While Savanna was never an "official" helper terminal helpers were, on
occasions, "helpful" !! Left with a loaded rail train with an F7A and B.
Startin' at the yd. office there wasn't a very great chance we'd make Burke on
our own. Since doublin' a rail train is a bit tricky we convinced the
Yardmaster to add one of his switch engines to our waycar so he could "get rid
of us". He did and he did.
On the 10th. Sub the "goal" was ta clear the C&NW X'ing. just east of Deer
Grove before "layin' down" on Walnut. A double into Mendota was a chance ta
make a little extra "mad money" on a trip that paid more miles than a trip via
the C&I anyway.
Sometimes, a westward trip around "the horn" had its "moments" too. Checking
the register at Denrock required a slowdown that caused some concern gittin'
outta the sag over the Rock River. This was occasioned by the fact that a trip
around the horn was usually the result of catchin' a dog outta Cicero that was
too big, too heavy or too UNDERpowered ta move "smartly" over the C&I so the
10th. and 5th. Subs were used to avoid "clutterin" up the 3rd. Sub.
Wedron Hill was a hoot on the Fox River. With a train way too heavy for 3
Geeps ta leave Wedron with, a backward run towards Dayton was in order. The
subsequent cacophony produced by the 3 Geeps, the continuous blast of the
Leslie Typhon's passin' by the Wedron Silica plant structures, the dust clouds
and the HOPE that no trucks were on the X'ing. was definitely worth the price
of admission !! I suppose the 1.5% "hill" was too short to create a helper
district at Wedron.
Rockford also had a hill that could cause problems and make some extra money
for the crews. South Ottawa was also a formidable opponent against westward
(south) trains such as #85.
The CB&Q was NOT a perfectly flat RR !!
Karl
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