D.— 2b.

Woodville to Palmerston (opened 1891). Formation is in very good order, drains clean and mostly clear of weeds. At the Gorge there are small slips continually coming down, but nothing to affect the lines. One heavy slip has been tunnelled through, and another, which buried the original line, is being gradually worked out, so that in time ths buried line will be restored. Permanent-way The line is kept in first-rate running order and especially so through the Gorge. The rails are all 531b. steel, except 28 chains, near Palmerston, of 401b. iron The ballast is very good, but rather dirty near Palmerston. What we could see of the sleepers were very good. Structures The bridges in the Gorge, twenty in number, are all concrete and iron, in first-rate condition. The Pohangina bridge is iron cylinders and iron girders, in excellent condition. The bridges outside gorge on either side are in very good condition, two of them being quite new The tunnels are in good condition , open culverts very good condition. Two overbridges at Palmerston are very good. Fencing The gorge is not fenced, but outside it the fences, cattle-stops, gates, and signboards are in very good condition. Stations At the stations, Ashurst, Wakaronga, and Palmerston North, the shelter-sheds, platforms, goods-shed, station-building, cattle-pens, loading-banks are all good , privies and urinals good and clean. At Palmerston, the station-building and platform, goods-shed, drivers' huts, platelayers' and other cottages, are all in good condition privies and urinals good and clean, engineshed in good condition, part of roof is getting old and done, the new part very good, one new coalstore very good, one older one, walls a little damaged, loading-bank, tank-stands, and waterservice very good. Foxton to Palmeeston. Formation is very irregular and overgrown, and, at the Foxton end, invaded by driftsand , the upper part is subject to floods, and deep ditches originally dug are now blocked with vegetation. Permanent-way The line is not in first-rate order—line and levels might be better but for the inferior rails and joints, and poor ballast and sleepers , but there is little traffic, and light engines and trains can put up with this road for years to come. There are 1 mile 30 chains of 531b. steel rails, 2 miles 77 chains of 521b. iron rails, and 15 miles 6 chains of 401b. iron rails, with Ibottson joints, which are somewhat worn in places, the rails are crippled by running over them without ballast. The ballast is thin and poor near Foxton, but better in many places near Longburn , the sleepers are of very various qualities, patches of good and inferior being all mixed up. If it were worth doing so, about 40 per cent, of new sleepers, a large quantity of new ballast, and the rails largely culled out would make a good line. Structures In the Oroua bridge many piles are half-rotten, and some of the beams rotten at heart, it is patched and altered beyond recognition, and is to be rebuilt very soon. A bridge being built over the new drainage-channel, entirely in ironbark, will be a fine bridge. Bridge 12 has partly rotten beams, and must be renewed very soon, the same is the case with Bridge 11. Bridge 10 is a little better, and Bridge 9is pretty good, but all are down for renewal. Bridges 8 and 7 are new and good. Bridges 3 and 4 are in good condition. Many open culverts are in a bad way, and many must be renewed with the least delay, some are under renewal now, and some are in fair condition. Box-culverts are in fair condition. Fencing Fences are mostly private property, there are a few cattle-stops, in good condition though very old , also a few gates, old but still serviceable. Stations: At Foxton the station-building and its platform are in good condition, engine-shed old but good, roof old and worn and must soon be renewed , coal-stors old and somewhat damaged , goods-shed in very fair order, there is also a new goods-shed. Cattle-pens, loading-banks, crane, weighbridge, and picket-fencing in good order ; tank-stand in good order The wharf is in fairly good condition, siding good but weedy At Motuiti, platform and shelter-shed very old but good. The Carnarvon shelter-shed, platform, and tank-stand are old but still good. At Bainesse, platform dilapidated and rotten, sheltershed and loading-bank in good condition. The Oroua platform has its timber rotten, and stationhouse abandoned and ruinous , tank-stand and goods-shed old but still serviceable. At Tiakitahuna, platform and shelter-shed old but still good. At Karere the shelter-shed, floortimber, and sills decayed, goods-shed old but good, loading-bank timber rotten. At Longburn, station-building and platform good, privies and urinals good and clean, loading-bank good. At Awapuni the shelter-shed floor old and decayed, platform in fair condition. Palmbeston-New Plymouth. Palmerston to Halcombe. Formation is good, well kept, and fairly clear of weeds. Beyond Bunnythorpe the line runs over a number of little rises, and it is proposed to cut these down and raise the hollows so as to make easier running, and this has been commenced on the worst of them, and one or two of the lowest banks have been raised. Permanent-way The line is in good running order; the rails are 3 miles 531b. steel, 3 miles 401b. iron, and 18J miles of 521b. iron; the 521b. iron are somewhat worn in places. The ballast, of coarse shingle, is plentiful except in very few places ; sleepers, as far as we could see, are good, though some are getting very old. Structures . There are a great number of small bridges and open culverts, with totara piles and caps or totara back-lining nearly all very good, and we only found two which had piles and beams a little decayed. Nearly every bridge has had new ironbark beams, intended to carry the heavier

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