The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1903-04-02
THE LACKAWANNA.

In the wave of activity in better
ment work which has passed over the
railroads of the country during the
past two or three years few roads have
been more progressive than the
Lackawanna. The evolution of that
line under President Truesdale's man.
agememt furnishes a striking illustra-
ton of the necessities OF modern in
dustrial conditions. When the change
IN management of the Lackawanna
Railroad occurred in the spring of
1899 the incoming officers found a
road whose track was III fair condition
but whose bridges were too light for
heavy motive power, whose water sup
ply was badly located and inadequate,
whose roundhouses, passing sidlngs
and terminal yards were too small to
serve a road with modern equipment
and whose stations were in many res
poets Ill adapted for passenger traffic.
In short there was need of general re-
novation.
Starting at once with the construc-
tion of heavier bridges, roadbed and
motive power, the Engineering, Me
chanical, and Operating departments
united in rehabilitatlng the entire line.
The roadbed has been relaid with
eighty pound steel rails; $4,000 tons
OF steel have been used in the errec-
tion of new bridges, which if fplaced in
line would cover 81 miles of double
track; 800 new bridges have been
completed and the cost Of this work
alone will exceed So, 100000. Ofthe
notable pieces of bridge work may be
mentioned the new double track truss
bridge over the Susquehanna River
near Binghamton containing ASIA
tons of steel; the new double track
bridge and vladuct over the Passaic
River west of Paterson measuring
643 feet and containing I,I49 tons of
new steel work; the new double track
glrder bridge over the Passaic River,
near Lyndburst, N. J.; the new double
track truss bridge on the upper Hack
ensack consisting of four I24-foot
fixed spans and one a36-foot draw
span. Other new bridges include
those crossing the Hackensack River
near Bergen Tunnel and the Passaic
River at Newark n. ]. The latter
has been designed as a double deck
structure so that it may be used in
connection with the Newark track ele-
walton soon to be completed. The
installation of this Newark bridge of
fers an interesting illustration of mod
ern engineering methods. The old
bridge was lifted from its bearings on
four scows and moved out of the way
along shore AT the same time the
new drawbridge which had been er-
rected on false work along shore was
floated INTO place on four 9o-foot
scows. The lifting of these bridges
from their supports was accomplished
10y pumping water ballast from the
scows with centrifugal pumps. The
total weight Of the new bridge carried
above the decks of these scows was
1920 tons. The entire work was done
by company .orces and in this new
betterment policy the Lackawanna
has adopted the plan of employing its
own men rather than letting out the
work by contract During the last
three years 10000 cubic yards oI
masonry have been built, not includ
the Newark track elevation. Of this
about 10000 cubic yards have been
used for bridge structures.
Equally interesting is the work done
in raising the Lackawanna tracks
through its suburban territory ant
particularly at Newark and Harrison
Under the present system the railroad
crosses twenty-seven streets in New
ark, all of which are at grade with one
exception. There are I72 passenger
trains and six freight trains passing
over the line each day. When tht
Improvements have been completed
only one grade crossing will remain
The installation of automatic blocl
signals has been accomplished at
cost Of more than $500 900. In th'
last few months more than $50 loco
motives of the most powerful typ
have been placed in service and III
Lackawanna now has two locomotive
for every three miles and 80 cars 70
every one mile of operated track