Los Angeles herald., 1892-05-14
ELEVATED TERMINALS,
The Great Enterprise Under
Way in Chicago.
Freight aud Passenger Depots on
Stills.
An Interesting Description OF the Scope
of the Plans-It is an En-
terprise of Tremendous
Proportions.


The subject OF discussion at meeting
of the Commercial club of Chicago last
week was: els it desirable and possible
to elevate the tracks of steam railroads
within the city limits ?''-both sides of
the question being supported by busi-
ness men OF prominence. In regard to
the plans OF the Chicago Elevated Term
inal Railway company. which has ac-
quired the tracks and grounds of the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway
company within the limits of Chicago,
the president, General Terrence, sent a
letter making the following succinct
statement:
The subject of elevated railway ter
minals'' is one to which 1 have given
much study during the last ten years,
and the company of which am presi-
dent is about to construct an elevated
terminal railway with accommodations
for ten or twelve trunk lines in the
southern division of the city. 1t is pro-
posed that the elevated tracks of the
Chicago Elevated Terminal railway
company shall be carried upon an iron
or steel structure through the more
thickly populated portion of the city,
and upon brick or stone arches at points
where that construction can be used to
better advantage, as practiced in Phila-
delphia, Jersey City, and in London and
other European cities. The heaviest
engines running at the highest rate of
speed can enter the city at from forty to
fifty miles per hour if desired. 1t is also
proposed to construct in connection with
the elevated railway and terminal sys-
tenn inclosed freight yards at street
with any tracks at grade, using hydraulic
lifts for the transfer of freight cars from
the elevated tracks to the inclosed yards
on the street level.
This plan will practically abolish the
use of switch engines within the city.
It is purposed to construct at the most
convenient points freight houses eight
stories high, arranged to handle separ-
ately incoming and outgoing freight for
the exclusive use of the several rail-
roads using the elevated terminals OF
this company. There will be connected
with each freight house six hydraulic
elevators for team purposes, go that
truck coming to the depot with load OF
freight may be driven upon the plat
form of the elevator, which will be an
inclosed cage, and elevated to the floor
assigned to that particular class OF
freight.
The elevated terminal at the Broad
street station in London covers about
eleven acres. The upper level of this
elevated freight terminal is used as
switching yard for the receipt and de-
livery of the freight cars that are low
cred to the street level some twenty
five teet below by means OF powerful
hydraulic lifts that will hoist Car in
twenty seconds. Including all delays
in placing and transferring the cars, the
capacity of each elevator is from forty
five to fifty cars per hour. In Paris
there is a eimilar system of freight ter.
minals equipped with hydraulic lifts.
1t may be remarked that the freight
terminals are worked to their full capac
ity only during the night.
The North London railway at the
Broad street station has road only
twelve miles long, but operates trains
from other lines and occupies position
similar to the Chicago and Western In
diana railway. Over 1900 trains per
day are handled by this line at this
Broad street station. The union passen-
ger station of our company will not have
less than twelve and probably fourteen
tracks, with combination transfer and
turntables operated by both electric and
hydraulic power. Recent practice upon
the elevated roads in New York and at
several OF the more prominent London
stations has demonstrated the fact that
with a system of elevated and unob.
structed tracks, as is now proposed, full
length express and suburban trains can
be dispatched from this union station at
intervals not to exceed three to five min
utes.
Some objection has been made to
svstem of elevated terminals because it
was alleged that manufacturers along
the elevated road would be deprived of
service and could not receive in or load
out of their premises cars loaded with
merchandise. The contrary has been
found to be the fact. One of the great
advantages to be obtained by the indus
tries to be located upon the elevated
railway lines of this company in or near
the city of Chicago will be that instead
of occupying very large surface area
with side tracks and switches, and hav-
ing to wait for switching to be done by
the railroad company, hydraulic cap
stans will be placed at different points
of the industries and the cars will be
raised or lowered on hydraulic elevator
from the elevated railway tracks to the
level desired. The industries can also
use the capstans to do their switching
without the assistance of locomotive
or switch gang. Power for the cap:
STAINS will be furnished from the central
hydraulic station OF the railroad COM