New-York tribune., 1881-08-15
REPAIRS AND IMPROVEMENTS.

STRENGTHENING FLOOR BEAMS on TIE SIXTH
AVENUE sTRUCTURE-sYsTtM EMPLOYED IN
KEFI1NG THE TRACKS IN oRDTR-TnE REPAIR
SHOPS UPTOWN.
Ii las been found that some OF the floor
beams resting the nlatDdlnal eevaf
railway structure Slxthave need strengthening The
irussee had formerly some open work, D which WIS
found that the api become loose. This
work is being replaced by solid plates which
firmly occurred 10 the trusscs the places where
beams rest Engineer Il. T. Sloan asked about The
methods employed in rerainng and Strengthening the
supcrstructnre. lie said:
We lind the after three or four years
Of service. in order than perhaps we might have
expected. This work ia sixth done simply be-
dosircd 10 have everything as strong as
possible We have the plates made for their places
The riyct holes in them all prepared fastened on
by onr own worllmon We buy rivets that are onesix
ieenth OF inch larger in diameter holes that
prepared for them. The ends OF the rivets arr
heated in furnace. and they are then driven into
the small holes and fastened. that they are
very firm. We watch the road very closely sec thai
nothing gets ol There is roadmastcr for
the whole SYSTEM OF roads lie has been connected with
elevated roads for years Then road on each of
The avenues has supervisor The roads divided into
sections. which walked every day by
the haclunen. These traclnen all have TO be
skilled mechanics and paid good wages,
They examine carefully the ran Joints the
hSbpate bolts and the wood that hold The tics
10 the beams. They loos out for loose and ex-
anime the pins and They report the suner-
ysors the condition "r the SupeIsructure The track
busy all day and every inch OF the track is
looked every day. Every defect is
reported and repaired n Many the traclmcn
have been in The service OF tho road for long time
The pins that keep the track in place sell
dom break The strain them is steady; but
the rivets aud ho,ts have I've looked ont for.
The OF the erors have he examined especially
and II takes experienced eye 10 the defects.
Several rvet gaugers' are kept constantly at work
They supplied with forges, rivets and tools
sent from one road 10 another needed Sometimes
they viii all be road. and sometimes distributed
among the dineren' roads The Second Avenue Line he
ing the and well built, NOT need so ,nnc
work, and Just now there riyetors there. The
Third Avenue Line has 3 riveters the Sixth Aycpue
26, and the Ninth Avenue :. The trackmcn on the
Second Avenue Line number - the Third Avenue
Line, 30 Oh the Sixth Avenue Line ~; aud on the
Ninth Avenue Line. IL. These paid So a day
while on the surface roads trackmen receive oftcn only
There also carpenters on each of the lines who
IN broken lights, mending cfet boxes and doing the
general repairs "a the woodwork. Feur plumbers are
also employed Ia see 10 the pipes at the stations.
winter the mater ples are continually reezns ana our
Have any alterations in the supersrcturo been nee
None at all. There was some danger Of shining I'm
the road on the Bowery, bat thai strengthened.
There s now no work heng done except that in Sixth
ave"
THE ROLLING STOCK AND ITS REPAIRS
The rolling stock OF the elevated roads requrs to keen
IL number oI tlinn that
the structure itself The and locomotives es-
peclly the latter suffer very much from the effects OF
the hard sersioe. The stopping and starting
OF the trains would pun the locomotives apart
in time, and 1t is necessary to keep
waichful eye on the rolling stock On
prevent accidents The repair shops OF the combined
roads at Thrdave. and Ninety ninth st present busy
scene with their hundreds of wornnen engaged i'm re
pairing the machinery OF the locomotives repaint
ing the passenger The shops have their
lower floor the level with the ton ~
the eley ated structure. no that the cars
may be easily into the shops repair The sixIy
Ave engines nsed the every day 10 the re-
pair shops and are there examined. The wheels OF all
the rolling stock also tested nj the oaob trip
Al the daily inspection an entry made ia Inspection
book OF anything that neets repairing loose bolt
to cracked oarwheel This book is examined
every morning by the foreman OF engine repairs The
necessary work dome an entry ia made to that effect
Twelve or thirteen locomotives an
every month for what Ia called general repairs Tie
wheels taken of the sheathng 10 atrpped nway the
boilers tested, defective fues removed and the Whole
msshinery taken apart Each piece of the machine ls
sent Ia workman familiar with the par1
and Is cleaned, examined and II necessary repaired
Foreman Campbell, In charge OF the engine repairs