The San Francisco call., 1908-10-06
Gossip Of RaiIwaymen

Look here" said a district engineer
of the Utah Central railroad. which was
built by the famous John w Young. son
OF Brigham Young, to section fore
man, every trestle has number. l
can't say what trestle is burned until
know the number"
TT amt got no number" replied the
man. positively. It's got name
"A name?'' repeated the engineer, in
credulously, Cell, If it has a name.
John Young has the funniest ideas of
railroading 1 ever heard of. What is
the name?"
"I DOM exactly remember" answered
the man, but I'll get it for you."
A few days after he called on the
district engineer and said:
'T guess 1 was right. It's name Is
painted right across one of the beams.
Palace cafe"
All the highest officials of the Santa
Fe, including Paul Morton. who is chair
man of the executive board, rode over
the new Belen cutoff from BeIen to
Texico on their return east after at
tending the irrigation congress at Al
buquerque. The cutoff will be opened
shortly for public traffic. The reason
that it is not used at present is be-
cause the engineers are Strengthening
the bridges and ballasting the eastern
end, known as the Panhandle division,
as they want II In perfect condition be-
fore it is used for passenger trains. The
Belen cutoff Is one of the most impor-
tant railroad extensions in the west. as
1T cuts out the high grade over the
Glorietta mountains. and shortens the
time of the Santa Fe from this city to
Chicago by "a hours. The officials who
went over the cutoff were E P. Ripley.
president; j. w. Hendricks, second vice
president; George t. Nicholson. third
vice president: J. e. German, freight
traffic manager. and W. ]. Black, pas
senger traffic manager.
A large party of Southern Pacific
engineers has been set TO work IN the
Santa Cruz mountains making plans for
the new broad gauge line from Los
Gatos to Santa Cruz. 1t already has
been announced that this will be COM
pleted before the summer season opens.
The running time then for trains be-
tween here and Santa Cruz will be
from hours and Is minutes to hours
and 80 minutes. as against hours now.
The Southern Pacific will receive
shortly from the east two monster
freight locomotives to be used on the
run over the Sierra Nevada. One Of
these engines can do the work of two,
and whereas now four are required to
haul heavy train over the mountains,
two of the new engines will do the
work. One will be put at the head
of train and the Other in the middle.
These locomotives weigh $4,000 pounds
on the drivers. while the present con-
so1idation engines weigh 187, 900 pounds
on the drivers. The new engines are
not the largest in the world. for the
Erie has three locomotives which weigh
413. 900 pounds on the drivers.
Mark Reagan. stage line owner and
conductor of the San Juan OF the Pa
cific, running between Chittenden and
San Juan, is firm believer in railroads.
He is of the opinion that if the people
of San Juan had listened to the siren
voices of the agents Of the old Southern
Pacific. San Juan today would have been
one of the largest cities in the world
instead of being doomed to picturesque
solitude.
Il want to say said Reagan, that
the three men who discountenanced the
advent of the railroad into this city
all met with terrible end-they and