The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1904-01-21
GREAT IMPROVEMENTS.
Iowa Central Yards to be Rebuilt
Early in Spring.

The Iowa Central Railway manage
ment is making preparations for the
work that viii be commenced in this
city as soon as the conditions of the
spring weather will permit. Work.
men are now getting things ready for
the track-men and the changes that
are to be made in the arrangement
of the yard system.
Workmen commenced yesterday to
tear away the old chutes that stood
in the north yard at the e street in
tersection and have been used during
the past fifteen or twenty years. The
old ramshackle of building will be
removed and the approach which
starts in about block north of the
chute will come out. The space that
is gained in the removal of this old
building will be occupied with tracks
to be placed as soon as possible after
the opening of the season.
The new coal chutes have been in
use couple of weeks and are found
to be most satisfactory in almost ev-
cry respect They are a great saver
of time for the coaling Of an engine
from the round house, for the reason
that an engine does not have to go
out onto the main line from the
round house to secure its fuel. The
chute has pockets on both east and
west sides and the engines from the
round house can be coaled without
interfering with traffic OF the main
line. An engine may now be coaled
in from five to ten minutes, where
before it required fifteen to twenty
minutes and sometimes sixty minutes.
The east side Of the chutes are upon
the main line of the tracks and con-
venient for the supplying of passen-
ger and freight engines at work.
Time is thus saved to these by reason
of not being interfered with by en-
gines from the round house. It is
an advantage that works both ways
The approach to the chute is much
better than was the old one and it is
much longer, starting up at M avenue
to reach the chute house which
stands between F and G avenues
A new sand house of heroic dtmen-
sions is now being built, The build
ing is about twenty-six feet wide by
ninety in length. 1t will be equipped
with drying apparatus and the dry
sand will be stored therein. The ma
terial to be seasoned and dried out
will hereafter be under shelter in
place of exposed to the weather, and
this item in itself will save quite an
amount of labor and fuel.
Considerable work remains to be
done NShe grade north of the city
with the opening Of the spring, but
| the plans are being so laid that the
completion of the track raising on
the main line will be quickly accom-
| plished. The greatest raise in
the Quaker Sag" will amount to be-
tween eight and ten feet. TIE dirt
with which this will be done will be
secured just north of the fill so that
there will be but very small distance
to haul it.
The work that is to be done in the
yards does not call for the immediate
attention that will be given the work
upon the main line. The track comes
down several feet at a point where
the old coal chutes stood. All of the
tracks at the north end of the yard
are to be raised a number of feet and
this will require an immense amount
of dirt. A large force of workmen
will be put on the job as soon as pos
sible and the work will be an accom-
plished fact quite early in the season.