The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-09-26

The compound catenary consists of
 main supporting cable of seven eightS inch extra high strength steel
 grounded strand fastenedA to the top
 member of the catenary bridges with
 cast-iron clamps. Between the bridges
 are two intermediate cross bents clamped to each one of the main
 supporting cables. These cross bents
 are composed of three-inch I-beams, weighing five and a half pounds per
 foot Track catenary wires are sus- pended from these cross bents, which consist of hve-eighths inch extra high
 strength stranded steel cables, insulat- ed from the intermediate cross behts by 110,00O-voIt- insulators. Under meath these track catenary strands are
 suspended grooved copper wires sup ported at loft. intervals by hangers attached to the track catenary stands, and two and one-haIf inches below
 this are suspended grooved steel con tact wires, attached at intervals with the copper wires as in the first sec ton.
 In order to preserve the proper alignments on curves, the hangers are attached directly to the clips. An other feature of the construction on
 curves is the bending of the lower part of the clips. Another feature | of the construction on hanger to an
 angle that permits the track conductor 1 to maintain it's proper position over the center of the track. Great care has been taken that the track con
 ductor may always be at the center of the track even at. the sharpest curves, although the width of the photographs on the locomotives allows | considerable Ieeway. The standard spacing of bridges is 100 yards, but on curves of over two degrees the bridge spacing is reduced correspond ingly to a, minimum of 200 feet. Where the curves are over four degrees de- | f1ection, pulI-om or ho1d-over poles are erected between the bridges for the purpose of providing a, side strain for the main supporting strand. As re- suit of these precautions a practically perfect alignment has been perfected
 so that the contact wire will at all
 times remain at the center of the pan l tograph on the locomotive.
 The design of the bridges used in the Stamford-New Haven section,
 while similar in most respects to one l another, is by no means standard for 1 this section, as different conditions l were met with all along the route, ne cessitating special designs for certain 1 places. In general however, the
 bridges are of steel construction 1 throughout and are attached to con l crete foundations. LengthwiSe with 1 the track the posts are two feet wide 1 at both top and bottom; but at right angles to the track, the posts measure |
 and two feet, two inches at the top. The reason for this is that the point | of greatest strain is at the top where
 the posts are joined to the bridge members over the track. The posts 1 are constructed with four corner an 1 g1es and on all four sides are diagonal l lattice work bars riveted together at the intersections. The posts are at 1 tached to the concrete foundations by | four bolts set in pairs on the two
 sides of the post parallel to the track. l The bolts are twenty-four inches apart l and are carried down into the foun- dation seven feet two inches, where | they are anchored in plates eight in 1 ches by two feet four inches in size. The foundations for four track struc- l lures have top dimensions of three feet six inches both ways and are l spread out by three steps, each two feet high to dimensions of seven feet by eight feet. If necessary, below this the concrete is carried down to l good bearing soil. On curves where the side strains are heavy the dimen- sions are increased to eight feet by l eleven feet.
 It will be noticed by those familiar 1 with electrical construction on rail roads that the designs of the Stam- LfssSd-NaW Aa1Lan aantioR aEe YaEx siGn-