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[CBQ] Rock Falls Memories.

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Subject: [CBQ] Rock Falls Memories.
From: "Karl L Rethwisch" <qrailroadman@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 03:02:02 -0000
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The Rock Falls wayfreight was one of a few jobs that called Rock Falls / 
Sterling "home".  There used to be two switch engines that worked the Twin 
Cities, one out of the house in Rock Falls and the other started out of 
Sterling.

I would catch the 8:00 AM RF switch engine quite often while workin' the extra 
list.  The deadhead was, in itself, very interesting.  A 6:30 PM call on Sunday 
evening to catch a City Lines (Aurora) bus to Geneva.  At Geneva I was supposed 
to catch a C&NW pass. train to Sterling then, after a pleasant nights sleep in 
the bunk room, get a cab and get over to the house in Rock Falls.  At the house 
was a very dead, very cold engine, either 9208 or 9209, the ATS equipped switch 
engines.  

These engines were needed in Sterling as power for 94 over to Denrock every 
evening during the week.  The Sterling to Agnew portion of this job was hosted 
by the C&NW, therefore the requirement for ATS equipped locomotives.

After gettin' the engine hot and ready on Mon. morning the Engr., J S Pence, 
Jr,. would show up and we'd get about the business of the day.  A lot of time 
was spent switching the feed mill in Rock Falls, right by the depot.  In the 
course of the activities we would often block Dixon Ave., just east of the 
mill.  Jr. always had me toss a fusee out to warn the traffic but one day a 
driver, slightly "under the weather", drove a nice new Ford retractable right 
into the Fireman's side of the no. 2 truck of our engine.  
Engine 1 - - Ford 0 !!  

Other chores included Illinois Forge, just north of US 30, an occasional 
piggy-back trailer, unloaded near the house, RB&W, Parrish Alford, Goodyear 
Tires, scrap to and from the wire mill and an occasional switch in Sterling.  

When the second job was abolished all the work fell to the Rock Falls engine 
and goin' dead became a regular part of the job.  Tie up for 8 and come back to 
same place ya got relieved and start all over again.

Karl



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