List, Although the bridge east of Moscow was a long one, the most
impressive was the high trestle at MP 77.66. Sometime around 1965 a train
went in the bighole(emergency) while crossing this trestle. The head
brakeman went back to check things out and found a car that was burning from
an over heated journal in the middle of the bridge. He pulled the pin on
the burning car and turned to signal the engineer to go ahead and pull the
car off of the bridge. Lo and behold, the engineer was standing right
beside him. Needless to say before he could get back into the engine the
bridge had caught fire and it burned down. The High line was out of service
for a long time. Another story was told of the engineer who had purchased a
very expensive pair of leather gloves. Sometime during the trip he noticed
that he had lost one of his gloves. He was so mad, he threw his remaining
glove off the top of the same trestle into the creek below. Later that
morning while the crew was waiting in the Old Monroe depot for orders or to
meet a train, the track rider came in with a brand new glove he had found
at Francis and asked if anyone had lost it. I remember Moscow had the
longest siding, but I remember clearing up at Wellsville, Haig, and Hawk
Point when we were short. In the mid 60's Moscow, Hawk Point, and
Wellsville all had open stations. Any other questions you might have, I'll
try to answer or ask some old heads that are on the pension.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bill Hirt" <whirt@a...>
To: <BRHSlist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 10, 2002 9:31 AM
Subject: Re: [BRHSlist] CB&Q Line from Old Monroe to Mexico Missouri
> meyerjd10 wrote:
>
> >>Does anyone out there have any info on this line? What was its
> >>official name? Where were passing sidings? I heard there was a
> >>
> > huge
> >
> >>steel trestle near Wellsville, anyone know where it was exactly?
> >>
> > If
> >
> >>anyone has photos or a timetable from this line, please let me
> >>
> > know. Any other history of the line, trains ran, stories, etc. will
> > help. I'm thinking of modeling it in the fall of 1969.
> >
>
> Mike Spoor's CB&Q in color volume 3 has pictures of freight trains
> moving through Mexico in the 1960's. Robert Brown's books on Missouri
> depots have pictures of most of the depots on the line. By 1969, they
> would have been boarded up and abandoned. Brown's book has a picture of
> the Francis depot in this state in 1963.
>
> In regards to the trestle, the track charts I have from the mid 60's
> show no such bridge near Wellsville. The only substantial bridge shown
> is east of Moscow crossing the Cuivre River (about a 600 foot span).
>
> By 1969, this line was a shadow of it's former self. This portion of the
> Q was called the Twenty-Third Subdivision - Branch Line. The only siding
> was a 23 car siding at Wellsville. One train was scheduled each way per
> day. The only open office/station was Old Monroe during the day.
>
> In the late 1950's, the name was Old Monroe and Francis - Subdivision.
> Three trains a day were scheduled each way including a doodlebug turn
> Old Monroe to Mexico (123/124). A 50 car siding was at Moscow, a 29 car
> siding at Wellsville, 26 car siding at Haig, and a 13 car siding at
> Francis. Open offices/stations were Old Monroe (continuous), Moscow (M-F
> days), Hawk Point (M-F days), Liege (M-F days), Wellsville (M-F days),
> and Francis (16 hours a day).
>
> According the 1964 track charts I have, the line was laid with mainly 90
> lb rail on cinder ballast between 1927 and 1938. 110 lb rail was laid
> between Francis and approximately MP 94.6 in 1951. The last major
> roadbed work on portions of the line was done in 1956.
>
> Bill
>
>
>
>
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>
>
>
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