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RE: (erielack) Building the entire Erie RR on PILES!
JHPFor those listers with a copy of Hungerford's "Men of Erie" this sad episode in the NY&E's onstruction is given brief mention on page 53. Mott's "Story of Erie" goes into a far more extensive coverage of this "folly and extravagence" on pages 48 and 323. This subject may make an interesting article for the Diamond--I'll look into it. In researching for an uncoming presentation on the Erie's Corning Line Change (placed in service on November 22nd, 1952, sixty years ago) I came across the following in "Corning and Vicinity 1789-1920" (Uri Milford, 1921): pg 158-"May 7, 1841........Eight spile driving machines are now at work between Owego and Hornellsville, and also several grading parties" and at pg 159- "A boat load of rails, for the New York & Erie Railroad, arrived last week," says the Advocate of September 15, 1841, adding "This does not look much like the spiles rotting before the rails will be laid, as predicted by opponents of the road." Note that the piles were called "spiles." The NY&E was cursed with some poor engineering decisions and the abortive "railroad on piles" through the Susquehanna River valley was one of them. This folly cost the NY&E $600,000 to $1,000,000 (Mott) for about 117 miles of this pile structure upon which no track was ever laid. Sad.MJC
> Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2012 16:47:52 -0400
> From: root_@_bluemoon.net
> To: erielack_@_lists.railfan.net
> Subject: (erielack) Building the entire Erie RR on PILES!
>
>
> This is on page 46 of the Erie Magazine Centennial issue:
>
> "When construction of the New York and Erie Railroad was getting
> underway it was decided to build the railroad on piles in order to avoid
> snow and floods. As is well known, the road was started in this way, the
> idea being abandoned eventually after it had cost about $1,000,OOO.
> More than 100 miles of this piling was completed but not even a foot of
> rail was ever laid on the piling. The piling just rotted away. The
> building of it in places was fantastically difficult. One spot was the Chester
> meadows which later became famed as onion meadows. This was a
> marshy morass. The piles were almost 50 feet long. In places it was nec-
> essary to drive three piles one on another before a solid foundation was
> reached. Some of the piles went down 140 feet. It had been planned to
> make the whole railroad a sort of bridge or trestle from the Hudson
> River to Lake Erie, In addition, thousands of loads of gravel, trees and
> other material had to be dumped between the piles to secure them.
> In other places the ground was such that gravel had to be dug away and
> rock blasted before the piles could be driven."
>
> I believe the Erie was well known for its ability to build on less than
> optimum land conditions. It looks like they got some good practice right off
> the bat.
>
> This issue should be online within an hour or so thanks to Ron! I think
> there's something for just about any Erie fan in this one.
>
> Henry
>
> P.S. SMT, your Eries are on their way back to you, thanks!
>
> J. Henry Priebe Jr. Blue Moon Internet Corp Network Administrator
> www.bluemoon.net Internet Access & Web Hosting
> www.railfan.net Railfan Network Services
>
>
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