The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-09-22
new RAILS DOWN
Rock Island to Relay Topeka
Mcfarland Track.
The Work Will Be Commenced
at Once.
ITO HCE HEAVY STEEL
70 USE HEAVY STEEL.
Heavy Freight Traffic Makes
This Necessary.
improvement Has Been Long
49, in Contemplation.

Before the week is over the Rock
Island railroad will have a force OF lou
men at work relaying the track between
Topeka and Mcfarland. distance or
81 miles. The old rails which weigh
40 pounds to the yard will be replaced
with IS pound rails-the heaviest MADE
This is an improvement which has long
leen considered, but which other I'M
provcment has made impossible at an
earlier date.
The work of laying the new SO-pound
rails on the line between Topeka ana
Horton is going along at rapid rate
The new rails have been laid Tor a
distance of 20 miles. which is a little
over half way. The distance between
Topeka and Horton is so miles. This
work was started in May. One nun
dred and fifty men are now employed
on this pob.
The work between Topeka and Nc
Fariand has oeen under contemplation
for some time, as it was part OF the
general Improvement plan which the
officials of the company announced last
spring 1t was at one time planned
to double track the line between To-
peka and Mcfarland, but this was
abandoled by the panic of 1907. rms
t. an improvement which will come at
later time. probably next year.
The line between Topeka and Nc
Farland is one of the most important
on the entire system. as it handles all
the traffic west of Kansas City and
Topeka From Topeka the Colorado
California AMI Texas business is all
handled over this line. All the west
bound passenger and freight trains
PASS over this stretch of track. From
Mcfarland the Colorado trains go north
to -Belleville where they join the north !
ern main line from Chicago and Omaha.
Z he Oklahoma, Texas and California
trains go southwest from Mcfarland |
Herirgton, where a branch line |
takes the trains for southwestern Kan |
eas. !
All Goes Over One Line.
In this way all the freight traffic, |
which is now reaching the high water |
mar kof the roads history, is carried |
over this 32-mile stretch of track.
Most of the freight for Chicago goes
over the branch between Topeka and
going on into St. Joseph and
being carried from there into Chicago.
None but the Kansas City freight
goes east from Topeka and this over
the main line of the Union Pacific
over which the Rock Island operates
by a lease of a number of years. The
Union Pacific is double tracked be-
tween Kansas City and Topeka. With
the new heavy track between Topeka
and Mcfarland, the Rock Island will
have one of the finest stretches of
track in Kansas. :,
Then work would have commenced
several days ago had it not been for
the delay in getting the material on
the ground. The steel rails are al
ready scattered along the right of
way. The bolts however, have not
been turned out of the factory as fast
as was expected and this has caused
he delay. They are, however, on the
way now, and the work will be COM
nenced Friday or Saturday, and will
be well under way by the first of the
week. The work will be done grad
tally so that traffic will be interfered
With in no way.
The men are already to go to work, ]
md the officials who are in charge of
he work are now organizing the diff :
erent gangs so that the work can be !
lone with as great ia cility as possible | s
The cost of this Improvement has not I
been given out but it will require an
of several hundred thou
and dollars on the part of the Rock
sland stockholders. L