Evening star., 1934-08-10
$500, 600, 900 Project Being
Rushed TO Completion
for New Year.
WASHINGToN-NEW YORK
TIME TO BE REDUCED
High-speed Locomotives Expected
to Cut Run to Less Than
Four Hours.

When the New Year makes its
advent, the first Of a feet Of high
speed, electric-powered trains win slip
into Union Station, marking compile
ton OF the Pennsylvania Railroads
gigantic electrtncation program be-
tween New York and washington.
The s2oo. o.0oo, 900 project already has
been finished as far as the District
line-poles have been erected and
high tension lines strung-although
trains are being operated electrically
only over the stretch between
Wilmington and New York.
The railroads. huge force Of work.
men Is now concentrating on the
washington end Of the program, the
last and probably the most important
lap, due to the complicated engineer
| ing problems involved In preparing
the Washington terminal for the
electrically driven trains. That prob
lem was avoided In New York because
the trains for years have been carried
into New York from Manhattan
Transfer by electric locomotives.
Wires Creeping In.
Poles to carry the high tension lines
are now in place beyond the New
York Avenue Bridge. The wires, how
ever. have not yet been strung that
far, but this work win be done while
poles for the freight line cutoff are
being erected.
Approximately s3,5o0,0o0 Is being
spent in the District and vicinity on
| the electriacation program. The
| project includes the electriflcation OF
| 10 tracks In Union Station, several
engine terminals, the Virginia avenue
| tunnel, a part of the First street tun-
mel, portions of the Potomac Freight
| Yard. near Alexandria, Va, and the
construction Of several subStations.
The eiectriflcation work in the Dis
trict alone involves 80 miles Of track. |
The railroads two main line tracks
| entering Washington from the north
/ win be electrified as far as New York
avenue. From there six tracks VIII
be electrified TO the tower just OUT
side Union Station. In the station
itself, tracks IL to 20, inclusive, on
i the upper level, and 20 to 20, inclu-
sive, on the lower level, viii be pre-
pared for electric operations.
Tracks on the lower level of Union
| Station win be electrffied 500 feet
into the First street tunnel, provid-
ing convenient arrangements for
switching and cutting of electric To-
| comotives from passenger trains arriv-
| ing at the terminal.
Ivy City Changes.
| Portions of the lexington passenger
car and engine yard and the Ivy City
engine terminal, where Pennsylvania
locomotives and cars are maintained
/. for trains serving Union Station. also
| win be electrified Altogether, ap-
proximately 80 miles of track will be
changed from steam TO electric opera
! ton on the railroads main passenger
| lines to and through Union Station
and 40 miles of track on the Anacostia
freight line through the District will
include the Virginia Avenue Tunnel.
| Two substations viii be erected In
Washington to regulate the flow of
power to the trains. One will be
named Capital" and the other
Union" Capital" win be located on
South Capitol street near @ street,
and the other Just outside Union Sta
ton. Other features of the work win
include the lowering Of tracks on the
Anacostia freight line at Tenth, Elev-
enth and Twelfth streets, and on the
passenger line under the B. & o. "Y"
Bridge at the Ivy City engine yard.
About 4so feet Of track in the First
Street Tunnel also VII be lowered to
provide greater clearance for the over
head electric feed wires
Along with its roadway electrifica-
ton, the Pennsylvania will completely
rearrange its signal and communica-
| tions system, including telephone.
telegraph and signal lines, as well as
roadway signal positions through the
District and contiguous territory.
Scheduled for January /.
Although the first electrically pro-
PEELED train Is scheduled to come into
Washington January 1. Pennsylvania
officials said it would be from two to
three months later before the freight
lines are completely electrified to Po-
tomac Yards.
All Of the poles to be erected in
the District from South Capitol as
well as those In Virginia to Po-
tomac Yards will be 80 feet high and
designed to conform to the esthetic
recommendations of the National
Capital Park and Planning Commits
sion. Poles in the other outlying
sections, however, range in height
from so to So feet.
When the work Is completed, Penn
syivania officials claim Washington
viii have the advantage of a terminal
location on the most important and
extensive stretch Of electrified railroad
trackage IN the world.
The electrihcation also win ma
terially improve freight and passenger
train service, and shorten the pas
senger train running time between
New York and Washington to
hours, at the outset Of the service.
Later, it Is planned to reduce this
time. The Pennsylvania's crack train,
the Congressional. now mikes the run
In hours and Is minutes.
II NIIrIMN 10 AMkInllMNFn