The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-02-09
RAILROAD NEWS.
A Summing Up OF the Santa Fe
Improvements.
Millions Being Spent For Re-
pairs Along the Line.
TRACK AND STATIONS
Now Being Put in First Glass
Shape Rapidly.
$50 Miles of Rails Laid and
$50 Buildings Painted.

The Chicago Record says: The Santa
Fe system is now engaged in expending
several million dollars upon the i'm
provement of its permanent way. Be
fore the end of 1898 the physical cOndi-
ton of the road will be in better shape
than ever before Although less than
half the work has been carried out. the
company has already derived consider
able benefit in the shape of a large in
crease in tonnage haul, accompanied
by a large decrease in operating eXpen-
ses. The road has taken advantage Of
the greater earnings of the last few
months to place the condition of its
property in first class shape in order
that any falling off in receipts may be
met by a corresponding reduction in
operating expenses
The improvements now under way COW
er everything pertaining to the track
and equipment Seven hundred miles
of new steel rails are being laid, and
hundreds of thousands of ties and vast
quantities of ballast are being put in.
Every building on the system, from a
cattle pen to the largest depot, is being
thoroughly Overhauled and painted.
Steel-span bridges are taking the place
of wooden treStIeS, and stone arch Gull
verts are replacing wood bridges.
Large sums are beng spent on the Wa
ter stations and the latest new tools
are being added to the equipment Of
the cOmpany'S machine shops.
The water supply, always a difficult
problem for railroads. is rendered addi-
tiOnally troublesome for road like the
Santa Fe, which runs through long
stretches of alkaH regions. Water con-
tanning these salts tends to ruin the 10
connective boilers and at times actually
prevents the engines from running. To
overcome this trouble the Santa Fe is
constructing three immense reservoirs
in central Arizona Advantage is Ia
ken OF the natural conditions to build
dams at the entrances OF canyons, and
in this way the surplus water is stored
up. Two of these dams are of mason
~ and the third is of steel Similar
work on a smaller scale is beine done
all over the system Rainwater Is
much better for boilers than well water,
and where possible reservoirs are being
made to retain the surface water.
At Belmont, Ariz., the company is
building a large plant for treating rail
road ties. When cured by this process
sOftWOOd ties will OUtlast two sets Of
ordinary ties. The plant viii take care
of all the ties needed in that territory.
COnsiderable attention is being paid
to increasing the tonnage haul Grades
have been reduced in Texas and New
Mexico, larger cars are being built,
way possible operating expenses are be-
ing put on an economical basis.
AS a result of the improvements al
ready made it is calculated that last
years tonnage was hauled at a cost of
81 600 900 less than it could have been on
the operating basis of two years ago.
The idea of the general work being
done on the entire system can be gath
cred from a Statemnt of the improve
ments being carried out between Chica-
go and Kansas City. Two hundred and
thirty miles Of IS pouud-steel rails have
been laid, 100 miles in Illinois and the
rest in Missouri. This has entailed the
placing of $4,000 ties and 275, 900 yards
of ballast. Six hundred and ninety
buildings have been painted by the
compressed air method Every depot
has been painted externally and the in
teriors have been papered and decorated.
Every building on the main line has
been given new coat of paint. The
cattle yards and fences have been thor
oughly renovated and whitewashed
The bridges across the Mississippi and
Missouri rivers have been painted.
Twenty-Five new steel bridges have
been built, ranging in length from so TO
149 feet. Eight new stone arch Cul-
verts have replaced wooden structures. 4
The water stations are being TemCdeled
and dams constructed. Cuts have been
ditched out and embankments widened.
New depOtS are being built at MinOnk,
Ill. and BOSwOrth, No, the later re
placing 4 building destroyed by fire
Most of the stock yards have been thor
OugIy repaired and the remainder will
be put in shape this year.
The work Of grading and widening
entertainments has been simplified and
greatly cheapened, the road having ac-
Quired an immense gravel field at Chill
icothe, Mo. At NOrbOrn, No. large
quantities of gumbo soil are obtained
for ballasting purposes. This is a clay
earth which, after baking, makes the !
finest kind of ballast, giving a more
elastic roadbed than gravel and far su-
perior to crushed rock. Seventy five
thousand yards of gunbO are now being /
burned at NOrbOTn.
The improvements in the track have
already reduced the operating expenses
and rendered it possible for the engines /
to haul considerable more weight than
before. At this season little actual /
work is in progress, but after the end
OF next month operations viii be re-
sumed and the work rushed forward to /
completion.