Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-11-21
Changes Planned
By Santa Fs People
Their Transcontinenta Line
Will Be Located in New
Mexico Because Of Storms

MEXICO because 81
There Is much activity In railroad
circles In New Mexico and Arizona and
the construction of these roads viii
be OF great benefit to Denver ana Co.
orado.' said T. Lusk, the other night,
TO a reporter for the Denver Repub-
lican. THE Santa Fe Is planning TO
relocate its transcontinental line,
which ean practically the conStruc.
ton Of a new railroad In New Mexico.
It is desired to get away from what
might be termed the cloud burst sec
ton OF the territory. The Southern
Pacific Is also planning some changes,
but its principal business at present
seems to be efforts to block the San
Ia Fe.
Both roads are fighting for various
passes and canyons and rights of way
that are OF great value. There are
numerous box canyons desired that
have perpendicular sides, and where
there Is room for only n road. ]
understand that the Santa Fe, how
ever, has been successful thus far
in securing such passes and canyons
as 1t desires, and that there Is every
reason to believe that 1t will be equal
ly successful in securing Others.
THE Santa Fe. in its new line,
which Is termed a cutoff, will not
only avoid the cloudburst section,
where 1t has lost thousands upon
thousands Of dollars, and where 1,
has caused innumerable and long sus.
pensions OF business, but it will avoid
Ration hill and other steep grades.
This means a big reduction in grades
as well as a reduction In curves, and
It all meal that it will be reasonably
safe to do business the year around,
and. what Is more. haul heavier loads,
This work of the Santa Fe Is one
planned years ago and c~ontemplates
! believe. a cutoff from a point on
the main line in Kansas through the
southwestern corne of Colorado to
the main line. I am not thoroughly
familiar with the entire plans of the
company. but do know that it g
a tremendous saving in cost of opera,
ton"
More About II.
That the Santa Fee company pro
poses making its Panhandle line ar
important transcontinental railroad
is no longer in doubt with those who
have kept in touch with the company's
operations in that direction, says :
Wichita Eagle.
While 1t may be several years be
fore this line Is made the %principa
route to California and the coast. II
will be a first-class line in a shorte,
time and even this winter will be
made one Of the best pieces Of track
the company has. Very light stee'
was laid on the Panhandle line wheT
that part of the road was built, ant
fast trains cannot go over that route
with safety, The company is alread,
remedying this, however, by takin,
mp the light rails and replacing then
with good. 66-pound steel. This worl
Is already in progress, and will b.
continued until all that line to RIOS
well. New Mexico. is well eouippe,
for fast trains. including bette
bridges and thorough ballasting
The G6-pound rails that were frs
ordered for the line through WIGHT
are being shipped to the Panhandle
division and used as fast as il a,
riyes there. A great deal of this mn
terial was stored in Wichita and II /
being shipped out now as fast as |
can be loaded. 1t is also said her
that as soon as the present line Il
the Panhandl, IS rebuilt a line wi
be built from Roswell to connect wit
the Santa Fe Central, giving direc
connection to Belen, near Albuquel
que, and that as 500 as that line !
completed the heaviest traffic of tn
Santa Fe to California will go owe
this route instead OF through Cole
RADIO and the Ration mountains.
II Is said that this move OF the Sai
Ia Fe explains the efforts of the con
pany to make its line through Wich
IA to Texas one of the best on tn
system The work of replacing IN
light steel with new 76-pound rails