19
 

important improvements

Apphcation was filed with the Interstate Commerce Commission for a certificate of
convenience and necessity authorizing the acquisition of the line of The Delaware and
Hudson Railroad Corporation from Saranac Lake to Lake Placid, New York, a distance of
approximately 10.1 miles. This apphcation is being considered by the Commission con¬
currently with an application of the Delaware and Hudson for authority to abandon certain
portions of its railroad in New York State including the section between Saranac Lake and
Lake Placid and trackage rights over this Company's Adirondack Branch between Plum-
adore and Saranac Lake, New York, a distant of about 27 miles.

i.'\uthority was obtained from the Interstate Commerce Commission and work com¬
menced on the construction of the Peaser Branch Extension, about five miles in length, of
the Nicholas, Fayette and Greenbrier Railroad Company which is owned jointly by this
Company and The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company. The new extension is to serve
new bituminous coal developments of the Imperial Smokeless Coal Company and the Dry
Dock Sewell Coal Company in Nicholas County, West Virginia.

This Company's tracks through the United States Military Academy grounds at West
Point, New York, were relocated at the expense of the United States Government for the
purpose of making available additional space for the Academy.

A number of improvements were made in classification and repair yards including, in
certain cases, the construction of new yard service buildings at Selkirk and Minoa, New
York; Collinwood, Kenton and Thurston, Ohio; and Jackson, Michigan. Of special interest
was the installation of a pneumatic tube system at Collinwood, Ohio, yard to more effective¬
ly centralize the handling of mail between the general yard office and yard office buildings.

Radio equipment for yard operations at Selkirk, DeWitt, and Gardenville, New York,
is being installed and will facilitate communication with yard crew operations and increase
efficiency, particularly during adverse weather conditions.

At the main coach yard in the Chicago Terminal, located at Root Street, new service
buildings were constructed, office and shop buildings were remodeled, and new coach wash¬
ing facilities installed.

Signal improvements, accomplishing more efficient operation through increasing the
distance between trains operating at high speed in the color light signal territory or by ex¬
tension of automatic block signal territory, were under way or completed on the main line
between Bay View, New York, and Cleveland, Ohio; East Syracuse and Salina, New York;
and on the Ohio Division of the Big Four generally between Dayton and Gabon, Ohio.

A second main track was constructed on the Bay City Branch of the Michigan Central,
extending the double track section north of Detroit, Michigan, for about 2.5 miles.

A new meat transfer house of modern brick and concrete, equipped with refrigerating
facilities, is under construction at Detroit, Michigan. It is designed to expedite sanitary and
economical loading and sorting of meat and packing house products.

Progress is being made on the installation of communication equipment super-imposing
high frequency carrier currents on our existing wires. This will provide five telephone and
twelve telegraph circuits along this Company's main line and permit the transmission of
multiple messages on the present wire system.

An agreement has been reached with the city authorities of Toledo, Ohio, for the con¬
struction by this Company of a new passenger station to accomodate its own operations and
those of four tenant lines. It is to be located approximately on the site of the existing station