The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-08-20
ERIE TRACK ELEVATION
and Special Fea
lures OF the Undertake
ing Technically Con
sidered.
From the Engineering News of Au-

From the Engineering News of Au-
gust IS, 1881
An important piece Of track elevation
work, which viii include some unusual
ard specially interesting features IS the
elevation of the Erie r. r., from the Jer-
sey City terminal station to Jersey City
Heights. The present railway crosses at
front back to the high bluffs under which
the line passes BY a tunnel, and it is only
BY the maintenance and operation Of
gates, more or less obstructive to the
uses Of the streets. that accidents are
avoided. After long negotiations be-
tween the city and the railway authori-
ties the later agreed to elevate It's tracks
and thus eliminate all grade crossings.
In working out the plans. however, the
railway STUDDED an important improve
ment by Which the. present Bergen tunnel
through the Jersey City Heights Will be
avoided by its passenger trains. This tun-
mel is 4.ssS1 feet long, and the passage
through it is a source of much discomfort
in the summer, all the car windows and
| deck lights being necessarily closed in or
| der to exclude the smoke and gas.
Besides this, all the passenger and
freight traffic of the whole Erie r.. r.
entering the jersey City terminal. in
Guiding all the trains over the Erie's
numerous suburban branches. are now
compelled to pass through this tunnel.
AS trains are run through the tunnel on
the block system. and no train is allow
ed to enter the tunnel until the train
ahead has passed out Of it. a fixed limit
is set to the number of trains which can
arrive or depart from the Jersey City
r. = -,x1- H.. -, nxro -, I
hours of suburban travel in the morning
and again in the afternoon, the tunnel is
given up wholly to the use of passenger
trains; and the freight traffic is stopped.
The plan adopted is to retain the pres
ent tunnel line for freight traffic only,
| and build a new passenger line in open
cut across Jersey City Heights. Begin
| ming at a point west of the terminal, the
passenger tracks viii rise for some 1000
| feet TO Henderson street.-the first street
crossed. The freight yard branches will
also grade up to the new elevation of the
| passenger tracks at Henderson street. In
all, six streets will be bridged over, to
give a clear Roadway Of II feet. The
freight tracks, after crossing the last
street will grade dow to the present
elevation at the tunnel. About 2.40O feet
from the terminal. however. at a point
Just east of Grove street, the two passen-
ger tracks viii begin to rise above the
freight tracks Continuing parallel to
them} by q grace OF 1919 1eet per mlie'
rms grade continuing up 70 the Helshes'
through whlch the me VIII pass ~ ai
open cut having d maximum ueptn "
80 ieet. Inc TRACKS IL the eul vii =
- --A
ABOUT 80 ieet ABOVE those IN eAe tuiiaei,
ana the centre iines o. tne cue gnu euAnei
VIII oe % leet apart US =
styied the fehhofh Siesh p - ~ ~
yoha the HelEhts Il "in aeseenN - -
present s1aue y y = tine Nio77
Jersey meaooWs-
For the lrelsht tracts tnele VIII ne -
licai iiiasoi'is
eafen liilhs pet"een eaiein: !
ing from io ieet - ~ 80
Witt eaAiiis - IA. $50 NJ
iehth street anu
wins WIN nv
iou'ualions suppotreu
oilase apu'inehes VIZ oe - !,
llar cohs.iueeion = -
inches, 9o iAStes @.'
70 9 WIN " ioau = ~ eAs
"iehoul 'ne pies LUG
- tons per Sau@te 80 =
Not al % lne uiiu ioH9 :
hof the passenger u'eAs W -
structloh VIII De ioiio"eu a. . :
street the with oelns =
tnat point 70 the Helshts ehsie W. y
a steel viaduct with oV leet plate slroer
deck spans, and plate order ana truss
bridges over roads and railway tracks,
The total length of this viaduet will be
about 1,750 feet. The viaduct viii have
two rows of columns. Is feet apart, c. to
G.. connected by longitudinal and trans
verse plate girders. the latter of which
will sunport the four lines of floor beams.
4 footwa,k IL nrovided on each side. the
total width over the aoor of the viadilct
ha;nr q faa4
~ .his ,ror,, - oon,nla+ad freigb+
III ..a Le, plthoneor ana
Z a. .sa;s smo,ah.
49,. go, -..t,o,t
safu -
using any tiaeA = "ieen ussu ~ p
ger trdiFs OF either 'pe haaAi - =
pranches. Inc separation ~ TUG lieishe
and the passenger traffic will then be abb
sol,,ta ward poorlx is now N nroeress the
7u 80 -. -