XCVIII. G. R. COWDERY. 
TRAMWAY RAIL JOINTS. 
By G. R. Cowpery, Engineer for Tramways. 
[Read before the Engineering Section of the Royal Society of N. 8. Wales, 
November 17, 1897.] 
ALTHouGH tramways (or as Americans would more properly say, 
street railways) have been in vogue for many years, it is only 
within the last three or four years that very considerable progress 
has been made in improving the rail joints. This was, no doubt, 
chiefly due to too close adherence to railway practice, insufficient 
allowance being made for the altered conditions under which roll- 
ing stock was required to move along street surfaces, and also 
from the fact that some conditions common to both were not 
properly understood, or, if understood, lightly ignored. 
Two illustrations in passing will suffice, The author early 
noticed that the same expansion was allowed in street tracks as 
on the railway, although not necessary. Also that heavy expense 
was incurred when renewing joint sleepers owing to the necessity 
for first removing the concrete with which they were surrounded, 
although in the first instance no concrete was really required. 
This led to the experiment of laying the sleepers closer together 
on broken ballast without concrete, thus more closely conforming 
to railway conditions, preventing cold rolling to the rails similar 
to that which takes place in a rock cutting on railways where 
insufficiently ballasted. All tram lines whether relaid or con- 
structed through macadamised streets, have been made for the 
last seven years without concrete, greatly reducing the cost of 
ordinary maintenance, and producing smoother running. Of 
course this cannot apply to woodpaved streets, where rigid 
surface is indispensable. These two illustrations are sufficient to 
explain that in one case a departure from railway practice was 
necessary, in the other it was not. 
