The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-11-01
CHICAGO THE SWITCHING cry.
AZ Thousand Cars Transferred There
Daily From One Railroad to Another.

Daily From One Raiirosd to Another.
Chicago is known among the peo-
plo 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 certain
ly far more appropriate-the Switch
City.
Ninety Thousand miles Of railroad
or thereabouts center in Chicago.
Thirteen hundred and fifty trains
leave or arrive every day. Thirty-fve
railroads have terminus there, and
with eight railroad stations Chicago
Is second only TO London in the num-
Der Of passengers arriving and de-
parting daily. But more important
than all this in its practical effect on
what is called by congressional ora
tors interstate commerce Is the rail-
road interchange of cars. The actual
number of cars arriving in Chicago
each day is 10, 000 OF these 6, 600 are
interchanged from one road to an
other by an extensive and compli-
Gated system of switching. For in
stance, a train arrives from Kansas
City on the Atchison, Topeka and
Sante Fe road containing perhaps 30
freight cars consigned to various
points. Before the freight terminus
of the road Is reached the various
cars are switched off toward their
destination. Some are sent south on
the Illinois Central or the Louisville
and Nashville. and some east over
the Vanderbilt lines or the Pennsyl-
vania, and some GO TO the southeast
over the Big Four or the Baltimore
and Ohio. The balance go into Chi
cago.
BY this process the only cars that
reach the freight stations of the sew
eral roads are those containing mer-
chandise for Chicago locally. Trains
for out of Chicago are made up at
the various crossings that bewilder
the traveller who visits Chicago for
tho first time.
1t is a fact not generally known
except to railroad men that there is
a railroad entering Chicago which
does no other business than facilitat-
ing the interchange of cars. 1t is no
small concern either, having bonded
debt of $40, 600, 600 and capital stock
of S., 900, 600 additional. 1t operates
only IL miles of track, but is the
Chicago entrance Of seven roads.
These roads own the company joint
ly and pay trackage fees which
amounted last year TO over 81, 000,.
600. The company has 33 locomo-
tives and some freight but no pas
senger cars. It's function is to trans
fer from one operating road TO anoth-
or cars in such manner that the
expense of transfer in Chicago may
be avoided and each train car switch
ed to the line to which it is consign-
ed. This company, however, does
only part Of Chicago's 8 monumental
business in switching.
Recently there has been some talk
among railroad men of forming a
combination of roads at Chicago not
only to transfer freight and passen-
ger cars, but also to make repairs.
Under the present system a disabled
car is sent to the repair shop of the
road. Hereafter 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 ere
made. The accounts would be bal
anced quarterly. New York Sun.