The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-15
THREE ROADS USE NEW ROUTE TODAY Many Grade Crossings Will
 Be Eliminated NEW TRACKS BUILT Tenth Avenue Route Will Be Aban- doned Except For Few Switch
 Engines to Supply Indus
 trial Plants

Tn the presence of many railroad offi- cials, the United States signal service, to
 protect trains on the new Norwood line
 vas tested out yesterday and today about
 noon the Seminole Limited of the Illi-
 nois Central railroad will be the first
 train to go north through that territory
 on the new tracks.
 The inauguration of the new service way means a great deal to the North
 side and the beginning will be noted by
 the residents of that part of the city with great interest.
 A. D. Linghtner. general executive agent for the Frisco lines, conceived and
 will put into operation this morning the
 new line 1t will enable all passenger
 trains of the Central of Georgia the Hi
 nois Central and the Frisco railroads to
 leave the Terminal on new line oper-
 ated directly through Twenty-seventh street to North Birmingham, thence
 through the Thomas yards to the Frisco
 main line in Thomas. The Central of
 Georgia trains will operate to Thirty-first street, thence over its line to Woodlawn
 and to destination. Incoming trains Of
 the Central will also make the circuit to
 Thirty-first street and thence down Twen- ty-seventh to the Terminal, and will for
 sake the old proposition of utilizing the Southern railway tracks from Woodlawn. The other trains to use the service will be the Seminole Limited on the Illinois Central, four accommodation trains on the Frisco and the four limited trains on the Frisco
 The new service will be witnessed by a large number of officials who are special ly interested in the lessening of grade
 crossings. Their interest in the work to
 be finally realized today consists of the
 vital fact that no less than ten grade
 crossings are eliminated on the North side by the new arrangement.
 The old operation of sending Frisco and Illinois Central trains down Tenth ave-
 nue through a most populous region and
 thence through portion of Fountain
 Heights and thence to Thomas will be | completely abandoned. This does not ap- ply to a nominal number of freight en-
 zines which will be used only on the old
 tracks to serve industries that have pre- viously built to get that accommodation l The proposition, however. of freight trains entering the city will be entirely done away, as it had been reduced al
 most to minimum heretofore.
 | The new service will enable the aban- | dcnment of the Belt railroad on Thirty | second street, which will relieve citizens
 thereabouts of not alone a dangerous
 proposition, but also of the smoke and
 noise nuisance about which a great deal
 of complaint has lately been made | The new work was done by the Illinois | Central railroad at large cost and will
 be owned by the Belt local system, which | is in turn owned by the Frisco. MT Lightner is general manager of the Belt | for the Frisco management.
 | The line is of Ensley rails, S5 pounds | slag balasting, and of oak ties. The wo,k | point near Thirty-first street. On that ac- count the company has installed the most recent signal service of the United States Signal company, which obviates the slightest chance for an accident The ap-
 paratus Is so arranged that only one train has a chance to get onto the single track at one time. The proposition is dual lock and key arrangement which is operated by the engineers of the trains and signal tower man who gives the right after the manipulation of the sig nals for trains to move.