The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-07-12
RAILROAD NEWS.
Rock Island to Spend a Half
Million in Kansas.
~WiH Improve Roadbed of Line
From Topeka to Horton.
RAILS AND BALLAST.
VIII Be Entirely Renewed on
This Fifty Mile Stretch.
Other Items of Interest in
Railway Circles.

Horton, Kan, July 12--Few people
outside those actually engaged in the
railroad business realize how much
money it costs to build. keep in repair
and operate a railroad. The outsiders
read an item that a railroad is valued
at SO many thousand dollars a mile and
it seems absurd-it seems that cou-
pie of strips of iron nailed onto wood
cross-pieces could be put down and
kept on the ground for at least $1,000
a mile, maybe a whole lot less. So the
announcement that the Rocke Island
railroad is now putting in new steel on
the Kansas division between Horton
and Topeka created no stir and hardly
sny comment, except from railroad men
themselves.
1t round numbers it is 80 miles from
Horton to Topeka, over an ordinarily
level country. New steel rails SOUND
WELL and the outsider, II ne CONSIDERS
the matter at ALL probably thinks the
railroad may have to spend several
thousand dollars to put them down on
this 50-nile stretch of track. Ii the
outsider was to make a guess how near
to the actual cost of this work do you
suppose he would come? Not within a
mile of it. 1t will cost the Rock IS
land about 100000 to put down the new
steel between here and Topeka, pick
up the old stuff. reballast and leave the
track in first-class shape That isn't
much-onIy $4,000 a mile-just half a
TlllllOn 10 MAKE ILL L1OQA A4AC < 4ANNA~
more comfortable.
The new steel now coming into Hor-
ton and being unloaded along the line
by Roadmaster J. D. Sullivan and his
men is what is known as reroiled 80
pound rails. The rails were laid on
the Illinois division two or three years
ago and at that time were new 80
pound steel. They were later taken up
sent to the mill, the ends cut off and re-
rolled. They are now the same as new
rails. except that they weigh only 20
pounds to the yard. A gang of 90 10
so trackmen will be gathered mere ana
started to work laying steel about July
To- It will take them six to eight weeks
TO put in the steel between here ana
Topeka.
The tracklayers will be followed by
gangs that win pick up the old steel, !
spikes, etc, and load it on cars The
old rails will go into switch tracks and
yards at various points, while lot or
the spikes and other stuft Will go into
the. scrap pile. Following this gang
will probably come the ballast men, who
VIII level up the roadbed, put in new
ballast and new ties where needed. In
the neighborhood of 800 men will be
working on the 50-mile stretch of track |
between Horton and Topeka and most !
OF them will be kept at work untlI snow
flies Does that mean spending some |
money? 1t surely must. and it seems |
that the dinner pail is full one once
more. The cheapest laborers IN the
pangs will be paid almost $3.50 day. |
4
gangs, but white laborers can also get
work by applying for it and they Will
have bunk cars of their own to sleep
in. as we'll as dining cars for their own
use.
II takes 14S tons of this steel per
mile for a single track. This is 7,400
tons for the so miles, or IA, 500, 900 pOpnds
of steel in the rails alone, not counting
the angle bars, tie plates, bolts. nuts.
mt locks. spikes. etc. This little stuff
NAV not be considered a very big item,
but the cost of spikes alone runs $40
to the mile and the other material in
proportion. Here's something else the
man outside the business would never
think of. When the spike is pulled from
the tie to take up the old rail q hole is
left in the tie Should the hole remain
as if is it would fill with water when
the rain came and in time the tie
a. railroad 81 or more apiece and so to
nrotect the tie, a wooden plug has to
be driven into each old spike hole, like
filling the cavity in decayed tooth.
When the tie is properly plugged up 1t
will last as long as before.
When it comes to reballaSting, there
Is another big job. The Rock Island is
VOW burning gumbo for ballast between
St. Joseph and Kansas This gumbo
is baked like brick and after weeks of
cooling it is broken up into fragments
and makes ballast as good as crushed
rock 1t will cost the Rock Island $780,
O00 to ballast and make the fills neces-
sarv between here and Topeka. For one
4hing' is it estimated that $50, 600 wards
of earth are necessary to bring low
spots up to the proper level. Many new
ties will have to be put in and as there
are 1000 ties to the mile. or $50 600 from
alone will be no small expense, should
even a small per cent of them have to
be taken out.
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