COST OF TRAMWAYS IN VICTORIA.

Southland Times, Volume 3, Issue 102, 16 October 1863, Page 7

COST OF TRAMWAYS IN VICTORIA.

The following statement of the cost of constructing- ? sho-i line of tepmway \que''V, railway?] aC Warrnambool, in liie colony of Vicloi ia, was furnished by ?n eugineer of the line, Mr R. KeiT, in • eply to inquiries iiade by J. M. Allen, Esq., concerning the probable cosl. of a contemplated line bevween Port Albeit, aiu! Sale. We trice (he letter fiom the Gipps I and Tim:s : — My dear Sir, — In reply to yonr letter, d^ted 17th July, I lirve very much pleasure in icspondipfv to your application for full particulars respecting the WaiTnam bool Tr.'mway. The tramway in question, one Pod ? quarter miles in leiigl/i, \v?s const u:ied ia 1857, in the following ma. met : — Ai'ier the roadway was formed, and all necessary cuttings and enbankmenis cxc cuted, which anipunted altogether to 7,00 cubic yards, transverse sleepers of split timber 7 feet 6 inches in length, average thickness 6 inches, were laid every three feet ; notches were cut out of those sleepers 3 inches in depth by about 5 inches in breadth to receive longitudinal rails of red Kum; the dimensions of the rails were 7x3 inches, placed on edge, and were secured to ihe transverse sleepers with timber keys. Tlie roadway was afterwards ballasted with the best material arising from the excavatious, to ihe level of the top of the sleepers. The total cost of completing the work, as described was The detailed cost was as follows : — Formation and construction of 1^ miles of roadway, as described » . . . £2,185 Six trucks .... 340 Conducting a shed, 80 x22 ft 384 £2,909 After the tramway had been in opera tion about six months, it was discovered lhal the. timber rails were badly adapted for heavy traffic, especially round the curves, as the abrasion both on the top and sides of ihe rails was excessive, caused by the attrition or friction of the wheels of the trucks ; the top of the tirobsr rails

was, therefore, covered with bars of flat iron, 3 by £ inches.at a cost of LI 15. Tha flat bar iron was secured to the rails with clout iron every three feet. This cheap and nasty plan was a considerable improvement on the plain timber rails, but ultimately it was' found that the continued heavy traffic had a tendency, by rolling the upper surface of the iron, to make the flat bars spring at the ends. This caused a considerable expense in repairs, in order to keep the roadway in any thing like good working order. I, therefore, recommended to the Council that the flat bar iron should be removed, and that the timber rails should be taken up and placed on their flat, converting the' longitudinal rails into longitudinal tleepers, and on the lop of the timber rails lo lay down proper rails, weighing 35 lbs. so the lineal yard. This plan was adopted in IBJB, and the roadway has been in firstrale order ever since, requiring very little repair. The cost of the iron rails was Ll3 per ton, and the quantity required for one and a-quarter mile was 90 tons. The cost of re-la^ing the roadway was LI OO. The Council have lately erected a goods shed 100 feet in length by 42 feet in breadth. Tney I aye also supplied six additional trucks The cost of the tramway, as it now stands (everything complete), is as follows : — formation and construction of 1£ mile, including iron rails, &c. . £3,358 Two goods sheds, one 100 by 42 J»* feet, and one 80 by 22 feet . 1,020 Twelve Trucks • • • 600 Total .... £4,978 The working of the tramway is let for a period of three years, and the revenue the Council derives from it is LI ,075 per annum. The scale of chai-ges for receiving and transmitting goods and produce is as follows: — Goods and produce 3s 6d per ton, parcels, under fifty-six pounds, Gd., hides, bags, wool, in the same proportion. This scale of charges, of course, includes the loading of the trucks and discharging the same into the lighters, which, of course, would be just the same although the line was twenty or fifty miles in length. The cost of merely conveying the goods along the line would, therefore, not exceed one shilling per ton per mile ; add to this tho loading and discharging of the trucks, say 2s per ton would be sufficient data to base any calculations you might have to make on the probable returns that might be received from a tramway in Gippsland between Sale and Port Albert. Every thing, of course, would depend upon the quantity of produce or goods lhat is likely io be transmitted. The quantity transmitted along our short line is about 16,000 tons per annum. With regard to the cost of forming and constructing a tramway between Sale and Port Albert, a great deal will depend upon the general features of the country, because, if it be found necessary to construct many expensive bridges or culverts, the cost of the work would be very much increased. A great deal \>iil al-o depend upon the material available for the con-s-tmction of the line. If plenty of timber can be found in the vicinity, and stone of a description suitable for ballasting, the cost of the work would be much less than it would be if the same had to Le im ported. I wouid certainly strongly recommend your friends in Gipps Land not to make a tramway of timber alone, as I am certain, from the experience I have had of works of the kind, it would be found to be vety badly adapted for the purposes intended. I am of opinion, from what .you have already stated of ihe character of the country in Gipps Land, between Sale and Pot Albert, that the expense of the WaiTiimubo >1 tramway, including the iron rails, \vi uld be a very good for a similar construction in lhat loca'ity. A proper survey of ihe whole line (fifty miles) and the cost of preparing ail neces- j saiy plans, sections, and specifications of the tramway, bridges, culverts, and the whole of the woiks connected therewith, would be worth L2OOO. Offers might be had from incompetent parties to do it for j less, but I am certain, if the plans, sections, and specification are properly executed in detail as they ought to be, it would be impossible to get them done for less money. A preliminary survey and sections of the work sufficient to estimate the cost of the same could be executed for ab ml LSOO. I ;:m as on r slied that there should be no D *t'-if.-t Houl Hoard in that locality. If the place is of the importance that ) suppose it is, there ought to be a large disliict formed and managed by a District Council under the new Act, which will shortly beco.ne law, they would then be in a position to borrow money to execute works of the magniiude contemplated. In conclusion, I would strongly urge upon your friends in Gipps Land that, in the event of their forming a tramway between Sale and Port Albert, it should be constructed in a manner not less substantial than the one I have described, as it would enable them to use engines of about bix tons weight, instead of horses, without any danger of injuring the roadway. R. Keiir.