The only instance I know of where head end cars were actually sent onto a
branch line was at Shenandoah, IA on the Red Oak -Hamburg branch.
In this case empty baggage cars were taken from Red Oak and Hamburg to
Shenandoah for loading at the Earl May and Henry Field Nursery Companies.
The commodity was nursery stock outbound.
The loads were taken to Hamburg for southern destinations and to Red Oak for
points east and north. The loaded cars were picked up on the rear end of
passenger trains at Red Oak and Hamburg. The traffic was seasonal and began
in late winter-early spring and lasted through the planting season. This
business continued through the 1950's and probably into the 60's.
I can remember seeing Number 26 at Langdon during the season with 3-5 baggage
cars of nursery stock on the rear end. At Hamburg the branch local would set
these cars over onto an auxiliary track west of the mainline. No. 26 would
back in with the whole train and pick the cars up on the rear end. This
commodity moved as Railway Express and had to be kept from freezing hence its
movement on passenger trains where steam heat was provided. There may have
been platform steam available at Hamburg and Red Oak, but I don't recall
seeing any facilities.
At Red Oak, I believe, there was a switch engine on duty who would place the
cars on the rear of No. 14 or other eastbound trains...probably the same for
westbound.
Seems like one of Corbin's books has a photo of this operation.
One of Corbin's books also has a classic shot of one of the 10 wheelers
making a run for the hill up to the mainline at Red Oak with a significant
train of nursery stock in tow. Seems like some book I saw captioned the
photo as being on "The Savannah Branch" which is not correct. My feeble and
aged mind says that this photo in one of the bulletins.
Also I believe that there were instances where mty baggage cars were taken to
a specific industries for Catalogue loading and like stuff.
As for the usual branch line operation ie Creston and Villisca. No.s 3, 29,
15 etc would make stops at these stations with mail for the branches. Said
mail and express was unloaded and trucked to either the Motor Car (in the
case of the Creston Branch) this motor had an RPO compartment and mail was
worked enroute. On branches such as the Villisca -Corning branch in later
years the mail was handled in the combination car (3537) and was only
handled as pouch mail not being opened or worked enroute. Railway Express
was handled in the same manner.
Now someone is going to come on here and tell of other instances were actual
carloads of mail were taken "in toto" onto the branches...that may be and I
am willing to be educated and edified as to where and when that was done.
Pete Hedgpeth
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