The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-01
Rock Island Preparing to Double
Track to the West.
First Topeka Harrington Work
Will Extend to Mcfarland.
BUY RIGHT OF WAY.
Options on Land Being Secured
by Engineering Department.
Traffic Too Heavy for Single
Track to Handle.

Following the visit of President NJ. U.
Nudge of the Chicago, Rock Island &
Pacific to Topeka, the engineering de-
partment of this district of the Rock
Island with headquarters in this city
has received orders to obtain an option
on the land bordering the right of way
between Topeka and Harrington, dis
lance of 50 miles.
If the engineering department is able
to obtain this land and the necessary
arrangements can be made at once, the
work of laying double track from To-
peka to Mcfarland and later on 70
Harrington will commence in go days. At
any rate the officials of the Rock Island
are preparing for the work and it is ex-
pected that the first shovel full of dirt
will be thrown by spring.
The double tracking of the line be-
tween Topeka and Harrington has been
contemplated for some time and has al
ways been conceded by the officials as
being a necessary move in the near
future. Following the inspection trip OF
President Nudge and other officials the
work was given an impetus and it is
announced definitely that within so
days the work between Topeka and
Mcfarland will commence.
The distance from this city to Nc
Farland is 50 miles. From Mcfarland
to Harrington is 80 miles 1t is hardly
thought that the double track will be
extended to Harrington this spring but
that it will be completed to Mcfarland
IS a conclusion reached and agreed
upon by all of the officials of the road.
Immense Amount of Traffic.
The increased traffic between Topeka
and Herfngton and Topeka and McFar-
land has demanded the construction of
another track. There is no other way
for the Rock Island to get the trains
over the road without losing time. Dur
ing the last year or SO since the influx
of the California trade the Rock Island
has directed it's energies toward the
southwest and the Golden state.
With the additional train service to
California and the southwest the Rock
Island has crowded its western lines
with both freight and passenger work
At Harrington the main line to Okla
homa. Texas and the south parts from
the line to California At this point the
heavy traffic from both the south and
the southwest combine and come di-
rectly to Topeka.
At Mcfarland the Colorado and
northwestern Kansas traffic meets the
south and southwest work and all three
use the same rails to Topeka and Kan
sas City. With this heavy service from
California Colorado and the south all
carried over the one line from McFar-
land to Topeka it can be seen that 1t IS
getting to be almost an impossibility 20
carry the passenger service over the
steel without losing time at meeting
points-not taking into consideration
the sandwiching of the freight service
New steel just Laid.
The strip of go miles between To-
lpeka and Mcfarland has just been
given a heavy steel line OF ralls-the
heaviest and the best on the market.
The line from Topeka to Harrington
has recently been protected by the lat
est and best improved system OF auto
matte block signals. The cost of in
stalling this block signal system alone
amounted to $4,000 mile or over
oitU m H6rin ctOn
Since the installation of these blocks
the Rock Island has not had a wreck
on the Topeka Harrington strip and the
trains have made the best time in the
history. of the road, in spite OF the
congestion of new traffic, 90
To double track will cost practically
the same as the block signal work.
The present right of way extending
from Topeka to Willard will call for
as much money as the rest of the
work combined. Between Topeka and
Willard the Rock Island has cut into
the big hillsides into rock and sand
and the heavy steel perfectly ballasted
follows the river and the hills during
the whole distance. To double track
along this distance means an expendi-.
ture of thousands of dollars in cutting
through the hills and widening the
present right of way. This will be
the first duty of the engineering de-
partment.
Topeka will be made the headquar-
ters of the double track work The
officials in charge are located here
Superintendent Smalley and Division
Engineer Stone. The work between
Topeka and Willard, which will occupy
the most time. will be carried on di-
rectly out of this city and all work
trains. construction gangs and the like
will use the Topeka yards. The double
tracking of the Rock Island out of
this city will mean additional service in
every way and will pave the way to
greater things from the Rock Island
for Topeka.