East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1910-12-28
NEW COMPANY WILL
DOUBLE TRACK ROAD
o.-W. X. y y. WILL HAVE
TWO SETS OF RAILS
Successor To o. Il. n y. VIII Make
ImprovcMent i'm Track from Port
land TO Dcschutes-More 10 Come
Later.

the line of the WaShmgtOn
Railroad x Navigation company be-
tween Portland and Deschutes-a dis
tance of 104 miles-wiu be double
tracked and arrangements will have
been made TO extend the second set of
rails toward the eastern boundary OF
the state, says the Oregonian
1t is probable the work TO Deschutes
will be completed within one or two
years, but no definite plans to this
END have been made.
When the new Peninsula tunnel is
completed, soon after the first of the
year, the recently-constructed line
from Portland to Troutdale can be
used as a second main line and while
it will not parallel the track up Sui
livan's gulch can very we'll serve in
a general double-track pran.
Part of the work on the double
track, 16 miles long. between The
Dalles and Deschutes already has been
done and will be completed early in
1911.
Several "Iions'' Are i'm Path.
Surveys have been made between
Troutdale and The Dalles and this
work can be done on short notice. The
distance from Troutdale to The Dalles
is only 20 miles. Some difficult en-
| gineering will be encountered in build
| ing this piece of track, as several tun-
nels will have to be cut and some
heavy grading will be necessary. The
feat, however is not at all impracti-
| cable and could be accomplished with
| !, A1 mn oh
of the other railroad work done in the
northwest in the last few years. Es-
Inmates of the cost, it is said, have
been on file in the Hartman offices
for some time.
| 1t is understood the policy of the
new company is to build a small
amount of second track between
Troutdale and The Dalles each year
until the entire project is completed,
but should necessity demand the gap
of 20 miles could be closed in less
| than one year.
With the ever-inereasing volume OF
! business on the old O. r. & n. line,
the need of the second track has been
apparent for several years. With the
extension of several branch roads
south from the main track the neces-
sity has become more pronounced.
Second Track VIII Be Needed.
| When the Deschutes line into Gem
trail Oregon is completed sufficient
added business will be handled over
this road to justify the immediate
| building of the second set OF rails, it
| is believed. If the business IS not OBJ
tained at the start the development
that will be given the interior portions
Of the state as a result of the Des-
chutes extension is expected TO pro-
vide it in the course of three or four
years
constantly-increasin trade between
Portland and the towns or eastern
oregon and the growth of the busi-
ness from the east into this city also
are considered factors in the move
ment of Hartman officers to build
the double track over the most-used
portions of the road as early as pos
sible.
Whether the work east of Deschutes
will be done in the next four or five
years depends greatly upon the finan-
cIaI progress of the new corporation.
Inc eastern OFFICIALS, IL is uHueTSlOOu,
have in mind the further extension Of
the lines In Oregon and Washington
and several projects now are being
considered that will be taken Up be-
fore the parallel track is given defis
mite attention.
Some Of the work in eastern Ore
gon will be finished first. but this
very development, it 10 expected will
give additional cause for double track
ing.
1t has been the ambition of some
local officers of the company to see
two sets of rails side by side all the
way from Portland 10 Huntington.
The completion of the stretch be-
tween this city and Deschutes will
leave nearly three-fourths of that un-
dertaking incomplete. Yet it is ex-
pected the necessity for the work on
the eastern end Of the road VIII arise
much more rapidly and become more
pronounced than that on the western
end.
While the officers of the company
state they expect to see double-track-
ing completed eventually, nothing
definite has yet been done.