The decade of infrastucture

[Murphy Siding]

     Which decade of our country's history provided the most additon to the railroad infrastructure?  In my mind, comparing the mileage of new track doesn't really give an accurate picture of total infrastructure building, as a lot of that was hastily laid out on the prairies.

     Some decades,  I can rationalize as not being near the top of the list, starting with the 1860's:

1860's: Civil War and reconstruction
1930's: depression
1940s: World War II
1950's /60's /70's: Railroads shrinking
1980's/90's 2000...maybe not

Some maybes:

1870's: Growth, but...the Panic of 1878
1890's: Growth, but....Panic of 1893
1910's: High water mark for railroads, but World War I and the USRA takeover

Possibilities:
1880's:  Expansion, and more Transcons
1900's: Fleshing out the system
1920's Golden Era in some minds, but USRA to start the decade, and Stock Market crash in 1929
2010's:  A guy can dream, can't he?

    Considering all things, like tracks, bridges, tunnels, routes, stations, which decade could be considered the decade of railroad infrastructure?

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

I'll nominate a 'split' or amalgamation between 2 of your listed decades - i.e., the 10 years from 1905 to 1915 - because of (in no particular order):

- New York City terminals - Penn Station and GCT

- Major improvements of existing lines, such as the DL&W's cut-offs across NJ and PA

- Expansion of electrifications beyond just tunnels, such as the NH's and PRR's commuter lines, the N&W over the Blue Ridge, etc.

- MILW's Pugest Sound Extension.

- Paul North.

[Murphy Siding]

     Didn't the 1905-1915 also include some major projects by the Southern Pacific?

[Bruce Kelly]

The period 1905-1915 also included construction of the Spokane International; the Spokane, Portland & Seattle; and UP's 104-mile main line between Ayer and Spokane, WA. All three routes had their feats of engineering. The SP&S and the UP Ayer line required numerous tunnels, large bridges, and challenging grade work through basalt canyons.

[erikem]

A few more projects from 1905-1915 were the Western Pacific, parts of the El Paso and Southwestern, electrification of the New Haven, Norfolk & Western, Cascade Tunnel and B.A.&P. 

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

Further data in support of my nomination of the 1905-1915 decade:

The Canadian Pacific Railway's Spiral Tunnels were completed in 1909.

The Florida East Coast's Key West Extension was completed in 1912.

Any other nominations ?

Considering that any of these huge projects took at least several years of serious effort to design, fund, and then actually build, I'd be inclined to provide some latitude and 'slack' for any project to fit within a specific decade, as long as one of those phases came within the pertinent time period. 

- Paul North. 

 

[CShaveRR]

I'd submit the split decade 1925-1935 for consideration. It included a lot of work like the current Cascade Tunnel (Moffat was a bit earlier, I think), buildings such as the Cincinnati Union Terminal and (I think) Cleveland's Terminal Tower), a lot of PRR electrification, and one of the newer stretches of mainline railroad in the East: C&O's line from Waverly, Ohio, to Columbus (prior to that, they'd shared the N&W from Sciotoville to Columbus), connecting the "C&O Proper" with the old Hocking Valley. Proviso Yard was opened as the largest freight classification yard in the world.

[Paul_D_North_Jr]

Moffatt Tunnel was authorized in 1922, built from 1924 to 1928 per the histroy at - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moffat_Tunnel , so as noted above I'd be inclined to allow it.

Cleveland Terminal Tower's timeline is similar.  From - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_City_Center -

"Site preparation began in 1922 . . . Construction began in 1926, and structural work was completed by 1927. . . . The Terminal Tower opened to its first tenants in 1928. . . . Cleveland Union Terminal was dedicated and officially opened in 1930."

In support of Carl's nomination, I'll add in the Reading Railroad's suburban Philadelphia electrification, which was completed circa 1931, I believe.

In further support of my nomination, I'll add the Hell Gate Bridge - syarted in 1912, completed September 1916 - see the comments about dates and time periods in my earlier post above. 

- Paul North.