Evening star., 1897-01-04
The Baltimore and Ohio Spending
Fortunes on Betterments.
new FACILITIES At PIrrSBURG
Half a Million Devoted to the
Work at the Smoky City.
HOW 1T w AS DON z

The improvements of the terminal facli-
ties of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad at
Pittsburg, which have been in progress for
several months. are rapidly approaching
completion, and will be shortly put In SER
vice.
- The improvements include the building OF
two miles of new main track and one mile
of third track, the three being carried over
I'd avenue. where the eastern end Of the i'm
provemeuts In the Pittsburg yards begins,
On three-track steel truss bridge 139 feet
in length, These two main tracks and the
third track lead to the new yards. From
the bridge to point 800 feet east a stone
wall was built along I'd avenue, which con-
tanned about 6,OO0 yards of masonry. The
abutments and approaches to the bridge
over I'd avenue required 2 800 yards Of ma
sonry
passenger tracks, two in number, run along
the bank of the river, and the arrangement
IS such that the passenger and freight
trains 60 not interfere with one anothcr.
From the present location of the main
tracks 1t took 165. 900 cubic yards of dirt 20
fill in the embankment to the low water
line, giving about 30 feet more room for
the yards.
being paved, is a 4O-foot street, 1900 fee:
long. with main bulk delivery tracks On
each side. The material used in paving is
Belgian blocks and II will take IL. 200 yards.
When this work is completed it will cost
in the nelghbcrhcod of S24oO0O.
Another Quarter Million Expenditure.
The Improvement at Glenwood is what is
known as the Glenwood cutoff The rev
tracks leave the main line Of the Pittsburg
division one-half mile east of the Locklari
junction Of the Pittsburg and Connollsville
and Pfttsburg and Western connection
tracks. 1t crosses ID avenue at grade. and
then starts a solid embankment for
thousand feet, the embankment ranging
from five 10 twenty-five feet in height. 1t
crosses the Morongahela connection rail-
road overhead On a long truss bridge, with
a 93-foot span. Then ii strikes into a double
track modern trestle. $500 feet in length
and 43 feet high, following the river bank.
The foundation for this trestle consists of
1,SoO piles, most Of which have been driven
to great depth. and it is said to be Ole OF
the Eeatest pieces of pile-driv,ng work that
has been done in this country. The tim
Der used for the trestle is Georgia pine
from Savannah, and about 3,O00,0oG feet
were needed for the work. At the east end
of the trestle the new freight yards begin.
trough at present tracks have been pro-
vided for the accommodation of 1,WW cars
the full plans call for a yard capacity of
1000 cars. The yard is laid out ON the
diagonal plan, and in building it the mov-
ing of several frame and brick houses was
involved.
The cutoff strikes the main tracks again
at the east end of the old Gicnwood yard,
about half mile east Of the Glerwood sta
ton.
A blockade Overcome.
This cutoff will abolish the trouble at
the Hazelwood crossing. Under the ar
raneements which were in vogue for many
years. and which have not yet been done
away with, all trains that are made up
and taken out of the Glenwood yards have
to back across I'd avenue at Hazelwood
| and stop. resulting in blockades witii such
frequency that the railroad company and
the city officials have come in conflict
more than once. When the cutoff is COM
pleted all the freight trains from both d.
rections Will run Into the new yards and
there will be no blocking of the streets, as
they will not move across the street until
they get the proper signal from the .ow-
ers, one Of, which will be located at each
end. The passenger trains will continue
to use the present main tracks and only
such freight as is local in character will
be sent around through Hazelwooc. The
| entire cost of the Glenwood work is esti-
mated at $4,000.
Will Need Over a Million,
The Pittsburg and Western company,
which is owned by the Baltimore and Ohio
company, but at present is operated by
ceiver, and which gives the Baltimore and
Ohio trains their northern route to Chi
cago. will also spend a large sum Of
| money in Improvements at various points
along the line from Pittsburg west and
for additional equipment, Mr. King having
Teen authorized by the United States count
at Pittsburg to negotiate a loan of more
thar S,3eO,Ue0 with a Philadelphia bank
ing house for the purpose.
New H. and a. OmciaI
Mr.. William Gibson, who has been tem-
porarily acting as assistant to General
Manager Greene of the Baltimore and
Ohio, will tomorrow become assistant gen
eral superintendent of the lines east of
the Ohio river. Mr.. Greene and General
Superintendent Fitzgerald are perfectly
agreed that the weight of the operation of
the Baltimore and Ohio property lies be-
tween the Ohio river and Locust Point
and for some time Mr.. Fitzgerald has felt
the need of an active, earnest and per-
fectly capable and loyal assistant and
at his request Mr. Greene has allowed
Mr.. Fitzgerald to take Mr.. Gibson, who
iS nj Mr.