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Aurora Step Off

To: brhslist@egroups.com
Subject: Aurora Step Off
From: qutlx1@a...
Date: Sat, 11 Nov 2000 17:43:30 EST
Aurora was the crew the supply point for all Chgo and Aurora Div jobs except 
the Cicero,Western Ave and 14th st jobs(there were also a small number of 
suburban jobs that went to Chgo zone men to equalize the mileage. Since 
Aurora was 38 miles from CUS and 31 from HY this resulted in some 
"arrangements" to reduce commuting time to work. Some were totally legit and 
obviously within reason, for example guys on outlying road switchers tended 
to live in the "boon 
docks"(Milledgeville,Rochelle,Oregon,Savanna,Streator,Ottawa,etc.).They all 
held seniority in Aurora [after the various seniority combinations of the 
50's and 1964).If "bumped" from one outlying job they would place on the next 
nearest or highest paying job they could hold. The Galesburg to Cicero pool 
was Aurora Div (GT zone) these men were based in Gt but were on the Aurora 
seniority roster.That meant (in almost all cases) they lived in GT and worked 
that pool until (as often happened) times got tough and then they exercised 
their seniority in Aurora. It was routine to see Gt men working in AU from 
time to time (the Singer brothers, Lonnie Treadway,etc come to mind).They 
would live in their mobile homes placed on company property until things at 
Gt got better and then bid back there.
Ok,I've digressed far enough. The "Aurora step off" was a convenient 
arrangement that while not officially allowed was well known to all company 
officials and simply ignored unless something went terribly wrong. It worked 
as follows: If you regular job for today was a westbound Northern or Zephyr 
you met one of your eastbound counterparts at the Aurora platform. You 
stepped on in his place and he stepped off. You worked to CHGO for him and 
then tomorrow he returned the favor to you or whatever other train was his 
most convenient "commute" to CUS. In the days of regular, on time and 
frequent service this worked like clock wok as everyone knew which job 
relieved which eastbound at Aurora so as to eliminate the 3 hours or so time 
elapsed from going by Aurora on your job until you finally got home if you 
actually worked your own job all the way to CUS. All company 
paperwork(timeslips,registers,etc) showed you working to Chgo. If called off 
the extra list you knew or the caller did which job you stepped on for.
Leo
P.S.-There's a couple sub chapters off this already long email so I'll save 
them for another time.

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