First Proposed (for canal)

1819

Chartered

1848

Commenced

1851

Headings met

November 27, 1873

Completed

July 1, 1876

Total Length

25,081 feet or 4.74 miles

East Portal to Central Shaft

12,837 feet

Central Shaft to West Portal

12,244 feet

West Shaft Depth

318 feet

West Shaft to West Portal

2,497 feet

Well #4 Depth

215 feet

Well #4 To West Portal

1548 feet

Supplementary Shaft Depth

277 feet

Supplementary Shaft to West Portal

2233 feet

Central Shaft Depth

1,028 feet

Central Shaft to West Shaft

9,694 feet

Central Shaft Dimensions

15(NS)x27(EW) feet elliptical

West Shaft Dimensions

14X10 feet

Supplementary Shaft Dimensions

13X6 feet

Well #4 Dimensions

6X6 feet brick lined

Eastern Summit above grade

1429 feet

Western Summit above grade

1718 feet

Error where the Central Shaft heading met the eastern heading.

5/16 inch

Error where the Central Shaft heading met the western heading

9/16 inch

Water Pumped from the Central Shaft

214 gal/min

Water discharge at East Portal

100 gal/min

Water discharge at West Portal

600 gal/min

Rock Excavated

About 2 Million tons

Height

20 feet

Midsection Width

24 feet

Base Width

23 feet

Hand Drill advancement per month

About 50 feet

Burleigh Drill advancement per month

About 155 feet

Stone (from east to west)

Rowe Schist, Stamford Granite Gneiss, Metamorphic Conglomerate, Hoosac Schist, Stockbridge Limestone

Men employed during peak

About 900

First Train through

February 9, 1875

First Freight Train

April 5, 1875

First Passenger Train

Oct 13, 1875

East Portal Elevation

779 feet above sea level

West Portal Elevation

777 feet above sea level

Center Elevation

835 feet above sea level

West façade finished

Mid 1874

East façade finished

November 1877

Years Massachusetts spent over half the yearly budget paying off Hoosac debt.

10 years

Cost

Between 17 and 21 million $ in 1874

Number bricks used in arching

20,000,000+

Feet of brick lining

7573 feet

Feet of brick tubing

883 feet

Distance between field phones

3000 feet

Lives lost during construction

195

Lives lost after construction

~30

Year Double track was installed

1885

Year electrification was implemented

1911

Year electrification was removed

1946

Steel door installed at West Portal

1954

Reduction to single track

1957

Passenger service ended

1958

Single track centered

1973

Height increased for triple stack cars

1997

Continuous weld rail installed

2005