The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-10-25
RAILROAD NEWS.
Santa Fe Is Building Steel Tn
dsrframe Cars.
Steel Car Companies Many
Months Behind in Orders.
SAFE AND ECONOMIC.
Life OF Equipment Longer and
Contents Better Guarded.
Gossip and Matters Of Interest
in Railroad Circles.
SAFE AND ECONOMIC.

The matter Of car construction IS one
that presents some difficult problems
Above all things, the managers of great
railway properties seek durability in
every class Of equipment. eliminating,
as far as possible. the necessity of re-
pairs and extending the period Of ser
vice. No one recognizes better than
they do the fact that car which will
render service for. say, one million
miles, Is twice as valuable as car that
does duty for only five hundred thou
sand 5rniles. and more useful also in
proportion to the economy in repair &C
count. The steel underframe car ana
the steel body car have attracted much
attention The tests that have been
made amply demonstrate their superior
itY over the old wooden frame cars
The steel underframe is noted for re-
sistinE capacity, it being constructed
with four structural steel beams, run
ming the full length Of the car, Jolneo
by steel cross beams and end sills. A
buffer takes the impact of blow from
the next car and distributes 1t on the
four beams. which are arched IKE
bridge beams.
The santa Fe management, finding
that it would require many months pc
fore a large car order could be denver
ed by the steel car companies, decloeu
to begin at once the CONSTRUCTION VI
steel underframe cars in their own
shops. The results have been very
gratifying The new cars have Deeh
subjected to the severest tests and nave
come ont practically unscathed
Postal cars sixty feet long are beng
turned out and have met every require
ment Of the postOffice department Ine
Santa Fe was -le first road west OF the
Missouri river to put on cars or TINS
character. Baggage cars seventy rect
long are being put in commission as
rapidly as possible, the increased room
giving greater facility in the manning
and slowing of baggage. while the
added strength contributes to the safety
of the travelling baggagemen ana the
ba ggage itself.
It is also interesting to note the va
riety of cars that such railroad as me
Santa F'e has to build to serve us
41lanv-sided traffic. Its shops are now
turning out steel underframe cars OF
the following patterns. Flat cars OF Az
tons capacity, capable OF carrying Il
load of go tons on the center; L1dger-
wood ballast cars. 40-tOns capacity,
with swinging side doors; box cars 80
tons capacity. for miscellaneous freight:
furniture cars. 30 feet long inside and
10 feet high in the clear, beng ABOUT
the largest box car yet built. ana com
eination stock. coal ana eohS sal : - ~
feet long inside. with complete drop
bottom to unload coke and coal. the
interchangeab BILE character of these stock
cars makes them good traffic earners
in both directions. and reduces the
amount of dead weight that the locomo-
4ives have to haul while the drop bot
tom feature reduces the time and labor
of unloading from two men ten hours
10 ten minutes and no men.
The Santa Fe shops are likewise
building a large number of steel-under-
frame Rodgers ballast cars of 50-tonS
capacity. with adjustable sides, which
may be used for ballast. rock or coal,
and steel gondolas, 40 feet long, 30 tons
capacity, with drop bottom. These coal
cars are so constructed as to do away
altogether with the old-fashioned labor
wasting and back breaking shoveling.