Miles

T

HE mileage of new lines and also of multiple main tracks built in the United States in 1927 was smaller than in the preceding year, although the year was characterized by great activity in construction and by heavy expenditures for additions and betterments to roadway and structures. The new lines completed totaled 779 miles, and the new second track aggregated 446 miles; as compared with 1,005 miles and 473 miles, respectively, in 1926. Approximately 900 miles of new lines were under construction at the end of the year, assuring a continuance of construction activities in 1928. The same factors which tended to

and remote control of passing track and outlying switches, again operated to keep the construction of other than second multiple main tracks at a comparatively small mileage.

These statistics are borne out by figures compiled by the Bureau of Railway Economics, which show additional tracks for the first nine months of 1927 amounted to $108,002,000 as compared with $124,084,000 during the same period in 1926.

New Routes Completed

Among the lines constructed during the past year are several which are important additions to the country's transportation facilities. One of these is the 63-mile double track line of the Chesapeake & Ohio between Gregg, Ohio, and Valley Crossing, which was built to give that company its own line for its heavy coal tonnage for northern and western markets. This line, which has a grade of 0.2 per cent against northbound traffic and 0.4 per cent against southbound traffic, was

6,000

5,000

4,000

U.S. Roads

3,000

a 40-mile extension from Lena, Miss., to Pearl river near Jackson, Miss., together with the building of 6.7 miles to a connection with this line by the New Orleans Great Northern, forms a new through route from the north to New Orleans, La., via the Metropolis, Ill., gateway at the Ohio river. The low grade double track freight line of the Pennsylvania, between Canton, Ohio, and Bayard, 14 miles, was completed and placed in service in 1927.

The St. Louis-San Francisco completed 57 miles (from East Aberdeen, Miss., to Aliceville, Ala.), of its 151-mile line to connect the parent system with its subsidiary, the Muscle Shoals, Birmingham & Pensacola, and thus provide a new through route to the port of Pensacola, Fla., on the Gulf of Mexico.

The Great Northern completed 47 miles of line south

Miles of New Line Completed in the United States Since 1893

Fritch, Tex., to Stinnett, as a portion of a new main line from Amarillo, Tex., to Liberal, Kans.

Florida Leads in New Mileage

Florida ranks first among the states in the construction of new lines in 1927, with a total of 124 miles, although this contrasts with 233 miles built in that state in 1926, the decrease being due to the completion of a large part of the programs of the Atlantic Coast Line and the Seaboard Air Line during the former year. The Seaboard Air Line completed its line from Miami to Homestead, 30 miles, during 1927, as well as a line

(Brownwood North & South)

Brownwood, Tex., to May.

17.65

Seaboard Air Line

Portion of Juneau Spur, south of Pembroke, Fla..

0.28

Dock Spur, Palmetto, Fla.

0.45

Buda, Fla., to Norwills.

9.84

Ekal, Fla., to Sumterville.

2.24

13.32

0.27

....

202.42

79.55

portion of its line constructed during the year from Meridian to Cromwell, Ala., 30 miles, and which is to be extended 20 miles to Myrtlewood, Ala. Texas, which was in first place in 1926, is third in 1927, with 93 miles of which the Southern Pacific built 38 and the Missouri Pacific 18 miles near the Mexican border south of San Antonio. The 20 miles built by the Rock Island has been mentioned and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe built a 10-mile branch in the Panhandle.

Large Mileage Under Construction

A large mileage of new lines was under construction

New Track Built in 1926

at the end of the year. Among the major items in this category, aside from the new line of the Frisco, which has been referred to, is included the low grade line of the Illinois Central from Edgewood, Ill., to Fulton, Ky., of which that portion from the Ohio river to Fulton, Ky., 42 miles, was placed in service during 1927, while work on the remaining portion in Illinois is well advanced. The Fort Worth & Denver South Plains, a subsidiary of the Colorado & Southern, which in turn is controlled by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, has pushed the work on the construction of its lines in the Panhandle of Texas, totaling 202 miles, with the probability that they will be completed early in 1928. The construction of 30 miles of line in the same general territory by the Quanah, Acme & Pacific, which is controlled by the St. Louis-San Francisco, is 75 per cent. completed. The Northern Pacific has 87 miles of branches under construction in Montana, while the lines of the Oregon, California & Eastern in eastern Oregon have been mentioned heretofore.

New Lines in Canada

Construction of new lines in Canada, totaling 310 miles, showed a decrease of 30 miles as compared with 1926. As in the preceding year, the greater portion of this mileage consisted of branches or extensions of branches in the western provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta, although some comparatively short lines and extensions were built to reach mining districts in Quebec and Ontario. The early completion of the Hudson Bay Railway was assured by the decision of the government to establish the northern terminal at Fort Churchill instead of at Port Nelson, as was originally planned, and the awarding of contracts for the 154mile extension from the present end of the track to Fort Churchill. The work will be done under the supervision of the Canadian National as agent for the government, this road having acted in the same capacity in the rehabilitation of the existing line of the Hudson New Track Built in 1927

Bay Railway from The Pas, Man., to Mile 332, and the 24-mile extension to Mile 356, which was completed in 1927. In addition, the government has awarded a contract for the construction of a branch from The Pas to the Flin Flon mining district in northern Manitoba, 85 miles. The only second track constructed in Canada during the year was a 32-mile section on the Molson cut-off of the Canadian Pacific between Molson, Man., and Winnipeg. At the end of 1927 a total of 640 miles of new lines were under construction or contract, of which 239 miles were in Manitoba and 317 in Saskatchewan.

The Southern Pacific of Mexico, by building four miles of line in the mountains of Jalisco, completed its main line from the United States border at Nogales, Son., to a connection with the National Railways of Mexico at Orendain, Jal., a distance of 1,079 miles Through trackage over the National Railways, the Southern Pacific of Mexico operates its trains to Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco, where it has constructed a yard and other terminal facilities. The only other construction of any consequence in Mexico during the year was the completion of the electrification of 18.7 miles of the Mexican Railway between Cordoba, V. C., and Paso del Macho, as a part of its program for electrifying its mountain section, where the grades range from 3.5 to 4.7 per cent.

The mileage of new lines constructed in Mexico was slightly larger than in 1926, the total of 29 miles in 1927 comparing with 27.5 miles in the preceding year. The National Railways of Mexico completed 26 miles of the projected short line between Mexico and Tampico, and in addition spent large sums on the installation of timber treating plants and facilities, at Acambaro, Gto., and Durango, Dgo. Construction also began on an extensive repair shop and engine terminal project at Monterrey, N. L. This system completed 10 miles of second track in the states of Chihuahua and San Luis Potosi.

New Second Track Mileage

The greater portion of the second track completed last year was built by a few of the larger roads, the longest consecutive mileage having been placed in service between Pampa, Tex., and Canyon, 73.5 miles, on the Panhandle & Santa Fe, a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, to handle the heavy oil traffic on that line. The Santa Fe also built a continuous stretch of 37 miles of second track between Defiance, N. Mex., and Chambers, Ariz., on its main line to the Pacific Coast. The Chesapeake & Ohio built 57 miles of second track in connection with the construction of its line between Gregg, Ohio, and Valley Crossing. The Pennsylvania built 36 miles on its St. Louis division in Illinois, and 14 miles in connection with the constructon of its new line between Canton, Ohio, and Bayard. The Missouri Pacific built 20 miles at various critical points on its main line between St. Louis, Mo., and Jefferson City, as well as 10 miles on its main line in Arkansas, while the Louisville & Nashville, by constructing 13 miles between Conway, Ky., and Sinks, completed the double tracking of its line between Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Harlan, Ky., coal fields. This road also built 14 miles between Lebanon Junction, Ky., and Elizabethtown on its main line from Louisville, Ky., to New Orleans, La. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy built 25 miles in Wisconsin as a part of its program of double tracking its line from Savanna, Ill., to St. Paul, a distance of approximately 290 miles.

Satisfactory progress was made on the new tunnel

of the Great Northern through the Cascade mountains in Washington, several previous records in tunnel driving having been exceeded during the year. The work was 65 per cent completed at the end of the year and it is expected that it will be finished in November, 1928. The enlargement to full section of the Moffatt tunnel in Colorado is nearly completed and this will enable the Denver & Salt Lake to eliminate heavy mountain grades in its vicinity.

Yards, engine terminals and shops continued to call for large expenditures during the year. The Illinois Central completed its new shops at Paducah, Ky., at a total cost of $8,500,000, while the new shops of the Reading, at Reading, Pa., were also completed. The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis had under construction the extension of its Riverside yard and the installation of engine terminals at Cincinnati, Ohio, at a total cost of $3,796,000 and similar work at Anderson, Ind., to cost $1,175,000. The Baltimore & Ohio carried on extensive yard work at Cincinnati and other points. in Ohio, while the Pennsylvania also expended large sums for yards, engine terminals and shops at various locations

Among the important bridge projects completed or under way during the year was the beginning of construction of a bridge across Newark bay by the Pennsylvania and the Lehigh Valley, to cost over $4,000,000. The Delaware, Lackawanna & Western is replacing its double track bridge over the lower Hackensack river with a three-track lift bridge at a cost of $3,230,000. During the year, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe completed its new bridge over the Mississippi river near Ft. Madison, Iowa, while the Louisville & Nashville is building three bridges near Mobile, Ala., at a total cost of $1,500,000.

Track elevation programs were continued by various roads at Philadelphia, Detroit, Mich., and Chicago, while the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul started a $3,500,000 project of this character at Milwaukee, Wis. In addition, track elevation or other methods of grade crossing elimination were prosecuted in various other cities and elsewhere at an aggregate cost of many millions of dollars.

The new passenger station of the New York Central at Erie, Pa., was completed during the year, at a total cost of $3,000,000 and work continued on that road's terminal improvements at Buffalo, which will include a new passenger station, and will involve an expenditure of $14,000,000. The Pennsylvania completed the first unit of its office building at a cost of $3,300,000, as a portion of its extensive program in Philadelphia, and the Reading will begin work in 1928 on a new station in the same city. Definite arrangements have been completed for a new passenger terminal at Cincinnati, Ohio, and it is expected that construction will begin in 1928. The Boston & Maine will replace its North Station at Boston, Mass., with a modern structure, the project involving a total expenditure of $10,000,000. The Southern completed and placed in service its new station at Greensboro, N. C., at a cost of $1,170,000. In Canada the Toronto Terminal has placed in service the union station at Toronto, Ont., and the Canadian National has completed plans for a new passenger station at Montreal, Que.

One of the important freight handling facilities completed during the year is the 1.c.1. freight transfer house. of the Chicago & North Western at Proviso, Ill., which has a capacity of 690 cars at one setting and at which all the 1.c.l. freight originating in Chicago is transferred to outgoing cars. The Reading, the Pennsylvania, the Erie, the Lehigh Valley, and the Lackawanna expended