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Re: [BRHSlist] CB&Q units in Milwaukee

To: BRHSlist@egroups.com
Subject: Re: [BRHSlist] CB&Q units in Milwaukee
From: amtrak347@a...
Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2001 02:24:50 EST
Hi Ron, Bob Bullermann & list -
Wanted to point out that the major "washout" on the LaCrosse Division in the 
spring of 1965 was between East Winona, WI (GB&W crossing) and Winona 
Junction, WI (C&NW crossing) so any move @ North LaCrosse to the "Q" would 
have been impractical as the line was severed 29 miles to the north. I spent 
the majority of the summer of '65 as the "relief operator" at the newly 
established and temporary "tower" @ East Winona covering vacations of the 
regularly assigned operators (4). Prior to the flood, this had been double 
track ABS territory and after the flood, the Q single track CTCed it between 
E. Winona & Winona Jct. (Mayo Clinic stop); in addition, E. Winona also 
handled the CTC at Trevino-Mears where the "Q" single tracked over the Eau 
Claire (?) River. I was told by the operators @ "E. Wye" while "breaking-in" 
that the "Northerns" re-joined the "Q" at Winona Junction where they had 
arrived via the C&NW. I don't recall the exact details of the move at the 
"Junction" but I believe there was a "south leg of the wye" connection 
between the C&NW and the Q which necessitated the reversing of the power 
(running around their train) which resulted in the train running backwards to 
the Twin Cities and visa-versa on the eastward trains; this would explain the 
"back-to-back" lash-up of the E units. I was never an "eyewitness" to this 
move, as by the time I arrived (late May '65) the new single track CTC was in 
use. An Aurora Division engineer I worked with years later by the name of 
"Don" McLaughlin, confirmed that he did "fire" the Northerns to Winona 
Junction via the North Western (part way?) and did state that it was an all 
day trip (16 hr law still in effect) but that it did pay well. The cause of 
the massive wash-out was due to the fact that the land to the north of the Q 
ROW was federal land and the "Feds" would not allow culverts under the 
tracks to drain into Federal lands. The River showed the government where it 
could go and after rebuilding, culverts were permitted. As I recall, there 
were 4 or 5 passenger trains a day, each way by East Winona; Morning Zephyr, 
North Coast Limited, Empire Builder, Afternoon Zephyr and the "milk run", the 
Blackhawk and not a damned one slowed down for the GB&W crossing, 20 feet 
from my "tower"! Every morning, the section foreman and his gang were out 
there with their pitch forks, lining bars and jacks, "aligning" the diamond 
according to the hand signs given by the well-trained eye of the foreman, who 
was 50 yards up the track. Every morning the GB&W would 
double/triple/quadruple its one and only eastbound train, #2, out of their 
yard in Winona, MN, across the Q's Mississippi River bridge (Winona Bridge 
Co.) and keep me guessing as to whether or not they needed the signal to 
complete their double and yet clear the passenger trains without delay. 
Throw in the Q's Winona switcher, a daily work train dumping rip-rap and the 
GB&W work trains, there was lots of action out in po-dunk. After the 
vacation relief work was completed, I spent the last week of the summer down 
at the Aurora freight house reloading boxcars that were derailed at the 
Fairview Avenue interlocking (Snuffy train). Quite a summer for me. By the 
late fall, the machines at East Winona "Tower" (I forgot to mention that it 
was a wooden shed perched on the ground) were moved to the old passenger 
depot at North LaCrosse.
Bob Campbell


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