Complex sentence: In 1831, he became the chief engineer for the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad, a predecessor of the New York Central, and two years later he was appointed chief engineer of upstate New York's Chenango Canal project and helped in its design and construction.
Split into simpler sentences: In 1831, he became the chief engineer for the Mohawk and Hudson Railroad, a predecessor of the New York Central. In 1833, he was appointed chief engineer of upstate New York's Chenango Canal project and helped in its design and construction.