Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-07-08
FE LAYING
SCREW SPIKES
Doubles Life of the Tie
and Already Decreases Rot
ting About the Spike Which
Holds the Rail.

For many years h railroads Of the
country have been experimenting with
various plane and devices for over
coming the great expense incident to
the rotting out of ties, which amounts
TO millions of dollars. The plan OF
screw spikes for holding the rails TO
the ties has been used by some of the
English and other roads. but their use
in this country has been impossible
because of the great expense of laying
a track with them.
The Santa Fe bids fair to overcome
this condition, however, as by the use
of a machine, perfected a. Topeka. il
has been found possible 20 lay track
with screw spikes faster than the ties
can be laid ahead Of It. One Of the
officials, who has given this matter
much thought. has been II. w. Jacobs
formerly of san Bernardino. assistant
superintendent OF motive power Of the
system. n he has had the assist
ance Of others in working out the
problem.
Few people except those directly in
terested in the timber situation realize
the magnitude Of the problem con
fronting railroad managers in connec-
ton with the supply of ties. Recent
estimates place the number Of ties in
use at the present time on the rail-
roads Of the United States at 500. 0O0.-
600, worth on an average of so cents
each, or a total value Of $400, 900, 600.
With this number constantly subjected
TO wear and decay. it requires over
100, 900. 900 new ties annually for re-
newals, the production of which would
require not less than 100000 acres OF
forest, or I'm other words, TO, maintain
the supply there should be two trees
growing for every tie that has to be
replaced
The question of future supply has
already assumed serious proportions
and some of the large railroads have
sent representatives to foreign coun-
tries to check up the available supply
Of timber and large shipments of ties
are being received from time to time
by almost all the western roads.
The progressive spirit. so dominant
among Santa Fe officials, has enabled
them to keep abreast of the times in
this respect. and the treatment of ties
with p-reservatiyes, to increase their
durability, and the planting of several
thousand acres of eucalyptus trees TO
furnish a future supply are two meth
DDS which they have employed in or
der to overcome excessive costs for tie
timber.
They have. however, followed the
matter up still further and experiments
are now being conducted with the
view OF replacing the ordinary rail
spike with n screw spike, as they have
found that the ordinary spike when
driven into the tie. distorts the fiber
of the wood to such an extent as to
hasten its deterioration.
The screw spike does no. impair the
fiber in the least and possesses three
times the holding capacity of the or
binary spike, but is not now in gem
eral use due to excessive cost OF appli-
cation.
This difficulty has been overcome
by designing a special hand car equip
ped with a gasoline engine and suit
able mechanism for drilling holes and
screwing in the spikes. 50 hat two
men can apply spikes faster han the
average sized section gang car lay the
ties.
Tests with this machine nave proved
very satisfactory and it is expected
that the use of the screw spike will be
extended to all points of the system
as rapidly as facilities will permit.
To further prolong the life Of the
ties, a new machine is being designed
to drill the spike holes I'm the tie pre-
vious to applying the treating solu-
lion. as this Will permit the preserva-
tive 10 reach the portion of the tle
exposed through the application of the
spike.
A mile Of track built with the screw
spike has been In operation near To-
peka for some time and has been
found TO be fully up to the eXpecta-
lions of the railroad people.