Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-10-24

Last night at midnight the
Delaware Railroad Co. abandoned
Its present main track mt Farnhurst, so
N far as regular passenger and freight
trains are concerned, and begun to
use temporary track which has been
laid in cut IA feet below the leyel of
the present track, The cut and tenn
.porary track therein are parallel with
the track which has long been in use
4 and only few feet from it.
This change marks an important
Btage in one of the most extensive inn
provements in the history of the Della
ware railroad "a complete double. track
system from Wilmington to Clayton,
the abolition ct a stiff grade between
Wilmington and New Castle, the ma
terial reduction Of two annoying curves
and the abandonment Of all public road
grade crossings in the same stretch.
Ryan 4 Kelly OF Philadelphia, railroad
builders, have the contract for doing
70 teams, six railroad trains and two
steam shovels ON the job, which is u
two.years undertaking. Enough OF the
cut has been excavated to permit of the
running of trains through it and tom
Eorary station platform Is being built
for use until the permanent tracks are
down. Traffic will not be interrupted
while the improvements are being
made. The old track, which will be
abaodoned tomorrow night, will remain
for few days and will be used as a
siding by the work trains, but almost
Immediately the work of tearing away
the bank upon which it stands will be
begun and soon the track itself will
Il ~s,1 Ill 4. 4 e
pronounced grades on the Delaware
railroad.
Some tine ago, in order to make the
desired Improvement, the railroad COM
3any purchased land on both sides of
the roadbed above and below Farnhurst
station from the Jason Davis estate,
New CASTLE county (the southwestern
corner Of the ground belonging to the
Trustees of the Poor), and the trustees
of the New Castle Commons. This
acquisition of new territory covered
stretch oil something like two miles.
The prime object in buying the land
was TO reduce the curves above and
below Farnhurst station, and, As the
lines have been marked, the new tracks
will begin above the present curve
around the county buildings to bear
gradually around in the direction of
to the county burying ground, which
is the present route, will strike a
straight course several hundred feet
above Farnhurst station, and will run
almost absolutely straight to what ia
known as the north end of the present
double track, a short distance above
New Castle station, and there wall be
scarcely any curve at that point,
making the line nearly straight from
point at the rear of the County Hos.
pital to New Castle station, and, in
oidentally, the whole stretch will be
level.
In order TO not interfere with traffic
on the railroad it was decided 10 ex-
cavate cut alongside the tracks and
nllow the trains to run through the cut
while the other work was in progress.
This preliminary work has been COM
rleted and 1t is net likely that the regu-
lar service tracks will again be dis
turbed until everything is in readiness
TO put down the permanent tracks. The
second stop In the undertaking has al
ready been begun. Men and teams are
at work in the vicinity of the County
Hospital grounds filling in low placea
there and excaVating high places to
make a bed for the new road which is
to run just north of the present track
at that point. This roadbed will be
continued south and cut through the
nigh ground upon which present track
and the freight station stand. As soon
as the present tracks are removed the
steam Hhovels will be put to work on
tine bank and it will disappear in a
remarkably short time. When the en- !,
tire cut is excavated to the full width
md depth required the permanent
tacks will be put down. Some filling
wall be necessary betw cen Farnhurst
and the Christiana River, as the double
track is to be extended to Delaware
junction, where it will CONNECT with
the double track of the Maryland di.
vision in the west yard. When. this
section of double track is completed
the road will be double track all the
way from Wilmington to Clayton, and
1T is expected that the second track
will extend some distance below the
latter point by that time and may
possibly be laid all the way to De mar
by the time the northern end is COM
pleted G
Another important change is taking
place in connection with the reduction
of ths curves and grade at Farnhurst,
and that is the abolition Of the grade
crossing there, here the Hare's Corner
road crosses the railroad. A cut OF
about II feet has already been made at
the point whers the public road crosses
and the crossing has been closed tenn
porarily. A temporary road has been
8 substituted, however, for use by teams
VI while the improvements are being
" made. Instead of crossing the railroad
near the station, as heretofore, teams
now cross about 200 feet further west,
eaoning the public road through fields.
When the work is completed the rub-
lie road will be carried over the rail
road on an iron bridge, which will give
clearance of about % feet above the
railroad tracks, being of sufficient height
to allow the passage of freight trains
with men on top of the cars Tho abo
lition of this grade crossing is an easy
matter. As it was originally laid out
there was u pronounced descent in horh
directions toward the railroad track, and
with the out and little filing the de-
sired object is easily accomplished. "A
very little filling is necessary on the
south side. but on the north 1t will be
necessary to make a fill probably 300
fleet in length, The change will make
ne public road almost level, an i'm