Yes, the potash trains almost always went around the horn. I never
saw any instance of GN power on these trains until after the merger.
The reason the potash was trucked across the border was that the GN
and the CP could never agree on a joint rate for this business.
Got to keep in mind Mendota was just a rebilling point. The CB&Q
felt they had the storage capacity there to hold a train at a time and
the cars were billed out as singles to many different places. IMC
had a number of points where they held unit trains for billing out as
singles. Beardstown was used and some point on the Monon in
Indiana. Can recall one train that went to the Monon in the early
70's with the air car still in the train. They must have thought it a
rather strange creature.
After the line to Denrock was abandoned the Mendota rate still was
in force but the hold for billing point was moved to Eola. From the
point of view of IMC the cars were still going to Mendota but the BN
used Eola and just played along.
One of the little problems that cropped up was the handling of the
empties. Every carrier East of Chicago would send these cars back to
Mendota, just like Car Service Rule 7 requires. Usually Cicero or
Congress Park sent them to Northgate but a few strays always slipped
through.
That business is gone now.
Russ
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steven Holding" <s.holding@charter.net>
To: <BRHSlist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, 01 June, 2003 22:39
Subject: Re: [BRHSlist] GN Potash Train On The CB&Q
> I think they operated "Around the Horn" (Via Denrock and the 9th sub to
> Mendota)
> and were yarded in the north yard at Mendota some of the last moves into
> that part of the yard
> sjh
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