The Modern Railroad

To bring to the great lay mind some slight idea of the intricacy and the involved detail of railroad operation is the purpose of this book. Of the intricacies and involved details of railroad finance and railroad politics; of the quarrels between the railroads, the organizations of their employees, the governmental commissions, or the shippers, it says little or nothing. These difficult and pertinent questions have been and still are being competently discussed by other writers.

The author wishes to acknowledge the courtesy of the editors and publishers of Harper's Monthly, Harper's Weekly, The Saturday Evening Post, and Outing in permitting the introduction into this work of portions or entire articles which he has written for them in the past. He would also feel remiss if he did not publish his sincere acknowledgments to "The American Railway," a compilation from Scribner's Magazine, published in 1887, Mr. Logan G. McPherson's "The Workings of the Railroad," Mr. C. F. Carter's "When Railroads Were New," and Mr. Frank H. Spearman's "The Strategy of Great Railroads." Out of a sizable reference library of railroad works, these volumes were the most helpful to him in the preparation of certain chapters of this book.

E. H.

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, August 1, 1911.

CONTENTS

PAGE CHAPTER I

THE RAILROADS AND THEIR BEGINNINGS 1

Two great groups of railroads; East to West, and North to South--Some of the giant roads--Canals--Development of the country's natural resources--Railroad projects--Locomotives imported--First locomotive of American manufacture--Opposition of canal-owners to railroads--Development of Pennsylvania's anthracite mines--The merging of small lines into systems.

CHAPTER II

THE GRADUAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE RAILROAD 15

Alarm of canal-owners at the success of railroads--The making of the Baltimore & Ohio--The "Tom Thumb" engine--Difficulties in crossing the Appalachians--Extension to Pittsburgh--Troubles of the Erie Railroad--This road the first to use the telegraph--The prairies begin to be crossed by railways--Chicago's first railroad, the Galena & Chicago Union--Illinois Central--Rock Island, the first to span the Mississippi--Proposals to run railroads to the Pacific--The Central Pacific organized--It and the Union Pacific meet--Other Pacific roads.

CHAPTER III

THE BUILDING OF A RAILROAD 34

Cost of a single-track road--Financing--Securing a charter-- Survey-work and its dangers--Grades--Construction--Track-laying.

CHAPTER IV

TUNNELS 48

Their use in reducing grades--The Hoosac Tunnel--The use of shafts--Tunnelling under water--The Detroit River tunnel.

CHAPTER V

BRIDGES 56

Bridges of timber, then stone, then steel--The Starucca Viaduct--The first iron bridge in the United States--Steel bridges--Engineering triumphs--Different types of railroad bridge--The deck span and the truss span--Suspension bridges--Cantilever bridges--Reaching the solid rock with caissons--The work of "sand-hogs"--The cantilever over the Pend Oreille River--Variety of problems in bridge-building--Points in favor of the stone bridge--Bridges over the Keys of Florida.

CHAPTER VI

THE PASSENGER STATIONS 80

Early trains for suburbanites--Importance of the towerman-- Automatic switch systems--The interlocking machine--Capacities of the largest passenger terminals--Room for locomotives, car-storage, etc.--Storing and cleaning cars--The concourse-- Waiting-rooms--Baggage accommodations--Heating--Great development of passenger stations--Some notable stations in America.

CHAPTER VII