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

Des Noincs Jan. If the gold
which the railroads have dumped INTO
Iowa during the year just closed couiu
be taken out OF the ground, II Wou!u
start a stampede in when the scenes
OF the klondike would be repeated ~!
more frenZied form.
Perhaps the heaviest expenditure "
any one road III this state mas peeh
for the double tracking OF the Mli"tu-
kee. The work which extends pracu-
cally across the state Is not colnpleleo'
but the cost OF this work alone IS es-
timated at $S000.00O. practically ne"
road has been built west OF Van horn.
Grades and curves 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 a brlose over
the Des Moin5s river to cost approx"
mately $4,000, O00. 1t Will be nearly
mile long and it Will be the highest
ana longest do.ble track bridge in TINS
country if not in the world. The work
of building a new round house. repair
shops, freight yards and other I'M
provemcnts at Perry will also amount
20 thousands of dollars.
New Rock Island Cutoff.
The Rock Island has spent cdnsid-
cradle money strengthening bridges
and replacing its tracks with heavier
steel To accommodate the heavier type
OF engines and steel cars, which 1t Is
putting into service bat its heaVlest
piece of work is the construction or tne
AllertCn cutoff 70 connect its newly ac-
u;ii,ed line between Des Noines ana
81, Paul with its Kansas City-thlca-
80 main line This road IS Incorporated
as the st. PaGl & Kansas City snort
Line which is doines the work. but II
is a Rock Island child, and when COM
p!eted it will give the Rock Island al
most an airline from st. PAU to Ran
sas City via Dcs Moines.
Some grading and about fifteen miles
of track are Yet to be completed sOuLA
of Dallas.
The estimated cost Of building the
new road is $4,000 per mile. This in
cludes the cost OF seven or elght sta
ton buildings at small stations along
the way and which Will bring the cost
TO nearly $1,000 900. \ station to BE
erected at Alie-ton, where the D>s
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 large
corps of clerks. and the engineering
| and maintenance departm ents from
Davenport An assistant general pas
scnger agent office was also located
in Des Mones 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, large round
house. repair shops and other improve
mcnts. Six figures Will be necessary ~
write the final cost Of these improve
mentS.
The Burlington, at 4 cost Of about
$50, 600, has just erected new freight
house on Sixth street with increased
freight ward facilities This year the
old freight house on Fourth street is
70 be RACED and additional freight
yards are to be put in. Among the i'm
provements contemplated by the com
pary is a system Of industrial tracks
on the east side.
The Burlington has also built new
freight and passenger stations at otn-
or Iowa points along lis line.
The Great Western has made large
number Of trackage improvements am!
has finished q handsome $4,000 pas
senger station for Oeiwein. Its round
house a south Des Moines was prac-
tiCally rebuilt ANA remodeled.
The Fort Dodge. Des Noines &
Southern, during the past year re-
placed it's wooden bridges over the Dss
Moines river with 100000 steel
structure and finished the electrifyinS
Of the Rock Island tracks from An
keny. so thai it enters D@s NoiGts o"er
the steam tracks into the Rock Island
depot 1t is now putting in an improved
autor?atic safety block system. The
work is finished as far as Boone.