13.—2b.

parts it is in good running order. Baliast is shingle and broken stone, and is scanty in places. Sleepers good. Light engines and moderate speed. This is a good line. 3. The bridges have all been entirely rebuilt in ironbark, and are in excellent condition. 4. Fences are mixed hedges, iron standards, and post and wire, all in fair condition. Gates extensively renewed with old-rail posts. Signboards good. Three cattle-stops are renewed in concrete, eleven stand on sills, the frames and sills are very old, and must be renewed soon , all but one have ironbark beams. 5. Two platforms have concrete fronts, the rest have timber, old but still good. Stationbuildings, shelter-sheds, Stationmaster's house, goods-sheds, platelayer's cottage, coal store, all in good condition, tank-stands and engine-shed good, loading-bank good. Otago Central Bbanch (56 Miles). Wingatui to Barewood. 1. The formation is in good condition, except for falls of stones which are impending in one or two places. Men are engaged throwing down loose rocks from a great height, and a great deal of this work must be done before the road is quite safe from falling stones. In one or two places also slips are likely to occur with heavy rains. There are some fine retaining-walls and pitched slopes in good condition. 2. The rails are 531b. steel, in excellent condition. The first part of the road has many dosed sleepers, and a large number have been renewed. After nine miles the sleepers are better The ballast is slate fragments, soft and inferior The line is in fine running order 3. Some bridges and culverts on the first part have been rebuilt in ironbark. All the rest of the bridges are masonry and iron girders. Large open culverts have masonry and roatai beams in excellent condition. There are three tunnels in good condition. 4. On the first part the fences and hedges are pretty good, but a good deal has lately been burnt. Cattle-stops are in very good condition. 5. Platforms have stone fronts, and all buildings and cottages are in excellent condition. 6. Mile-posts are of rail-ends. Barewood to Hyde. 1. Formation very good, clean, well drained. 2. Bails 531b. steel, ballast and shingle very poor in places, sleepers good. Line is in fine running order, except in a few places where it wants a little straightening. 3. The bridges are all masonry and iron , open culverts masonry or iron-bark piles and matai beams, all new and good. 4. Fences are iron standards and wire in very good condition, cattle-stops new and good, gates and signboards very good 5. All station-buildings and cottages are in first-rate condition, cattle-pens, loading-banks platforms, coal stores, turntable, tank-stands, engine-shed, all in first-rate condition, privies and urinals, all good and clean. Mosgiel to Milton, Main South Line (26 Miles). 1. Formation good; some cuttings have been cut down to improve gradients , stone-pitching at lake in good condition. 2. Bails are 531b. steel, in good condition, ballast is chiefly gravel, with patches of brokenstone ballast put on to prevent high floods from scouring away the ballast. Sleepers are very good, except near Milton, where there are rather more than the usual number half-rotten. The line is kept in excellent running condition. 3. The bridges have been so extensively renewed or rebuilt that there is scarcely anything left of the originals, and all renewals are iron-bark , most of these renewals were done in 1887, and a few one or two years ago. The Taieri Bridge, with many renewals, is in good condition, but there are some pieces of original totara which must come out soon , the iron of lower chords wants paint. The bridge at 258 miles 50 chains has some piles and beams far gone in decay, and must be renewed as soon as possible The Waihola Bridge has had many renewals in ironbark in top-cords, diagonals, and. floor beams, it requires a good many more, and should be taken in hand as soon as possible. It has had new bolts and floor-beams. 4. Fences are about half iron standard and half post and wire, the latter are burnt and otherwise out of repair in a good many places. All cattle-stops have been renewed with ironbark beams; twenty are renewed with concrete sills , thirteen being on old sills, which are fairly good, Nearly all gates are renewed with iron-rail posts. Signboards in good condition. 5. Intermediate stations have four platforms renewed in concrete, and repairs done to timberwork in others. All buildings are very good, also cottages good and neat. Loading-banks, cattlepens, repaired and good, signal-posts in good order, all privies and urinals good and clean. At Mil' ton, tank-stands and hot-air engine in good order; office and store of Inspector of Permanent Way very good; platform, concrete and asphalt; cottage and station-house very good, neat, and clean; privies and urinals clean, goods-shed, engine-shed, and coal store all in good condition, Stationmaster's house very good, windmill and well good , water-supply from mill-race in good order. Milton to Balclutha (27 Miles). 1. Line clean and trim. 2. The rails are 531b. steel, with one mile of 521b. iron near Balclutha; all in good condition. This piece of road is very good, with good ballast, good sleepers, and in excellent running condition. Near the Milton end there are a good few dosed sleepers. 8. Some of the bridges and all open culverts are concrete and ironbark, others have been renewed in ironbark. Bridge at 273 miles 44 chains has had new ironbark piles and caps; the

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