The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-10-08
Huge Undertaking in Sixth
Avenue Work Plans.
ALL LINES ARE AFFECTED
Service Throughout City Cut
Of on ThOrOughfare.
Finest CrOSSOver Work in ANY
Western City.

The operation of a complete down
town loop system and the permanency
of the most complicated cross-over
construction in the history of Topeka
electric lines will be inaugurated next
week when the Topeka Railway COM
pany finishes the rebuilding and re-
newal of the tracks at Sixth and Kan
sas avenue. incidentally the street
car company is handling its entire city
traffic without a break in service with
the exception of universal transfer
over the construction work.
The renewal of the Sixth avenue
crossing of the Topeka Railway COM
pany carries with it one of the highest
types of street car track building work
in electrical circles The automatic
electrification of a double track cross
over with three distinct curves maxi
ing complete loop is a proposition
that calls for the highest workman
ship in roadway construction. In To-
peka the Sixth avenue cross-over VIII
be made complete by a curve across
the northeast street corner, giving a
circuit between Kansas avenue and
West Sixth avenue, Kansas avenue and
East Sixth avenue and Kansas avenue
and East Sixth avenue on the north
east in front of the building of the
Capitol Building & Loan association.
Nearly $4,000 is required to buy
the material, and pay for the work
and accompanying increase in operat-
ing expense as result of the plans
for the downtown loop and the per-
Breaks Up Entire System.
The operation of the entire system
of the Topeka Railway company is
frustrated as result of the renewal
of the Sixth avenue crossing. All the
cars on the nine lines affected are
running and scheduled time is main
tanned, but it is necessary to place ad-
ditiOnal cars in service and operate
"trippers" for the convenience of pas
sengers during the busy hours of the
morning and evening.
The lines affected are North To-
.peka and Washburn, North Topeka
and Lowman, Washburn and Santa
,Fe, Country club and Santa Fe, West
Tenth. West Eighth and Potwin, South
Topeka and Asylum, Cemetery and
West Fourth, and the Oakland inter-
urban.
Despite the fact that time on these
lines has to be maintained in separate
and distinct service on both sides of
the Sixth avenue work, no accidents
have occurred and the schedules are
held under the original time.
To a person riding from the south
side to North Topeka the operation
through the intricacies of switches
and cross-overs seems in a tangle. To
the officials of the Topeka Railway
company and the employees the cars
run smoothly and without a mystery
to the operators.
Extra cars are used on nearly every
line in the city, "trippers'' are placed
in service in the rush hours, extra men
are placed along Kansas avenue to
keep the public informed concerning
the running time of cars, flagmen and
watchmen are employed to set
switches and aid in the operation of
cars.
The construction work at Sixth and
Kansas avenue is a solid manganese
work-the finest steel and materials
made. 1t is the first time this cross
over has been renewed since 1903 and
the officials believe that it will not be
necessary to renew the rails again for
at least Is years and possibly 20 years.
1t is estimated by the officers that
the tracks will be ready for use in one
week. 1t will have required two
weeks to make the change. 1t will
take few days for the concrete to
set after the street is opened and
the paving relaid and the company
has asked the public to bear with
them these few days.
eff we hurry over new concrete we
will simply lose out on several thou
sand dollars worth of work" said
Howard Patten, superintendent, today.
1t is promised by the company that
the customary humping of cars over
the Sixth avenue crossing, experienced
for years by the Topeka patrons, will
be done away with under the new con-
work. The solid and heavy
steel construction will hold solid
joints.
The work was planned and carried
out by Albert NJ. Patten, assistant gem
eral manager of the Illinois Traction
company in charge of the Kansas lines
and Howard Patten, superintendent of
the railway lines in Topeka.