Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-11-01
CHICAGO THE SWITCHING CITY.
Six Thousand Cars Transferred There Daily
from One Railroad Z, Another.

Six Thousand Cars Transferred There Daily
from One Railroad to Another.
Chicago is known among the munich
palities of the United States as the
Garden City," though why this vast
eXpanse of irregular buildings along
Lake Michigan should bear that title
has never been made very clear. Re-
Gently another name has come to be
applied to Chicago, and it is certainly
far more appropriate-theS Switch City.
Ninety thousand miles of railroad or
thereab bouts center in Chicago. Thirteen
hundred and fifty trains leave or ar
rive every day. Thirty-ive railroads
have terminus there, and with eight
railroad stations Chicago is second
only to London in the number of pas
sengers arriving and departing daily.
But more important than all this in its
practical effect on what is called by
congressional orators interstate COM
merce, is the railroad interchange of
cars. The actual number of cars ar
irving in Chicago each day is ten thou
sand. OF these, six thousand are inter-
changed from one road to another by
an extensive and complicated system
of switching. For instance, a train ar
rives from Kansas City on the Atchi-
son, Topeka s. Santa Fe road contain
ing perhaps thirty freight cars con-
signed to various points. Before the
freight terminus of the road is reached
the various cars are switched off to-
ward their destination. Some are sent
south on the Illinois Central or theLou
isville & Nashville, and some east over
theVanderbilt lines or the Pennsylvania
and some go to the southeast over the
Big Four or the Baltimore & Ohio. The
balance go into Chicago. By this pro-
cess, the only cars that reach the
freight stations of the several roads
are those containing merchandise for
Chicago locally. Trains for out of
Chicago are made up at the various
crossings that bewilder the traveller.
who visits Chicago for the first time.
1t is fact not generally known eX-
cept to railroad men that there is a rail
road entering Chicago which does no
other business than facilitating the
interchange of cars. 1t is no small
concern either, having a bonded debt
of ten million dollars and a capital
stock of five million dollars additional.
1t operates only seventeen miles of
track, but is the Chicago entrance of
seven roads. These roads own the COM
pany jointly, and pay trackage fees
which amounted last year to over one
million dollars. The company has
thirty-three locomotives and some
freight, but no passenger cars. It's
function is to transfer from one oper-
ating road to another cars in such
manner that the expense of transfer in
Chicago may be avoided, and each train
car switched to the line to which it is
consigned. This company, however,
does only part of Chicago's monument
al business in switching.
Recently there has been some talk
among railroad men of forming a COM
bination of roads at Chicago not only
to transfer freight and passenger cars,
but also to make repairs. Under the
present system disabled car is sent
to the repair shop OF the road. Here
after it is proposed that each railroad
shall repair disabled cars which come
under its control, and shall charge
such repairs to the company in whose
interest they are made. The accounts
would be balanced quarterly.-N. Y.
Sun.