RAPID RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1244, 2 March 1878, Page 3

RAPID RAILWAY CONSTRUCTION.

Mr J. Rowland, Division Engineer of the Rhiladtlphift and Atlantic City Railway, writes to the “Railroad Gazette '“ltmay lie interesting to your professional readers to see this report of the most rapid railway construction on record. The Philadelphia and Atlantic City Railway is 55 miles in length. Ground was broken about April Ist, 1877, and the first train was run over the road July 7th. The deepest cut is 30ft; deepest fill, 35ft; largest single excavation, 40,000 cubic yards ; embankment, 30,000 cubic yards. An embankment of 23,000 cubic yards, 1800 ft long, was made in one week from date of its commencement. The methods of construction are original with the officers of the rdild, and are of considerable interest to the profs ssion. Five miles of track were laid out in one day. There arc over 100 bridges wd cuhert?;

aggregate length of the three longest, 1300 ft, oiio of them with 100 ft draw. The trial trip was made July 7fch, one and three quarters miles of truck being laid on that day in ad vance of the train, delaying it two hours ; the road has 44,000 ft of wharf in Camden, built in two months, and has for its depots, offices and excursion house, Centennial buildings, known as Centennial Commissioners’ Building, La Fayette Restaurant, Board of Finance Building, Centennial Bank Building, Car Annexe to Machinery Hall. The equipment of the road is 8 locomotives, 44 passenger coaches, 60 freight cars. Gauge, 3i feet. Average cost of grading, 10 cents per cubic yard of excavation and embankment. Total cost of construction and equipment, 770,000 dollars. The lino is as yet incomplete, but when brought to grade and completed according to engineer’s plan, it will bo equal to any road in the United States for safety, speed, and comfort. T. P. Wurts, consulting engineer, constructed the road and" organised the train force. Eight trains a day—four of them opposed—were run under bis governmerit, be'ore the erection of telegraph line, at a speed of 20 miles per hour, and with no great detention. The telegraph line is now in working order, and superintendent appointed Trains run through in two hours with no stops. A single train has carried 2300 pas sengers each way. When we see trains of 29 passenger cars running at a speed of 30 miles per hour, over a line of 55 miles in length, which was commenced less than four months ago, the rapid stride of railway progress is manifest. The engineer corps were employed night and day, 16 hours being an average day’s work for the consulting engineer.”