Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 241, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 October 1915 — SHOW GREAT ADVANCE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

SHOW GREAT ADVANCE

DEVELOPMENT IN ROADWAYS AND TRACK STRUCTURES. Engineers Have Kept Pace With the Changes That Have Taken Place in the Rolling Btock of the Railroads. Although the contrast is not so striking to the casual observer, the changes in roadways and track structures which have accompanied the rapid development of larger and heavier locomotives and rolling stock have been almost as great in the former as in the latter. If the original railroad roadbed and trackage were to be compared with those of today, the differ-

Two Bridge* of Different Period* Which Illustrate the Advance Which Has Been Made In Railway Bridge Construction. '

ence would be almost as noticeable as that between Stephenson’s famous "Rocket” and the new articulated compound engine of the Erie railroad which weighs 422% tons. The accompanying photograph shows two railroad bridges which illustrate two separate periods in bridge construction. The smaller one was built in 1889, and the larger about twenty years later. If it were not that the former structure was built with nearly twice the amount of steel actually needed at the time of its erection, it would be incapable of supporting many of the trains which now run across it

the engineering world. However, according to the Electrical Railway Journal, “the general principle is that the rails which are not in use are depressed by a suitable mechanism, leaving the through rails at grade so as to give a continuous bearing surface. The ends of the movable rails are framed at an angle with each other so as to form an interlocking joint. . . . The cost of manufacturing the section is only slightly greater than that of the ordinary one, the additional expense for most installations being that represented by the cost of installing the operating melanism.” The following description of the device and summary of the arguments in its favor is taken from the Railway Age Gazette: . “The claims made for this crossing Include the following: It prevents shock, which with ordinary crossings results in noise and in wear on equipment and track work entailing additional maintenahce cost. The main frame or body, when once placed on a good earth or concrete foundation, will last indefinitely, and all parts subject to wear can be replaced without disturbing the foundation. The rails used may be of any crpss-section used In the adjacent track, and they are subjected only to rolling wear without shock. The crossing can be operated from a tower, from a moving train by electrical contact or by hand, air pressure or otherwise. It can be applied to any angle of intersection or to combined intersections of'broad and narrow gauge track, or to a three-rail intersection when both broad and narrow gauge tracks use one of he three rails in common. The rails cannot be moved sideways by a force less than that which would cause the flange to climb the rail; the rails cannot be clogged by snow or ice or by any material dropped or placed on any part of the. crossing; there are no parts of the operating mechanism exposed to view or to the weather, preventing their being tampered with.”