For the first six weeks of 1974 I held the East End Swing Operators job One
third trick at Eola, Two Thirds and two Seconds at Congress Park. I had
started at Congress Park as an extra Operator second trick as that was the hot
trick as we use to interchange upwards of 300 cars on second shift alone. It
was just as the new COMPASS computer system was installed on the BN and the old
depot at Congress Park was not built or repaired for computers. The IBM repair
man put as much time in there as the operators did. At Congress Park we had
the old 1050 machines you fed with cards after taking down all the numbers and
then punching out the cards. Half the time with more then 50 cards they would
not all get thru the reader before it would time out and you had to start all
over again. At Eola the operator had a 3770 high speed machine and had to do
alot of the computer work and third trick you also did the car distribution.
The yardmaster was Charlie. I am sure Bob, Leo and Karl remember him. Use to
have a BIG thermos and until he got about half way thru the thermos he was
almost unlivable to be around. Use to jump all over me as the 3770 would beep
if something was wrong. Use to say I only had to get close to the door and it
would start beeping. You had to clear if I remember 7 Dinkys the use to come
right out of the Hill Yard. All other ran into the old depot on Broadway. Try
and guess where the brakeman and or flagman or conductor would be on the train
as you had to hand up orders with the old Y hoops to the head end and two
other copies. There was no way you could keep the snow from going down your
neck no matter how much clothes you wore.
After 6 weeks I went to House 9 breaking in as a Dispatcher. The boss figured
if you could work 2nd trick at Aurora Tower you could be a train dispatcher. I
had spent 7 months there before the swing job. No rules classes just break in
and then go downtown and take the test. About a year later I was working Third
Trick East End and brought two trains out of Cicero both had work at Eola. One
was a 351 for Galesburg the other a 185 for Savanna and North. Old Charlie
gave both trains the tracks they had to pick off of. I ran them down side by
side. One cut off and went west of the signal at West Eola. The other cut off
and went west . Both back into the west yard right behind each other. Both
pulled out one after the other and both went back to trains and departed. Then
Charlie said it was ok to bring the second train down and do his work. I said
Charlie they are both done and both gone. Boy did he get mad at me for letting
them both work together in HIS yard.
Coming up on 34 years and never been off the Chicago Div. most on the East
End/Union Ave jobs and most on Second Shift.
only 30 months and two weeks to go as the clowns are running the circus
SJH
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CBQ/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CBQ/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:CBQ-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:CBQ-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
CBQ-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
|