All of this coverage of Burlington has me thinking back 32 years ago
when I was working for Amtrak. I was working at Kansas City Union
Station and I wanted to become a ticket seller instead of throwing
mail sacks and handling baggage.
A p.m. shift became available in Burlington, Iowa, so I bid the job
and packed my VW and drove to Burlington. My late father had worked
for the CB&Q in Northtown (KC) and he grew up in Cameron, MO, so the
CB&Q was in my blood. It's even on my birth certificate for dads
place of employment.
I was thrilled to start my new position in Burlington. I checked
into the Hotel Burlington while I searched for an apartment nearby.
The year was 1976 and the BN paint was starting to become more
evident. The San Francisco Zephyr still had former Zephyr post-war
Budd equipment in the consists, but the red, white and blue was
slowly taking over. The Burlington depot was beginning to look worn
and tired. The concrete platforms were starting to crumble. The CBQ
Hudson was a great sight nearby, and the trains still rumbled across
the bridge on the approach to the depot, as they do today.
The ticket office was small, and the waiting room was looking a bit
shabby. Regardless, the building was so historic and interesting.
When the westbound Zephyr was close, I would take the bags to the
west end of the platform. After the train would stop, I would open
the baggage car door and sort my baggage in the appropriate piles
according to the destination. I had 3 minutes. I would then close
the door and wave to the Conductor that it was safe to high ball. The
train at that time did not have a TBM (Santa Fe term? Train
Baggageman)
Since I worked evenings, I had time during the day to explore places
like West Burlington Hill and the area near Burlington Shops. On one
of the station tracks was a former steam locomotive tender in BN
mineral red, and an (ex-US Army)Q mail storage car with a broken
knuckle.
I was only there for a few months before going back to KC, then on to
St. Louis Union station and then the former Q station in Omaha. It
was brief but memorable experience as I searched for the ghost of the
CB&Q.
Hopefully after the recent flood waters have subsided, interested
persons will be able to save the depot for restoration.
Hubert Hanrahan, Jr.
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