The BRHS used to have a book of schedules and
blocking for 1969 available. You might try there. These comments
refer to the late 1960s right before the merger. Most
perishables handled by the CB&Q then came from three gateways - the UP at
Grand Island, GN and NP at the Twin Cities, and GN in Sioux City. In the
Twin Cities, the Q got only about 20 to 25% of the interchange including
perishables from the GN and NP before the merger, about the same at the CNW got
- a major reason for the merger. The peak time for perishable
movements on the GN and NP was late August to May. Spuds from WA and ID
began moving in late August and ran through October. Apples and Pears from
WA began moving in October and ran through May. Cherries ran during the
summer. The largest perishable movement on the GN and NP in the late
1960s, especially the GN, was Red River Valley potatoes. The Q might see
70 - 90 reefers of spuds a day (mostly chipping potatoes) at times during the
winter at Sioux City. #80 to St. Louis, and #82 and #88, later #90 out ot
the Twin Cities to Chicago might each see 10 to 15 reefers a day,
especially during the winter. Some piggybacked meat originated in
the Twin Cities. #88 might have 40 cars of spuds on it at times in the
fall or winter. #66 out of Grand Island usually had 20 - 60
reefers from the UP on it, especially at peak season during the summer.
Most of those cars and perishables on the North Line went to the IHB in Chicago
for furtherance to eastern roads. #66 often ran in two sections and was
split into two trains just before the merger. LW68 from Denver to Chicago
would have a few (10 - 15) reefers and trailers of meat out of Denver on it in
the late 1960s, but not a lot of produce was received from connections at Denver
in the late 1960s. The Q also got 60 to 80 trailers of
meat and a handfull or reefers of meat between Omaha, Lincoln, Phelps,
Ottumwa, and a couple of other small packing plants in the late 1960s.
Almost all of the piggybacked meat ran via Chicago on trains LC (two sections)
and LW68, later #64. A few perishables ran via St. Louis and Peoria
in 1969, but not many. In the early 1960s Peoria got 20 or more reefers of
meat a day from the Q but little in 1969. The meat and spud traffic on the
rails pretty much was gone by 1975 as the transportation of these commodities
was rapidly changing. I have far less information for the early 1960s and
virtually none from the 1950s.
Dick Eisfeller
Big "E" Productions
Greenland, NH
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