Morning journal and courier., 1889-05-07
GROWING RAILROADS.

Improvements.
 One hundred and thirteen passenger trains | 20 out from the Grand Central depot at For ! ty-second street every day.
 Of these forty-one are New York, New Haven and Hartford trains, which pass over \ the Harlem tracks as far as Woodlawn, and then go on over the New York, New Haven l and Hartford road to points in Connecticut,
 Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The re-
 maining seventy-two are New York CentraA and Harlem trains.
 Probably very few of the thousands of passengers who go over the New York, New Haven and Hartford road to Boston, Provi- denee, Springfield, Hartford, New Haven, New London and other points realize, as they ride easily along in their cushioned seats, the 1 many and expensive improvements which have been made in the road during the past | five years. The stretch of seventy-four miles | between New York and New Haven is rapid l ly becoming the model roadbed of this coun- try.
 l The most noticeable of the improvements
 has been the four-tracking of the road from | New Rochelle to Portchester, a distance of 1 ten miles. This has involved considerable ! expenditure from the fact that it was neces-
 sary to buy land all along the line, and the 1 excavations for the additional tracks have l for the most part been from solid rock. This is preliminary step to building four-track
 line from New Rochelle to Woodlawn and 1 from Portchester to New Haven, making @ ! complete four-tracked line. This step, how ever, depends in large degree on the action ! of the Connecticut legislature on the bill
 now before that body asking for an in-
 crease of the capital stock of the road the legislature decide favorably the work | will go on at once. The value of the road at i the present day is fully $50, ,000, ,0O0. This | increase over the original capitalization is | due as much to the 'funearned increment" <" ! i. G., the increased value of the property due | to the growth of population, etc., as to the | improvements to the roadbed and rolling I stock Travel on the road has increased, at ' the lowest estimate, 25 per cent. in the last five years. An immense suburban popula- tion, driven out of the overcrowded city, has sought refuge in the little towns along the line of the road, and the seductive sign- 1 board of .he suburban real estate agent is ! seen on all sides.
 In connection with the four tracking, ex- ! pensive and much needed improvements ! have been made in straightening curves and l eliminating grade crossings. The New York, + New Haven & Hartford was formerly road | of many eurvatures. On the portion of the road bed which has been four tracked no l curve greater than two degrees has been al- I lowed to remain. In order to accomplish ! this new road bed has been laid out, in some cases varying as much as 1000 feet ! from the old road bed.
 Grade crossings have now been abolished at Portchester, Rye, Mamaroneck and other stations on the improved strip of the road. To accomplish this the road has at some points been raised above the highway by means of stone embankments and iron bridg- ! es, and again sunk beneath it under stone arches.
 New stations have been built at New Rochelle, Larchmont Manor, Mamaroneck, and Rye, and one is soon to be built at Har- ! rison. These stations are models for beauty ! and utility. The station at Larchmont Manor, completed short time ago is built of granite. It is finished in old oak with stained glass windows and has concrete floor. Platforms of concrete extend for 800
 feet on each side of the track. All the other
 stations are in keeping. The station at Msmaroneck is built of brick, but it is one of
 the finest on the road.
 It is claimed by the officers of the road that the ten miles of road between New Rochelle and Portchester is the finest in the country.
 The officers of the road do not care, while the improvements are still uncompleted to make any statement concerning the cost of them, but it must have run well up into the millions already.
 This portion of the roadbed is stone ball. lasted, as is also all the line from Westport to Springfield. The only portion of the main line which is not now stone ballasted, is the few miles between Westport and Port chester. This will be stone ballasted as soon rs the company finds itself in position to go on with the four-tracking between these points.
 The stone ballasting of the road is deeper than that of the Pennsylvania. It is three inches under the ties and nineteen inches deep in all.
 The improvements from Portchester to New Haven, should the bill pass the legisla- ture, will be of the same kind as those already mentioned. In addition to the four tracks all grade crossings will be eliminated and new stations will be erected at every point.
 One of the first improvements to be made will be the changing and strengthening of the line and the elimination of grade cross- ings at Mount Vernon, which is one of the most rapidly growing of New York's suburbs.
 At New Rochelle particularly sharp and objectionable curve is to be removed by the laying of a new line.
 The contemplated improvements at this point call for an expenditure of $500, ,0OO.
 In addition to the work done by the rail road company itself. extensive improvements are being made along the line by property owners. The work at the Jerome Trotting
 Park has already been described in the news
 papers.
 The magnificent grand stand of brick and
 
 work. Over $500, 900 has already been spent there. Near New Rochelle New York in surance company is converting farm, ob- tained on 8 foreclosure, into beautiful site for suburban villas, under the title of Rochelle Park.
 Yesterday the New York, New Haven and Hartford company took possession of the sta ton which it has been building for the past two years at Hartford.
 It is the finest station in New England out side of Boston. It is made of granite and the tracks are elevated to the second story, as is the case with the Broad street station in Phil adelphia. A covered platform extends be- tween the tracks. On the first floor are the waiting, baggage and express rooms and the restaurant. Elevators carry the baggage to the second floor, whither the passengers go to take the cars.
 A fine new brick station was finished at New London about @ year ago. At Spring field, where the New York, New Haven and Hartford and the Boston and Albany meet, the latter road is at present building new station, which really comprises two stations, one on each side of the track. It is located forty rods east of the present station
 On the line of the New York, New Haven & Hartford road between New York and New Haven the 'fabsolute block" system has been in use for over year.
 This is considered the most complete block system in the country. The Pennsyl- NduAd uses WnAt IS huOWu aS LQ6 p6rm1S- sive block" system. On the New York, New Haven & Hartford road block towers have been placed at distances varying from few hundred feet to three miles. When a train passes tower the ''semaphore blade." or danger signal is dropped This cannot be raised until the train has passed the next tower.
 In the crowded yards, like those outside of the Grand Central Depot, all the switches are worked by one man in tower.
 Trains are run on the New Haven road on the even hours from 5 8. n. to 8 p. m. There are ten express trains each way be. tween New York and Boston. The limited trains make no passenger stops between New York and New Haven, and water for the en- zine is taken up by means of water troughs located just the other side of Stamford.
 The drawbridges of the road have been equipped with ''deraiIing switches" These are about 1000 feet from the bridge If the draw is open the train is derailed automat- ically and plunges into the dirt instead of in- to the water !
 By an invention of Vice President Reed the have been equipped with split