The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1916-09-19
CALIFORNIA BRANCH
LINES FOR W. P.

The first of the half-dozen branch
lines and extensions that will serve
as feeders for the reorganized West
ern Pacific railroad to be rushed to
completion, will be a twenty-four-
mile spur, connecting with the main
line of the road near Keddie, in Plu-
mas county. which will be ready for
operation before December 1, says
the San Francisco Chronicle.
| The construction contract for this
branch has been let to the Utah Con-
struction company, which will rush
the work of grading the roadbed and
laying track from mile post 277, three
miles west of Keddie, in the Feather
River canyon. The spur will run to
the mines of the Engells Copper COM
pany, and will also tap a large part
of the lands of the Red River Lumber
company.
Following the report that the West
ern was to enter the San Joaquin
valley over the line of the Tidewater
to Turlock, constructing its own line
from Turlock south, local railway Of
fcials recalled that it was Western
Pacific engineers that built the Tide
water Southern bridge over the Stan
islaus river, and that the rail in the
latter road was purchased by the
Western Pacific from the San Pedro,
Los Angeles and Salt Lake railroad
and loaned to the Tidewater. These
facts are taken as indicating that for
several months at least, there has
been a tacit understanding that the
Tidewater road would be absorbed by
the Western Pacific.
At the local offices of the Western
Pacific word has been received that
the first twenty box cars of the order
for 1000 modern steel cars placed
with the Pullman company some time
ago, and totaling $1,000,000, have left
the Chicago shops of the builders,
and that others will follow at the
rate of twenty or more a week.
These new box cars will be hauled
empty to the mines at Castle Gate
or Helper, Utah, on the Denver & Rio
Grande, where they will be loaded
with coal for San Francisco. This
action on the part of the D. & R. G.
is expected to materially relieve the
coal situation in this city, and to
ward off further advances in the coal
market which have been expected TO
follow the increase of 81 per ton that
went into. effect September |.
Another equipment order that has
been estimated to total $1,000,000 will
be placed in the East shortly. and it
is to close these contracts, it is be-
lieved, President Charles M. Levey is
now in the East. Tt Is understood in
railroad circles that the new orders,
which will be mainly for freight cars,
will be distributed among several
Eastern car foundries, with the Pull
man company and the Pittsburg
Pressed Steel Car company getting
the lions share. Levey, it is said, will
insist upon early delivery of the new
rolling stock.
Speculation was rife in local rail-
road and banking circles yesterday as
to whether the Burlington road was
behind the quiet buying of Western
Pacific shares that has been going on
recently.
It is understood that the Burling-
ton is backing the completion of the
Denver and Salt Lake railroad-the
Moffat 1ine-from Craig. Colorado,
255 miles west of Denver, to Salt
Lake City. This line, when completed,
will give a route between Denver ana
Salt Lake 200 miles shorter than the
Denver & Rio Grande. Coupled with
the Burlington and Western Pacific,
it would give a transcontinental route
for through traffic much shorter than
the shortest existing line. 1t is said
the Moffat road will be completed in
to Salt Lake by January l, 1918.