Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-12-01
DUKE CITY SHOPS OF SANTA FE
MAKE MOST MODERN ENGINE
REPAIR PLANT IN THE u. S.

modernly equipped locomotive re-
pair shops in the United States,
the newest and largest on the San
ia Fe railroad and the second largest
of any shops west of Chicago will
be ready on March / to give en-
ployment to 1920 mechanics. The
new million dollar shops being
erected hero by the Atchison, To-
peka and Santa Fe railroad wero
thrown open yesterday to members
OF the Kiwanis club and their
guests for tour of inspection.
Tho visitors expressed them
selves as being amazed at the enor-
nifty Of the plant and it's facilities,
no idea of the extent Of which can
be obtained from outside inspec-
ton. D. E. Barton, superintendent
of the shops, J. r. Leveridge, SUI
perintendent of the installation of
the machinery and other officials
acted as guides through the shops,
explaining the present status Of
construction and describing ma
chinery yet to be installed.
Imagine a great cube, light and
airy. 604 feet long and 243 feat
wide and so feet high, studded
above with monster cranes and be-
low with dark engines. with vistas
through the tall metal supports to
the white glass walls which enclose
the entire space. That is the first
conception of the main shops
building, not nearly equipped as
yet.
The north side Of the building Is
left open for the nine overhead
cranes which will be installed
while the south side is divided into
two floors for special shop work.,
apprentice class rooms and locker
rooms. Three elevators and four
stairways serve the upper floors.
The entire building is heated by
two enormous hot air furnaces
overhead and Is lighted by cleo
tricity.
Two cranes OF the nine ordered
have arrived and are being in
stalled, One of these has a span of
SIS feet and a carriage the entire
GOA feet of the shop. It has ca
pacity of fifteen tons. The king of
cranes, the largest built, is yet to
be installed. It will have a 92-foot
span and a capacity of 260 tons.
1t will be able to lift a locomotive
into the air nine feet above other
locomotives and move 1t to any
part of the building.
The shop will be conspicuously
empty of the usual connecting
belts, each piece OF machinery hav- !
ing its own electric motor. The
is all of the latest mod !
OILS. some OF the pieces never hay |
ing been used by the Santa Fe rail. |
road. One of these is a grinding
machine for piston rods adjusted
to grind to -thousandth of an
men, the first ever. used by the
company.
Upstairs on the south side of the
guiding are a number of special
work shops the electrical repair
'oom' a tool manufacturing shop, a
BRASS room for making the numer-
ous small fittings on locomotive
he air room where all air parts
are repaired and tested ont and
the workmen's lockers and study
rooms. '0''
FOR the accommodation of the
'orkmen and apprentices are large
'ooins on the second floor. One
school room which will be |
uily equipped with desks and
'tudy tables for the students in thief
apprentice school, of which there
VIII be about $50 when the shops
re going at full capacity. Here
ne boys will be trained in tnechan-
cal drawing and other technical
knowledge needed for their trade
n all departments. This training
vii be given at the expense of
ne company. The room beyond
locker room for the workmen,
quipped with thousand steel
ana many rows of lava
cries with hot water.
In the center of the main floor.
convenient to all departments is
ne tool room where about 100000
Worth of implements will be kept
nder lock and key. These Will
e checked out to the workmen
$ needed. Eighteen thousand dol
ars worth of new tools has been
rdered for the new shops and will
e delivered within thirty days. The
lue print room equipped with large
perpendicular racks for the filing
II blueprints under an accurate
eference system, and a sub-store
DOM occupy the lower floor on
he south side. The sub-store will
AIRY small quantities of supplies,
UGH as various grades of oil, from
he main store house.
me new power plant which Is
cling installed south of the shops
uilding will be the largest on the
anita Fe system. The work has
cen retarded on the power plant
ecause of delay in giving the con-
act, thus postponing the opening
the shops for three months after !
anuary first, the original date set.
I the new power plant there will
. five additional boilers. making !
total of nine. These will be auto :
atically stocked.
The four standing smoke stacks
Ill be supplanted by one large one {
reinfOrCad pnporofa OAA fan+ | T.