Railroad Underpass on a Long Fill

This railroad underpass is a study in engineering. Look at the height of it above the surrounding land. Trains do not like hills. To get the proper grade this track is supported by fill. Over a mile and a half of this track from Mountain Road to Chestnut Street is built up like this. Today this would take a string of heavy trucks but when this was built wagons pulled by horses carried the fill. That fill is at least four yards deep, five yards wide and 1700 yards long, 34,000 cubic yards. It is unlikely a wagon could have hauled more than two yards. That is 17,000 wagon loads. See the line, "Watch the curves, the fills the tunnels" in "Life is like a mountain Railroad" for what fills are like.