A few days ago when the subject of THE WHANGDOODLE came up....probably
because I brought it up, I mentioned that I had a couple of stories sent to me
by
the late Robert Brown, former Q Agent-Telegrapher, Yardmaster and Trainmaster.
Well, I've come across these tales and, would you believe, my copy indicates
that I posted them on the BRHS list on 3/31/00..Leo even responded to
them...Now Leo..here's a little memory test for you...What was your
response?...I've got it in writing right here before me incase you need a
little help.
Here are the stories direct from the "pen"...well, really the e mail from
Mr. Brown.
"The whangdoodle mentioned in your letter today, I sure do remember them.
When I was agent at the small town of Pleasantville, on the Albia-Des Moines
branch from 52 until 64 they put one in there around 1959. It was located
inside above one of the office bay windows. One morning I was trying to get a
fire started in my pot bellied coal stove and was having a hard time getting
it going. I was spitting out a few choice words at the stove when the
dispatcher called. He had heard me and suggested I turn off my whangdoodle.
(Had
to turn it on every afternoon when I went off duty). Since the fire went out
every night I had to build it every morning.
Getting back to the whanger. My dad was a dispatcher in Ottumwa for almost
20 years from the mid 40's to the mid 60's. He worked nights which was his
choice as the second trick relief. They had two sets of dispatchers at
Ottumwa. He worked each of their two relief days and then one midnight to 8
am
relief. When my wife an I were married in the fall of 1949 we got an
apartment
and lived in Ottumwa for a few months. My dad never had a car for years but
could walk a block up from the depot and catch a city bus home. I was
working the extra board and getting a lot of work at the yard office there and
at
the tower at the West edge of town where the Milwaukee Davenport to Kansas
City line crossed our double track main line. The Q had several of those
whangdoodles along the main line. Sometimes I would go up to the dispatchers
office about 11:30 or so and pick dad up and take him home. I was up to the
dispatchers office one night and he had turned the whangdoodle on at a main
line
small town depot east of Creston. The agent kept the four wheeled platform
truck parked against the waiting room trackside and up against the bay widow.
The whanger was up above the truck under the overhanging eaves. He heard a
male and female talking and pretty soon we heard him say he would take his
coat off and spread it out on the truck. Needless to say I don't have to
continue with the rest of the story".
Between these two whanger stories Brown related an experience with "company
coal"..Anybody remember how that essential commodity was distributed "back in
the days"..I'll wait a day or two for responses before I delve into that
subject along with the matter of LCL.
Pete
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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