Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume I

THE UNDERGROUND RAILWAYS OF CHICAGO. ' 367 HOW COAL IS TRANSFERRED FROM A SURFACE LINE TO SUBWAY TRUCKS. south to Chicago Avenue and Kingsbury Street on the north, and to Green Street on the west. The equipment consists Extent of of 250 motors and 2,500 cars ; Subways of course, these are added and Equipment as needed. Both engines and cars are of a special pat- tern. The locomotives are of the class used in mines, and have a wheel base of 24J inches. Two sizes of engines are employed—the smaller one boasting 75 horse-power motors and weigh- ing about 3 tons ; the larger ones being of 80 horse-power, and turning the scale at about 5 tons. The cars, 4 feet wide and 10J feet long, reach 63 inches above the rail. Their individual capacity is 30,000 lbs. They are 6f iron and steel construction, with double trucks and eight wheels. The gauge of the lines is 2 feet. The steepest grade in the subways is 1’75 per cent., and the gradients at the railway terminals do not exceed 12 per cent. The latter grades form the ap- proaches to the tunnels. The largest inter- sections, known as four-way sections, where the track branches off in three directions, have curves of 20-foot radius. The curves on the main lines, however, are of 16-foot radius. There is a complete drainage system. A telephone station on every block enables the movements of the trains to be controlled entirely by telephone. The whole subway is lighted electrically, and has a twenty-four-hour service. To-day the subways are owned by a corpora- tion in which railway interests are largely rep- resented. High praise is undoubtedly due to Mr. Albert Gr. Wheeler, the engineer who con- ceived and carried to a successful completion this remarkable and interesting underground freight road ; and also to his able lieutenant, Mr. George W. Jackson, the general manager. Recently Mr. J. Ogden Armour and Mr. E. H. Harriman joined the board of the Illinois Tunnel Company. The presence of Mr. Ar- mour, whose interests and name are so inti- mately associated with all that makes Chicago a synonym for enterprise, is in itself a guar- antee that the best interests of the city will be served by the Tunnel Company. Coupled with that of Mr. Harriman, who is recog- nized in railway circles to-day as one of the greatest living constructive geniuses and financial managers on the American conti- nent, the success of the subways seems to be assured. PLAN OF TYPICAL INTERSECTIONS.