The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-06-16
RAILROAD NEWS.
The Retirement Department
Of the Santa Fe Successful.
Much Progress Made During
Four Years.
ATTRACTING NOTICE.
Nbject of Many Articles in
Technical Publications.
Other Items of Interest in
Railway Circles.
NOTICE.

The betterment work of the Santa
ne which was undertaken in connec-
ton with the mechanical department
about four years ago has been made
the subject of many interesting artic-
les In technical and railroad magazines
throughout the country. The methods
adopted at that time under the direc-
ton of J. w. Kendrick, second vice
president of the system, were so radi-
cally different from the general rail-
way shop methods that they attracted
a great deal of attention, being based
as they were upon sound business
principles.
The results of the work have been
very gratifying to the workmen of the
company and to the directors and
stockholders as we'll Outside of the
advantages to those directly concern
ed have been the publicity which has
been given to the work. This has done
a great deal to stimulate the wave of
railway shops Improvement which has
spread over the country. Even those
among railway officials who are op-
posed to the policies of the Santa Fe
are forced to admit that the present
plans of shop betterment have been
conducive of good results to all those
concerned.
So far has the Santa Fe policy of
betterment reached that eastern peri
odicals are devoting their columns to
articles exploiting the different phases
Der of the American Engineer and
Railroad Journal, tells a good deal of
the betterment work. A few excerpts
from the article will give a general
Idea of what this department of the
Santa Fe is doing:
Special attention is called to the
betterment work undertaken in the
motive power department of the Santa
Fe. The work was inaugurated early
in 1904, at a time of labor difficulties
and nf of 10
largest locomotive repair shops in the
country at Topeka. At the same time
the managing officers undertook ade-
Quate provision for an immense in
crease in traffic that was clearly fore
seen, by the acquisition of a large
number of the most modern and very
heavy locomotives for both passenger
and freight service.
''In undertaking the betterment work
1t was the desire of the management
to use this motive power to the best
advantage and at the same time to
keep the repair costs of these large
and new types of engines within
reasonable figure. Most of the loco
motives were compounds, many of
them of the balance type. In order to
adequately take care of the shipping
of these engines. and to carry out thor
oughly a system of standardization of
locomotive. parts, centrally manufac-
tured at the Topeka shops, it was re-
allied that the tool and machinery
equipments of the shops and the meth
DDS of doing the work must be the
very best. For this reason special at
tention was directed to the tool and
machinery problem at the beginning
of the betterment work. an attention
which has been consistently followed
up to the present time.
while the technical journals have
made some mention of this phase of
the work, its Importance as the key
stone in the arch of betterment and
economy for the production of efficien-
cy has, perhaps, been lost sight of in
the more extensive mention that has
been made of matters of greater mag
nitude in the gross amount of costs in
volved.''
Five principal plans for betterment
work were adopted and have been fol-
lowed closely to the letter All the work
which comes under the scope of the
betterment department is shown in
these five principal plans. all of which
have been successfully carried out. The
different plans of the work were:
F'irst-The use of tools that would
foster the wholesale production of
standard locomotives and car parts at
the central shop.
Second-The development and appli-
cation of special tools, jgs, devices.
and facilities that would tighten the
labor of the men and increase their
output and capacity. thus acting as an