Every once in a while, when the doomsayers and daily evidence ("reality"TV
programs, Jackass the Movie, etc.) begin to convince one of doom enveloping
our hobby and society, you get a reminder there is still hope!
Thanks for sharing your great experience, Justin. Apply your enthusiasm,
intelligence and imagination to your career and family life as well as
keeping the hobby alive for your generation!
Charlie
----- Original Message -----
From: "icrr83" <icrr83@y...>
To: <BRHSlist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 13, 2002 4:42 PM
Subject: [BRHSlist] Silver Dreams on the Silver Quail
> List,
> I had the pleasure to work a private car trip this weekend from
> Chicago to St. Louis, roundtrip. In our group of cars was the CB&Q
> Silver Quail, owned by Bill Butterworth of Shreveport, LA. I was
> asked to work this trip by the company who leases the cars, American
> Rail Excursions. Anyway, getting on with the story, the Silver Quail
> is one of the Q 11 bedroom California Zephyr sleepers. The group
> that was on the car were going to spend the weekend in STL and use
> the car as their hotel. The cars headed down to STL Friday afternoon
> on Amtrak 305, The State House. I was originally asked to go as wait
> staff on the other cars on the train. But, as trip time drew near, I
> rememebered that I had an original CB&Q conductors hat in my
> collection. The hat is one of the later model "bus driver" style
> hats. I put it in my bag for CHI and didn't think much about it.
> Friday afternoon, as our train and crew was getting ready for
> showtime, I happened to pull the hat out of my bag, and my boss saw
> it. He asked me if I had a suit to go with it, and yes, I did have a
> blue jacket with the BR lapel pin already on it. "Justin, you can be
> our conductor tonight going to STL". Having said that, the monster
> was created. At 4:30, when we backed down into Union Station to
> board, I was a fixture in the vestibule of the Silver Quail. I
> boarded the sleeping car passengers in the Quail and then helped to
> board the other tour group, the 20th Century Railroad Club on the
> other three cars. After the Amtrak conductor highballed us out on
> time, it was back out to the vestibule to watch the scenery! The sun
> had just gone down, so there was a little light left. Some of the
> dinkies were parked in the Metra yard and the signals gleamed off of
> our cars. It was as if I had been transported back to the 1950's and
> suddenly found myself in passenger service working for the CB&Q! At
> Joliet, I got a real taste of the passenger business as we had 14
> people to pick up for the private cars. We rolled around the corner
> off the IC and onto the UP and Joliet Union Station came into view.
> As we started to slow, I opened the bottom of the dutch door and put
> the trap up. As soon as we stopped, I was on the ground, stepbox in
> hand. We got our passengers boarded and after the last person was
> on, I pulled the stepbox, handed it to my boss up the steps and gave
> a good, old fashioned highball. The conductor was in her vestibule
> and she relayed it onto the engineer. The moment I was back up the
> steps, we started to roll! Wow, at 19, I made my first career
> station stop as a "Q" conductor. How many people can say they did
> that in 2002?? As the trip continued, we were soon approaching
> Ridgely Tower in Springfield. A good friend of mine was the operator
> that night and was on the ground to get my picture as I pretended to
> grab the orders that he was going to "hoop" up to me. The rest of
> the trip was uneventful, and Sunday afternoon, we had turned and were
> ready to head for Chicago. Between Carlinville and Springfield, I
> was walking through the ATSF Mohave, the car entrained behind the
> Quail, and had a question from one of the passengers. I went back to
> speak with him, and he asked the following: "Is that an original
> hat"? Yes, the hat is original. "Where did you get it"? A family
> friend was a conductor on the Q. "Do you know where he worked"?
> Galesburg and Aurora, the late 50's and early 60's, he did work the
> CZ. "So did I, do you know his name"?. Ogle Cross, his nickname
> was "double O". "I used to work with 'double O', when did you get
> the hat"? I got it when I was 4 or 5, and this is the first chance I
> got to wear it. He said that he also used to work the CZ and worked
> with Ogle many times. This was really neat, I found a direct link to
> the past that I was trying to recreate. It was really nice to know
> that someone out there knows and appreciated what I was doing on the
> trip. All in all, I was a happy camper when I got off the cars
> Monday afternoon in St. Louis, bringing to an end a weekend of 1200
> miles logged by rail.
>
> Justin Sobeck
> Christopher,IL
>
>
>
>
>
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