Buried Under the Tarmac

Belgian Block, Check. Trolley Tracks, Check.

Trolley track, on its side.

Our block got a new water main this year. I for one found it very educational to watch the job unfold. There were distinct aspects of archaeology as layers of the past were opened to the light of day. 

The rails started coming out of the ground quite early. The Belgian block, on the other hand, was playing hide and seek. Eventually we did start to get some, but it seems clear that much of the old pavement on this bit of street had been carted away during prior reconstructions. The basic profile here is asphalt on top of a layer of concrete on top of dirt. Down in the dirt are the water pipes, so we wound up seeing a lot of dirt as well. 

Another block near us was also getting a new water main, and I visited it occasionally as well. Stretches, at least, had the old road virtually intact under the asphalt. Here's a shot that can give you an idea of what Philadelphia's streets looked like in 1910 or 1890.

Some background: The original streetcars in Philadelphia were drawn by horses, and they first showed up in 1858. Electrification arrived several decades later. Here is an article on Philly's streetcar history, which notes that an electric line went in on Bainbridge and Catharine Streets in 1892.

And then there were a bunch of these things. They are pieces of the old railroad ties (or sleepers, as the English call them). The hexagonal piece of metal you see sticking out of the wood is the head of something called a hex-head screw spike. I had never seen or heard of such a thing before, but apparently they were quite popular in years gone by. 

The advantage over the regular railroad spike is that you don't have to drive the spike with a really big hammer. Instead, you can use a large spanner to screw it into the wood. The little tab is a separate piece, kind of like a washer. I think its purpose is to reach out and hold down the lip on the bottom of the rail. 

I couldn't resist salvaging a few of these screw spikes. 

See also Missing the Point, On a Slow Boat to China, Transit Memories, Scavengers and Scow Trimmers.