Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1923-10-28
work STARTED
ON GULF COAST
Line TERMINAL
Railroad Company Will Ex-
pend Large Amount in I'm
provement Of Terminal
Facilities in Brownsville

That the long contemplated improve
\ ment Of the Gulf Coast Lines terminal
facilities in Brownsville Is now actually
underway. the grading work having
started this week, is evidenced by the
| statement Of j. $. Pyeatt. president Of
the road, who announced Thursday that
actual work on the Brownsville inn
| provemCnts is now under way, and
that the company will expend approxi-
mately $4,000 on the initial work.
First work was started the past week
in what will ultimately result in large
terminal yards and shops for the Gulf
, Coast Lines at Brownsville. Nearly
year ago the railroad purchased from
Homer l.. Fitch tract Of - acres for
the extension Of the terminal facilities i'm
! the border city.
In announcing the plans for the i'm
provements, J. ). Pyeatt, president Of
the road said:
The growth Of the Lower Rio Grande
Valley warrants the steps toward re-
arranging our terminal facilities at
I, Brownsville with n view of future ex-
| pan>ion. A complete program has been
/ worked out The old yards will be re
arranged in keeping with the ultimate
objective of a large and efficient ter
minal with modern facilities. The pur-
chase Of additional land gives room nc
the west end. 50 that our yards may ex-
| tend for a distance OF about a mile, with
! sufficient trackage TO care for future
business as the Valley continues TO
grow"
OF course the expected increase OF
business with Mexico may have con-
tributed to making the decision Of the
road to extend its facilities. but MIR.
Pyeatt made il plain that it was the
development of the Valley and their
faith in it, future. that resulted i'm the
expenditure being authorized.
| Chief Engineer c. $. Kirkpatrick has
been in the Valley getting the work
underway. Dcdd X Wedegartner. con-
tractors OF San Benito. began the work
OF grading for the tracks and round
house the first of last week. Thus with
action. rather than words. the contem-
( plated improvements were officially an
nounced by the road.
| The whole scheme Of Improvement has
/ been worked out so that il may be ac-
complished on the unit basis as the bust
ness justifies an enlargement Of the
\ fa ilitieS. The first expenditure in
wolves between $4,000 and $1,000.
This includes about 5000 cn0ic yards
Of grading. on which work has started
| the building of about n mile OF new
trackage 10 fit into the general scheme
Of Improvement: construction Of six
stall modern round house turn-table
shop repair sheds. fuel station and water
tank. This work is expected to take
about six months 10 complete.
! The round house will eventually make
a complete Semi-circle. The first unit
is placed To give maximum efficiency
in the handling Of engines. Ii will be
! capable Of housing the largest loco
motives used on the road. Likewise.
! the turn-table. which il of 50 feet in
length, and built so that il will serve the
whole semi-circle and turn in a com
| plete circle. II il 10 be operated by
compressed air.
\ The fuel station has a capacity OF 4O.-
O00 gallons of oil. The two main. lead
tracks are so arranged that two en-
gines can be supplied at the same time.
4 The fuel oil j. unloaded from the tank
ears into the Sump, and then pumped
into the supply tank Of the station. IL
is run into the engine tanks by gravity.
The water tank has capacity Of J0.-
GOO gallons. which would suffice 10 serve
six engines without refilling. However.
the water II pumped from the resaca TO
] keep the tank continuously filled.
/ Fer example-the morning passenger
train from Houston would pull into the
I yards from the right and run on up
10 the ~ by the international bridge.
and back into the depot. After dis
charging its passengers. baggage and ex-
press. the hostler would take charge end
run il back 70 the yards. The train
would be switched onto the coach track
where the ears would be cleaned. The
compressed air for cleaning the cushions
and other upholstering is located on one
side Of this track. and the water line for
cleansing. j. on the other side. And
here the coaches are left to be cleaned
and serviced for the next run.
Between the coach track and the
main line il the expansion room for fur
ther yard trackage. There il space for
about ten more tracks. running nearly
a mile in length. 1t appears that they
contemplate a healthy growth.
| The engine detached from the coaches
would BE- run up 10 the switch and
backed onto. one Of the lead tracks. IL
would be tsoped ut the first supply sta
tion where the sand dome would be
filled and the lubricating oil supplied.
II would then move 10 the water tank
TO receive drink. II would then move
up to the fuel station for fuel oil. Then
il would be run onto the turn-table and
berthed into one OF the stalls Of the
round house. heading out ready for the
next trip. In the round house the me
chanics would 20 over the locomotive
and make any necessary repairs or ad-
justments.
Thus the engine j. serviced and ready
for the return trip to Houston. leaving
Brownsville that afternoon. Freight
engines would he seryiced In N similar