View allAll Photos Tagged Engineer
Civic Center, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States
The underground interior of the IRT subway system is among the most important aspects of the New York City subway system.
In recognition of the historic and artistic significance of the IRT system, portions of 12 of the original 45 underground stations built under Contracts 1 and 2 of the IRT system are being designated an Interior Landmark. Designed by the architectural firm of Heins & LaFarge in conjunction with Chief Engineer William Barclay Parsons, these stations vividly represent the artistic character of the IRT system, now celebrating its Diamond Jubilee.
The subway system of New York is only 75 years old, but proposals for an underground rapid transit system to alleviate traffic congestion in New York had been put forward as early as the 1860s. In 1864 the Metropolitan Railway Company was incorporated; the intent was to build an underground railway. Because of political opposition and the competition for franchise rights, the scheme was not successful. Between 1868 and 1870 Alfred Ely Beach , inventor and editor of Scientific American, secretly constructed a subway to be operated by pneumatic power beneath Broadway between Murray and Warren Streets.
While it proved a popular novelty, Beach's subway ultimately failed due to the opposition of Boss Tweed and lack of financing to expand the subway tunnel. Instead of underground system, elevated steam railroads were built, beginning in 1868, which quickly spanned important sections of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The New York State Legislature created a Rapid Transit Commission in 1891 to explore the possibility of a subway system. To meet the problem of construction costs, the City of New York was authorized in the Rapid Transit Act of 1894 to issue bonds and enter into contract with a private corporation to build and operate an underground railroad.
Although several years of delay and litigation followed, a contract was finally let by the City on October 11, 1899, to the Rapid Transit Subway Construction Company, formed by John B. McDonald with the financial backing of banker August P. Belmont, Jr. Belmont created the Interborough Rapid Transit Company in 1902 to lease the subway from the City and to operate it for fifty years.
The 1899 contract called for the construction of a subway system according to the route and plan that had been devised by William Barclay Parsons . Parsons, who had received his engineering training at Columbia University, had begun his career with the New York, Lake Erie & Western Railroad and had written several books on railroad problems.
In 1891 Parsons had been appointed deputy chief engineer of the Rapid Transit Commission and in 1894 he had been named Chief Engineer. Parsons devised a subway route in 1895 which was revised in 1897. It began with a loop under City Hall, went up the east side of Manhattan along Lafayette Street and Fourth Avenue to Grand Central Station at 42nd Street, then went west to Times Square and turned north along Broadway to 96th Street; there it branched into two lines leading to the Bronx. Construction began in March 1900.
A second contract extended the route south from City Hall into Brooklyn where it terminated at the Long Island Railroad Terminal at Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues. Work was begun on this section of the route in 1902.
The construction methods and station plans were determined by the engineers of the Rapid Transit Commission working under Parsons, but a consulting architect was sought to design the decoration of the underground stations, the control houses, and the kiosks of the subway, and a search committee was appointed in 1901. The firms of Carrere & Hastings and Robert Gibson were considered, but on March 7, 1901, the firm of Heins & LaFarge was selected.
George L. Heins and Christopher Grant LaFarge both received their architectural training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the supervision of French-born and -trained Eugene, Letang. LaFarge, the son of the noted painter John LaFarge, then worked in the architectural office of Henry Hobson Richardson, while Heins acquired experience in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
The two formed an partnership in 1886, which continued until Heins' death in 1907. They are best remembered for their ecclesiastical architecture, especially the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. Winning the competition for the cathedral design in 1891, they served as architects for the first phase of construction.
Among their other major church designs are the Fourth Presbyterian Church and Parsonage at West End Avenue and 9 3rd Street in New York and St. Matthew's Roman Catholic Cathedral in Washington D.C. They also designed residences for prominent people in New York and Washington.
In 1899 the firm began to design buildings for the New York Zoological Gardens in the Bronx. There were no obvious prototypes for such buildings, so the architects chose modified classical designs, ornamented with appropriate animal motifs.
Perhaps through the influence of August Belmont, Jr., for whom the the firm had designed a chapel in the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, the architects received the subway contract in 1901. They were faced with a problem similar to that in the Zoological Gardens— devising an architecture for which there was no obvious historical prototype.
The artistic treatment of the subway stations had been only dealt with in very general terms previous to the appointment of the consulting, architects. In 1891 the Report of the Rapid Transit Commission stated that every effort should be made "in the way of painting and decoration to give brightness and cheerfulness to the general effect" of the stations.
The IRT contract of 1899 specified white or light-colored tiles or enameled brick for the station walls, except where color was to be "introduced for architectural effect."
Parson had undertaken a study of European transit systems which he issued in 1894. In it he discussed various aesthetic features and treatments of those systems, and they in turn affected his planning of the New York system.
As designed by Parsons and his engineers, the underground stations are of two basic types: local, with platforms located outside the tracks adjacent to the tunnel walls; and express, with island platforms between the local and express tracks. Local platforms south of 96th Street were 200 feet long, while express platforms and local platforms north of 96th Street were 350 feet long.
The stations built under Contract 2 have platforms of the local type, but these were also 350 feet long.
The City Hall station with its single looped track has a short curved platform. Entrance areas, also known as control areas, provide access to the platforms. While most of these are on the same level as the platforms and close to the surface of the street, some control, areas are located on a mezzanine above the platforms.
The stations are constructed of steel beams five feet between centers with jack-arch concrete roofs and either straight or jack-arch concrete walls. The side walls of the stations are of four-inch thick brick separated by a one-inch air space from the outer structural walls. Cast-iron columns placed at fifteen-foot intervals carry the station roofs. Floors are of three-inch thick concrete graded to drain into catch basins.
While this basic construction was the responsibility of the engineers, the artistic treatment and decoration of the stations were the responsibility of the architects, subject to the final approval of Parsons, who delegated authority to D.L. Turner, assistant engineer in charge of stations for the Rapid Transit Subway Construction Company.
It seems certain that Parsons influenced certain aspects of the decorative scheme. As carried out in New York there are similarities to the decorative scheme of the Paris Metro stations which had favorably impressed Parsons.
The architects devised a decorative scheme which had certain features in common for each station but incorporated distinctive elements to give each station its own identity. A sanitary cove base joins the floor and the side wall with its two and a half foot wainscoting of buff-colored Roman brick or rose-colored marble, completed by either a brick or marble cap.
Above the wainscoting the wall is covered with three by six inch white glass or glazed tile. Classically-derived moldings of glazed terra cotta or faience 10 form cornices near the ceiling level. The wall is divided into 15-foot panels, corresponding to the spacing of the platform columns, by colored encaustic mosaic tile or by brick or marble bands, and faience plaques designating the name of the station are set at 15-foot intervals in the cornice or frieze.
These plaques are often in the form of symbols which have some local association with the station. Large name tablets of mosaic or faience are set into the middle of the wall panels. Not only variations in symbols and name treatment but also variation in color, made possible by the use of faience and mosaic tile, help make each station distinct.
This use of color aroused favorable comment from architectural critic Herbert Croly. The general treatment of the entrance areas at platform level is similar.
The City Hall station, because of its role in serving the seat of New York City government, was conceived as being of special importance. As such it has a unique design. When the IRT plan called for City Hall as the southern terminus of the route , the station was planned with four tracks on a loop to allow for train turnaround.
However, with the 1898 plan to extend the line to Brooklyn -, changes were made in the City Hall station plan to provide a single loop track for the use of local trains, while express trains by-passed the station.
The unique feature which gives City Hall station its distinctive quality is the use of thin-shell timbrel vaults constructed according to the methods perfected and patented by Rafael Guastavino .
Guastavino, a Catalan who immigrated to the United States in 1881 with his son Rafael , had become, by 1900, the foremost engineer with the construction of thin-shell masonry vault systems in the United States. Using methods he had learned in his native Catalonian region of Spain, Guastavino perfected the vaulting system to a high art, devising special tiles and mortars for vault construction.
As devised by Guastavino the system consisted of a series of timbrel vaults composed of broad terra-cotta tiles laid with the curve of the vault in two or more layers and held together by mortar. Such vaults were very quick to construct for they did not require centering, falsework, or scaffolding.
Heins & LaFarge had previously utilized the Guastavino vaulting system for the main crossing of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
The curve of the vaults is ideally suited to the curved configuration of the station as it follows the single loop track. The vaults are constructed of white mat-finished tiles with contrasting green and brown glazed tiles at the edges of the vaults.
The younger Rafael Guastavino was especially interested in the development of ornamental and colored ceramic tile for Guastavino vaults. Leaded-glass skylights are placed in three of the vaults as well as in the Guastavino vault over the entrance area. The platform floors are constructed of poured concrete, and Roman brick forms the wainscoting and the wall surfaces within the curves of the vaults.
A marble wainscot cap is provided. Decorative faience plaques in brown, blue, and white with the inscription "City Hall" are set in the side walls. A large name tablet adorns the arch above the wide staircase leading from the platform to the entrance area. Two narrower staircases lead from the entrance area to the street level.
All components of City Hall station except the tracks are encompassed by this designation. The station has been closed to regular transit traffic since December 31, 1945, when trains and cars became too long to be accommodated by the curved platform. It is still used as a turnaround loop for No. 6 trains, and the station can be visited on tours.
River Dargle Flood Defence Scheme.
These images were taken during the 4th week of May 2017.
Most of the main civil engineering works have ceased along the Slang/Rehills section of the river bank.
However, the soil-shifters are at it again.
Smaller operation than before, but a steady process of removing soil, shifting soil and reshaping the banks.
Said it before, and I'll say it again . . . . .
I call it the 'Biggest Sandpit/Playarea' in Wicklow, in Leinster, in Ireland.
The place is a mess. Aesthetically, the uneven flow to the ridges and terraces annoys me.
You don't have to be a certified civil engineer to figure out that there are quicker and more efficient ways to move the soil.
Using one excavator, a few dumper-trucks and a single bulldozer is a process not driven by time/cost.
If you 'really' had to complete this work quickly, you'd line up a few 'bigboy' bulldozers . . . . . and shift the soil in days, rather than weeks-months.
This 'hurdler on the ditch' simply comments on the piecemeal nature of this planning!
Hard to believe - but I've been recording this project now for 5 years.
Louisville, Ky. - Col. Keith Landry, Louisville District Commander (center), and Bud Schardein, Director, Louisville Metropolitan Sewer District (right), talk with news reporter Andy Alcock, WLKY, about how the Corps and the city stand united to minimize flood risk in Louisville.
(US Army Corps of Engineers photo taken by Mike Lush)
United States Military Academy cadets receive instruction on demolition tactics from 101st Airborne Combat Engineers at Range 12, West Point, New York on June 15, 2022. (U.S. Army photo by Christopher Hennen, USMA)
Councilman thanks District team for boating pilot program
By Dave Palmer
LOS ANGELES — Councilman Ed P. Reyes visited the District headquarters here on Nov. 3 to show his appreciation to the District team that was instrumental in making the summer’s “Paddle the LA River” possible.
The District granted a license in July for the non-motorized boating pilot program. The test period ran from Aug. 12 to Sept. 25. In addition to the 280 paying patrons, getting a guided tour of a portion of the river, the program offered an educational outreach component featuring guest speakers, including Corps personnel, discussing the history of the river and plans for its revitalization.
Reyes recounted a story of inviting a small group of students to explore the river with him.
“We got them to the river and they were very excited,” said Reyes. “They were on a kayak with their helmets on, they saw the gray heron and these amazing natural features that before they’d only seen in National Geographic, on cable (TV), and they saw them live. That connectivity to these kids, in terms of what they were observing, is having a ripple effect of seeing what can happen in the river, along the river, throughout the district, is going to occur because of the work you are doing.”
Reyes, as a member of the National League of Cities' Advisory Council, met with President Obama at the White House Oct. 27 to discuss economic development and job creation.
“We are at a place where we’re trying to get the President’s attention,” said Reyes. “We’re trying to create a sense of priority to create this domino effect of economic development that leads to jobs and you have been instrumental in getting us there.”
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Los Angeles District Commander Col. Mark Toy received a certificate of recognition at City Hall, on behalf of the District, in a ceremony recognizing the organizations involved in the "Paddle the LA River Program" Oct. 25.
“When you think about the Los Angeles River, it’s more than just the study we’re doing,” said Toy. “I think about Heal the Bay; we’re trying to work a partnership with them to install trash racks to clean up Compton Creek, which is a tributary of the LA River. In the long run, it’s more than just the ecosystem restoration study, that’s just part of getting to where we need to go, returning people to the river, re-vitalizing the economy and creating a better environment for everyone. It’s so important to Councilman Reyes that he wanted to come here to offer his personal thanks to all of you.”
Reyes presented individual certificates of recognition to eleven District employees; Lisa Sandoval, Kenneth Wong, Ned Araujo, Greg Peacock, Thomas Keeney, Bob Colangelo, Terri Kaplan, Kelly Howard, Dan Swenson, Jon Sweeten and TL Padilla.
(USACE photo by Richard Rivera)
A change-of-commandant ceremony for the U.S. Army Engineer School and Regiment was held July 30, in Nutter Field House. Maj. Gen. Leslie Smith, Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood commanding general, presided over the ceremony where Brig. Gen. Peter DeLuca transferred command responsibilities for the Engineer Regiment to Brig. Gen. Anthony Funkhouser. Army photo by Michael Curtis/Released
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Engineers (#21) vs. the College at Brockport, State University of New York Golden Eagles
January 27, 2018
Sports & Recreation Center (Worcester Polytechnic Institute)
Brockport 30-12 WPI
125 pounds: Jonathan Haas (CB, SUNY) fall at 2:32 over Michael Aquino (WPI).
©2018 - Lewis Brian Day. All rights reserved.
Not to be reproduced in any format or via any platform without express written permission.
Copyright protection asserted.
Members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District staffed two booths at the 10th Annual Savannah Boat and Outdoor Show, March 2 – 4 at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center. The show attracts thousands of current and would-be boat owners and outdoor enthusiasts with extensive displays of the latest in watercraft lines, marine equipment, accessories and services. The Savannah District booths featured kids coloring books and promotional items on water safety, maps and pamphlets about the Corps’ Savannah River Lakes, and dock permitting information. The event was a great way for the Corps to reach a specific target audience—boat owners and water recreation enthusiasts—to communicate key messages about water safety and stream/wetland permitting. Remember, always wear your life jacket when recreating in, on or near the water. Don’t leave land without it!
Combat Engineers from 10th mountain division perform demonstration of the techniques that the West Point cadets will learn during combat engineering training portion of Cadet Field Training, June 22, West Point N.Y. Photo by Tommy Gilligan/West Point Public Affairs.
9. The engineer has the head lights and ditch lights on and the train is moving toward Springfield.
Until recently Amtrak's Vermonter had to reverse directions at Palmer, MA. Track deterioration on it's original route caused it to detour and do what was called the Palmer Shuffle. The original route's track has been improved and the Palmer Shuffle is no longer needed.
My photos are of the Vermonter (Train 55) doing the Shuffle on August 1, 2012. AMTK 104, a P42DC, provided the motive power.
Note 1, if you want more detail on this move including a map, see my photoblog at: railfan44.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-vermonter-at-palmer-ma...
Note 2, I attributed the term "Palmer Shuffle" to Mike Schafer, editor of Passenger Train Journal.
Norwood, Bronx
The Williamsbridge Reservoir Keeper's House is the only surviving building in New York City associated with the Bronx and Byram Rivers water system. Particularly between 1884 and 1906, this system served the critical function of supplying the burgeoning western section of the Bronx and helped the city to bridge the gap in the years between the construction of the Old and New Croton Aqueducts. The Bronx River portion of the system was constructed between 1880 and 1889, under the supervision of George W. Birdsall, chief engineer of the Croton Aqueduct in the New York City Department of Public Works.
The fifteen-mile Bronx River pipeline was completed in 1884, but the Williamsbridge Reservoir was not finished until 1889. The Keeper's House, located at the northeast end of the reservoir, was constructed in 1889-90 by contractor Terence A. Smith. L-shaped in plan, the two-and-a-half-story house is built of rock-faced, variegated gray-tan gneiss ashlar with smooth, speckled-gray granite trim, including keyed enframements. In 1925, when it was no longer needed, the reservoir was drained; it was later converted into a playground. The Keeper's House, after five decades as a private residence, was purchased in 1998 by the Mosholu Preservation Corp., a non-profit organization active in neighborhood improvement in Norwood.
DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS
The Water Suoolv of New York Citv in the Nineteenth The Bronx and Bvram Rivers Water Supply System
Until the mid-nineteenth century, New York City did not have an adequate and reliable source of fresh water. Citizens were forced to subsist on water from the Collect pond, various wells and pumps, and cisterns. But the serious pollution of these water sources, which were sometimes linked with diseases and epidemics, along with general civic filth and periodic fires exacerbated by lack of water, posed major problems. These were especially aggravated by the rapid growth of the population. Manhattan island, moreover, is located amidst saltwater estuaries, presenting substantial obstacles to bringing in potable water.
As early as 1798, several plans were advanced to divert water from the Bronx River to Manhattan, but these were not implemented. After decades of discussion, an independent Water Commission was authorized by the state legislature in 1834 to plan and construct a water system. The city finally obtained a supply of fresh water in 1842 through the gravity-fed Croton Aqueduct, which was begun in 1837 and completed in 1848. An innovative engineering achievement, an outstanding (if expensive) public works project, and one of the first major municipal water systems in the United States, the Croton Aqueduct was planned under chief engineer David B. Douglass, the leading proponent of the Croton River as water source, but built under chief engineer John B. Jervis.
Water emanating from the Croton River and Reservoir in Westchester County, N.Y., traveled 41 miles through an embanked tunnel, across the High Bridge over the Harlem River/ to a receiving reservoir in what later became Central Park and then to a distributing reservoir at Fifth Avenue and West 42nd Street. An additional water supply system became a municipal necessity after the Civil War with the explosion of the city's population, accompanied by the emergence of indoor plumbing and ever-increasing water usage. However, attempts were first made to increase the capacity of the water flow of the existing Croton system, and extensions were constructed. These included a new receiving reservoir in Central Park, alterations to the High Bridge, and the High Bridge Water Tower and reservoir/ A hydrographic survey of the Croton River watershed in 1857-58 resulted in plans for fourteen additional reservoirs outside the city; this plan was mostly carried out between 1866 and 1911. The (Old) Croton Aqueduct remained the city's principal source of water until 1890.
In 1870, the New York City Department of Public Works was established under Commissioner William M. ("Boss") Tweed, and the Croton Aqueduct came within its jurisdiction. After Tweed's conviction on various graft charges in 1873, the department was headed by Allan Campbell, who promoted a plan to utilize the Bronx and Byram Rivers as the next municipal water source. Of immediate concern was the development and water needs of the western portion of the Bronx, formerly part of Westchester County, annexed as the 23"* and 24* Wards of New York City on January 1,1874. Opponents of Campbell's plan, led by reformers in the Union League Club and others, fearing further departmental corruption, advocated a New Croton Aqueduct under the control of an independent commission. Droughts in 1876-77 and 1880-81 added to anxieties about the adequacy of the city's water. Eventually, both systems were constructed, but the more modest and less expensive Bronx and Byram plan was the first one to be implemented, due largely to strained municipal financial circumstances after the Tweed years and the Panic of 1873.
The proposed scheme consisted of dams and reservoirs to be built across the Byram River in Connecticut, and, in Westchester County, across the Bronx River at Kensico, and at Rye Ponds. The plan also included tapping Byram Pond and digging a channel connecting the two rivers. Construction of the Bronx River portion of this gravity-fed system began in October 1880, under the supervision of Ceorge W. Birdsall, chief engineer of the Croton Aqueduct in the Dept. of Public Works. The Bronx River pipeline, consisting of a 48-inch cast-iron pipe, began service in 1884 and carried water fifteen miles from Kensico to the site of the planned reservoir near Willi amsbridge.
The Bronx River portion of this water system was completed in 1889, while the Byram River portion was delayed until 1891 -97 due to complications in acquiring land. Particularlybetween 1884 and 1906, the Bronx and Byram Rivers water system served the critical function of supplying water to the burgeoning western section of the Bronx. (Part of the eastern section of the Bronx was annexed to the city in 1895, and the entire borough became part of New York City in 1898.) It thus helped to bridge the gap in the years between the construction of the Old and New Croton Aqueducts, and facilitated the rapid development of the Bronx, especially the construction of taller buildings, which needed greater water pressure. This could not have occurred without an adequate water supply.
The Williamsbridge Reservoir and Keeper's House " The use of the name Williams' Bridge for this area dates back to before the American Revolution. It is said to have come from John Williams, owner of a farm adjacent to the bridge carrying the Boston Post Road over the Bronx River since the late seventeenth century. A settlennt called Williamsbridge eventually grew up around the bridge and was the location of a station on the New York & Harlem Railroad in 1842. The city acquired land located to the west of the village, on a ridge called Gun Hill, for the Williamsbridge Reservoir in August 1882. This included part of the farm associated with the Valentine-Varian House (1758) and land owned by Amanda Bussing and the Estate of John Bussing.' This location is bounded by Woodlawn Centery (opened in 1865) and Van Cortlandt Park to the north, the Bronx River to the east, the Mosholu Parkway to the west, and Bronx Park to the south. The city acquired the above-nntioned parkland in 1888.
Though the Dept. of Public Works started plans for the reservoir in 1880, a construction contract was not signed until June 1884. The contractor was Sullivan & Moore. In September 1884, the Bronx River pipeline was finished and supplied water to the city, running under Putnam Place and terminating at the site; however, the reservoir was not completed for several more years. The (?Marter/y Rpo/ty of the Dept. of Public Works contain complaints about the slowness of the reservoir contractor's construction work and annua! cessations because of severe winter weather. The oval reservoir was surrounded by an earthen and stone embanknnt, with the bottom covered with concrete. The interior was completed at the end of 1888. As reported by Stephen Jenkins in 77tg Jfory #/vnjt (1912), "water was admitted into the reservoir on December 4,1888, and the distribution of the water to the Annexed District was begun. The reservoir has a capacity of 150,000,000 gallons when it is filled to a depth of forty fect...."' Chief engineer BirdsaH noted then that "it will take next year to complete and sod the outside bank of this reservoir, erect the necessary fences and complete the roads around same.'"* The receiving and distributing reservoir was filled and in full use by the fall of 1889, and was completed at the end of that year. The cost had been nearly $524,000.
Plans for a Reservoir Keeper's House, to be built of stone with a comer tower, were drawn up by architect Douglas Smyth.'* Apparently, this proposal was scrapped in favor of a less elaborate building. Plans for a two-and-a-half-story stone house, to be located at the northeast end of the reservoir, were approved by Birdsall in February 1889, and a contract was signed in March with building contractor Terence A.Smith. Construction began in September 1889, the exterior stonework was finished by March 1890, and the house was completed in June. The total cost was $8749. shaped in plan, the house is built of rock-faced, variegated gray-tan gneiss ashlar with smooth, speckled-gray granite trim, and embellished by keyed enframennts. The house originally had three wooden porches. Straightforward and massive, the stone house follows the tradition of building stone structures for both Croton Aqueducts. The Williamsbridge Reservoir Keeper's House is the only surviving building in New York City associated with the Bronx and Byram Rivers water supply system.
The first reservoir keeper, whose job it was to maintain and guard the reservoir, was Irish immigrant Matthew Mallahan (1834-1913), in this position from 1890 to about 1911. Mallahan came to the United States in 1875, was a Bronx hotel keeper and liquor dealer in the 1880s, and lived here with several relatives. The house also contained a first-story office for the keeper.
Later History
The Bronx and Byram Rivers water system played a brief but significant role in supplying water to New York City. Shortly after its completion, this system was surpassed by the more extensive New Croton Aqueduct. Constructed between 1885 and 1907 under chief engineers Benjamin S. Church and Alphonse Fteley for the New York City Aqueduct Commission, the New Croton Aqueduct was put into service in 1890. The Jerome Park Reservoir (1895-1906), the New Croton's receiving and distributing reservoir located to the west of the Williamsbridge Reservoir, held a much larger volume of water than the earlier one. Eventually, the capacity of New York's water supply was greatly expanded with the Catskill (1907-29) and Delaware River (1937-50s) water systems. The Old Croton Aqueduct ended service to New York City in 1955.
During the early twentieth century, the Williamsbridge Reservoir continued to supply a percentage of the borough's water. The Bronx and Byram Rivers watersheds were merged into the Catskill system in the 1910s. The reservoir was reduced to serve as an emergency backup system after 1919. The water supply was cut off and the reservoir was drained in 1925. After the land was transferred to the Dept. of Parks, the reservoir was converted into Williamsbridge Oval Playground, which opened in 1937 under parks commissioner Robert Moses.
The park served the neighborhood, known since the construction of the reservoir as Norwood, that had been developed largely with apartment buildings after 1905. Montefiore Hospital locatedherein 1913. The Reservoir Keeper's House was abandoned by the city, but plans were made in the 1930s to convert it to a branch library. However, Dr. Isaac H. Barkey, a physicist and engineer, and his wife Dorothy, interested inpurchasing the house, convinced the city to build a new library nearby and acquired the property in 1946. After five decades in residence, the Barkeys sold the house in 1998 to the Mosholu Preservation Corp. A non-profit organization established in 1981 by Montefiore Medical Center to address the problem of housing abandonment and deterioration in the ethnically diverse Norwood neighborhood, the Mosholu Preservation Corp. has been active in neighborhood improvement and publishes the Norwood Mewy community newspaper. Plans are under way to renovate the Keeper's House for use as its offices, for a local meeting facility, and a youth summer employment center. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in September 1999.
Description
The Williamsbridge Reservoir Keeper's House is a two-and-a-half-story, L-shaped building constructed of rock-faced, variegated gray-tan gneiss ashlar, with smooth, speckled-gray granite trim, including the watertable, a band course terminating the second story, and keyed enframements. The rubble stone foundation is currently exposed. The roof has gables at the northern end of the front (west) elevation and at the south elevation. Fenestration is rectangular, except for a small round-arched window in each gable. Windows were originally two-over-two double-hung wood sash; these were replaced (c. 1950s) by multipane metal casements.
Front (west) elevation: This elevation has four bays, two tm each wing. The main entrance originally had a wood paneled door; this was replaced (c.1950s) with an historic decorative metal door from a Manhattan town house. The southernmost bay on the first story originally had a double French window (which was salvaged and is currently in storage); the opening is currently covered. There was originally a wood porch with latticework, posts, and steps; a steel mesh deck was installed (c. 1950s).
Rear (east) elevation: This elevation has four bays on the first story and three bays on the second story. The central entrance originally had a wood paneled door (converted into a window c. 1950s) and a wood porch with latticework, posts, and side steps. Stone steps, flanked by a stone areaway wall, lead to a basement entrance with a solid metal door (c. 1950s). North elevation: This elevation has two bays. The entrance in the eastern bay of the first story originally had a wood paneled door (the lower portion survives in part) and a wood porch with latticework, posts, and steps.
South elevation: This elevation has two bays on the southern end of the building, as well as one bay on the second story of the wing projecting from the northern end.
Roof: The roof, a replacement (c. 1950s) of the original slate roof, is covered in variegated slate shingles, with red tile ridgecap (with end finials), snow guards, and copper gutters. Originally there were two corbeled brick chimneys; the one near the southern end survives, while another at the juncture of the two wings was removed.
Lot: There is an original stone retaining wall along the eastern property line, with portions of a deteriorated pipe railing. A chain-link fence currently surrounds the property.
- From the 2000 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report
United States Military Academy cadets receive instruction on demolition tactics from 101st Airborne Combat Engineers at Range 12, West Point, New York on June 15, 2022. (U.S. Army photo by Christopher Hennen, USMA)
Engineer: Dean www.buckinghamcentralrr.com/
Scales
Locomotive & Rail Cars = 1.5 inch to 1.0 foot
Track = 7.5
If I were to give advice to a future engineer, I would say to learn your theoretical skills well, get your hands dirty and build some things, be open to learning and doing things you didn’t expect, and practice writing and public speaking every chance you get.
66413 FREIGHTLINER ORANGE Passes COLWICK EAST FOOT CROSSING , Nottingham powering the 6Y72 10.11 TOTON NORTH YARD - NOTTINGHAM BRANCH JUNCTION engineers , Saturday 24th November 2018
The engineer was kind enough to pose for a portrait during the night session at the Wilmington & Western.
A Lerro Productions Charter
This is a diamond pro (pavestone) engineered retaining wall built in Douglasville, Ga By Bailey Construction & Landscape Group, Inc.
Norwood, Bronx
The Williamsbridge Reservoir Keeper's House is the only surviving building in New York City associated with the Bronx and Byram Rivers water system. Particularly between 1884 and 1906, this system served the critical function of supplying the burgeoning western section of the Bronx and helped the city to bridge the gap in the years between the construction of the Old and New Croton Aqueducts. The Bronx River portion of the system was constructed between 1880 and 1889, under the supervision of George W. Birdsall, chief engineer of the Croton Aqueduct in the New York City Department of Public Works.
The fifteen-mile Bronx River pipeline was completed in 1884, but the Williamsbridge Reservoir was not finished until 1889. The Keeper's House, located at the northeast end of the reservoir, was constructed in 1889-90 by contractor Terence A. Smith. L-shaped in plan, the two-and-a-half-story house is built of rock-faced, variegated gray-tan gneiss ashlar with smooth, speckled-gray granite trim, including keyed enframements. In 1925, when it was no longer needed, the reservoir was drained; it was later converted into a playground. The Keeper's House, after five decades as a private residence, was purchased in 1998 by the Mosholu Preservation Corp., a non-profit organization active in neighborhood improvement in Norwood.
DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS
The Water Suoolv of New York Citv in the Nineteenth The Bronx and Bvram Rivers Water Supply System
Until the mid-nineteenth century, New York City did not have an adequate and reliable source of fresh water. Citizens were forced to subsist on water from the Collect pond, various wells and pumps, and cisterns. But the serious pollution of these water sources, which were sometimes linked with diseases and epidemics, along with general civic filth and periodic fires exacerbated by lack of water, posed major problems. These were especially aggravated by the rapid growth of the population. Manhattan island, moreover, is located amidst saltwater estuaries, presenting substantial obstacles to bringing in potable water.
As early as 1798, several plans were advanced to divert water from the Bronx River to Manhattan, but these were not implemented. After decades of discussion, an independent Water Commission was authorized by the state legislature in 1834 to plan and construct a water system. The city finally obtained a supply of fresh water in 1842 through the gravity-fed Croton Aqueduct, which was begun in 1837 and completed in 1848. An innovative engineering achievement, an outstanding (if expensive) public works project, and one of the first major municipal water systems in the United States, the Croton Aqueduct was planned under chief engineer David B. Douglass, the leading proponent of the Croton River as water source, but built under chief engineer John B. Jervis.
Water emanating from the Croton River and Reservoir in Westchester County, N.Y., traveled 41 miles through an embanked tunnel, across the High Bridge over the Harlem River/ to a receiving reservoir in what later became Central Park and then to a distributing reservoir at Fifth Avenue and West 42nd Street. An additional water supply system became a municipal necessity after the Civil War with the explosion of the city's population, accompanied by the emergence of indoor plumbing and ever-increasing water usage. However, attempts were first made to increase the capacity of the water flow of the existing Croton system, and extensions were constructed. These included a new receiving reservoir in Central Park, alterations to the High Bridge, and the High Bridge Water Tower and reservoir/ A hydrographic survey of the Croton River watershed in 1857-58 resulted in plans for fourteen additional reservoirs outside the city; this plan was mostly carried out between 1866 and 1911. The (Old) Croton Aqueduct remained the city's principal source of water until 1890.
In 1870, the New York City Department of Public Works was established under Commissioner William M. ("Boss") Tweed, and the Croton Aqueduct came within its jurisdiction. After Tweed's conviction on various graft charges in 1873, the department was headed by Allan Campbell, who promoted a plan to utilize the Bronx and Byram Rivers as the next municipal water source. Of immediate concern was the development and water needs of the western portion of the Bronx, formerly part of Westchester County, annexed as the 23"* and 24* Wards of New York City on January 1,1874. Opponents of Campbell's plan, led by reformers in the Union League Club and others, fearing further departmental corruption, advocated a New Croton Aqueduct under the control of an independent commission. Droughts in 1876-77 and 1880-81 added to anxieties about the adequacy of the city's water. Eventually, both systems were constructed, but the more modest and less expensive Bronx and Byram plan was the first one to be implemented, due largely to strained municipal financial circumstances after the Tweed years and the Panic of 1873.
The proposed scheme consisted of dams and reservoirs to be built across the Byram River in Connecticut, and, in Westchester County, across the Bronx River at Kensico, and at Rye Ponds. The plan also included tapping Byram Pond and digging a channel connecting the two rivers. Construction of the Bronx River portion of this gravity-fed system began in October 1880, under the supervision of Ceorge W. Birdsall, chief engineer of the Croton Aqueduct in the Dept. of Public Works. The Bronx River pipeline, consisting of a 48-inch cast-iron pipe, began service in 1884 and carried water fifteen miles from Kensico to the site of the planned reservoir near Willi amsbridge.
The Bronx River portion of this water system was completed in 1889, while the Byram River portion was delayed until 1891 -97 due to complications in acquiring land. Particularlybetween 1884 and 1906, the Bronx and Byram Rivers water system served the critical function of supplying water to the burgeoning western section of the Bronx. (Part of the eastern section of the Bronx was annexed to the city in 1895, and the entire borough became part of New York City in 1898.) It thus helped to bridge the gap in the years between the construction of the Old and New Croton Aqueducts, and facilitated the rapid development of the Bronx, especially the construction of taller buildings, which needed greater water pressure. This could not have occurred without an adequate water supply.
The Williamsbridge Reservoir and Keeper's House " The use of the name Williams' Bridge for this area dates back to before the American Revolution. It is said to have come from John Williams, owner of a farm adjacent to the bridge carrying the Boston Post Road over the Bronx River since the late seventeenth century. A settlennt called Williamsbridge eventually grew up around the bridge and was the location of a station on the New York & Harlem Railroad in 1842. The city acquired land located to the west of the village, on a ridge called Gun Hill, for the Williamsbridge Reservoir in August 1882. This included part of the farm associated with the Valentine-Varian House (1758) and land owned by Amanda Bussing and the Estate of John Bussing.' This location is bounded by Woodlawn Centery (opened in 1865) and Van Cortlandt Park to the north, the Bronx River to the east, the Mosholu Parkway to the west, and Bronx Park to the south. The city acquired the above-nntioned parkland in 1888.
Though the Dept. of Public Works started plans for the reservoir in 1880, a construction contract was not signed until June 1884. The contractor was Sullivan & Moore. In September 1884, the Bronx River pipeline was finished and supplied water to the city, running under Putnam Place and terminating at the site; however, the reservoir was not completed for several more years. The (?Marter/y Rpo/ty of the Dept. of Public Works contain complaints about the slowness of the reservoir contractor's construction work and annua! cessations because of severe winter weather. The oval reservoir was surrounded by an earthen and stone embanknnt, with the bottom covered with concrete. The interior was completed at the end of 1888. As reported by Stephen Jenkins in 77tg Jfory #/vnjt (1912), "water was admitted into the reservoir on December 4,1888, and the distribution of the water to the Annexed District was begun. The reservoir has a capacity of 150,000,000 gallons when it is filled to a depth of forty fect...."' Chief engineer BirdsaH noted then that "it will take next year to complete and sod the outside bank of this reservoir, erect the necessary fences and complete the roads around same.'"* The receiving and distributing reservoir was filled and in full use by the fall of 1889, and was completed at the end of that year. The cost had been nearly $524,000.
Plans for a Reservoir Keeper's House, to be built of stone with a comer tower, were drawn up by architect Douglas Smyth.'* Apparently, this proposal was scrapped in favor of a less elaborate building. Plans for a two-and-a-half-story stone house, to be located at the northeast end of the reservoir, were approved by Birdsall in February 1889, and a contract was signed in March with building contractor Terence A.Smith. Construction began in September 1889, the exterior stonework was finished by March 1890, and the house was completed in June. The total cost was $8749. shaped in plan, the house is built of rock-faced, variegated gray-tan gneiss ashlar with smooth, speckled-gray granite trim, and embellished by keyed enframennts. The house originally had three wooden porches. Straightforward and massive, the stone house follows the tradition of building stone structures for both Croton Aqueducts. The Williamsbridge Reservoir Keeper's House is the only surviving building in New York City associated with the Bronx and Byram Rivers water supply system.
The first reservoir keeper, whose job it was to maintain and guard the reservoir, was Irish immigrant Matthew Mallahan (1834-1913), in this position from 1890 to about 1911. Mallahan came to the United States in 1875, was a Bronx hotel keeper and liquor dealer in the 1880s, and lived here with several relatives. The house also contained a first-story office for the keeper.
Later History
The Bronx and Byram Rivers water system played a brief but significant role in supplying water to New York City. Shortly after its completion, this system was surpassed by the more extensive New Croton Aqueduct. Constructed between 1885 and 1907 under chief engineers Benjamin S. Church and Alphonse Fteley for the New York City Aqueduct Commission, the New Croton Aqueduct was put into service in 1890. The Jerome Park Reservoir (1895-1906), the New Croton's receiving and distributing reservoir located to the west of the Williamsbridge Reservoir, held a much larger volume of water than the earlier one. Eventually, the capacity of New York's water supply was greatly expanded with the Catskill (1907-29) and Delaware River (1937-50s) water systems. The Old Croton Aqueduct ended service to New York City in 1955.
During the early twentieth century, the Williamsbridge Reservoir continued to supply a percentage of the borough's water. The Bronx and Byram Rivers watersheds were merged into the Catskill system in the 1910s. The reservoir was reduced to serve as an emergency backup system after 1919. The water supply was cut off and the reservoir was drained in 1925. After the land was transferred to the Dept. of Parks, the reservoir was converted into Williamsbridge Oval Playground, which opened in 1937 under parks commissioner Robert Moses.
The park served the neighborhood, known since the construction of the reservoir as Norwood, that had been developed largely with apartment buildings after 1905. Montefiore Hospital locatedherein 1913. The Reservoir Keeper's House was abandoned by the city, but plans were made in the 1930s to convert it to a branch library. However, Dr. Isaac H. Barkey, a physicist and engineer, and his wife Dorothy, interested inpurchasing the house, convinced the city to build a new library nearby and acquired the property in 1946. After five decades in residence, the Barkeys sold the house in 1998 to the Mosholu Preservation Corp. A non-profit organization established in 1981 by Montefiore Medical Center to address the problem of housing abandonment and deterioration in the ethnically diverse Norwood neighborhood, the Mosholu Preservation Corp. has been active in neighborhood improvement and publishes the Norwood Mewy community newspaper. Plans are under way to renovate the Keeper's House for use as its offices, for a local meeting facility, and a youth summer employment center. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in September 1999.
Description
The Williamsbridge Reservoir Keeper's House is a two-and-a-half-story, L-shaped building constructed of rock-faced, variegated gray-tan gneiss ashlar, with smooth, speckled-gray granite trim, including the watertable, a band course terminating the second story, and keyed enframements. The rubble stone foundation is currently exposed. The roof has gables at the northern end of the front (west) elevation and at the south elevation. Fenestration is rectangular, except for a small round-arched window in each gable. Windows were originally two-over-two double-hung wood sash; these were replaced (c. 1950s) by multipane metal casements.
Front (west) elevation: This elevation has four bays, two tm each wing. The main entrance originally had a wood paneled door; this was replaced (c.1950s) with an historic decorative metal door from a Manhattan town house. The southernmost bay on the first story originally had a double French window (which was salvaged and is currently in storage); the opening is currently covered. There was originally a wood porch with latticework, posts, and steps; a steel mesh deck was installed (c. 1950s).
Rear (east) elevation: This elevation has four bays on the first story and three bays on the second story. The central entrance originally had a wood paneled door (converted into a window c. 1950s) and a wood porch with latticework, posts, and side steps. Stone steps, flanked by a stone areaway wall, lead to a basement entrance with a solid metal door (c. 1950s). North elevation: This elevation has two bays. The entrance in the eastern bay of the first story originally had a wood paneled door (the lower portion survives in part) and a wood porch with latticework, posts, and steps.
South elevation: This elevation has two bays on the southern end of the building, as well as one bay on the second story of the wing projecting from the northern end.
Roof: The roof, a replacement (c. 1950s) of the original slate roof, is covered in variegated slate shingles, with red tile ridgecap (with end finials), snow guards, and copper gutters. Originally there were two corbeled brick chimneys; the one near the southern end survives, while another at the juncture of the two wings was removed.
Lot: There is an original stone retaining wall along the eastern property line, with portions of a deteriorated pipe railing. A chain-link fence currently surrounds the property.
- From the 2000 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report
Floating engineered stained maple floor in Tucson Country Club remodel. Installed with and material provided by Lough's Interiors
Show is a ground level of the engineer's controls of Nickel Plate Road 2-8-4 No. 765. The locomotive was siting in Pleasant Lake, Indiana, and would later pull an Indiana Rail Experience excursion to Hillsdale, Michigan.
My two-year old son Glen, sitting in the engineer's seat of a full size steam locomotive on display at Eadaville Railroad in 1967.
The U.S. Army Engineer School and Regiment changed leadership during a change of command ceremony held in the Nutter Field House, July 30. Brig. Gen. Anthony Funkhouser assumed command from Brig. Gen. Peter DeLuca in the ceremony presided over by Maj. Gen. Leslie Smith, Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood commanding general. Army photo by Michael Curtis/Released
From left, Brig. Gen. Peter DeLuca, outgoing U.S. Army Engineer School commandant; Maj. Gen. Leslie Smith, Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and Fort Leonard Wood commanding general; and Brig. Gen. Anthony Funkhouser, incoming USAES commandant prepare to take part in the USAES change-of-commandant ceremony, July 30, in Nutter Field House. Army photo by Michael Curtis/Released
The engineer from the Bubble Men series of small bronze sculptures representing professions and activities.
The modeled body parts of the Bubble Men appear to be made from air balloons, frozen into solid steel and bronze.
More at www.indiegogo.com/you-n-me
A female Engineer of the Los Angeles Fire Department. PLEASE NOTE: The Fire Engine was not moving when this picture was taken. The use of safety belts is mandatory for all members of the LAFD whenever their Department vehicle is in motion.
The Engineers on board the steam powered paddle steamer Waverley preparing for a trip down the river Clyde from Glasgow.
Construction is ahead of schedule on the future U.S. Army Europe Command and Battle Center Sept. 23, 2010, located on the Wiesbaden Army Airfield in Germany. The $129 million project, which will deliver a 285,000-square-foot operations center, is being managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by John Wutzer)
Engineer, Eureka Fire Department
May 11, 1964
Robert “Smokey” McGillivrary dreamed of being a firefighter ever since he was a child. He pursued his dream career in the fire service and eventually rose through the ranks to fire engineer, where he exemplified the finest qualities of a true firefighter. He received a 30 year commendation with the Eureka Fire Department and at the time of his death he was the department’s most senior member, having served a total of 36 years. Outside of work, he enjoyed fishing, traveling, and the San Francisco Giants. Robert passed away while on shift in May of 1964 after suffering from cardiac arrest.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Europe District continues construction October 19, 2012 on the Department of Defense Dependants Schools Europe 21st century-style elementary/middle school at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe in Mons, Belgium. The international community at SHAPE will receive a new school campus in three phases. The first phase will consist of a 58-classroom DoDDS elementary school and a 48-classroom DoDDS middle school. The second phase will include a 65-classroom DoDDS high school, and the final phase will begin in 2014 with the start of the international school. Read more at j.mp/wBJEtJ (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Brian Temple)