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THE FLINT - CGRUNIA INYERUREAN R. R.

A Thesis Submitted to
Tne Faculty of

MICEIGAN AGRICULTURE COLLEGE

oh
vy

G'.G Holihan RVA.ULbright
8g .

Candidetes for tne Degree of

Bachelor of Science

June 1916
THESIS

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INTRODUCTION

The subject dealt with in the discussion that follows was
selected because it promised to provide the necessary elements
of a successful thesis. As a primary consideration, the authors
were particlarly interested in problems of railroad location;
also, for its proper development, the subject chosen required
the application of measuring instruments and engineering methods
which supplied a significant fund of practical experience.
Again, the route selected will probably be a certainty as
evidenced by the remarks of many residents along the route fol-
lowed.

This thesis is intended to cover the preliminary survey
of the line with the exception of about one mile of cross sec-

tions.

104409
 

 

 
Part Ll
oelection of Route.

In running any line whetner R.R.,caonals,telegzrapn,etc.
the first thing to be decided upon is tne route to be taken to
connect the terminals. This then was our first consideration,

There were two distinct routes which we could take with
many possibilities as to precise location on these two routes.
We will firsw describe tne two main routes and tnen the verlae
tions to be made on tne one we selected @8 being tne more dea»
sirable.

The first route, is the Southern one leaving Flint on
West Court Street and following directly west on the Corunna
Roed to Corunna,Mich. This route includes the two villages of
Otterburn and Swartz Creek with a combined population approxi-
mately three hyndred and fifty (census 1910).

The other route which we will call the Flushing Route
leaves Flint at the North end of the city on Detroit Street
tuen running in a Northwesterly direction to Flusning,Mich,.
and from there in a West and Southwesterly direction to Corune
na,Mich, This route touches Flushing,Mich. of one thousand in-
habitants with possibilities of reaching the towns of New Lothro,
four hundred and fifty and Juddsville fifty of about five nune-
dred inhabitants.

This latter route is the one we decided upon for the fol-
lowing reasons;- In the first place a line through this terrie-
tory would serve a larger number of people who have at poresent
no connecticn to Flint or Owoeso other than highways wherens
those on the Southern route may easily reach either Flint and

Owosso by Grand Trunk R.H. Our second reason is tnat tnis route,
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being more circuitous, and followin; in a general direction the
course of the Flint River, provides many more problems than the
straight and level course followed by the Southern Route.Another
reason is that a much larger and richer ferming district would
be open to a quick market and also allow factory hands in the
Automobile factories at Flint a quick method of reaching a town
of many desirable features in which they might reside. Our
fourth and last, but not lexvst reeson was that a line to Corunna
tnru Flushing hus often been proposed «nd talked of not asa
dream, but as a possibility.

As mentioned before this Flushing route presents several
different weys of reaching the sume end, We will first take the
section from Flint to Flushing.

Flushing is situated in a bend of the Flint river avout
ten miles North West of Flint. <As the village is on tne north
Bide of the river to reach it from the South side of the river
two bridges must necessarily be built. For this reason we dise
carded all idea of having the route follow the South snore of
the river,

we next turned our attention to the North side of the
river, Here we found three possibilities namely:- The river
road. The town line road and the Flushing road, The first
we pessed up as being too crooked and requiring too many grades,
cuts and fills. Also possibilities of flooding and washouts,
The Flushing road we also discarded as being too far North for
a short and economical line as it would not serve more custoe-
mers. This tnen leaves the town line road which is the road
running east and west directly north of the Fuick factories,

This route is the most direct from the factory district, is
 

 

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short, has but one bad hill, and has numerous gravel pits which
we were assured could be used as borrow pits, if so desired,

Having reacned Flushing we next had to decide on a route
to Corunna. This was easy es we refused to consider New Lothrop
as it is a considerable distance North of a direct route and
would have required a great amount of extra work to be done,

The route we took wus west along the Juddsville road pro-
cecding thereon to two miles past tne Genesee-S niawassee County
line, turning to a Southwesterly direction, we proceeded in the
g@eneral direct of tne locally called Angle road to a point
on the Grand Trunk spur to a Clay Eank (by a school house) along
the Owosso road west about a half mile and tnen crossing over
to the Corunna road (one-quarter mile south) and there to the
Court house at Corunna,

Our chief reasons for selecting this route were that it
was the shortest and most logical route to be taken between

Flushing and Corunna,
Procedure and Results of Work,

Having selected our route we next have the work to do.Ours
being a preliminary survey of a route from Flint to Corunna we
had the following things to do:- a2 transit survey, a profile sur-
vey, tonography, one mile of cross sections, and making of the
meps as made possivole vy the data furnished.

We proceeded with the work in the order given above,

T ransit Survey.

The line has already been described. Owing to the fact.
that we were limited to two men the transit survey went slowly.
ve,however, had at our disposal the use of an auto which we
found essential to rapid work, The procedure ws as follows,

The transit man took tne car ahead to a station, Setting up ne
would take a shot on the rear flag. Leaving the instrument
standing, he would return for the rear flagman. When we reached
the instrument the flagman would take the car ard flag forward
and when the transit man had taken a shot,the (forward) flagman
returned for the transit men, etc. In this way we were able to
cover much more ground than would have been possivole by any other
method, unless we had lined a rear flag man,

In running this survey it was our aim to take as long snots
as possible without running out of the way. The line was run
across fielis wnenever it shortened tne line to any extent, or did
away with rt. angle turns,

We measured the line after it nad been surveyed,locating
fences, bridges,etc. at this time.

Profile Survey;:- This wes by far the biggest part of the
work, not because of tine number of readings needed, but because

of the number of turning points.
 

 

It was our aim, in this survey, to secure the elevations of
the breaks in the profile of the ground only, which will explain
wiy there were no readings occasionally for lons strenches, Along
the highways it often happened that the srade of tne highway
would not chanse in half a mile,

Bench marks were established at several points along the line
where they would be accessible and yrobably permanent.

Notes= We did not get the exact elevation of the Flint River
at Flushing, because a part of a dam located ebout five hundred
fect upstream had just given way, causing the water to be exceed-
ingly high. ie did, however, secure what was supposed to be the
normal elevation,

Cross Sections: -

Cross sections were taken from station 162 #11. to station
235422 for every one hundred fect. We took this particular olace
as it promised a chance of quite a little practice.

We used sixteen feet -s a road bed width and assumed a 14 to
1 slope, Tne line for this piece of work runs along the left or
South side of the highway, wnich will account for tne ditch to be
found entering into the notes and calculations.

Starting from station 162411.8 the grades on this stretch are
in order, .0118% - G.00m - 1.75% = O.U0j - 3.5% - 0.00%, These
grades were fixed with the intention of keeping the maximum grade
as low as 44, with the result that our maximum grade at this point
WiS 3.5%.

At a voint 220490. There is «a road which crosses the line.
Tne elevation of this road is 112.50 feet. The grade elevation

of the line is one hundred and twenty-five feet so by cutting

the road down about three feet sufficient neadruom will be se-
cured for any load to pess under our line,
Position
1,016, 0-
5, 600, 0-
25,702,0-
48,478, 0-
66, 46u,0-
72,760, 0-
62,577,0-
go, 000, 0-
115,215,5-

119,729,0-

2,342,

Cr.
VO
Mm ©

74,

956,

oO

f>
Co

50,675,0
66,160,0
77,550,0
83,550,0
103,2u9,0
116,754,0

121,757,0

Acreege to be bought

Length in ft.

1,326,0

SQ.FT.

60,0

7,
(5

Ar.

NO
$

s
CG

On ¢
»FOU,0

1$2,640,0
132,000,0
100, 5090,0
312,009,0

58,320,
432,000,0

91,230,0
124,060,0

Total

60 ft. right of way.

Acres
1,635
1,£S5
4,440
3, 300
2,468
7,175
1, 340
C4990
2,940
2,850
38,303