The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1905-12-28
NOTESOFTHER RAIL WAYS
Pennsylvania Is Experimenting
With New Concrete Bed.
SANTA FE PLANS A WRECK CURE

An experiment is being made with
a new roadbed on the Philadelphia d.
vision Of the Pennsylvania railroad
and should it prove efficient after
fair trial may be applied to the entire
system, says the Cleveland Plain Dealer
A force of 500 men has been put to
work laying concrete to serve as
foundation for the ballast upon which
the ties and rails are to rest. This
form of roadbed has been tried by va
rious roads and in each instance has
proved unsuccessful.
The chief virtue of the concrete is to
! prevent washouts and destruction of
tracks by storms, to which the cause
Of many wrecks can be traced Only
five miles of this road will be laid IN
til it has been thoroughly tested. Penn
| sylvania engineers say that the reason
| that concrete has been unsuccessful in
the past is that the cement has been
laid under improper conditions or has
been subjected to treatment that de
! tracted from it's value.
| Concrete roadbeds will be much more
expensive, but it is believed that thu
additional economy in ties, which will
not rot SO quickly, will partly offset
this.
With a view to minimizing the dan
ger of disaster, the management of the
Santa Fe has created the position Of
Inspector of tracks and roadway, says
the Chicago Record-Herald. T. S. CAT
ferty, formerly roadmaster of the COM
pany, with jurisdiction over the line
between Topeka and the Missouri riv-
er, has been appointed to the new
place. Mr.. Cafferty will have jurisdic-
ton over the property comprised in the
eastern grand division of the road
from Chicago to Newton and to Pur-
cell, l. T.
| The position is much broader one
than that Of roadmaster and will in
| sure more rigid supervision over the
| physical condition Of the road. It Is
the opinion Of the management that an
| Inspector will be able to discover de-
fects in construction and material
| which otherwise would go undiscover-
ed until fast moving train found 1t
and went into the ditch. The recent
wreck of the California Limited train,
in which SO many were killed and
wounded, is said to have been caused
by the spreading Of the rails, which
presumably was brought about by
| faulty construction or materials. The
new inspector will have under his con-
troll large ind efficient track walking
| gang, which will patrol the road day
| and night
! st. Louis, with its mammoth railroad
| station, is to be outdone by a German
city, says the Philadelphia North Amer
lean. Consul General Guenther Of
Frankfort, Germany, reports to the
state department that, according to q
German newspaper, the new main rail-
IOad station at Leipsic, now being con-
structed, will be the largest in the
! world-that is, in covered area-92051e
square feet. It will have twenty-s
! tracks. The cost Of construction will
be $50, 940,0OO, of which the city Of
Leipsic contributes So, 900. Several
millions are to be borne by the Ger
man federal postofice department for
separate postoffice station, which will
not be completed before 1904 At the
| present time the main railroad station
at st. Louis, with an area of 80, $50
square meters and thirty-two tracks,
occupies the first place, followed in re-
spective order by the South station at
Boston, the ST. Lazare station at Paris,
Frankfort-on-t the Main, Dresden North
railroad station, Boston; Cologne and
Munich. w.
| An innovation in American railroad
circles has been installed by the South
ern Pacific system, says the Cleveland
Plain Dealer. A hospital car service
for the transportation Of sick and in
jured will he maintained for the con-
venience of it's passengers. The hospi-
tai car, which has been introduced In
Europe some time ago, is seventy six
feet long, has an operating room, a
dressing room, number Of sleeping
sections with upper and lower berths,
a private room, with stationery bed,
bath and lockers for the use Of sur
geons. An observation room, kitchen,
quarters for nurses and all conven-
fences for medicines and Instruments
are also provided.
The first railroad engine ever run In
to Pennington, N. M, went there re-
Gently on new branch Of the Denver
| and Rio Grande railway from Duran
go, Colo. The new road, which is sixty
miles in length, will open up a fine
fruit country to Colorado markets.
| Owing to inability Of the old wooden
freight cars to stand the impact Of
modern steel cars rule has been,
adopted on the western lines that cars
49, c,~a l>oI,xxy M 900