New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-03-07
THE sUBWAY'S EQUIPMENT.
"A BLOCK SIGNAL SYSTEM OF THE
LATEST PATTERN-STYLE OF CARS
AND WEIGHT OF RAILS.


T. p bryan. general manager Of the rapid
transit tunnel yesterday had a conference with
car bu1ding and steel rail making concerns, and
afteruaxd told Tribune reporter that It was
likely THAI the tunnel system would be laid with
about ele ven thousand tons Of 100-pound steel
rails: that the tunnel would be equipped with
the block signal system of the latest type; that
about six hundred somewhat Of the style
used by the Manhattan Elevated Railroad Com
pany would .loon be ordered. and that the ex-
press trains in ,thestunnel would consist of eight
cars each.
We expect to stake possession of the site that
viii contain ouI: power house, between Tenth
and Eleventh av es.. and Fifty-eighth and Fifty
ninth SITS. on a pril T." said Mr. Bryan. LAS
soon as We get p ossession we shall push things
along in lively manner. Ryan & Parker have
the contract for the foundation OF the power
house as well for the coal and water in
takes. The structl 7raI steel work will be done
by the American fridge Company. We expect
10 have the power house. al least a part of
1T. ready 10 receive The first Of the eight engines
now being made by the Allis- Chalmers Com
pany Of Milwaukee. by November IL. These
engines are of 800 h horsepower with 900 Eilo-
watt generators. Aft er the installation of the
first engine the othe RS viii come along about
sixty days apart I h ave had number Of car
and steel men in here to-day. In fact. we are
j
equipment. 1t is pToba !hle that we shall use a.
100-pound steel rail 70 the tunnel BY that I
mean that the rail yFiu weigh one hundred
pounds to every three sect Of rail. Our contract
calls for rail Of not less than eighty pounds
hut. as remarked be fore. it is likely that we
shall adopt the heavier kind. We shall need
about eleven thousand tons Of these rails not
counting sidings, yardss.or approaches and not
'1neiuding: the4thirh- rail (which viii conduct the
power
I'VE have not.4decided as yet on the style
size weight of the third It is not neces-
sary TO use the Trail. The Trail is so designed
IN order to afford Tigdity for heavy traffic
The third rail for the power will of course not
have TO sustain ary great weight. It will need
TO be good sized. though. in order to accommo-
date the heavy curr ent which will pass through.
Il will also be made OF steel of composition that
will afford the freet and most advantageous
conductivity for the electricity, and because of
this fact viii cost from So to SO ton more
than rhe 10O-pound rail for the regular track
The block signal sy stem that shall install
will, we expect, be the most nearly perfect in
its operation that can be bought. It will be
automatic in its action. so that ii will throw a
plain signal when the train enters the block
the signal retaining it's warning position until
II is autoD1at icy releas ed by the train leaving
the block. The express stations VIII be about
one ana one-half miles apart. The block signals
viii be not to exceed $500 feet apart Our ex-
press track platforms ara to be constructed so
that they Will accommodate eight car trains
Which We expect TO run n the busy hours,
What about the style of the cars?" Mr.
Bryan asked.
while we have not fully decided as to the
style of the cars" said he, 1T would not be a
bad guess TO say that they are likely to be
similar TO the Manhattan elevated cars with
cross seats only in the centre OF the cars The
Manhattan people have tried all kinds and find
that this style Of car facilitates the unloading
OF passengers. When the are crowded ii
has been observed that the passengers leave
concurrently from both ends, the cross seats
making a natural division point for those who
start for the doors This Is a perfectly simple
and natural way. and has its advantages The
matter OF loading and unloading passengers is
a thing OF prime Importance, and any seating
arrangement that tends TO facilitate the hand
ling OF the traffic recommends itself at once
The cars with cross seats lave not impressed
railroad men convenient for handling crowds
quickly. OF course, the cars, Of which we shall
order at the start about six hundred, will be
new and handsome. When l say that they viii
have cross seats like the Manhattan cars, I do
not necessarily mean that they will not exceed
those cars in finish, solidty, size and running
qualities"
What do you think OF tunnels a a general
plan for handling passengers in this city," Mr..
Bryan asked.
1T seems to me that shall come to tun-
nels eventually. Bridges costly and slow TO
build. Some people object to travelling under
ground, but even in London, where the tunnels
are very deep beneath the surface. they are
successful and in Paris, where the tunnel sys-
TENS close to the surface of theystreet as is
ours, the people like them