The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-08-12
MAKING THE DIRT FLY
Work on the Foundation Of the
N. p. Blacksmith House.
REMODELING ZONE SPOT"
The Old Montana Union Engine VIII Be
Run or the Copper City Limited-It
Did Some Fast Running in
Its Time.

MlSSoula, u n.-COntractO Isle is
making the dirt fly at the location Of
the new Northern Pacific blacksmith
house and the work upon the founda-
tion of the new stalls for the round
house will be under way before the end
Of the week. The employees OF the
blacksmith department will appreciate
the change to more comfortable quar-
tiers. Since the fire that burned their
shop they have been crowded into a
little building that is far from ad.-
quate to the needs of the shop ard
their work has been hampered i'm this
way. In the new shop. which adjoins
the machine shop on the west. they will
be comfortably located. The new
round house stalls will be equally APP
preciated by the hostlers and others
of the motive power department. as the
present stalls are not sufficient to ac-
commodate the engines that are IN
service here. These stalls will be built
as a continuation Of the present round
house on the east and will extend the
house to the boiler shop. Ii is not We;
decided whether or not the boiler shop
will be torn down and "A new one built.
The extension of the round house VIII
bring IL close to the boiler shop and Il
may be found necessary TO change the
latter. although the present plans do
not call for this work.
The machinists are now at work upon
one OF the old Montana Union passen-
ger englnes-the famous "One Spot
and it will soon be running on the Cop
per City Limited between Missoula and
Butte. This engine will be the 615 when
IL energies from the shops and will be
thoroughly remodeled. A new stack
will be put on n improvements mace
- tn E.a.N - .l-V lin II a. -.
of the best light engines on this divi-
sion. In its day this engine has mad
some fast runs. In the old days. when
the speed of the trains on the Mon
tana Union vas famous all over the
West, this engine did its share of the
flying down through the Deer Lodge
valley. Its companion Engines, the ?
and 3. will be brought to the shops at
once and will be reitted as this one is.
one radical change in these fast ma
chine will be the change in the color
of their bright red drivers. They viii
be somber black when the work is
done. But they will run as fast, it Is
expected. as they used to. and the
speed of the Copper City Limited down
the river will be something To write
home about.
In the distribution of motive power
under the provisions of the new az
rangement, the -four mastodons will ID
service on the Missoula mountain be-
tween Missoula and Evaro. The Is and
l6 are now here n the IL and II are
to be transferred from the Helena
mountain i'm a short time. These huge
machines tower above even the Class
Il engines. that have seemed so large,
and they haul immense loads up The
steep grade west of this city. The re-
ports regarding these big engines are
said to be most satisfactory. The Class
II L. 49,. launH,n hRA fR,na NhA
freight that was landed by the old
engines and are consuming no more
coal. This reduction i'm the fuel lc-
count is the most important improve
ment that has been made I'm the hama
ling of the freight business of the road,
and the small engines. for main line
work. are a thing of the past. The
graveyard" at the round house Is fun
OF engines of the 700 class, which VIII
be sold or broker up. They have done
excellent service but are too light for
demands Of the new conditions.
Dispatchers. trainmen and all crl-
ployes are on the jump these days. The
freight business continues to be heavy
and is being handled better h ever
before in the history of the a OLD
railway men look at the big engines
and the long rains in n queer sort Of
way. They do not say much, hut they
shake their heads and walk away. L
is not so very long ago that an lS-oar
train out Of Missoula was a long one.
Now the trains are all more than twice
length. The time that Is made in
the handling of freight over his diNi-
sion is excellent and there have been
delays whatever of late.
The providing of additional yard IA
at Missoula will be of great benz
eft in the handling of business. OF late
the rush of rains has been so great
at times every foot of side tracks
here has been filled, and the Bitter
Root tracks. clear across the bridge,
have been used for storage of cars.
This has made the making up of trains
slower work than IT ought to be. Tine
new track room will do away with
Of the difficulty in looking after
this business.
As has been remarked before, the
Copper City Limited is proving to he
all that was ever claimed for IL during
the years that the people at this end
Of the run and the other were asking
for Il. Its business is large and seems
10 be all new business at that. There
been no perceptible decrease in the
local business that is done by Nos. |
and >, and yet this local train is vel