The New York Subway, Its Construction and Equipment — John Shaqi
The New York Subway, Its Construction and EquipmentInterborough Rapid Transit Company
History
The New York Subway, Its Construction and Equipment
Interborough Rapid Transit Company
Local transit -- New York (State) -- New York; Subways -- New York (State) -- New York
There are seven coal bunkers in the boiler house, of which five are 77
feet and two 41 feet in length by 60 feet in width at the top, the
combined maximum capacity being 18,000 tons. The bunkers are separated
from each other by the six chimneys spaced along the center line of
the boiler house. The bottom of the bunkers are at the fifth floor, at
an elevation of about 66 feet above the basement. The bunkers are
constructed with double, transverse, plate girder frames at each line
of columns, combined with struts and ties, which balance the outward
thrust of the coal against the sides. The frames form the outline of
the bunkers with slides sloping at 45 degrees, and carry longitudinal
I-beams, between which are built concrete arches, reinforced with
expanded metal, the whole surface being filled with concrete over the
tops of the beams and given a two-inch granolithic finish.
[Illustration: 58TH ST. POWER HOUSE--GENERAL PLAN OF COAL BUNKERS AND
ECONOMIZERS.]
[Illustration: 58TH ST. POWER HOUSE--GENERAL PLAN OF MAIN OPERATING
FLOOR.]
The six chimneys, spaced 108 feet apart, and occupying the space
between the ends of the adjacent coal bunkers, are supported on
plate-girder platforms in the fifth floor, leaving the space below
clear for a symmetrical arrangement of the boilers and economizers
from end to end of the building. The platforms are framed of
single-web girders 8 feet deep, thoroughly braced and carrying on
their top flanges a grillage of 20-inch I-beam. A system of bracing
for both the chimney platforms and coal bunkers is carried down to the
foundations in traverse planes about 30 feet apart.
The sixth tier of beams constitute a flat roof over a portion of the
building at the center and sides. In the engine room, at this level,
which is 64 feet above the engine-room floor, are provided the two
longitudinal lines of crane runway girders upon which are operated the
engine-room cranes. Runways for 10-ton hand cranes are also provided
for the full length of the boiler room, and for nearly the full length
of the north panel in the engine room.
Some of the loads carried by the steel structure are as follows: In
the engine house, operating on the longitudinal runways as mentioned,
are one 60-ton and one 25-ton electric traveling crane of 75 feet
span. The imposed loads of the steam-pipe galleries on the south side
and the switchboard galleries on the north side are somewhat
irregularly distributed, but are equivalent to uniform loads of 250 to
400 pounds per square foot. In the boiler house the weight of coal
carried is about 45 tons per longitudinal foot of the building; the
weight of the brick chimneys is 1,200 tons each; economizers, with
brick setting, about 4-1/2 tons per longitudinal foot; suspended
weight of the boilers 96 tons each, and the weight of the boiler
setting, carried on the first floor framing, 160 tons each. The weight
of structural steel used in the completed building is about 11,000
tons.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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