Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-01-01
union PACIFIC
PUTS MILLIONS
INTO PROPERTY
Regardless of War, Overland
Road Is Kept Up to High
est Point of Traffic
Efficiency.

w hhS SooQ MANY u Inc Idll-
roads of the country were running
pretty close to shore in the matter
of expending money last year, the
Union Pacific, with the authority
of the Railroad War board expend-
ed $l0,46l 900 on new work and
betterments.
Included in the new work along
the line of the Union Pacific was
the renewal of 1878 miles steel on
main line tracks. In Wyoming the
second track was extended l42 miles.
An interlocking plant was installed
at Hastings. Four l50-ton track
scales were put in.
in the way of new passenger sta
tons, commodious buildings were
erected in Grand Island and North
Platte, Neb., with still others in
Kansas and Wyoming. New coal
ing stations were erected in Grand
sland, Laramie and Kansas City.
New shop buildings were completed
in Omaha, Grand Island and Hast
lngs, Neb., Evanston, Wyo. and
Marysville, Kan. The erection of
roundhouses, machine shops and
other buildings was commenced in
Council Bluffs, Sidney, Cheyenne,
Green River and Junction City,
work to be completed this year.
Buys New Engines.
During last year the Union Pacific
acquired 50 new engines on its own
account and 20 through the United
States railroad administration. Dur
ing the same period it purchased
and put into use 1875 box, stock and
flat cars, besides getting 1000 from
the railroad administration.
During the year the company had
an average of 936 locomotives in
service daily.
Train mileage and the number of
passengers handled during the year
is something almost beyond the
comprehension of the layman. The
figures show that the passenger
trains on the road travelled 9,S87,-
O25 train miles as against 11,424,23O
during the previous year. During
1918 the passengers carried totalled
4,730,276, as against 5,330,634 in 1917.
Figuring it down still closer, the
mileage ridden during 1918 by all
the people travelling on the road
was equal to carrying 736,563,374
passengers one mile.
Hauled Many Soldiers.
The transportation of soldiers
was an important item. During
1917 the company operated 372
troop trains, carrying l27,60S men.
In 1918, the troop trains aggregated
S72. they handling 35O,674 men.
Commercial freight handled during
the year aggregated 16,o70,000 tons.
OF this 1000 carloads originated at
and $4,000 carloads terminated at
army environments.
The number of freight cars on
the company lines during 1918 aver
aged 2l,9OO and passenger cars, 800
per day. Engines hauling freight
averaged lis and those hauling pas
senger trains, l65 miles day. Mile
age made by freight cars averaged
oo.3 and passenger. 800 day.
Burlington Improvements.
Improvements and betterments,
not including maintenance. cost the
Burlington $2,297,00O on the lines
west of the Missouri river. During
the year the rail requirements ag-
gregated $543,000. Second track
was laid from Crawford to Rutland,
Sheridan to Dietz and Ashland to
Greenwood. During the year, at
Phillips, near Grand Island, a
change was made in the line at a
cost of $l7l,300. At this point a
bridge was built over the Platte
river at cost of 10000.
Other Improvements made by the
Burlington during the year included
new terminals at Bridgeport, cost
ing $62,8O0; reservoir and pipe line
at Edgmont, $l75,000; water sta
tons. tanks, pipe lines, $4,000; bal
lasting, $60,000; automatic signals,
$3l 900; new sidings, $325,0O0; COM
pany buildings at Casper, Edgmont,
Lincoln, Havelock and Ravenna,
$243000
New work and building done by
the other roads operating into
Omaha was unusually light. The
Great Western built an addition to
its Omaha freight house at cost
of $4,000 and the Missouri Pacific,
at a cost Of some $4,000, erected
a freight depot to replace the one
destroyed by fire a number Of
months ago. The Northwestern
erected depot at Parkerton at
cost of $4,000, laid number of
passing tracks out on the line to
Wyoming and replaced about II
miles of steel.
Duri,n tho ,,o,r ~. Nf,,,a,..