Jeff,
I dont have any info on the Mendota TT or rdhse other than to say I was in
it several times while working jobs based there in the 70s and IIRC it was three
stalls.
As to jobs based there,Mendota was a group 2 yard in the switchmans rules
and rates of pay book(the schedule) which called for two switch engines/day 7
days a week. I worked the job a couple times and seem to recall getting the
engine at the house.
Wayfreights based there changed over the 40,50s and 60s. Here is a general
timeline.
Up unitl about 1952 there was a wayfrt based in Mendota to Wedron and/or
Ottawa that went via Earlville and Burgess Jct and return. Sometime around
'53-55 the job changed and was based out of Ottawa-Mendota via
Burgesss/Earlville and return. This job was re-based to Eola in about '57 or so
when the bridge on the Baker line was burned.It operated with the Fox Rivers
power at night from Eola to Wedron and return.
This job was always known as the roustabout wherever it was based. I have
found the history of the name in the UTU files;as way back in the 1890s the job
was based in Mendota,went to Earlville,Burgress,Wedron,Ottawa and then reveresed
route to Earlville,proceeded to Shabbona via Paw Paw and returned to Earlville
and then back to Mendota via the mainline(might want to get out an old Aurora
div map prior to 1932 to follow that circuitutious route !). The job was known
as the roustabout in the 1890s.
There was a wayfrt to Denrock out of Mendota and return up until 1952.
It also carried passengers. It went to work at the glorious time of 9AM or so.In
'53 or so #69/64(the Moonlight jobs) were re-based to Eola from Cicero and did
the short work on the Denrock branch while in route to Barstow and a layover
there,so the w/f was eliminated. Then about '58 or so the Moonlight job was
again re-based to Mendota and ran each night to Denrock and return until at
least 1966 when the Q stopped showing the locals in the ETTs.
With the advent of BN I recall Mendota had a w/f to LaSalle each day and
return(this was a big payer as the yard crew had been eliminated and the road
crew got bonus pay for switching industries at La Salle).I recall this job
having one SD.
There was also a w/f to Rock Falls via Earlville and return each day.
This job has two SDs and I believe previously had two GPs.
The around the horn wayfreight would stop at Mendota each day on its
westward trip from Eola to Savanna via Denrock to pick up the shorts for the
Denrock branch. My first set up trip as Condr was on this job with two new brkmn
and an extra engineer. The entire regular crew laid off because they knew about
the package Mendota had put together for the job that run.
Mendota also hosted the IMC unit potash trains in the North Yard in the
70s. We'd bring a unit train over the Denrock line and "very carefully" put
it away in the yard and then switch crews would dig out cars for the fertilizer
plants all over Northern IL for next few months and then another unit train
would arrive.
I have a hunch the fall BRHS meet in Mendota may just bring you a whole lot
of answers about Mendota operations.
Leo Phillipp