The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-07-23
BIC SHOPS TOOPEN
Santa Fe Extension Will Be
Ready August 1.
Six Hundred More Men Added
to Force.
BUT THIS is NOT ALL.
Additional Buildings Already in
Contemplation.
Breaking of Big Fly Wheel De-
layed the Dedication.

Unless something unforeseen at the
present time happens, the opening of
| the new additions to the Santa Fe
| shops will take place not later than
August 10 and will in all probability
| be ready for use as early as August 1.
These are the plans at the present time
and all who are in charge of the work
| of getting the shops into condition for
occupancy are working with this end in
view.
The opening of the new shops will
mean the increase of the working force
of the shops by 600 men. There are al
ready over 2,300 men in the employ of
the shops and with upwards of 600
given employment by the opening of
the new shops the force will be in
creased to 5000 men. Three hundred
of the men will be transferred from the
old shops and 300 and more new men
will be given employment in the new
shops.
When the new shops are in running
order the Santa Fe will have the larg-
est repair shops of any railroad in the
world. Already the shops in use by the
Santa Fe are the best equipped in the
world and the addition of the new shops
will help to maintain this reputation.
Few people in Topeka realize the
erecting the buildings for the new shops
on the course of the past year. A year
ago the present site of the new shops
buildings was a large corn field three
fall the active work of erecting the
building commenced the time previous
to that being used by the engineering
department in getting the ground meas
ured off for the new building. Now
there are four large buildings on the
site and almost ready for occupancy.
1t is worth trip to the new shop ols-
trict in order to comprehend what has
taken place in that section of the city
during the past few months.
A Monster Building
The largest building of the new shops
is the freight car repair shed which Is
20S11 by 800 feet in dimension There
are IL tracks which lead into this build
ing and extend the whole length of 900
feet. On these tracks the freight cars
will be run into the shops for repairs
and there will be still plenty OF room
on each side for the workmen to repair
the cars. This building is probably the
most needed one in the lot as the pres
ent accommodations for the repairing
of freight cars are badly congested.
Most of the car repair work now must
be done in the old yards of the Santa
Fe on East Fourth street where the
weather conditions are often unfavor-
able This building is nearly ready Tor
occupancy and will require but little fit
ting up of equipment before a large
amount of repair work will be on IN
this big building in full blast
New Planning Mill.
J As a necessary adjunct to the large
freight car repair shops there has been
erected large building known as the
freight car planning mill where great
deal of the preliminary work of fre1ght
car repairs is to be done such as get
ting the material which is used in re-
pair work in shape. All the frame work
for freight cars will be turned out In
these shops. This building is IS by $50
feet On the north side is large an
mex which Is used as an engine and
boiler room from which the power for
the four buildings will be supplied. The
large fly wheel which is to be used In
turning the vast machinery of these
new buildings proved to be faulty in
composition as one of the spokes broke
while the wheel was being set in place.
This accident occurred several weeks
ago and owing to the vast amount of
work in manufa cturing a wheel of this
size the new wheel has not arrived yet
although it is expected any day. This
is one of the main reasons why the
shops have not been opened sooner.
The wheel weighs $4,000 pounds and is
is feet in diameter. The wheel has |
az inch face over which the big belt
will run A new wheel is expected any
day.
The Steel Car Repair Shops.
Another important building is the |
steel car repair shop which is located |
to the north of the planning mill This |
building is S0x200 feet in size. The |
necessity for such a building is becom- |
ing more and more noticeable every |
wear as the heavier traffic annually |
causes the construction OIL more Sleel
cars. All the railroad systems of the |
country are now adding to their rolling |
stock large steel cars which of course |
are much more durable than the old
frame cars and much better adapted |
TO the transportation of certain arti- |
cles This sshop is one of the pioneer |
shops in the line of steel repairing. |
Compressed air which is compressed in |
the shops is one of the chief sources |
of force used in. the repair work or |
tI,asa cars which in great many cases /
amounts to nearly rebuilding of the |
entire car.
owing to the scarcity of accommo-
datfors for this line of repair work In |
the old. shops some OF this sort OF Work
is now being executed in the new shop |
building.
on the north side of the steel car
repair shops is the wheel shop IN
which all repairs to the wheels or
freight cars will be attended to. This
building is so feet in width and is 100
feet in length. large number of men
will be employed in this building.
Extensions Are Planned.
Strange as 1t may seem the accom-
pairing in the shoEs will hardly be |
sufficient even with the addition of the
new shops. Plans are already under
foot for the enlargement of the freight
car repair shops by the addition of 500
feet on the east end and also the ad-
dition of two hundred feet to the
length of the steel car repair shops.
These additions will assume formid-
able shape wi+nin the next year and
will lie in operation within. two years
at the very furthest. When these ad
ditions are made the Santa Fe shops in
Topeka will be lined up along a mile
ana a hale of track.
In the lew shop yards there is
small building which will be used for
the purposes of dry kiln. There has