33. Track. Six and a quarter miles of main line track were renewed, leaving a balance of approximately 5 miles to complete the re-railing programme commenced in 1947/48. The programme is now 12 miles behind schedule as work had to be stopped in December owing to the shortage of hardwood sleepers.
The 2,404 yards of track inside Beacon Hill Tunnel, which were renewed with 110-lb. rails in July 1947, had to be re-railed with 95-lb. rails. Cracks had appeared in the 110-lb. rails, and on two occasions there were fractures. It was con- sidered essential in the interests of safety to replace them.
Various new minor works, the most important being the installation of new crossovers at Lowu, new turnouts at Hung Hom, and track extensions in the carriage sheds etc. were carried out during the year.
34. Rail creep. Considerable attention was paid to the control of rail creep in the main line. Creeping gauges were set up at every 1 mile and the creep at each of these gauges was measured monthly. The expansion gaps of rail joints over approximately 7 miles of track which had closed up due to rail creep, were adjusted by the addition of suitable rail anchors. With a total of 8,500 "Henggi" rail anchors and 10,000 elastic spikes inserted in the track, the maximum rail creep measured in March, 1952, was 3 inches. This was a great improvement compared to the maximum of 60 inches recorded in 1950-51.
35. Tunnels and bridges. About 20 feet of cracked brick arch inside Beacon Hill tunnel was strengthened with reinforced concrete arch ribs lined with copper sheeting to prevent leaking water from getting onto the track. Minor leakages in several portions of this tunnel were also repaired.
All other tunnels and bridges were inspected and repairs and improvements were carried out where necessary.
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