The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-09-04
PUT ON NEW TRAIN
Santa Fe Planning to Reduce
Time to Los Angeles.
New Service VIII Cut Several
Hours From the Schedule.
FOR NAIL CONTRACTS
Would Mean a Million and a
Quarter in Annual Revenue.
Western Roads All in Connect.
tion and Reducing Time.
FOR MAIL CONTRACTS

Within ten weeks+ff the unofficial
rumors emanating from Chicago are
to be beHeved-the Santa Fe will in
stan new train service between Chi
cago and Los Angeles which will be a
strictly mail and express train and
which will maintain a higher rate of
speed than any train now running on
the Santa Fe or any other road be-
tween these two points.
A Dig speed war is now on between
the western trunk lines which run be-
tween Chicago or Kansas City and
the Pacifc coast. The Burlington
seems to have started it. This road
Wltnout any previous warning a few
days ago announced a cut of two
hours In the running time between
Chicago and Denver. This road
even went further and announced its
intention OF running a train between
Chicago and Puget Sound which
would make the time between these
two points in sixty-two hours, which
is remarkable time. This train
VIII get most of the mail contracts
ment caught the other roads un-
awares and now steps are being made
by these roads to meet the time of
the Burlington and prevent this road
from getting all the big mail con-
tracts from the government.
None of the roads have announced
their intentions in this matter as yet.
Thursday afternoon in Chicago the
rumors of the Santa Fe's train which
is to get the mail contracts for the
southwest first gained circulation.
According to reports the other roads
Immediately got together to formulate
plans to prevent the Santa Fe gaining
too much headway with her plans for
new train.
The chances are that the new Santa
Fe train will start from Kansas City.
The Santa Fe has a good fast mail
service between Chicago and Kansas
City in No. which makes the fastest
time of any of the two trains between
these points. The new train could
make connections with No. at this
place and continue the run to Los
Angeles. Just what route 1t would
take is not known, but IT IS more like
ly that the train would run over the
new Belen cutoff, which has a
shorter mileage and fewer grades
than the main line.
In conference with one of the Har-
rlman officials in Chicago Friday morn
ng. George T. Nicholson, third vice
president of the Santa Fe, is said to
have practically admitted that his COM
lany is considering the inauguration of
he new train service and that it would
AXE place within a month. However,
his is not considered likely as the new
winter time card will not go into effect
before the first of November, and the
change II made at all would likely be
made at that time. The present run
hing time between Kansas City and Los
Angeles is 60 hours in round figures on
he fastest trains. This time will be
-educed by six or eight hours and it is
likely that the new train will make this
distance IN something like 50 or So
hours.
The new train service would make the |
santa Fe richer by hundreds of thou |
iands Of dollars every year, in mail |
contracts. The mail of southern Cali |
ornia would all be involved in the con- |
racts which this new train would Sc /
-Ure ana this amounts to about 81, ,250,- /
90 in annual revenue to the railroads. |
1t present the Santa Fe has a portion /
# this mail, but +he aggregate volume is |
iivided between the Santa Fe, Rock Is
and and Southern Pacific With the
lew train the Santa Fe would be in a |
,osition to handle all this mail
Nothing definite is known about this
rain by the local Santa F'e officials.
The proposed service hasn't been work
d out in all its details as yet and no
ficial announcement is likely for some
ime. But those who are in a position
c know claim that the train is a GER
ainty and that it will be making fast
ime to the coast within a very few
weeks.