Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-01-01
RAILROADS E&PEND MILLIONS.
improvements in Iowa in Roadbed and
Terminals Enormous.

Des Moincs, Jan. If the gold
which the railroads have dumped into
Iowa during the year just closed could
be taken out OF the ground, 1t would
start a stampede in which the scenes
OF the Klundike would be repeated in
more frenzied form.
Perhaps the heaviest expenditure by
any one road in this state has been
for the double ira ,lling of the MilWau-
kee. The work which extends practi-
cally across the state is not completed,
but the cost of This work alone is es-
timuted at $S,000,UO0. Practically ne"
road has been built west Of Van Horn.
Grades and curvcS have been elm :
mated in the effort to shorten the dis
lance between Chicago and Omaha.
The most imposing feature OF the
work is the erection OF Il bridge over
the DcS MOnos river to cost approx"
mntely $4,000, 900. 1t Will be nearly 4
mile long and it will be the highest
ana longest GoIble track bridge in this
country if not in the world. The work
of building q new round house, repair
shops, freight yards and other i'm
provcmcnts at Perry will also amount
10 thousands of dollars.
New Rock Island Cutoff.
The Rock Island has spent c0nsid-
cradle money strengthening bridges
and replacing its tracks with heavier
steel to accommodate the heavier type
of engines and steel cars, which it is
putting into service. bat its heaviest
piece OF work is the construction of the
Allcrton cutoff TO connect its newly ac'
uuircd line between Des MOines and
st. Paul with its Kansas City hica-
go main line. This road is Incorporated
as the st. Paal & Kansas City Short
Line. which is doing the work. but it
is Rock Island child, and when COM
plctcj' it viii give the Rock Island al
most an airline from St. Paul to Kan
sas City via Dos Muines.
some grading and about fifteen miles
of track are yet to be completed south
of Dallas.
The estimated cost of building the
new road is $50. 600 per mile. This in
cludeS the cost Of seven or eight sta
ton buildings at small stations along
the way. and which Will bring the cost
to nearly $5.00C.000. a station to be
erected at AlieCton, where the Des
Moines Short Line will connect with
the main line of the Rock Island is not
included in the estimate. At Mason
City the road expended thousands Of
dollars for its new freight yards. round
house and other improvements.
The most important event of the year
was the removal to this city Of the
operating headquarters of the COM
pany This brought the general man
ayers office from Chicago with a large
corps of clerks. and the engineering
and maintenance departments from
Davenport. An assistant general pas
senger agent office was also located
in Des Moines in charge of Hal S.
Ray.
Plans New Freight Yards.
Among the Improvements outlined
for the coming year are new freight
yards on the east side, a large round
house repair shops and other improve
ments. Six figures will be necessary 10
write the final cost Of these improve
mentS.
The Burlington, at cost of about
$4,000, has just erected a new freight
house on Sixth street with increased
freight ward facilities This year the
old freight house on Fourth street is
to be RACED and additional freight
yards are to be put in. Among the i'm
proVements contemplated by the com
pany is q system of Industrial tracks
on the east side.
The Burlington has also built new
freight and passenger stations at 9TH
er Iowa points along its line.
The Great Western has made . large
number Of trackage improvements and
has finished handsome 100000 pas
sengcr station for Oelwein. It's round
house at south Des Moines was prac-
tiCally rebuilt ANA remodeicd.
The Fort Dodge Des Moines &
Southern, during the past year re-
placed its wooden bridges over the Das
NnineS river with a 100000 steel
structure and finished the electrifyin2
Cc the Rock Island tracks from An
keny, so that II enters Des Nn;nrs over
the steam tracks into the Rock Island
depot 1t is now putting in an improved
automatic safety block system. The
work is finished as far as Boone.