Local News

Final Weld Made As Streetcar Track Nears Completion

91.7 WVXU | By Jay Hanselman,

Tana Weingartner

Published October 16, 2015 at 3:01 PM EDT

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The steel is then heated with a torch.

Tana Weingartner / WVXU

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First workers make a mold using sand. Steel will be used to fill a one-to-two inch gap between two rails.

Tana Weingartner / WVXU

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The thermite burns at 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tana Weingartner / WVXU

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Next a ceramic container filled with thermite is placed above the weld to melt the steel.

Tana Weingartner / WVXU

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Construction workers cheer as the final weld is completed.

Tana Weingartner / WVXU

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Pressure is added using a vice. After a few moments, part of the mold is removed.

Tana Weingartner / WVXU

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Streetcar track construction is nearly complete. Here crews make the final weld as the last piece of track is laid.

Tana Weingartner / WVXU

The Cincinnati Streetcar reached a milestone Friday as it nears completion. The final weld piecing two rails together was made Friday afternoon at the corner of Main St. and Second St.

The first streetcar is expected to arrive later this month from a factory in New York. All five should be here by February. The first car will begin testing on the rails next month.