The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-12-14
SANTA FE YARD IMPROVEMENTS.
Recognizing wichita's Commercial Importance
b. Improvements Costing over Fifty Thous-
and Dollars Yards to Accommodate
Over Two Thousand Cars.

| The Santa Fe management. by its works
many months ago, created the suspicion
/ that the conclusion had been reached
/ somehow and ia some way that Wichita
amounts to something IN commercial
way. 1t is thought possible that outside
! information on that point was set aside
and an investigation made of Wichita and
of the business disposed of, incoming and
outgoing. The conclusion was evidently
reached that Wichita is today and has
been for some time doing a volume Of
| freight business that commands attention
of all companies engaged IN that line of
business The conclusion was also
reached, no doubt, that Wichita promises
| to do business at the old stand. No danger
of emigration or change of location, but
the chances most favorable for an increase
! in business. This came in by way of EN-
phasis that the facilities for handling the
freight business, as well as the passenger
facilities, should be increased.
The result is being seen today in the
Santa Fe yards. The improvements by
way of increase of trackage and general
yard facilities which are being made Will
cost $4,000
The plan which is being followed was
adopod by vice-president aud general man
ager, A. A. Robinson. 1t is referred to by
railroad men as being something novel in
arrangement, and while new it is a most
decided improvement over anything yet in
service. 1t is referred to by Superintendent
Parsons as the most complete yards he ever
aw andwi II certainly be the finest yard in
the state, as well as having the capacity to
accommodate more cars than auy other
yard in the state.
For the passenger business double tracks
have been arranged, the second completed
yesterday, and extending north to the Frisco
junction and south to limits of the city.
These are not used in the least in handling
the freight business of the yard, and trains
can be- received and sent out at any time,
and no interference from any source what
ever.
The freight yard is mostly on the east
side of the main line and extend nearly
one mile south and three-quarters north.
Two diagonal leads parallel each other
from the north to the south, the one &C
commodating the storage tracks on the
east the other the tracks on the west.
Between the two is the scale track pro-
vided with scales with capacity of 120,
600 pounds, which can be reached from
either side. The regular yard tracks are
numbered from one to twelve. and have
the storage tracks mostly on east side, ac-
commodating 1000 cars. The team tracks
are just east of the new freight build
ing, while on the west of that building are
two tracks for the warehouse business. AS
soon as the new building is completed the
old one, just north of the avenue, will be
removed, which will give space for more
team tracks. The driveway will be paved
and made as accessible with heavy freight
as possible.
The track facilities north and south of
the avenue will allow seven freight
trains to be made up at the same
time no one interfering in the least with
another or with the passenger business.
Both north and south are leads which ac-
commodate the trains in the make up and
they do not reach the main line until
ready to be sent out.
Improvements are being made at the
Wichita and Western round house also
and the capacity will be increased to ten
engine stalls. The present water tank
will be removed and acrane standpipe put
in a little farther north so north
bound train will not interfere with the
Douglas avenue travel.
1t will probably take six weeks or two
months TO complete the improvements
being made but when completed the Santa
Fe will certainly be more in keeping with
the commercial demands of the city. 1t
will be remembered that last fall the
yards could not accommodate The business
during the grain rush, there being in fact
at time several hundred Wichita cars side
tracked back on the lines thirty and fifty
miles away