Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 38, Number 77, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 June 1906 — THE RAILROADS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE RAILROADS

Recently, on the Rhodesian railway, above Victoria Falls, five and three-quar-ter miles of track were laid in twelve hours. It is reported that Vice President Todd of the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad is to head a new interurban railway system in Canada. The steel combine of Germany is said to have received orders for 45,000 tons of iron girders, ties and rails for the reconstruction of San Francisco. The trans-Alaska Siberia commission of St. Petersburg has adopted the regulations of the “Loicq de Lobel” project for uniting America and Europe by rail. The block system now being installed by the Lake Shore road has been completed and placed in Operation between Ashtabula and Buffalo. The system will b« extended to Chicago as rapidly as possible. The New York Central railroad management announces that on Sept. 1 tbs motive power of its multiplex railroad system, from the Gfand Central statio.i to Highbridge, will be changed from steam to electricity. At the same time the system will be changed from a left-hand to a right-hand road, that is, the trains that have been coming in to the left side will be shifted over to the right, as they ran before the alterations were begun. There will be forty-four tracks in operation. Everything must be ready for an instantaneous change at a given signal. Railroad men are discussing with much interest the great project of the B. F. Yoakum syndicate to establish a new and through line from the great lakes to Mexico City, with branch lines into the Northwest, This line is to reduce the traveling distance between Chicago and Mexico City more than 000 miles. The plan comes lo light in the purchase Of the Colorado and Southern by Yoakum, and it Is understood that the syndicate has both a construction and operating arrangement with the National railroad of Mexico. The Rock Island and Frisco systems are involved in the new route, and the DenverGalveston line is to be extended intq the wheat fields of the Northwest. All of the gnlf ports will be tapped, and it Is expected that the syudicate will come Into control of the Rock Island system, In which case Yoakum would control ths largest group of railroads in the United States. There are 13,000 miles of new railroad line under contract or construction at the present time in the United States. The Pennsylvania railroad has prepare ed its car order for 1907 delivery, covering about 20,000 steel cars, to cost approximately $23,000,000. The company now has under conatrootion 50,000 steel and steel frame cars. Delegatee appointed by tha Governors of ten Southern States and representatives of many Industries in the Snath mat In New York to organise the South era States’ immigration commission to aot as e njearin* house for labor for Ihe South.