LIME ROCK RAILROAD. (ROCKLAND, MAINE.)

This road is about eight miles long. The road has been in successful operation the past year, and is fully answering the anticipations of its projectors. It is substantially built throughout its entire length. The track on the main line is laid with steel rails, sixty pounds to the yard, and on the trestles with fifty pound steel rails. During the past year the track has been aligned, surfaced, and ballasted. Some attention has been given to ditching, and solid embankments of stone and earth have taken the place of several temporary trestle bridges. The main trestles along the shore, about two miles in length, with side tracks to the kilns, have been completed in a very substantial and workmanlike manner, being built entirely of hard pine timber, and are very safe and reliable structures, creditable to all concerned in its construction. No passengers are carried upon this road, and the cars are only adapted to the transportation of lime-rock.

LEWISTON AND AUBURN HORSE RAILROAD.

The portion of the track laid in the streets of Lewiston and Auburn is in good condition, and the road extending to Lake Auburn has been improved. The track has been aligned and surfaced, and the road-bed filled and levelled, making it safer and better footing for the horses. A branch line has been built from the main line, to the Grand Trunk station in Auburn. The horses are in good condition and well cared for. The cars are comfortable, kept clean, and in good repair.

MAINE CENTRAL RAILROAD, BRANCHES AND LEASED LINES.

Under the above heading is included the road from Portland, via Augusta and Waterville to Bangor; the European and North American Railway, from Bangor to the State line at Vanceboro'; the road from Cumberland Junction via Lewiston and Waterville to Skowhegan; the road from Bath to

Farmington, with branch from Crowley's Junction to Lewiston; the Belfast and Moosehead Railroad from Belfast to Burnham; the Dexter and Newport Railroad from Dexter to Newport; the Eastern Maine Railroad from Bangor to Bucksport; the Maine Shore Railroad from Bangor via Ellsworth, to Mt. Desert Ferry; the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad, from Portland to Lunenburg, Vermont, 51 miles of which is within the limits of this State; the Enfield Branch, from Enfield to Pulp mills; the Stillwater Branch, from Orono to Stillwater.

The total number of miles operated by the Maine Central Company is six hundred and forty-seven and thirty-four onehundredths miles; five hundred and eighty-nine miles within the limits of this State. The main lines of this road have been maintained in first-class condition, and many additions and improvements have been made. The road-bed and track from Portland to Bangor, via. Brunswick, Augusta and Waterville, are in very fine condition, track well aligned, surfaced and ballasted. Among the many improvements made the past season is the replacing of the wooden bridge just east of Bowdoinham station, by an iron plate girder bridge. At Vaughn's brook, Hallowell, two spans of iron plate girder have taken the place of the wooden spans, and the long wooden span over the street at Hallowell has been replaced by a new iron span. At Two Mile Brook, just east of Augusta, the wooden span has been replaced by an iron plate girder bridge. The wooden draw span at the crossing of the Kenduskeag stream at Bangor, has been replaced by an iron girder draw span. At Sunkhaze stream between Milford and Costigan on the European and North American Division, the wooden Howe truss has been replaced by a substantial iron bridge. The track and road-bed of the European and North American Division is in good order, well aligned, surfaced and ballasted; ties sound and good. New passenger . stations have been built at Passadumkeag and Lambert lake. New water stations at Lincoln, and coal sheds at Mattawamkeag.

The road from Cumberland Junction via. Lewiston and Waterville to Skowhegan to Skowhegan is in good condition. All the wooden bridges on this road have been replaced by iron structures. The track is in good line and surface, and well ballasted; ties mostly good and sound. A new, tasty and convenient passenger station building has been erected at Skowhegan with long platforms and awnings. The station yard has been graded and filled, and new side tracks laid. The road from Bath to Lewiston is in good order and compares favorably with the main line. The track is laid with steel rails, well lined, surfaced and ballasted; the roadbed is well ditched and drained. Several of the wooden bridges have been replaced by iron structures and all are in good order. That portion of the road between Crowley's and Leeds Junction is in fair condition, but needs new rails, ties and ballast. The long trestle bridge at Sabattus has been entirely re-built in a very substantial manner with hard pine timber. From Leeds Junction to Farmington, the track is in fair condition but needs to be ballasted, aligned and surfaced. The road-bed is fairly well ditched and drained. The bridges are in good order with the exception of the truss and trestle bridges at East Wilton. The truss bridge over the Sandy river at Farmington has been re-built in a thorough manner, and the long pile bridge across the intervale has been repaired and strengthened. A very convenient passenger station with extensive platforms and awnings has been built at Bath.

The Belfast Branch has been improved. About ten miles of steel rails and many new ties have been laid, and a considerable amount of ballast has been put upon the road-bed, and ditches well cleared. The bridges are built of wood and are generally in good condition. A new passenger station has been erected at Thorndike. A new bridge has been built at the stream near Waldo station.

The Dexter and Newport Branch is in fair condition, but needs some new rails and ballast. The road-bed is wide and fairly well ditched. There are three short wooden truss bridges,

all in good order. The station buildings are comfortable and convenient. The Eastern Maine Branch, from Bangor to Bucksport is in fair condition, but needs new rails and ballast. The road-bed is narrow at some points and should be widened and ditched. The bridge across the Penobscot river at Bangor, and the two smaller bridges on the road are in good condition. The station buildings at Brewer and Bucksport are good; others at different points along the road are in fair condition.

The

The Maine Shore Line is in very good condition. track is laid with steel rails, upon good ties, and well ballasted. The road-bed is well ditched and drained; the bridge superstructures are mostly iron and iron I beams are placed upon the smaller water-ways and open culverts. At Fitz pond a thorough iron span has been built and the last wooden span in the bridge at the crossing of Union river near Ellsworth has been replaced by an iron span. The station buildings are well built, comfortable and convenient.

PORTLAND AND OGDENSBURG RAILROAD.

At our examination of this road we found it greatly improved in every respect. Several hundred tons of new steel rails and many new ties have been laid, and the track is well aligned, surfaced and ballasted. Much attention has been given to ditching. The new road making a shorter and more direct track to the Union Station at Portland has been completed. The bridges are in good condition. Many of the station buildings have been remodelled and painted, and new awnings and platforms built. New water stations have been built at Sebago Lake and Fryeburg. Many bridges have been repaired at different points on the Maine Central system. The following named materials have been used for repairs and construction during the past season. Steel rails, about 2,607 tons, and 501 tons of iron rails; 339,600 cross ties have been laid and 15 miles of track ballasted. More than 10 miles of new side tracks have been laid, and twentyfive thousand four hundred and fifty rods of barbed wire, and

two thousand three hundred twenty-seven rods of board fence have been built. Many of the smaller water ways and culverts have received necessary repairs. Three thousand three hundred and twelve yards of granite have been used in building new masonry at different points. The locomotive equipment has been increased this year by the addition of nine new engines, eight built by the Portland Company, and one at the Maine Central shops at Waterville. One hundred and ninety cars of various kinds have been built at the Waterville shops. The rolling stock is first-class in every respect. Passenger cars for the most part are warmed by the Sewall heating system.

MONSON RAILROAD. (Gauge two feet).

This road was built principally for the purpose of transporting slate from the quarries at Monson. The road is maintained in good condition; the track is in good line and surface, and fairly well ballasted; the road-bed is wide and well ditched. During the past season the trestle bridge near Monson, six hundred feet in length, and averaging about fourteen feet high, has been filled with waste stone from the quarries, making a very solid and permanent embankment. Mixed trains for passengers and freight are run over this road, connecting with all regular trains on the Bangor and Piscataquis Railroad. The station buildings are in good order; the road is carefully managed and no accident has occurred.

NEW BRUNSWICK RAILWAY SYSTEM-Consisting of Aroostook River Railroad and the Houlton Branch.

During the past year a new floor system has been put upon the Pattee brook bridge near Fort Fairfield, and four new pile culverts have been constructed at different points. A new flag station has been built at Stevens' Mill. The track at Fort Fairfield has been raised and protected by wharfing, requiring twelve thousand feet of hemlock logs, and three thousand cubic yards of ballast. About fourteen miles of