Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-07-18
SHORTER RAILROAD LINE
The Work Of Building the P, W,
& B. Cutoff at CIaymont
Has Commenced.
TO BE FINISHED DECEMBER 81
New Station May be Named
Naaman's Creek--The In
IN dlcations Point to a Four
Track System.

The work OF building the Claymont
cutoff for the Philadelphia, Wilmington
& Baltimore Railroad 90. was begun
last week BY Ryan & Kelley, the Phiis-
delphia contractors who have been
double tracking the Edge Moor cutoff
Fifty men, chiefly Italians, started In
with picks and shovel to do the grading,
which must be done before the track
can bs laid. The men we're divided into
three gangs, one working at each end
and the third in the middle, which is
q point about 400 feet east Of Clay.
mont station. A frame building, 14x64
feet, has been built near the upper end
Of the cutoff for the Use Of the Italians
while employ ed there.
4 The lower end OF the cutoff Is to be
at point about half way between
Grubb's Landing and Claymont
stations, nt point about east Ut the
residence Of J. Edward Addicks, The
road beg ms to curve there, after making
a straight run from about Riverside.
The upper end of the cutoff will be on
the Jacob Green farm, which is about
two thirus of mile north of Claymont
station. The new track will be some
thing over mile is length and straight.
thus doing away with the curve at
Olaymont and also the grade crossing
at that point. The road will cross the
Philadelphia turnpike about a quarter
Of mile north of the present crossing,
at a point just north of Mammals
Creek, aud will run overhead. The
abntments at Nasman's Creek will be
about 40 feet high and the railroad will
be that height over the stream aud
about 30 feet over the road.
The new Claymont station will. in
all probability, be located at the point
where the railroad will CROSS the public
road, and as the railroad will be about
80 feet above the road, the mann portion
of the station, at least, may be that
height above the road also, AS yet,
very little has been said about new
station, but it sis understood that IL
will be much more modern and orna-
mental than the present one. The
present station may be retained as a
freight office or for any other use to
which the company desires to put 1t.
while the prime object OF the cutoff
is to get rid Of the curve at Claymont,
which. has been an annoyance ever since
the running Of last trains was begun,
the change will enable the trains to
save several minutes In the running
time between Wilmington and Phila.
delphia, having straight track instead
OF a curve and clear right OF way,
which will enable the engineer to see
some distance ahead Of him all the
time. The new track will also be
somewhat shorter than the track now
| In use, which will lessen the distance q
fraction of mile. This does not sound
like much, but when 1t is taken into
| consideration that the new track re,
places curve, it means great deal to
the company in the matter of saving
time In the running Of express trains
The company Will not, it is under.
stood, abandon the tracks now in use.
The present tracks will, 1T is said, be
used for freight trains, which will
allow the cutoff to remain free fol
| passenger trains. With the tracks now
down and the ones to be put down or
the cutoff, the company will have &
four-track system for the length of tn.
cutoff, and it Is limited that it is th,
intention to make four track system
from one end of the Mary land division
to the other that is, from Philadelphia
to Washington, Portions Of tine roat
are already So equipped. The work o
completing the four-track system vii
not be done Immediately but it il
likely that sections of the road viii
have the additional tracks put dow
wherever it is convenient. to do 1t, ant
In that manner the whole undertaking.
will be completed as soon az practicable
which, however, may require severa
years.
i 1t is said that one of the objects o
| the company In buying land along tn
line 10 Wilmington and Chester an,
planning for an elevated railroad il
each city is part of the general plan 70
four-traok system. In both Viii
mington and Chester, 30 far as can b
learned, after the elevated railroad i
+ built, the present tracks are to be USE
for freight trains. In Wilmington tn
tracks will be used for local freight
+ only, all through freight going over th
Edge Moor and New CASTLE outoffs
As far as can be learned, ii is th
intention of the company to place til
two Z additional tracks immediatel
IL possible to do SO, but at severe
points, such as at Claymont, the freigh
tracks may be some distance from th
passenger tracks.
The Claymont cutoff IS to be con
VI Piohuhf HbbolotpE w VIZ VI vi
contract, on December 3let, 1901, an
1t IL likely that it will DO put i
general use on the first day of ne,
year Additions will be made to th
force OF men now at work and the COZ
tractors will hurry matters as much {
possible.
This new road will pass through I'll
site occupied by the old saw mill ne,
Claymont. owned by James RICHMOND
and in order to make room for the raj
road the work OF tearing down the N
Z has been begun. The mill ia one of IL
historic landmarks of the county.
was built about 1920, and has bet
famous all over this part OF the worl'
!. Most OF the timbers used in the gree
buildings at the Centennial, at Phil
delphia, in 1876, were gotten out Their