Recently I discussed the "Aurora step off" that existed off the Northerns and
Zephyrs. There was also another version of the step off but it was not so
widely sanctioned by management. It also took place at Aurora depot but had
to do w/frt trains.
In the C.&I. pool going eastbound on Saturday night/Sunday morning there
wasn't much worse than going by Aurora knowing that if all went well in an
hour and half or so you'd be done at Cicero and then have to wait anywhere
from 1 to 4 hrs or more for a westbound dinky to go home on to Aurora or the
suburbs; as after the 1:15am westbound out of C.U.S. there was nothing until
around 7:30 am and then only every 2 hours thereafter.Spending Sunday morning
watching the sun come up in the Clyde passenger shanty was real high on
everyones list of favorite activities.And besides George's closed at 3am and
then you spent the time in Berwyn's shelter that didn't even have heat.
So if you hadn't planned on getting stuck in Cicero when you were originally
ordered westbound back on Fri night or Sat. morning how did you avoid
spending Sunday morning in the Clyde shelter? Either you drove into Clyde for
the westbound trip and left your car at the Rdhse or somebody did the Aurora
step off.This involved a departure from the w/c at the extreme west end of
the Aurora platforms as you rolled through town and then driving your car to
HY to pick up the rest of the crew.Now generally this worked fine as on
Sunday there was little chance of a "brass hat" standing on the platform
anticipating such an event.But that did happen a few times.Glad I never had
to explain to the T.M. what I was doing standing on the Aurora platform as my
assingment rolled Eastward. Also the other unexpected problem was if the
"holding pattern" suddenly reared its ugly head after you stepped off.
I know of one young brkmn who bailed at Aurora,drove directly to Clyde and
discovered; by as casually as possible asking Smitty (d yard ydmstr) where
such and such a train was that his "brothers" were stuck at Downers in the
holding pattern!
Leo
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