The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-02-01
RAILROAD NEWS.
Rock Islands New Line to Ell
Paso Completed.
Trains Will Be Running Within
80 Days.
OPENS A NEW SYSTEM.
Rock Island Will Have Shortest
TranScOntinental Line.
Ten Elegant Pullman Trains
Being Built.

The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific
railroads new line to Ell Paso, Tex,
placing Topeka 200 or more miles near
er to Mexico and California, is COM
pleted. The last rail was laid last night
at the Pecos river.
The new line will be opened for
through traffic within thirty days.
Through tourist trains will be run to
California, beginning at once, but the
limited system contemplated viii not be
put in active operation until next fall.
Then the Rock Island will enter into
active competition for the California
business with a shorter line than the
Santa Fe.
Cars for the equipment of ten magnifi-
cent passenger trains are now building
at the Pullman shops near Chicago.
These cars are the most expensive ever
built for a western railroad and will be
an important factor in the limited SER
vice. The opening of this new line to
the souNh and the southwest will mean
much to the travelling and shipping pub
lie, and the building of the lines takes
rank as one of the great railroad i'm
provementS projected last year. The
large mileage of the Rock Island road
has been materially increased and in
addition it now has a short line over its
own track from Chicago to Ell Paso,
Tex, and with the Southern Pacific
from Ell Paso the Rock Island will be-
come the short line to Southern Cali
fornia, as well as between Kansas City
and Chicago and many important points
in Texas, Mexico and the southwest.
This of itself is of vast Importance in
the busy railroad world, and it will
bring to the Rock Island an immense
increase of traffic, especially through
business, both to and from the Pacific
coast, Mexico, Arizona and New Next
CO.
CUTS DOWN THE DISTANCE.
Some of the advantages to be shown
in this new route are found in the fact
that the distance between Chicago and
Ell Paso, Tex. by the way of the Rock
Island will he I All miles while nv the
other shortest route 1t is 1879 miles. The
distance between Kansas City and FL
PaSo will be 954 miles, while by the 9TH
er shortest route it is 1,172 miles There
is a saving of forty-one miles between
Kansas City and Los Angeles. The
Rock Island becomes the short line be-
tween Missouri river points and many
Of the principal points both west, south
and southwest.
The building of the new extension is
an example of modern railroad meth
DDS. On January l, 1901 the ground
for the new extension was broken at
Liberal, Kan, with AGO miles of road
ahead before a junction could be effect
ed at Alamo Gordo. n. M, with the
FL Paso & Northeastern railroad, the
southern extension of the same line. The
work from Liberal, Kan, to the Pecos
river was under the direct control of
the parent company, while the Ell Paso
& Northeastern railroad built north
from FL PaSo to the Pecos river. The
Liberal extension took 256 miles of
track, while the line from FL Paso used
275 miles.
When the new Missouri cutoff be-
tween Trenton, Mo-, anu Belknap, Ia,
is completed the Rock Island will have
an additional advantage of eighteen
miles over competing lines between
Chicago and Los Angeles and will have
a short line from Chicago to Kansas
City. The building of the Rock Island
FL Paso system, completed last night,
opened up a new transcontinental sys-
tenn.