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[CBQ] Rock Falls Branch

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Subject: [CBQ] Rock Falls Branch
From: qutlx1@aol.com
Date: Sat, 14 Mar 2009 10:07:37 EDT
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I worked the Rock Falls branch from the extra list in the early to mid 70s  
as vacation fill in. Also when mgmt decided to turn the C&I pool crews into  
"dog catchers" ended up on the branch several times.
Have a Sterling/ Rock Falls agents instruction listing to switch crew from  
the 70s that lists industries,etc. I'll try and find it. This was a big OT job  
serving the customers,and making up the Denrock and Mendota outbound cars.The 
 steel mill had its own famous switch engines.
Also have a "time study" from the UTU files on motor cars on the branch  that 
I hope to turn into a Zephyr or Bulletin article someday. Those motor cars  
were maids of all chores. Ray Prince once told me a story of working the Rock  
Falls job and about to go "dead" on the law during a tough winter,a Condr(who  
will remain unnamed) called the DS and asked for instructions. It was decided 
to  cut the train in half and proceed into Rock Falls. The Condr left the  
merchandise,heating oil,produce,etc and proceed in w/coal and scrap for the  
mill. That was in the 1940s and the story was being told in the mid 70s because 
 
the Condr had just about "left" me on a platform in the burbs because he had a 
 habit of leaving town when he felt like it. Ray Burnell saved me that day by 
 popping the door back open. After that I was back on the step two minutes 
early  when working w/this Condr.!
 
At the time I worked it,the job ran Mendota-Rockfalls and return with side  
trip to Baker as needed.Had a very clean Q painted NE13 for a w/c and an  
SD7/9(or 2 ?) for power. Previously it had been a pr of Geeps. I seem  to 
recall 30 
mph track speed. Radley still had 40 ft box cars stored for the  next grain 
shipments off the branch.
West Brooklyn still loaded grain in CHs. Gerry Barlow saved my head from  the 
grain spout there one day. Every town had an elevator and track but I only  
remember West Brooklyn as active. Amboy had a FS plant that received a fair  
amount of ferts. business, The Lee County Central  would come down and meet  us 
at the east end of town with their Plymouth or 44 tonner (can't remember for  
sure) for the boxcars for grain loading. The IC interchange was still  used. I 
believe it was primarily Goodyear tires in box cars. The mobile  agent for 
the branch was based in the Amboy depot. The thing most striking  about the 
branch was how little grading had been done on the line; it was a  like a 
miniature roller coaster except where the big cuts had been made. They  filled 
in 
nicely in the winter.(see prior posts about the plowing adventures in  the late 
70s).
At Rock Falls the job pulled into a clear trk in the "new yard" on the east  
edge of town and then back up a clear trk or the main and doubled over to the  
w/c. 
When the Sterling-Denrock job was taken off all BN business then went via  
Earlville and the light branch trk really went downhill fast. One of big 
changes 
 I remember is sizeable blocks of coal hoppers that previously had gone via  
Denrock.
As others have stated it was Northwestern Steel and Wire that kept the  
branch alive and Dillions famous moves playing the CNW/Q off each other,etc.For 
 
more details read "12,000 Days" by Gene Lewis from the CNWHS. It was their  
scrap and retired railcars inbound(BRHS member J.F. Schmid was just reminiscing 
 
this week w/me about working the Rockfalls job ,then Eola based,hauling retired 
 steam engines into town) and the outbound fencing,nails,etc that was the  
mainstay.
 
By the 80's the branch was down to 10MPH or less and the crew would  
routinely go dead both ways over the road. Zab used to talk about being able to 
 walk 
behind the w/c and keep up just nicely.
 
Leo Phillipp
 
 
 
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