Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-09-08

other points at which the proposed To-
cation lies, for short distances, near the
present line. This is the heaviest
twenty-five miles OF railroad thru
prairie country known to the writer.
The grading on this line averages 12O,-
900 cubic yards per mile over the entire
distance. All the principal streams are
crossed at heights of from sixty to
seventy feet above their beds The
summit cuts range from fifty-f1ve to
sixty feet in depth.
The early engineers found their skill
somewhat taxed to obtain a line thru
this rough country They worked to a
maximum grade of seventy feet per
mile, a maximum curve of three de-
grees and thirty minutes. Their maxi
mum grade was exactly suited to the
country. enabling them to cross some
of the main ridges with cuts thirty feet
\ deep and the streams with fills from
1 fifteen to thirty feet in height above
their beds. This arrangement, or per-
Iihaps disarrangemen of the streams
and ridges was such as to call for ex-
lcessive use of sharp curvature in order
| to obtain road With light earthwork.
The new double track line. which re-
|places this old one. has no grade ex-.
lceeding thirty-five feet per mile and no
curve sharper than one degree. A saving
Iof about 10percentin distanceis effected
lby this change in lire. All bridge and
culvert work is of a permanent nature.
Five iron bridges. ranging from 200 to;
| 500 feet in length, carry the lire over
1.-THE principal streams. Two years will
be consumed in the construction of this
work.
Another interesting piece of work of
1.-THE same nature as the above, but on a
Isimilar scale is that between Fairfield
4 and Batavia where the old single track
main linz. containing some fifteen sharp.
lcurves, is replaced. for a distance of.
4 eleven miles by line with BIZ, three
Ishort degree curves. One mile in disc
Itance is saved at this point The grad
ling on this ten miles averages 10000
1cubic yards per mile.
The double track cutoff between
Mount Pleasant and Lockridge, six
miles in length, Will be completed and
! put in service in bout two months. TIE
work q t this point is as heavy as that
4 between Murray and Creston. The
sIchief place of interest is the crossing of
Skunk river This stream is spanned. by
an iron structure with masonry piers,
\ which is siXty-fiNe feet high above the
n bed of the stream and 1,050 feet long.
the center portion being three-deck
gIspans of lag feet each and the remain
ider iron trestle. The fills at the ends
slof this bridge contain 100000 cubic
5lyards of grading.
4 The old main line approached Skunk
8lriver with five sharp curves. the sharp
lest of which extended some 300 or 400
fleet on to the bridge. The undesirable
mature of the old main line called for
1.-THE exercise OF extreme boldness in lay
ling the new lire across Skunk river.
4 Four pieces of parallel second track
work are under Way. one having been
4 1completed. the second one nearly SO.
land the two Others progressing so that t
Ithey will go in service by Oct. 10.
i The Chicago Great Western railway is
Il spending this year about s2500.00o for
4 improvements to permanent way ard
a Traditional buildings and equipment.
4 Not all of this is in Iowa, but large
1 lpart of II is. and it is all calculated to
II Improve the company lacailtles Tor
d handling business. Among the more
]. important items are mentioned the fol-
Lowing:
i Completing ballasting of the main
/ line, in addition to ballasting on the
branches. requiring about 100000 cubic
d yards of gravel and crushed stone.
The replacing of seventy-five wooden
bridges with stone and steel structures
The, majority of these will be stone
& arch culverts with earth covering. One
q hundred and fifty wooden culverts are
Il being renewed with stone culverts an6
many public crossings are being
strengthened with masonry abutments
i and steel girders.
], Ten thousand Ave hundred tons ol
seventy -fve- pound steel rails are being
laid on the main line, which will make
!. la continuous line. Of new steel from Del.
vein to Chicago.
s All bridges on the main line are being
j 1sterngthenedin in order to provide for thu
I increased weight Sof rolling stock. 4
81 Continued e. ssoond Pass.l