Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-23
FOR A THROUGH LINE
Plans of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad
Company.
The Building of New EnGines-Total
of $500 Miles of TracknEe
in One System.

If the present plans of the management
of the Seaboard Air Line Railway Com
pany are not interfered with in some I'M
expected manner Washington will within a
month occupy the same position a ter
minal OF the system as it does toward the
Southern, Chesapeake and Ohio, and the
Atlantic Coast Line. The contamination
of plan to have trains OF its OWN run into
the city and thence over the PennsylVa-
MA 5 tracks to New York has been earnest
ly desired for many years by General
Manager St. John of the Seaboard Air Line,
but it has only been since the road has be-
come the property of the syndicate headed
by Mr.. John Shelton Williams of Richmond,
Va, that arrangements have been made
which will before long make possible the
running of Seaboard Air Line trains be-
tween New York and Tampa, Fla,
The management of the Seaboard Air Line
had expected to have passenger trains run
ming regularly between the points named
by January l. but, paradoxical as it may
seem, they were disappointed because OF
the great prosperity in the iron and STEEL
Industries the contracting bridge builders
having been until within the last few days
unable to get supplies rapidly enough to
cradle them to construct bridges across the
rivers along the route where such struc-
lures were not already erected.
NOW. however, WOTk ON Ine CONNECTIONS
necessary to fill the gap between Richmond
and point on the old main line of the
Seaboard Air Line and between Cheraw and
Columbia. s. c., where the Florida Central
and Peninsular begins, is being pushed with
unusual vigor, and large gangs of men are
employed both day and night, not only m
tracklaying and grading. but in bridge
building. At Richmond, where there is be-
ing erected a long bridge across the James
river the piers are going up rapidly and
are expected to be ready for the suptrstruc-
ture early this week. Between Richmond
and Petersburg. a distance of twenty-five
miles, the entire road has been butt with
In two weeks. This is pronounced to be
among the fastest railway building on rec
ord and, so far as known, has only been
surpassed once in the south. when the
Southern recently, in order to make very
important connection, built seventy-eight
miles of track in a little over a month.
The SeabOard's Trackage.
When the connections above referred to
are completed the Seaboard Air Line Com
pany will own between $500 and 1900
miles of track. and its trains will be oper-
ated over its own lines from Richmond. Va,
TO Tampa, Fla. For the route from Rich
mond to Washington the Seaboard Air Line
people have made traffic arrangements with
the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac
Company to Quantico, and with the BaIti-
its road from Quantico to this city.
When fully reorganized, a process which
is now going on and the various lines re-
Gently purchased by the Williams syndicate
are consolidated, the Seaboard Air Line
system will comprise the old Seaboard Air
Line. the Florida Central and Peninsular,
and the Georgia and Alabama railway
properties.
In anticipation of a large increase in the
business Of the road. especially in the car
rying of freight. President Williams is huv-
ing built at the Richmond Locomotive
Works twenty-five tcn-wheel locomotives.
These engines will be of the latest design
and the cylinder dimensions will be 10 by %
and the drivers 60 inches in diameter. The
engines will weigh about 10000 pounds
and the tenders $4,000 pounds. The deliv-
cry will begin in April and the last engine
will be turned over to the Seaboard by
July /.
4 Large Expenditure.
A similar contract has been made with
the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Phia-
delpha. and the expenditure by the Sea-
board Air Line for new locomotives alone
will be about 100000
1t Is understood that the management Of
the Seaboard Air Line has made arrange
ments for reaching Newport News. where
much Of its export business is expected to
be done over the lines of the Chesapeake
and Ohio from Richmond. The two COM
panies named seem to have established
very close business relations, for they are
rebui ding a passenger station for their