I had escaped from the Rock Island Operating dept. by 1967, and was at
Centerville, IA handling a derailment when the big stuff came down.
I kept calling my office at Polk St. to report what was going on at
Centerville, and became quite frustrated because no one was answering the
phone. Then we began to get reports on what was going on. My boss spent the
night on the Dan Ryan expressway near Jay's Potato Chip plant south of 95th.
St.
My wife and kids had started out to a friend's house for a women's
luncheon...Fortunately she showed good sense and headed back home (We lived
in South Holland at that time). She got within a block of our house about
noon and got stuck. Took the kids on down the street and home. She saw the
snowplow go by a little later so she went back down to the corner to retrieve
the car (1963 Chevrolet). She made a run for the driveway, but missed and
spotted the car in the middle of the front yard where it reposed until I got
home a few days later. It wouldn't start so I opened the hood and couldn't
even see the engine. Had to have it towed and dried out. No apparent ill
effects. I have slides of my son (then 5) standing on a snow drift and
touching the eves on our house.
Someone said the Q shipped snow to Florida....I'm very doubtful that any road
would pay a foreign line to haul snow...Don't think the Q went to Florida.
However the Rock Island did load snow onto Piggy Back Flats and gons and haul
it to El Reno and points south for melting.
There was a general request (order) for us general office types to get out
and help the section men sweep switches. I spent a little time one night at
61st. St. Tower (near Englewood Depot). This was an "Armstrong" plant and
every rod and knuckle had to be swept clean and dry to render the plant
operable. It had a very small cabin and with 5 or 6 of us "extras" in there
it wasn't pleasant, but it was only for one night. I got a nice letter of
commendation from the VPO for my "help"...still have it in my RI Trivia File.
Pete Hedgpeth
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