Greetings all:
Asleep at the switch here, or at least slow on the reply button.? Also had to
generate the fortitude to sign up with Yahoo again after bailing several years
ago account increased junk mail.? We'll see how it goes this time.
There's been a lot of good data and photos posted to the BRHS Yahoo site and
mentioned on this list recently, so that finally drew me in tonight.? Thanks to
all who took the time to upload stuff and especially those feeding my
particular jones for Oregon, Illinois.? If I can get my act together, I'll add
some of the photos I've shared privately with people over the years.? Until
then here are a few of comments on the photos and on the Oregon waycar.? These
are based mostly on memory with a quick check of a couple of sources.? Your
corrections and additional commentary solicited.
First the aerial photographs of the Quaker Oats building opened in 1947 and
known as the Quaker Central Shop...
In the photo looking from southeast to northwest with the Quaker building in
the foreground directly across the street from the west end of the Burlington
depot? is a house on the corner with a car in the driveway.? I'm pretty sure
that is where conductor Jim Kereven lived from somewhere around the time Oregon
got the Forreston local job that had moved briefly to Rochelle when the west
end of the original C&I was pulled up to Mt. Morris.? So say somewhere in the
late 1930s-early 40s until his death in the late '60s.
Directly across from Kereven's house on the other corner and opposite the
streetside entrance to the depot waiting room is a two-story house with a white
roof.? That place had a little lunch counter and sold snacks, sodas and other
stuff for travelers.? I was in there with some regularity as a kid in the late
'50s-middle '60s when hanging out at the depot or just peddling through the
neighborhood with an extra dime in my pocket.? Somewhere I vaguely recall
hearing something about the place having rented rooms at some point, but don't
quote me on that.
Note the depot is about a mile from the center of the Oregon business district
and was considered out in the country when the C&I came through in 1871.? The
original Oregon town site sits on something of a hill, so the C&I surveyors
staked a better grade that still serves today.? There was some grumbling about
the location, but the hotels downtown dutifully sent hacks to meet the trains.?
Downtown also had a corner bar at 3rd and Washington called the C&I Tap, which
the railroad may or may not have appreciated.? If the house across from the
depot did rent rooms, it could have been for people not wanting the better
accommodations downtown.? Also could have rented to railroaders laying over or
assigned there, which certainly would have been an easy crew call.? Perhaps
someone on this list could clarify that since I don't think I have anything
specific in my research.
Oregon in the C&I and maybe the CB&N era is supposed to have had a wye south of
the tracks either at the east end of the yard near the river or more in the
center opposite the depot.? Don't seen any signs of old roadbed like that in
either of the Quaker Oats aerials.
And the Oregon waycar...
The waycar was pretty much a permanent fixture at the stub end of the loading
dock on the main line the freight house.? That made it a convenient perch to
watch trains from the cupola after I'd dropped by to say hi to station agent
Sharick.? Kereven thought the waycar just got in the way, so it would sit there
until a shop date came up when another one was hauled out from Eola to sit
their until its next shop date.
The only time I recall seeing a waycar used by the Oregon crew was when we
rounded up 10 or so neighborhood kids for a ride to Mount Morris where our
parents picked us up.? I can only speculate as to Kereven's reaction when he
heard about that extra load and switch moves.? Otherwise a ticket (50 cents
roundtrip, as I recall) bought you a ride in the cab or on the deck of the NW2
switcher or in an open and empty boxcar.
Sometime around May 1968 a switching move shoved the waycar off the end of the
freight-dock track and into the freight house itself.? I don't remember the
story on that or how the investigation turned out.? We had moved away by then,
so all I saw was the fresh repairs that summer in the southwest corner of the
building and roof.? After that they started parking the waycar just across from
the depot on the yard track occupied by the MOW equipment in the Quaker Oats
aerials.
The freight house was the remains of the C&I depot that burned ca. 1914
(details and a photo or two from the fire were on the Oregon depot restoration
web site last time I checked).? The fire wrecked the east end of the depot, and
what could be salvaged from the west end was moved and patched up to become the
freight house.
That fire got Oregon the new depot that is still standing and is perhaps a
little grander than it might have been because Congressman Frank Lowden lived
on an estate across Rock River.? Lowden was elected governor of Illinois a
couple of years after the fire, was a serious candidate for the Republican
presidential nomination (1920? 1924?) and was married to a daughter of George
Pullman.? Heard or read Lowden parked a private car at the Oregon depot when he
was home, and I would presume some visitors to the estate did the same.? There
was a wooden Q waycar on the estate that in my era was used by Lowden's
son-in-law for his poker games.? By that time the estate was a commercial
forest and timber operation, and we'd go there to get our Christmas trees.
One quick comment on Harris' nice shots of the 5632 in Oregon in 1962.? I, too,
recall a westbound appearing suddenly and scattering railfans but couldn't tell
you which trip it was or even be positive it involved a fan trip at all.? But I
do remember agent Sharick running out of the station in a panic and moving
people back from the track as the Empire Builder blasted through town.
'Nuf for now.
Bill
Bill Diven
Placitas, New Mexico
-----Original Message-----
From: Russ Strodtz <normansen@groundcontrol.us>
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Mon, 16 Feb 2009 4:28 pm
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Oregon Photos
Keller Heart also got business on La Grange via IHB.
I sent two places by rail. Aurora to Oregon and return.
Think it used the car #3003. Also on another date used
the run from Oregon to Mt Morris. At that time they had
wrecked the Mt Morris right at the Oregon depot. At that
time management would not give them another waycar. Think
it was connected with how it had been wrecked but no one
would admit it. Passengers? Just rid the unit.
Don't know why all those people were not ridding all the
time. It was cheap.
Russ
----- Original Message -----
From: <qutlx1@aol.com>
To: <cbq@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, 16 February, 2009 14:48
Subject: [CBQ] Oregon Photos
> Nice shots of part of Oregon !
>
>
> The State of Maine car is a newsprint/paper car headed for Kable(note the
> plug door). Also of special interest is that this car is resting opposite
> the
> switch for the "Dining car track". If you open the 6/62 shot looking east
> over
> the locomotive the dining car track is straight ahead;the MT Morris main
> takes a slight jog to the left and then continues down in front of the
> depot and
> connects back to the main at the east end where the "river track" came
> off.
>
> The cars at the Redi mix appear to be open hoppers of sand or gravel. At
> one
> time this was an everyday scene at redi mix plants everywhere. Into the
> 70's
> we were still handling gravel out of Sheridan,IL to various redi mix
> plants
> around Northern ILL. Keller Heart at Clarendon Hills would receive several
> cars a day.
>
> Leo Phillipp
>
>
> ************
**You can't always choose whom you love, but you can choose
> how
> to find them. Start with AOL Personals.
> (http://personals.aol.com/?ncid=emlcntuslove00000002)
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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