The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-06-25
BY DON WARFEL

work /has already been completed,
lack /of funds has caused the suspens-
ion fof the completion OF the new
Pc Insylyania East yards and engine
tie fminal here. Except for lew
mailer improvements, all OF the work
on the yards has been at a ,standstiil
bince January /. this year.
The new yards. which were planned
sand started in 1916, at cost Of ap-
sproximately $1.200.00o comprise one
of the largest construction jobs ever
undertaken in Richmond, and the
magnitude of the work is not rea1ized
by the average person. Forty-elgh1
acres of land that in 1915 were largely
a wooded stretch of ravines and hill
locks, have been cleared, graded ana
covered with new tracks, in order
that the handling of freight, which
has greatly increased through the
Richmond division in the last few
years. may be done more efficiently.
The Austin Construction company,
with headquarters at Cleveland, O.,
was awarded the contract for the
greater part of the buildings. The
company began operations in July,
191S,, but construction later on was
held UP by conditions over which the
company had no control. Experts in
this form of railroad construction,
the Austin company soon had the pre-
liminary work going at fast rate
The power house will be completed
soon. Other units under construction
by the company are: Roundhouse,
machine shop annex, store buildings,
fan house, ash pit and oil house.
A description Of the purpose of these
Units, which the Austin company IS
erecting, will be found elsewhere in
this article. The panoramic view OF
the big job, as well as the picture OF
the engine house and turntable, were
furnished by the Austin company
The actual work on the construction
of the yards started in August 1916.
At that time, only a small part OF the
present yard site was tracked, known
then as the east yards, now forming
what is known as the eastward class
ification" yard.
In order to widen the yards, it was
first necessary to extend two bridges,
which had already been built, over the
streams forming an outlet to the
springs in Glen Miller park, and to
erect one new bridge entirely. The
extension of the two bridges, one over
the outlet to the Glen Miller lake and
the other over the outlet Of the
springs in the rear of the park had to
be large enough to increase the num-
Der of tracks over one OF them from
the main line of two tracks. to four
main and sixteen yard tracks, and
over the other, from four tracks to
seventeen.
The bridge over the lake outlet con-
sisted originally of stone arch. "A
feet in diameter and about 70 feet
long. To this was added an extension
to the north, 23S feet long, and one
to the south A feet long, constructed
of concrete, with an arch having
diameter of % feet inside. Before the
FIN could be made over this new
bridge, it was also necessary to build
a concrete retaining wall on the south
side. 196 feet long. to prevent the dirt
thrown in the till from falling into
the city property in Glen Miller park.
For this extension, 5000 cubic yards
of concrete was used.
$500 Yards of Concrete.
The other bridge extension consist
ed of a fifteen foot arch, running north
of the cid bridge, 239 feet, and south,
80 feet. and here, too, it was neces-
sarv to build retaining wall to pre-
vent landslides, the wall being IA
feet long. For this work. $500 cubic
yards of concrete were used.
To the north of the lake Juliet
bridge was constructed anou con-
crete arch, forming an entrs se into
the new repair shops. This !ch was
originally planned TO be AS set long,
with 23 foot inside dia eter. but
owing TO the later plan ! relocate
engine terminal facilities this ter
ritory. its length was i creased 100
feet, making a total length of 24S feet,
requiring the use of 4,4S0 cubic yards
OF concrete.
The east bridge extension was be-
gun in August, 1916, and was completed
in June. 1917, The work on the lake
outlet bridge bridge extension was
started in October, 1915, and was
completed the following July. The new
bridge was not started until February.
1917. and with the extension, was not
entirely completed until January, 1913.
For the three bridges. a total of 49,
$50 yards of concrete was used.
n Change Face of Earth
SNith the erection Of the new
arches, came the tremendous task of
changing the surface of the land from
that of a wooded, billy country, to
a level stretch To do this it was nee
essary to cut of 100000 cubic yards