The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-09-19
RAILROAD news.
Manufacturing Railroad Equip
ment a Big Industry.
Orders for the Ensuing Year
Reach Enormous Total.
VALUE s25O,OOO, 900.
Preparations Being Made for
Continued Prosperity.
Gossip and Matters OF Interest
in Railroad Circles.

Orders now on the books of the steel
rail- locomotive and car manufacturers
amount to $2500O0,000. This is the as
founding total of new business which
prosperity has rolled up in one line of
industry-that of railroad equipment.
Careful compilation and personal in
quiry addressed to leading concerns
manufacturing railroad equipment in
dicates that the total given is a con-
sentative estimate. In the case of or
ders for rails it is easy to get at the
figures for the orders placed for delivery
in 1906 are known, and the valuation
can be calculated on the basis of the
schedule price OF $28 a ton that all man
ufacturerS adhere to. In the case of To-
conlotiVes, the estimates is that of lead
ing manufacturers. It was learned that
the American Car and Foundry COM
pany, which controls somewhat more
than forty per cent of the business of
the country in the car building line,
has orders on its books amounting to
approximately $70,000,000, and on this
basis the total for all the manufacturers
is calculated. In the case of both cars
and locomotives, the estimate includes
all side appliances, such as air brakes,
automatic couplers and the like.
That the railroad managers of the
country are certain of the continuation
OF prosperous times for an unlimited
period is evidenced by the way in which
they have been placing orders with the
manufacturers of equipment. In every
line OF railroad supplies there is a, rec
ord-breaking rush of orders. The Penn
sylvania has total of $4,000 tons. The
New York Central order will be a very
heavy one, and, while it has not yet
been officially announced, it is under
stood it viii be 10000 tons. Other re-
cent large rail orders include 10000 tons
ordered by the Chicago and Northwest
ern, $4,000 tons by the st. Paul, SO, 900
tons each by the Burlington and the
Atchison. 10000 tons by the Great North
ern, $4,000 tons by the Wisconsin Cen
trail and $4,000 each by the Reading and
western, 1000 tons by the Reading and
the Atlantic Coast line. Z. H. Harri-
man not long ago ordered rs 900 tons of
rails for lines in the system, and this
week $4,000 more tons have been order
ed for his lines. The Missouri Pacific
added $4,000 tons to former orders.
Apparently the railroads are expect
ing heavy increases in traffic, as the
result of the prevailing prosperity in all
lines of business, and they are prepar-
ing to take care of it by relaying tracks
and getting new cars and locomotives
Back of the great prosperity in all lines
of business are the heavy grain crops
of this year, with the corn harvest a
record breaker. It has been calculated
that to move the crops alone the rail-
roads need 1 100000 freight cars. Be
sides this is the need for cars to move
the products of the steel mills, the ore
and coal mines and manufactured goods
of all sorts. The enormous demand for
new steel freight cars has been reflect
ed in q great demand upon the mills
manufacturing steel plates.