstructure and steel trestles on concrete 
replacing the timber pile piers. Some 1,700 tons of steel 
were used in the work, which has been of great advan- 
tage both to the Permanent Way and Traffic Branches. 
To the former by doing away with the heavy annual 
maintenance cost of the old viaduct, and to the latter by 
enabling the heaviest classes of engines to be used over 
the section Junee and Albury, effecting a considerable 
annual saving in the train mileage. 
Buildings.—With the growth of traffic, additional accom- 
modation is constantly being provided, and for traffic 
purposes the largest works carried out for some years past 
have been a new outwards goods shed at Darling Harbour, 
1,000 feet long by 90 feet wide. The shed is fitted with 
hydraulic cranes for quickly handling large packages, and 
about 100 trucks can be loaded at one time under cover. 
At Darling Harbour, in anticipation of a grain export 
trade, a large shed, about 1,100 feet long by 80 feet wide, 
and capable of holding some 30,000 tons of grain, was 
erected close to the main wharf. Three vessels can berth 
