Pete
I learned that langage as boy at the depot. I still use some of it and
sometimes get some strange looks. I remember a hobo getting a one way ticket
home, "account special agent".
John
________________________________
From: "Jpslhedgpeth@aol.com" <Jpslhedgpeth@aol.com>
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, November 7, 2011 8:41 PM
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Correspondence from the CRRM Library Archives
Keep it coming Hol...I love this old correspondence...I have little or no
interest in the cars themselves, but the old "railroad terminology" which is
found on every piece of correspondence on every railroad is "priceless" to
those of us who were still around when it was.."the language of the day"
ie "protect that job"...."account......." "please handle
accordingly"...."see no failure"....."handle and advise".....long opening
statements ie...."referring to your letter of such and such a date
regarding...such and such a matter with "copy to Messrs X and Y and Z.
Phil Weibler and I have tossed around the idea of putting together a book
describing..."the uniform"...ie suit, white shirt, fedora hat complete with
cigar and notebook. as well as some of the language as above.....Maybe someday
we'll get at it....Phil has got the perfect title which will
remain..."confidential" until the proper time.
Pete
-----Original Message-----
From: HOL WAGNER <holpennywagner@msn.com>
To: CB&Q Group <cbq@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Mon, Nov 7, 2011 7:15 pm
Subject: [CBQ] Correspondence from the CRRM Library Archives
I spent another four hours today trying to help sort and catalog the huge
volume of C&S and Q records -- most from the mechanical department -- archived
at the Colorado Railroad Museum Library, which is only about 15 minutes from my
home. Today I went through a number of correspondence files from C.A.
{Clarence} Moody, who was assistant superintendent of motive power for Lines
West, the C&S and the FW&D from the 1940s until his retirement in 1961 or '62.
He offices at the Havelock shops in Lincoln and also at the Joint Shops here in
Denver, until they closed in September 1955, and thereafter at the Q's 23rd
Street roundhouse in Denver. Nearly everything I went through today was from
1953, late in the steam era and a year in which many heavyweight passenger cars
were modernized or retired and Havelock was building not only freight cars but
economy baggage cars. Many records of the Havelock work are in these files. But
there were many brief but interesting
file s on other passenger car topics, and I thought I might transcribe some of
them here, for whatever interest they might have to list members.
First, the individuals named in the correspondence:
S.L. Fee, vice president operations
W.B. Simmons, general superintendent transportation
H.H. Urbach, assistant vice president-mechanical (previously superintendent of
motive power)
C.A. Moody, assistant superintendent of motive power-Lines West, C&S, FW&D
C.E. Melker, assistant superintendent of motive power-Lines East
E.L. Potarf, general manager-Lines West (transferred to Lines East, mid-1953)
E.P. Stine, general manager-Lines West (succeeded Potarf, mid-1953)
C.E. Bloom, master mechanic, Lincoln
C.J. Harty, master mechanic, Alliance
Now, on to the correspondence:
Moody to Bloom, Havelock, 2/19/1953:
Have the following from Mr. Potarf dated February 18, 1953:
"It is my understanding that we have stored at Lincoln, Combination Cars 3992,
3997 and 3998.
"What is the condition of these cars and would they be suitable for service on
the Holdrege Line [Holdrege, Neb., to Sterling, Colo.], insofar as the
Mechanical Department is concerned?"
Please advise.
Bloom to Moody, Lincoln, 2/26/1953:
Combination Waycars
Your letter of Febr. 19, file 412.014, on above subject.
The three cars mentioned in your letter are mechanically fit for this service.
Moody forwarded the information on to Potarf in Lincoln, but it does not appear
these CW-6 cars were put back in service on the line west out of Holdrege, as
all three were scrapped at Lincoln in December 1953 and January 1954.
Moody to Stine, Havelock, 12/15/1953:
We have at Lincoln, combination passenger and baggage car 3658 [converted
8/1951 from PMC 9842] in very good condition, which we suggest be assigned to
Edgemont-Deadwood trains in place of car 2752 [coach-baggage-mail built by
Pullman, 9/1927, for the Cody Branch, by this time with the RPO door plated
over].
Car 3658 will be suitable for the business on this run, as to passenger and
baggage space. It is also equipped with beds and locker for train crews, and by
using this car it will not be necessary to use a waycar, as we now do with car
2752.
Car 2752 is in need of light shopping, and car should be moved to Lincoln for
this attention when released from Edgemont service.
Mr. Jones talked to Superintendent Harris [Alliance Division Superintendent
S.R. Harris] about this change and it was agreeable with Mr. Harris. If
agreeable with you, will you please line up for the change.
The change was made, and the 3658 was used on the Deadwood Branch until waycar
14560 was given a baggage compartment with side door at Havelock in October
1959 to replace it. The 2752 remained in mixed train service out of Lincoln
until the advent of Amtrak in 1971.
Melker to H.J. Bricher, Chicago, 4/8/1953:
Referring to correspondence ending with your letter of March 16, addressed to
Mr. Urbach, copy to me, in regard to inspection made of baggage car 1470
[converted by Great Northern, 6/1924, from an old GN sleeping car] which was
reported to be in poor condition.
We now have authority to retire this car frompassenger service; however, you
will arrange to have car billed to Lincoln where it is to he held for possible
conversion to company service. [It was renumbered 250288 on 9/8/1953.]
Please advise when car actually moves out of Aurora.
Urbach to Melker, Chicago, 4/6/1953:
Referring to your letter March 9, and Mr. Bricher's letter March 16, in regard
to condition of baggage car 1470.
Mr. Fee has authorized retirement of this car from passenger service, and you
should arrange to have it moved to Lincoln. Am giving Mr. Moody copy of this
letter with request that he hold car at that location for possible conversion
to company service until further advised.
Great Northern had operated its own sleeping cars until it finally gave in and
contracted with Pullman in 1923. It had a large number of wooden sleeping cars
that were now surplus, and Q 1470 was the first of 20 of these sleeping cars
converted by the GN into steel-sheathed truss rod baggage cars and sold to the
Burlington in 1924 as CB&Q 1470-1489. Four more cars were identically converted
in 1926, becoming Fort Worth & Denver 105-108, and another six were converted
into steel-sheathed truss rod coaches at the same time, becoming FW&D 207-212.
Moody to Urbach, Havelock, 4/20/1953:
Condemned Baggage Cars
CB&Q baggage cars #1361 and #1463 have been on hand at Lincoln account in bad
physical condition.
Superstructures of these cars are working roofs loose, trucks in need of
general overhauling, and general condition of cars is such that they should be
retired from regular passenger service. Estimated cost to repair each of these
cars is $15,000, and as superstructures are all wood, we recommend they be
retired and used in company service.
Cars have already been renumber to company service [1361 to 250872 on
4/14/1953; 1463 to 250871 on 4/13/1953], and above information is in line with
telephone request from Mr. Rezner's office last week. [J.D. Rezner was then
Urbach's assistant and would succeed him within the next year.]
Urbach to Fee, Chicago, 4/21/1953:
Baggage cars 1361 and 1463, built in 1901 and 1909 respectively, are in very
bad physical condition. These are steel underframe cars, wood superstructure,
with composite trucks.
Estimated cost to make repairs is $15,000 each, and inasmuch as they are no
longer suitable for main line service, and can be renumbered for company
service, may we have your authority to retire them [since we have already done
it without any authority].
Car 1361 was built at Plattsmouth in 9/1901 as B&MR 129, while car 1463 was
turned out by Aurora in 11/1909 as CB&Q RPO car 2242, converted to baggage car
1463 at Aurora in 7/1923.
More tomorrow!
Hol Wagner
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