The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-03-16
RAILROAD NEWS.
Rock Island Has Ordered New
Steel Passenger Cars.
Will Be Used ON All the Roads
Through Trains.
ARE INDESTRUCTIBLE.
New Coaches Will Replace All
Equipment Now in Use.
Other Items of Interest i'm Rail-
way Circles.

The Rock Island system has just let
contract for SO all steel passenger
coaches for use on its through trains
from Chicago to Colorado and from
i Chicago to southern points. The con-
tract was let to the American Car &
! Foundry company for construction at
the mammoth car shops at ST. Charles,
H., and it is expected that delivery of
the new equipment will begin May 1,
and that the order will be finished by
! the latter part of that month. The cost
of the new equipment will be more than
$1,000, 900.
The new cars will be put into service
! as soon as they are received from the
foundries, and it is stated from reliable
authorities of the Rock Island road
that the present order is the first of a
number of such that will be placed by
the Rock Island.
| A larger part of the present order of
new equipment will be put into service
between Colorado points and Chicago,
but as soon as the present order has
been filed another will be let for more
cars to be used on other parts of the
Rock Island system.
Officials of the road have been in
vestigating the merits and efficiency of
| cars of all-steel construction for many
months, and their decision to adopt this
| type of car as the standard for their
passenger service was the result of
| these exhaustive tests and investiga-
tons.
Soon after May 1 the Rock Island
trains which run to and from Pueblo
will be equipped with the all-steeI cars
which are coming to be recognized as
| the handsomest as well as the safest
+ cars known to the railroad world.
Included in the present order are 80
coaches, chair cars, a combination
baggage and mail car and two postal
cars.
The new cars are guaranteed to be
indestructible. and to Withstand any
possible shock which may be sustain
ed in the event of a collision. Thus the
great danger of cars telescoping in col
liSion IS eliminated. and travel is made
I as near absolutely safe as it is possible
to make it insofar as equipment is con-
cerned.
Many western railways have been
experimenting for some time with cars
of all-steel construction but the Rock
Island road is one of the first of the
western roads to actually adopt this
style of equipment as standard for its
lines, with the determination to replace
all of its old equipment with the new
steel cars.
The cars are said to- be constructed
also with an eye to beauty and COM
fort and there is the added safeguard
is almost wholly fireproof. A great
deal of the loss of life which occurs in
big railway collisions is due to the
burning of the cars following the COL
cars the use of wood or other inf1am-
mable materials is almost wholly elimi-
mated, a small strip of wood on the Win
dow stills, and another little strip on
the arm of the seat being about all the
wood used in their makeup.
Another feature which will likely meet
the approval of travellers is the fact
that the cars are so constructed as to
be easily kept clan, there being few if
any places that dirt can catch, or from
which it may not be easily removed