and Hudson River Kailroail has tried cast-iron "pots"' experimentally 

 ou a small scale. This latter road will make a careful trial of the 

 "Hartford" steel tie, which promises well; eight hundred of these ties 

 have been ordered and Avill be laid in ApriL Another tie about to be 

 given a practical trial is the "Standard" steel tie, in which the rails 

 rest on wood blocks, on end grain, the arrangement being somewhat 

 similar to a form of track tried on the Eastern Eailway of France. Of 

 these types of ties, however, I prefer to say nothing further at present, 

 for the reason that howev^er advantageous they may seem, i^ractical 

 service alone can decide as to their practical advantages; and, if suc- 

 cessful, they will doubtless be modified to some extent to meet require- 

 ments met with in experience, as has been the case with the " Post" and 

 all other soccessfnl forms of ties. 



It should be borne in mind that metal ties should be adopted not only 

 as a substitute lor timber when the latter becomes scarce or expensive, 

 but also (and more i)articularly on main lines) as giving a better and 

 more efficient form of track for fast and heavy traffic. For a further 

 explanation of this view I would refer to a paper on "Maintenance Ex- 

 penses of Track on Metal and Wooden Ties," by J. W. Post (with a dis- 

 cussion written by -myself ), in the Transactions of the American Society 

 of Civil Engineers, June, 1888.* Descriptions of some of the earlier 

 forms of metal track are given in Engineering News, New York, Janu- 

 ary and February, 1887. 



In concluding this introduction, I give the following abstract of the 

 opinions presented at the International Eailway Congress, held at Milan, 

 Italy, in 1887: The opinion i) resented at the Congress at Brussels, in 

 1885, that metal ties are able in point of efficiency to compete with 

 wooden ties, is not weakened by the results of experience of the two 

 years, and the use of metal ties is extending. In point of economy, 

 considering the first cost and the durability, the result depends upon 

 the material, the state of the metal market, and upon local circum- 

 stances. As to the cost of maintenance, the question was not considered 

 to be fully decided on lines with a fast and heavy traffic, but for lines 

 with moderate traffic and speed it was the opinion of the majority that 

 the metal tie presented advantages, especially after the lapse of a suffi- 

 cient time for the earth works to have thoroughly settled and for the 

 taking up of all slack in the fastenings. 

 I am, sir, respectfully yours, 



E. E. EussELL Tratman, 



B. E. Fernow, Jun, Am. Soc. G, E. 



Chief of Forestry Division^ Department of Agriculture. 



found objectionable. It is also stated that as long as white-oak ties can be got at 65 

 to 70 cents each it ttouUI be foolish to use metal ties, "costing $3 to |4" each. That 

 the cost for metal ties is not necessarily' as high as that given as objectionable will 

 appear further on in this report; a good tic (Durand patent) being claimed to be 

 produced from old rails at tlie cost of |il. — B. E. F. 

 " See reprint m this Bulletin, p. 25. 



