31 



(14) Alteriiatiug joints have given satisfactory results^ especially in 

 curves of short radius. 



(15) Suspended rail joints have given the best results on metal ties, 

 providing the angle splice-bars be strong and the distance between 

 joint-ties small. 



(10) Types YII, VIII, and IX fulfill all conditions for properly im- 

 bedding the tie in the ballast. If the packing is done properl^^, and does 

 ijot exceed 1 J feet from each side of the rail, the track can never become 

 balaucing, through the ballast working towards the middle of the tie 

 and leaving the ends uusn[)i)orted, for the shape of the tie drives the 

 ballast towards the rail seats, both transversely and longitndinally. 

 Generally the ballast soon forms into a compact cake, adhering to the 

 interior of the tie, thereby augmenting both the base and tbe mass of 

 the track. 



(17) The track men, who generally abhor novelties, have soon learned, 

 owing to i)ractical instructions, to appreciate the steel ties and to make 

 an excellent track with them. 



The company closed these seventeen conclusions by quoting at the 

 Alilan Congress the following statement from the annual report of Mr. 

 Charles Eenson, resident engineer of the Liegeois section, which will 

 be received with great appreciation on account of the distinguished aud 

 impartial manner in which this engineer has organized the trials of 

 metal ties on that section : 



A single track with ties, Typo VIII or IX (latest form), having twenty-live trains 

 per day with curves, gradients, ballast, etc., as the Liege-Hasselt section, cau he, af- 

 ter four years of consolidation, maintained in proper order at the rate of one hundred 

 working days per year — kilometre. A gang of four men, working two hundred and 

 fifty days a year, of which fifty days arc given to other work, are able to maintain in 

 good condition 8 kilometres of permanent way. 



The Netherlands State Railroad Company, having expo' i need the 

 great advantage of practical experiments made on trial sccitions of 

 track, has continued experiments as follows, in order to gather infor- 

 mation on other points: 



Between Tilburg aud Breda, four parts of equal length were laid in 

 188G on the same track, to compare the cost of iiiaintenance and of re- 

 newal between: (1) Ordinary steel rails (33 kilograms per meter) on 

 timber ties. (2) Heavy steel rails (40 kilograms per meter) on timber 

 ties with two Post's steel, toothed bearing-plates on every ti^. (3) 

 Heavy steel rails (40 kilograms) on heavy Post steel ties. (4) Oidinary 

 steel rails (33.7 kilograms per meter) on ordinary Post steel ties. 



The time of observation is yet too short for any conclusion. 



Between Tilburg and Breda, four parts of equal length are being laid 

 now in the same track to compare the cost of maintenance and of re- 

 newal between: (1) Ordinary steel rails on ten timber ties per 9 meters 

 of track. (2) Ordinary steel rails o:i eleven timbor ties per 9 meters of 

 track. (3) Ordinary steel rails on twelve timber ties per meters of 



