Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1906-01-19
As Announced, The Road Is
Spending Some of Its
$2,0OO,000.
AN AMB0Y DIVISION.
Track Is Also Being Improved
and Road Bed Treated Biz
Changes Reported.
MAKE FAST TIME TO THE CITY.
New Freight Locomotives and
Twenty New Passenger
Coaches included.
Special to the EVENING NEWS

Special to the EVENING NEWS:
TOTTENVILLE, Jan. Works
of improvement on the Staten IslandA
Rapid Transit railroad which, as toldt
in the NEWS several months ago.
was to start is now well under way.
Five big freight locomotives havey
been built especially for the Staten
Island road. They have been receiv-
ed and will shortly commence work
1t is also understood that the Balti-
more & Ohio railroad, which controls
the Rapid Transit railroad, is having
t1ye new passenger engines and
twenty new passenger coaches built
for the Tottenville-Amboy division.
Are Spending $2,OO0,OOO.
Some months ago the NEWS made
the announcement that Vice Presi-
dent G. H. Campbell, of the B. & O.,
made the statement that the B. & O.
had set aside S2,00O,0O0 for i'm
proyements to the entire system Of
the Rapid Transit railroad. The
building of the locomotives, it seems,
has been going on since then.
The five freight engines have been
built at a cost of $4,000 each. They
are not only very powerful draft en-
gines, of the most modern and COM
plete construction, but they are also
fitted as practical fire engines, I'd
can be used al a moment n6fics I6r
the extinguishment of fires anywhere
along the lines controlled by this
company on Staten Island They
were built by the Baldwin Locomotive
Works. of Philadelphia, according to
plans specially made by Chief En-
gineer James H. Clark of the Staten
Island Rapid Transit railroad and
3. & o.
AS soon as they arrived, party of
B. & o. and Rapid Transit officials
went down to Clifton to look them
over. T''ese were General Manager
Fitzger II, of the B. & o. system,
from -altimore; Chief Engineer
Clarke; G. H. Campbell, vice presi-
dent of the B. & o. and general man
intendent P. H. Cassidy, and num-
Der of 3. & o. engineers.
They were delighted with the big
locomotives and their peculiar adapt
edness to Staten Island work.
Improving Entire System.
From one end of the railroad to
the other. the work of improvement
is now under way and in short time
the Baltimore & Ohio railroad ex-
poets to give improved service be-
tween Perth Amboy and st. George,
where, with the new municipal ferry
boats, much time should be saved.
AT Tottenville new platform at
the depot has been built. The ferry
slips at this place and Perth Amboy
are being put in first class order. New
ties and heavier rails will be laid
from st. George to Tottenville. This
work has already been started, it is
understood, and is now well adj
vanced.
Work on the B. & o. property at
Tompkinsville is progressing rapidly,
and the result will be one of the fin
est railway terminals and trans-At-
lantic and coast shipping ports on the
/ Atlantic shore. The property lies be-
tween the old Tompkinsville dock
and the Martineau dock, and embrac-
/ as the water front, reaching as far
( back as Bay street. Among the new
structures to be erected in this terri
tCry are two big double deck piers
1000 feet long. They will be nearly
opposite Swan street.
BY means of these piers, and by a
( Irearrangement of the rails, the B. g.
/ O. will be able to deliver and receive
/ costwise and transatlantic freight at
the waters edge, without the delay
and expense of lighterage. The larg-
est ocean steamers can be accommo-
dated, and the result will be the real
ization of one of Erastus Wiman's
great ideas: a shipping port and rail-
way terminus on the bay shore of
Staten Island.
The Tompkinsville train yard,
piers and necessary buildings will
! give employment to between 400 and
500 men, and this is regarded as one
of the best things that have ever hap
pened for Staten Island.
At the same time the B. & o. peo-
pie are planning very extensive inn
provements at st. George, but are not
yet ready to give out information
about them.
For some time past the company
has been reconstructing its road all