Bob and list,
It's a funny thing but for the most part the people who worked the
excursions never took the far view of their experiences. Some of the crews
did hold on to their orders and paper work, most certainly their time books
but many a time I heard of crew members giving away their orders. Ed
Eversoll, an engineer in Aurora off handly said one day, " I always seemed
to catch those excursions. I didn't like the small engine, though I didn't
mind the big one." We all know the ones he meant and thats all he ever said
about it.
Retired engineer tells his famous story about the cab being wired for
authentic sounds of the head end crew. Supposedly those choice
conversations were reproduced from speakers back in the coaches. Sport
Becker opened the throttle at Aurora platform and the cab filled with smoke.
A few choice comments were shouted in the confusion. John always believed
this was the reason for the microphones being taken out of the cab at the
next stop.......... A great story either way.
Some of the men who fired steam for many years were set up to engineer
in the 60's. When called off the list for an excursion or out of a freight
pool as they popped up, an opportunity to run steam as an engineer was
afforded to these men who up to that point, never run steam as an engineer.
Many a non-steam fireman was called for excursions and told to dress in
coveralls. A Road Foreman would many times fire the engine.
Many firemen carried a length of stout rope to tie to their side of the
whistle bar that ran across the top of the fountain valves just below the
cab roof. Anyone sitting on the left hand side off the cab could and DID
blow the whistle, sometimes to an excess that could irritate the engineer
trying to listen to the locomotive. I would bet during many an excursion
this happened at times.
I fired on the E. Ottumwa Divn. for a summer and worked many trips on
passenger with Larry Moberg. Years later during research I discovered that
Larry (now deceased) was the engineer on the last run of the Pioneer Zephyr
into Galesburg. Lots of fanfare yet Larry never once mentioned he made that
run. Everyone knew everyone on their home divisions and who caught what,
when. Unless something really out of the ordinary happened, crews looked
toward their next trip. Forty years later, many trips blur. The run that a
particular crew worked in which Mobile Fidelity recorded out of a baggage
car blurs into the next excursion. Luckly, we may have an exact date for
this run or that and with a little luck.....who knows?
Bob, I will place a few phone calls and see if something turns up. Bill
----- Original Message -----
From: <amtrak347@a...>
To: <BRHSlist@egroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2001 10:45 AM
Subject: Re: [BRHSlist] Sunday Only CD - questions
> In a message dated 1/21/2001 3:27:45 PM Central Standard Time,
> jdknopp@w... writes:
>
>
> > So, who was this guy?
>
> "East Ottumwa Division" engineer for sure; 4th Annual Journey to Yesterday
> would have been June of 1961. Maybe Bill Franckey has the crew caller
sheets
> or Steve Holding has the dispatcher sheets for this trip. I would think
> someone in Galesburg would have this information.
>
> In general, my perception of the "whistle artist" is that he
> recognized/acknowledged a heck of a lot of people along the route. BTW,
what
> M-4 did this whistle come from (engine number should have been stamped on
it)?
>
> Engine crew Chicago to Galesburg would have been Aurora Division (freight
> pool) men headquartered at Galesburg. At Galesburg, an East Ottumwa
engine
> crew would have taken over to Ottumwa. I wonder if it was Bob Coe? Bob
was
> the #1 engineer on the East Ottumwa Division when I hired-out in engine
> service in 1969. Bill F. - can you check this out? Is he still alive and
> did he save any of his timebooks? Maybe it was Homer Ward or his son
> Jim????? Later.
>
> Bob Campbell
> Naperville, IL
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
|