The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-12-09
BUILDING A RAILROAD
YOU FIRST GET THE MOSEY. AND
THEN LOCATE SEVERAL ROUTES,
One OF Which Il Finally Chosen-How
Contractors Handle Earth ana
Roeks-hetbeds OF Traek-LayIng.


Chicago Record.
The essential preliminary TO building
a railroad is securing the money there
for. This is often the most difficult part
OF the operation, but when once success
fully out of the way the locating en-
gineer comes first into action on the
actual work OF construction. With a
party, including competent transit and
level men. he starts from one end of
the projected railroad To -nnd a line"
not as easy an undertaking as might
be supposed in making a casual trip
over even comparatively level country.
Railroads cannot climb. hills that one
walks or drives up without effort OF
notice. Instructive judgment and long
training are necessary TO make a good
locating engineer. as a very slight diff
ference may involve increased cost run
ming into thousands OF dollars. Many
points must be considered. Gradients,
curves, character of material, value OF
land, bridges. length of line and other
more complicated factors enter into the
determination of the best line. For in
stance, an important object is TO place
the heaviest upgrade in the direction
of the lightest traffic. One OF the tricks
of the trade is to follow the trails in a
new rough country. as the native al
ways finds the easiest way over hills
and through passes.
Sometimes on foot. sometimes on
horseback and again i'm wagons, the
pathfinders move over the country In
a prairie region the locating engineer
has what he calls an easy task. No
precipitous hill bars the way over the
contemplated line. no bluff-edged river
runs athwar the desired route. He
works rapidly and his engineers with
their surveying instruments run contour
lines and lay out the general topography
Of the country for the chief engineer
at headquarters. 1t is in a mountainous
country where the resources. capabili-
ties and talents of the locating engineer
are brought to the front. Back and
forth over the ranges, along the valleys,
around the spurs. through the passes
and across the ravines and canons he
searches for the best path. Not one but
three or four routes are located. n
then he goes far ahead TO see IN any OF
the lines he has selected will bring him
upon insurmountable obstacles, or will
require QcGp cuts, EXCESSIVE kIddinS anu
excessive grades Perhaps the line
which seems best suited cannot be ear
fied forward beyond a certain point, be-
cause the construction of the road would
be SO expensive as TO be p~rohibitive, or
else would require such heavy grades
that the locomotives would fairly eat
up Goa in going up the alope. No only
must the locating engineer think OF the
construction and operating department.
of the new railroad, but he must bear in
mind the maintenance or the road after
1t is built. He must select the best place
on a river for a bridge, he must turn I'm
| and out to avoid deep cuts or fills and
must find a route which will require the
minimum amount of grading n filling.
the least expensive bridges and the
shortest and most easily constructed
| tunnels, even though he must make wide
detours and apparently take the longest
way around.
LOCATION AND PROFILE.
In making a location stakes are set
| and the elevation of the ground taken
every 100 feet. and from these is drawn
a profile. which is a long. narrow map.
| showing in miniature every deviation of
the surface OF the country to be ira
versed. On this profile the engineer
marks the straight lines representing
the level of the track, and thereby
| shows where the hills must be cut away
and the hollows flied. This profile and
the measurement from which IL is made
| also serve the purpose OF data from
which to estimate the quantity of mate
rial to be moved and the approximate
cost.
The profile is drawn OF a long strip
of paper and looks like an exaggerated
ocean cable message as received Dy =
siphon recorder. The black ink line ap-
pears on the paper i'm little humps, sharp
projections and sudden depressions, but
il represents every foot OF the surface
of the strip of country which the locat-
ing engineer has selected for the right
of way. The chief engineer spreads this
profile ever a long table and begins
stsdy.ny IL. He is to max = red line
on that profile. and this rel Inc VIII
represent the grade Of the road. The
profile is on paper, which Is mafAed
with parallel lines drawn In with pale
blue ink. Each line represents hYe feet
of elevation above or below q certain
selected level. IL the road was 20 enter
Chicago "city datum" would be the Sc
lacted level. AS the profile shows lne
dips. elevations. raVines. rivers Bits.
valleys level ri creeks, sSainps ana
other typographical features OF the
route. the chief engineer can set the
grade line with his red ink. without refer
ring to anything else. He tries 10 strike
a general average, so thar a cut az one
Mace will furnish the material TO I'll In q
depression farther along. or 10 grade UP
somewhere else within economical haul
ing distance. OF course he wants az
EASY grades as he can get. but he hnds
n better sometimes 10 take a sleeper
grade than seems TO be necessary In
order to reduce the cost Of consfrue-
ton.
The line being located. n the right OF
way agent having bought or condemned
or persuaded the farmer to CIV away
his land. the contractor comes Into the
field. Instinct, judgment, experience
and precedents are all essential in deter
mining the price TO be bid on a com
tract. Every piece Of railroad work diff
fers from every 9th r I'm kind OF mate
rial. distance IL mus be removed. wages.
season. accessibility and tim allowed
for completion. All these and msLy
more things must be considered. ana
vet. with the most exact knowledge.
there remains a charming dement, OF
chance. The contractor must read the
prefle like a book, and he ge3erai goes
over the proposed line and studies on the
ground the conditions 10 be encountered
The basis of all railroad excavation Is
the cubic yasd. Though many elements
enter into the calculation OF the value
of the work. yet two men OF experience