Ted,
As memory serves it was used for a number of years toward the end of its
career in mixed train service out of Ft Madison IA.
Nolen Null
From: CBQ@yahoogroups.com [mailto:CBQ@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Ted
Lemen
Sent: Friday, July 01, 2011 3:54 PM
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [CBQ] RE: Shedd Aquarium Car
According to the equipment roster of the Monticello Railway Museum, the John
G. Shedd operated ex-CE&I No. 304, the "Turkey Run", in fish transport
service after modifications to accomodate crews on board from its original
use as coach/baggage. Other cars that survived initially from the C&EI's
1946 "Whippoorwill" train set include coach No. 460 "Vigo Trail" which went
into IC MOW service in 1961; Coach 462 "Vanderburg Trail also went to the IC
in 1961, then to a railroad equipment company; 463 "Vermillion Trail" is a
virtual vagabond with stints on the IC, Black Hills, OPE, LA amd renamed
"Sierra Madre" according to the Wikipedia search for "Whippoorwill Train".
Diner 505 "Shakamak Inn" went to the IC in 1962, then the Louisiana Arts and
Sciences Center in Baton Rouge, and is now at the Monticello Railway Museum
being restored to IC livery.
When the fish tanks had been replaced in the Nautilus at Monticello and it
was ready for visitors for the first time years ago, a member of the crew
that had worked aboard the car on trips to the Gulf or elsewhere. He gladly
answered questions about how they maintained the tanks on the road, smiled
while visitors joked about him "not going hungry" if they got stuck
somewhere and provided great enlightenment about life away from home
gathering and caring for fish.
I am not entirely certain if he was joking or not when he replied about what
happened if something died in transit? Could you eat it? He said they never
ate their captives, but once had a fish or some other large specimen that
expired and they pitched it out the side door going through the country.
Imagine some farmer plowing next to the tracks and finding a giant octopus
lying in his field. Would probably make the weekly paper.
As a youngster growing up near Chicago, I couldn't imagine why there were
rudimentary railroad tracks crossing Lake Shore Drive near Soldier Field and
the Field Museum of Natural History, climbing out of the bushes that
shielded motorists from viewing the remnants of the IC freight yard and
commuter coach tracks. After learning something about the Nautilus'
operations from someone who worked on it, I suspect those long-gone rails
that went out near the Aquarium had probably been a delivery route for fish.
Most interesting is that the Monticello Railway Museum would wind up with
two of the cars from this relatively obscure C&EI train through the most
different of sources. Their website is mrym.org.
To tie this message back to this group: Caboose CB&Q 14042 is the only piece
of Q equipment on hand at Monticello. With its sliding door and a couple of
seats, some referred to it as a "drover's caboose" used to accomodate riders
who traveled with their livestock to market. Others suggest it was just used
in branchline service where some freight and a few passengers handled that
way eliminated the need for a coach of some sort. Maybe someone here will
know.
Second Tie-in: If it were not for a CB&Q fantrip from St. Louis to Hannibal
in February 1966, however, the site now developed as the Monticello Railway
Museum might still be a cornfield. The trip generated interest in preserving
steam from those aboard who signed up as initial members to fight the
imminent retirement of Burlington steam. After acquiring a tiny saddle tank
steamer in October 1966, that, things really got out of hand and 45 years
later, Monticello proves to be one of the really nice museums.
Ted Lemen
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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