X. T. H. HOUGHTO^T. 



be best filled by the site chosen, the cost of a long conduit was 

 justifiable. 



The poles for carrying the trolley wires are new to Australia, 

 in fact, they have only recently been introduced in America. 

 They are made from solid drawn weldless Mannesman tubes, each 

 of three different diameters drawn out of one piece of steel, and 

 will present a graceful appearance when fixed with the cast iron, 

 base and ornamental brackets to carry the trolly wire, which is 

 itself of a special form, being deep and narrow, instead of round 

 as in the tramways previously constructed here. 



Preparations have been made in portions of the existing steam 

 tramway system for the transformation of them into electric ones 

 when they were re-laid, copper bonds having been inserted at the 

 joints. A description of the special form of joint now being used 

 on the 801b. rails in Phillip and Elizabeth Streets was read 

 before this section by Mr. Cowdery last session. 



Several new railways have been completed during the past year, 

 mostly of the light type introduced by the Engineer-in-Chief, but 

 I will only refer to a few of the works in connection with the 

 railways that have come under my notice. 



The accommodation of the public has been greatly improved 

 by the construction at Eveleigh of the corridor cars now running 

 on the Melbourne express. Mr. Thow has shown that work 

 equal to that turned out by the celebrated Pullman Company can 

 be made here, and by the provision of second-class lavatory cars, 

 which commenced running a year ago, a very necessary benefit 

 was conferred upon what is really the largest number of 

 passengers. 



The compound locomotives have not proved so economical on 

 the N.S.W. Railways as they have in some other countries. , This 

 arises, I believe, not from any defect in the principle, but from 

 the alternate ascending and descending grades, and they are now 

 being converted into simple engines, as the slight saving in fuel 

 did not compensate for the smaller load that they drew. Some 

 very large engines designed by Mr. Thow are now at work on the 



