My father was emphatic that the 3001 was in very good shape. Believe
I recall that he said the boiler had just been done when it was taken
out of service.
What a waste, he'd say, shoved the best da*ned engine they have left
on the system in a park by the depot to rust. (I am assuming he was
talking about the engines condition) In the early 60's when dad
got a passenger pool turn and went to work at the depot every trip,
he forecast that engine will sit there, be neglected (let go to h*ll,
as he put it) and be a pile of rust in not too many years. Remember
a time when we were at the depot together, he told me take a good
look at the 3001, cause when you are my age you won't be able to
recognise her.
As was mentioned in my previous post, I believe from what I gathered
from the conversations over the years, but I do not know this for a
fact, is, the 3001 was probably in the best shape of the S engines
that were saved. Only close inspection someday of the engine will
validate or negate my long held opinion. To me it is kind of ironic
that the best of the S engines went to the town who firstly, was the
least capable financially, and then probably had the least amount of
desire and dedication, to take care of her, but again this is just my
opinion.
My last trip to Iowa, in 2000, had conversations with two 41 men,
both of whom i've known all my life. Both talked about S engines. A
point brought up by one is why did they put the S engines in Ottumwa,
Burlington. Sure he said, they made some trips thru here, but they
mainly worked out west. They were not capable of pulling the heavier
trains that ran thru Burlington and Ottumwa. Said an S engine was
only capable of 7 or 8 cars, over those divisions, whereas alot of
the trains thru Ottumwa, for example, were 12 to 14 cars.
The second, we were talking and out of the blue he starts talking
about a trip on an S engine. Said he was firing for Harry Sprague in
winter (imagine before holidays) of 1946 was west of Russell and had
the 3007, with a 7 car mail train. Thought they were picking em up
and puttin em down pretty good so got up and walked over to the
engineer, said he had the reverser? (the reverser or throttle?)
shoved to the cab roof, engineer asked do we have a steel waycar,
answered yes, fireman looked at speedometer doing 90. Said that if
you got S engines much above 90 they started to ride rough, like you
were down on the ties.
If I lived in Iowa would go around and get all of their stories down.
Two 41 men passed away just this year, knew them all my life. Would
coffee them almost to death sitting around sipping coffee, BSing,
getting their tales on tape or written down. Should of listened just
a little bit closer to my dad and all the older retired engineers,
men who hired out in the teens or even before, that were always
around when I was young, talking and telling their tales.
warren
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