This article appeared in "The American City" magazine, October 1917

Methods and Materials for Paving Between Street Railway Tracks

Fourth Article---The Practice in Dayton, Ohio

By F.O. Eichelberger

City Engineer

     The several street railway companies operating in the city of Dayton are compelled by franchise provision to pay the cost of that part of all street improvements lying within and 18 inches beyond the outer rails of their tracks.  The amount so determined  is assessed against the railway company or companies operating on the street to be improved with the privilege of paying the assessment in cash within a period of twenty days following the passage of the assessment ordinance, or at their option in ten annual installments with interest on the deferred payments at the rate of five per cent per annum.

     The franchises of the various companies further provide that the pavement lying within the boundaries above mentioned shall be maintained by those companies operating on the street in question.

     The general practice followed locally is for the city to let  the contract for the paving of the street, at a unit price per square yard for the entire surface of the street, which unit price is for pavement complete, including excavation to the bottom of the 6-inch concrete base.  Any excavation required below this point is taken care of by the railway company, either by a separate price agreement with the contractor or by direct labor.

     Since the cost of both installation and maintenance of the pavement is borne by the railway companies, they are permitted to a large extent to use that method of track construction which they  feel best suited to their particular needs.  The methods, therefore, are not standardized, but the policy of the local companies has been to build their tracks as substantially as in their opinion will reduce the maintenance costs to a minimum without unwarranted expense.

     Some of Dayton’s main thorofares were repaved recently and several different types of construction were used in rebuilding the street railway tracks preparatory to paving.

     On Main Street, the 7-inch 90-pound T rails were used with the Carnegie Steel ties laid in 6-inch slab of 1:2 ½:5 concrete.  A concrete beam 18 inches wide and 6 inches in depth of the same class was poured under the rails.  The area within the tracks was paved with granite Durax, while the portion outside the tracks was laid with creosoted wood block, so as to conform to the material used on the balance of shoulders.  Granite blocks about 4 inches square and 8 to 10 inches long, with the one edge chamfered, were laid as stretchers adjacent to the inside of the rails to form the groove for the flanges of the wheels.  With the steel tie construction, three weeks were allowed for thoro setting of the concrete before the cars were permitted to resume operation.

     On the fifth Street repaving work, three of the five blocks of tracks were built after the same manner as Main Street; on the remainder the tracks were laid on wood ties, tamped up on broken stone.

     The particular reason for wood tie construction in this instance was the fact the operation of the street cars had to be maintained over both tracks during reconstruction.  This was done by replacing halfof the old ties and laying new rails just next to the old ones; the old track was then removed with the remainder of the old ties, the new rail moved over into place, and the remainder of the new ties inserted.  The change was made in a few minutes and without holding up traffic.

     One block of track on Fourth Street was rebuilt on wood ties surrounded by concrete, similar to the Baltimore method.  This track carries heavy interurban cars, and the company operating the cars has adopted this method of construction as their standard.

     The area within and 18 inches outside the rails was paved with Durax.  The pavement was brought down under the ball of the rail, thus eliminating the necessity of the chamfered stretcher block to form the groove for the flanges of the wheels.  This method of pavement has proved very satisfactory and has been adopted for the tracks on Jefferson Street and Third Street, which are being paved this year.

     A new type of tie is being tried out on Jefferson Street.  It consists of two treated wood blocks on top of which are steel plates.  The blocks are held in place by two angle bars  which are bolted to the bottom of the blocks; the same bolts extend thru the plates on top of the blocks and serve to hold the rail fast to the tie.  In one illustration the men are shown holding a double tie used under the rail joints; the intermediate ties are single.

     After the ties are placed and the rails bolted, the track is lined and graded and the concrete poured around the ties in conformity with the cross section as shown.  An experimental section of this type of construction was built in July,1915, on Wyoming Street.  This track carries heavy interurban cars and has proved satisfactory in all respects during the two years in which it has been in service.