The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-01-05
Passenger Equipment on West
ern Roads i'm Fine Condition.
Fifty Per Cent of New Cars Are
All Steel Construction.
TOPEKA FORTUNATE.
Rock Island, Santa Fe and
Union Pacific Lead.
Other Items of General Interest
in Railroad Circles.

If the travelling public of the west
have any doubts as to the intentions of
the great western railroad systems in
providing for their comfort and their
safety they will place in mind the fact
that of all the passenger equipment or
dered for the last year, 1909, so per cent
Of the passenger cars were of all steel
construction, II per cent called for steel
underframes and only % per cent Of
the equipment ordered had the COM
plete wooden features.
The passenger equipment ordered by
the western railroads this year-espe-
cially with the Rock Island, the Santa
F'e and the Union Pacific, roads doing
big business through Topeka-has far
exceeded the orders of past years. 1t
points out distinctively that in spite of
the nonpayable returns of the passen-
ger work the railroads are making
every possible move to protect ard ac-
commodate its passenger service.
The a1l-slee1 passenger car is really
new feature in the railroad world but
it has been taken up with great en-
thusiasm and expense by the railroad
companies-it has made such a radical
increase that so per cent of the entire
equipment called for the all-stee1 cars.
The railroads are placing themselves
to a great expense in buying such
equipment. An al1-steel or steel Under
frame car looks at first sight like a dis
tinct loss to the railroad company.
They are heavy, weighing as much as
a Pullman, and they have greatly in
creased the weight and the tonnage of
the passenger trains on all the big lines.
With all of this additional weight and
expense the railroad companies have
been obliged to purchase bigger loco
motives and better motive power.
However, it will be noticed that the
popularity of the all-steel passenger car
has become SO general that all of the
standard railroad systems are adopt
ing them in their service Through To-
peka, for example, the Rock Island has
recently established on practically all of
it's trains the new all-steel super
structure and wood inside finish equip
ment. The Union Pacific has made a
general use of the steel and the Santa
F'e is pulling long trains of solid steel
underframeS through this city.
1t is for the safety of the travelling
public and the protection of the COM
panies that this steel car movement has
been taken up with such favor. An all
steel car has all the advantages over
the old wooden shells. In a collision it
does not buck up, break into pieces
and mingle the bodies of the passen-
gers. Afterwards there is no chance
for fire and additional death lists
from this source. In a leave the rail''
wreck the cars are bound together So
solidly that they are practically known
as non-wreckable. The cars have been
known to roll down high entertainments
and finally settle with uninjured pas
sengers climbing out of every window.
There is only one thing that the rail-
roads have to contend with on these
new steel cars and that is the weight
To construct them in such a manner
that they will not pull like a train of
P0llmans is the ambition of the build
ers- The steel car. however, has every
advantage from noninf1ammable and
immunity from consequence of wreck
standpoint. The standard practice of
the country is now based on the steel
construction both in the passenger and
freight equipment
The railroads are also paying more
attention to the comfort of the passen-
gers in their service. The improved
heating systems. The ventilation ideas
which are used on the western roads in
both winter and summer and the in
terror decorations and comforts are all
combining to make travel a delight in
stead Of a duty.