Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1901-09-07
UNIQUE UNION PACIFIC EXCURSION.

UNIQUE UNION PACIFIC EXCURSION.
xAs Delsxhtfui ecenery Afforded By .
trolley Ride Across the Rockies
A unique excursion was recently ar
ranged by the Union Pacific Railroad
company. About sixty newspaper
men, representing the leading metro
politan Journals OF the country, we're
invited to meet at the Brown Palace
hotel. Denver, Colo, for a trip on the
Wyoming division. THE Overland
Route for the purpose of viewing the
stupendous engineering achievements
recently made on that line.
The train was made up of two pri-
vate cars, three Pullman palace sleep
ers, a dining car, drawn by one OF the
new compound engines, with an obSer-
walton reconstructed on the same
plan as a trolley car-ahead OF the
engine.
No more striking example is afford
ed of the progress of today than the
gigantic Undertaking of the Union
Pacific.
One hundred and nfty-eight and
four-tenths miles of new track laid.
reducing the mileage between Omaha
and Ogden by 30.47 miles. and reduc-
ing gradients which varied from 45.4
to 97.6S feet to the mile to a maxi
mum of 1873 feet, and curves from
to degrees, while great deal of bad
curvature has been eliminated en-
drely.
A mountain removed and lost into
q chasm; huge holes bored hundreds
Of feet through solid granite; AN under
ground river encountered and over
come; an army of men. with all sorts
of mechanical aids, engaged in the
work for nearly a year; the great I'm
ion Pacific track between Omaha and
a. I0rn
eliminated, old scenery changed for
new, and the business of the great
Overland route flowing through a new
channel. without the slightest inter-
rupt1on.
Millions of money have been spent
to reduce the grades and shorten the
distance.
This reduction is the result OF
Strengthening unnecessary curves, and
the construction of several cutoffs be-
tween Buford and Bear river, Utah.
Buford is on the eastern slope of the
Black Hills, 545 miles west of Coun-
Gil Bluffs and twenty-seven miles west
OF Cheyenne. The cutoffs required the
construction of 1853 miles, of which
29.63 miles are between Buford and
Laramie, 1874 miles between Howell
and Hutton, saving 81 miles: 3.9
miles on the Laramie plains between
Cooper's Lake and Lookout, saving .3S
OF mile; 1884 miles between Look
cut and Medicine Bow. sill further
west, saving 1908 miles; Is miles
between Allen Junction and Dana, saw
ing 1897 miles; 42.S3 miles between
Rawlins and Upton saving LA
miles; 1864 miles between Green River
and Bryan, saving AS of a mile. and
21.56 miles between Leroy and Bear
River, saving 9.56 miles.
The curvature saved is about one
half, the grading about the same.
while the angles are reduced nearly
two-thirds.
The superiority of these changes is
apparent to the practical railroad en-
gineer. 1t is also apparent to the OPP
Grating department in the reduction in
operating expenses, and to the trav-
eler in the increased speed the trains
can make. The change in alignment
of the line is marked West of Blu
ford the track ran northwestward to
the Ames monument. near Sherman,
and then took a sharp turn to the
southwest over Dale creek, crossing
1t by a bridge 135 feet high-an ele-
walton trying to the nerves-and from
thence due north to Laramie. The
new line runs due west from Buford,
avoiding the high hlIls and eighty
eight-foot grade from Cheyenne, and
piercing through cuts and the big tun-
mel, crosses the Black Hills at a grade
of less than one-half (43.3 feet) over
mountain attitudes From Leroy the
country is literally a coal bed. Here
the new line makes another reduction
and enters the Bear river valley on an
easy grade.
From a constructive standpoint the
line is remarkable for the amount of
material required in the construction
of immense embankments and the
building of large tunnels through
solid rock. The construction of the
new line between Buford and Laramie
alone has involved the excavation of
SOC, 900 cubic yards of material, one
third of which exclusive of the tunnel
excavation) has been solid rock. or
something over 10000 cubic yards per
mile.
Some of the entertainments of the
new roadbed have been remarkable
for their height and the large guam
titles of material to construct the
same over seemingly short distances.
The two most. difficult embankments
were at Dale creek, southwest of Sher-
man, and across the Sherman branch
OF the Lone Tree creek. southeast OF
Sherman. The embankment at the
crossing of Dale creek is 120 feet
high, 900 feet long, and involved the
handling of 500, 600 cubic yards. At
the crossing of the Sherman branch
of Lone Tree creek the embankment
il 125 feet high at its point of great
est heighth and involved the handling
of over 290, 900 cubic yards
Too much credit for this work can
MT ho ofrou m Hnroco Durf