Evening star., 1933-11-05
PENNSYS OUTLAY
{2,50),0QO DEC. |
Works Administration Re-
veaIs Progress on EIec-
trification.

The Pennsylvania Railroad expects
to have 81. 500 900 OF the S84 900 900 loan
for electrification OF the line between
New York and Washington sp6nt by
December l. it was revealed yesterday
by the Public Works Administration.
which has tentatively made the loan.
Formal approval of the Interstate
Commerce Commission to the project is
expected this week. as well as the sign
ing of the necessary contracts between
Public Works Administrator Ickes and
the railroad.
The railroad has set up a time sched-
ule for expenditures on the job. which
indicates that S2500,0 should be spent
before December l with the schedule
stepping up to 81 500 900 for the month
of December and the program going
forward at the rate Of approximately
S6000,0C0 month for the entire II
months of 1884. with slight variations
caused by seasonal changes.
Peak in January. 1885,.
1t is expected that the peak Of the
work will be passed by the first of
January, 1885. with dwindling expendi-
lures of approximately $1,000 900
month during the early part of 1885
before the work is completed.
Electric trains are expected to be on
the line. between New York and the
Capital early in 1885.
The program calls for expenditure OF
S44850,0C0 for roadway equipment,
with $50 $50 coo spent during 1924 and
S5.000,000 carried over into 1885. This
work includes the construction of right
Cf-Way equipment for freight and pas
senger yards sub-stationS. switching
stations. identification equipment and
material contractors labor. telegraph
and signal systems. labor and super
vision, electrlflcation labor and super
vision, engineering and similar items.
The first job on hand is the fabrica-
2,5oo towers to carry overhead wiring,
and construction OF sub-stationS to
carry the current for the power wires.
There have been set in place to date
about 1900 OF these towers.
Contracts fer Locomotives.
While this work is going on. the con-
tracts for the construction of electric
passenger and freight locomotives for
the section of the track not yet e,ectri-
fed will be let. The present number
of electric passenger locomotives and
multiple unit cars On the electric line
between here and New York is not
sufficient to carry the burden of traffic
on the entire line, being built only for
the run between New York, Phlladel-
Dhia, Wilmington and Paoli.
Two Of the biggest jobs in connection
with the electrification are the recon-
struction of the Baltimore and Wash
ington tunnels. The Virginia avenue
tunnel, owned by the Pennsylvania
Railroad but jointly used with the Bal
timore So Ohio, will be heightened and
broadened to permit necessary clear
ance for electrifcation, and to permit
car units of large dimensions to move
through the tunnel without reroutlng
around the Capital The Virginia ave-
nue. Job alone will cost $2,041 900.
The Baltimore tunnel job will cost
more, and includes improvements In
clearance and roof conditions in the
present union tunnel. 1t is Planned to
have a new double track tunnel of en-
larged dimensions, and the present
: double-track tunnel may be refined and
placed in service as a single-track line.
A third great project is the electrifl-
cation of freight operations at Potomac
Yard. The exact cost of this project
is now broken down in the figures sup
piled the Interstate Commerce Com
mission and the Public Works Admins
| tration.