Railroad men, especially those
of the "Q" were full of tricks, humor, and sometimes just
plain ornery but 100% honest when I was growing up on the
Lincoln/Alliance Division out in York, NB. Our house sat about
50 to 60 yards south of the line and about 200 yards east of
the DEPOT. Anyhow my mom had a chicken house close to the
tracks on the passing siding in the late 40's when I was just
old enough to remember (8 or 9). One night when the local
dropped their train and way car almost in the back yard, she
heard a ruckus with the chickens. She knew that
something of someone was in the hen house. She called the
local cops. Needless to say they took their sweet time getting
there. Well mom was madder than one of her hens needless to
say. She told Bill Wolf the Chief off and said she
could smell frying chicken as the train left town going
west. Anyhow a few days later the same crew apparently passed
through going back east because mom found $3.00 in one of the
egg nest and the chickens had laid a few less eggs that
morning. It paid very well for the absconded hen and less
eggs. Years later and the hen house long gone it was a family
joke to ask mom if smelled frying chicken when she was down in
that area doing garden stuff.
Noel Crawford
On 12/20/2012 12:43 PM, Jpslhedgpeth@aol.com wrote:
Steve...that's an interesting
sidelight which I never would have thought of on my
own although it fits so well with a railroaders
mentality and penchant for the nickname and the
"playing of tricks".
Speaking of "tricks"...One day I was at the depot at
Langdon and noticed that one of the windows in the
operator's bay was broken out and the pane was filled
with a piece of cardboard. I asked my dad if he knew
what happened...He said a few day ago a brakeman threw a
'sack of water" (from his passing waycar) at Bruce
(Adamson, the agent) and it went through the
window...Bruce was a real old time operator and had been
a DS during WW II. He was a trickster himself and had
probably pulled some stunt on that "shack" and was being
repaid.
Bruce also had a violent temper and used the same
violent profanity to go with it. My dad told me that
one time he saw Bruce get mad at a typewriter. He tore
the platen off the machine and threw it through the
depot window. You won't be surprised that he suffered
a stroke shortly after he retired and spent his last
years in helpless condition.
Bruce was the name Adamson was known by, but his
initials were PBA...Few knew that his first name was
Percy...How about that...My dad always called him
"Pers". My dad was kind of a"joker" himself and maybe
he just did it to "get Pers's goat"
This stuff is getting to be so much fun that it's
taking all my time....not that I have anything reallly
pressing me, but I love it...Keep it up guys...We own
this stuff that the "newbies" don't, but I think they
like to hear it.
Pete
-----Original Message-----
From: STEVEN HOLDING <sholding@sbcglobal.net>
To: CBQ <CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wed, Dec 19, 2012 10:57 pm
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Buda-Elmwood Branch Passenger Service
Sometimes the train crews knew where
they were at and would yell at the DS.
But he had to have it keyed up to hear it.
They had many names some not printable.
Steve in SC
From:
"Jpslhedgpeth@aol.com"
<Jpslhedgpeth@aol.com>
To:
CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Sent:
Wed, December 19, 2012 9:07:24 PM
Subject:
Re: [CBQ] Buda-Elmwood Branch
Passenger Service
Sounds
exactly right Archie...they
would indeed "tattle" on a crew
"fudging" on the delay repot.
Pete
-----Original Message-----
From: archie hayden < klinerarch@charter.net>
To: CBQ < CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wed, Dec 19, 2012 11:25 am
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Buda-Elmwood
Branch Passenger Service
Pete, I recall the
old heads telling about
one on the north end of
the K Line at either
Viele or Ft Madison,
they called them
Tattle-Tales. Archie
Steve...Not
unexpectedly
you get the
prize for the
right answer
even though
I'm sure John
knows also.
My first
experience was
that there was
one at Craig
Missouri on
the Omaha
Kansas City
line...I used
to listen in
on the DS
phone at the
Langdon depot
while with my
dad waiting on
No.s 21 and
26. This one
had a unique
feature, which
may have been
present on
others as
well...Before
you could hear
the train
approaching
there was a
dog that would
start to bark
before the
mike picked up
the sound of
the
train...Kind
of like an
"annunciator"
or live "on
the bell"
warning.
I don't
know whether
this thing was
used on other
railroads but
suspect that
it was...Also
I wonder if
the name was
the same all
over the Q
system...Very
interesting
how
railroaders
came up with
unique names
for places and
"devices" used
on the RR.
A few
years ago I
asked the late
Robert Brown
if he knew
about the
Whang... He
sure did and
related an
experience he
had...I don't
recall what
station he was
at, but there
the Mike was
located in the
depot. The
agent would
turn off the
mike when he
came to work
and turn it on
again when he
left.
Well, one
morning Brown
forgot to turn
off the
whanger and
was trying,
unsuccessfully,
to get a fire
started in his
coal stove and
was using
some "choice"
words...The DS
called him on
the phone and
told him that
he should
either use
some improved
language or
turn off the
whangdoodle.
Also,
Steve,
speaking of
Briar
Bluff...back
in the early
forties there
was a bad head
on collision
just south of
Briar Bluff.
The Rock
Island train
(southbound
out of Silvis,
bound for
Peoria) had a
meet with a Q
train at Brar
Bluff. The
RI crew was
not familiar
with the
stations on
the Q and got
by Briar Bluff
before they
knew where
they were.
The engineer
had not been
over the line
in some time
and IIRC the
fireman and
head brakeman
were new
men..It was
bad..I think
some
fatalities...This
one is on the
ICC Accident
Investigation
List.
Pete
-----Original
Message-----
From: STEVEN
HOLDING < sholding@sbcglobal.net>
To: CBQ < CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tue, Dec
18, 2012 10:25
pm
Subject: Re:
[CBQ]
Buda-Elmwood
Branch
Passenger
Service
If I
remember right
there use to
be one at
Brair Bluff(on
the Pea
Vine((Just
South of
Colona))) You
keyed in in
just like any
other phone
but it was a
microphone and
you could hear
the birds
singing. Oh!
but it was so
you could hear
a train go by
so you had
some Idea what
was happening
with your
railroad. The
reason it was
used was for
Info only.
But the Rock
Island would
most times not
flag and often
were real late
in OS-ing a
train on or
off the line
at Colona.
That was one
of the main
reasons the
first CTC on
the Pea
Vine(after
merger) was
Colona to
Orion Jct.
where the RI
coal train ran
that went to
and from the
coal mines
around
Wyoming.
Course another
neat story
about the Pea
Vine was when
they put the
TV cameras in
so the clerks
in Galesburg
could read the
car numbers
with out
walking the
tracks. They
just watched
TV. And guess
what grew all
along the
ROW. It use
to be a
standing joke
along the Pea
Vine every
fall when the
Mary Jane got
tall they
would have an
annual Fall
Harvest and
would use the
wire from the
phone lines to
bind it up
with. So when
we had phone
trouble we
knew what was
happening. It
was also a
standing joke
in my
neighborhood
when living in
Berwick(working
in Galesburg
DS Office)
When we were
mowing weeds
we were
harvesting our
Cash Crop.
Opps got side
tracked.
Anyway the
subjects would
use the lights
from the
cameras to
harvest and
the neat part
was it was all
on tape ready
for the
court. Course
most crooks
are not too
Bright.
Steve in SC
From:
"John D.
Mitchell, Jr."
<cbqrr47@yahoo.com>
To:
CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Sent:
Tue, December
18, 2012
9:27:21 PM
Subject:
Re: [CBQ]
Buda-Elmwood
Branch
Passenger
Service
I
know it a way
to keep track
of trains but
I'll let you
explain it.
they were
pretty clever
deals.
--- On Tue,
12/18/12, Jpslhedgpeth@aol.com
<Jpslhedgpeth@aol.com>
wrote:
From: Jpslhedgpeth@aol.com
<Jpslhedgpeth@aol.com>
Subject: Re:
[CBQ]
Buda-Elmwood
Branch
Passenger
Service
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday,
December 18,
2012, 7:40 PM
ThanksJohn..I'd
never heard
the term
running
crooked
before
While
were at
it....Who
knows what a
WHANGDOODLE
was...relax
it's not
profane or
dirty. I
think I've
sprung that
one on here
before, but
let's see who
knows.
Pete
-----Original
Message-----
From: John D.
Mitchell, Jr.
< cbqrr47@yahoo.com>
To: CBQ < CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tue, Dec
18, 2012 2:47
pm
Subject: Re:
[CBQ]
Buda-Elmwood
Branch
Passenger
Service
It
means to run
against the
current of
traffic i.e,
wrong main or
wrong way.
--- On Tue,
12/18/12, Jpslhedgpeth@aol.com <Jpslhedgpeth@aol.com> wrote:
From: Jpslhedgpeth@aol.com <Jpslhedgpeth@aol.com>
Subject: Re:
[CBQ]
Buda-Elmwood
Branch
Passenger
Service
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday,
December 18,
2012, 1:11 PM
jOHN..I
know about all
of them except
"running
crooked"...I
t;hink I might
even know what
that one
implies, but
how about a
bit more
enlightenment.
Pete
-----Original
Message-----
From: John D.
Mitchell, Jr.
< cbqrr47@yahoo.com>
To: CBQ < CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Mon, Dec
17, 2012 11:17
pm
Subject: RE:
[CBQ]
Buda-Elmwood
Branch
Passenger
Service
Or
"hit the bell"
or "He's
shining me
right now"
Ever hear that
last one,
Steve? And how
about "riding
yellows" and
"running
crooked"?
--- On Mon,
12/17/12, Mike
Cafferata <mcaff1@htc.net> wrote:
From: Mike
Cafferata <mcaff1@htc.net>
Subject: RE:
[CBQ]
Buda-Elmwood
Branch
Passenger
Service
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Date: Monday,
December 17,
2012, 9:35 PM
How
about “On the
circuit” or
“hit the
circuit”?
Mike
Cafferata
YES
INDEED....I
"OPINED" RE
PROTECT A FEW
DAYS AGO.
-----Original
Message-----
From: dhartman
<dhartman@mchsi.com>
To: CBQ yahoo
<CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Mon, Dec
17, 2012 12:03
pm
Subject: Re:
[CBQ]
Buda-Elmwood
Branch
Passenger
Service
Anyone
mention
"protect" yet?
Sent
from my
Verizon
Wireless
BlackBerry
Date: Mon, 17
Dec 2012
12:28:31 -0500
(EST)
Subject:
Re:
[CBQ]
Buda-Elmwood
Branch
Passenger
Service
I am
VERY MUCH
INTERESTED
STEVE/..
Anybody else
with anything
along this
line...I'm
getting warmed
up (again) to
the idea of
putting
together a
"compendium"
of this
stuff...ie RR
terms,
references,
abbreviations
pertinent
phrasing etc).
I knew
I had another
item just had
to dig it out
My Train Sheet
from Monday
Sept. 17,
1962. This
was saved by P
K Hannah and I
managed to
talk him out
of it.
It covers the
Bushnell to
Beardstown
Sub(Roseville
to Beardstown
thru
Bushnell)(Now
the busy coal
main)(( on
this day only
62 north with
66 annulled
and 63 and 73
south. And
the wayfreight
with engine
308 worked
from
Beardstown to
Vermont side
trip to
Astoria and
then all the
way to
Roseville and
back to
Beardstown),
Peoria to
Galesburg Sub,
Fairview and
Lewiston Sub
(Fairview to
South
Liverpool) and
the Buda and
Vermont
Subdivision
The train we
are looking
for ran that
day as a work
extra on duty
at 10 AM in
Canton using
motor 9405-B
having been
rebuilt with a
cab in 1954.
The sheet does
not show them
departing
Canton(CO)((telegraph
call)) until
140Pm working
Norris(NS)150-202
Farmington(FA)
217-230 and
arriving Yates
City(CD) at
235 with 3-2-
290 departing
at 330 with
2-45-1000(loads-empties-tons)
Elmwood(WD)
339-347 then
must have done
some kind of
work as did
not get to
Bradford until
935 Pm with
1-3-150 and
departed at
1000 Pm with
4-0-320 WD
1247-1255AM CD
arrived at
1:50 with
23-0-1852 and
out 1:25
W/C(waycar
lite) and slid
into home
plate at
Canton at
1:55AM W/C
relieved at
1:59 (the 16
hour rule was
in effect and
would have
died at
2:00AM.
John
Mitchell's
Bulletin 35
covered the
Illinois Coal
Fields South
of
Beardstown.
This sheet
covers the
Coal Fields
North of
Beardstown
With a lot of
coal dumped in
South
Liverpool.
When your
ready Charlie
I think I can
do a pretty
good small
Bulletin
Dave
this has a
train to
Roseville
might be able
to shoehorn
into the
material you
have now
Pete
here are some
items for your
list.
Telegraph
Calls often
used to
abbreviate for
calls and
notations.
Somewhere I
have a whole
list if you
are
interested.
Steve in SC
|
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Subject:
RE: [CBQ]
Buda-Elmwood
Branch
Passenger
Service
|
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Thanks,
Steven!
That narrows
my search a
little.
David P.
Jordan
Dunlap,
Illinois
>David
>My April
'46 Official
Guide shows
Daily except
Sunday Mixed
train Buda to
Yates City and
Yates City to
Peoria. Looks
like the job
worked out of
Buda 6:50 AM
>out of
Buda and Yates
City 9:40-2:50
back into Buda
5:00PM
>Oct. 1955
shows Mixed
Service and it
looks like the
job may have
come out of
Galesburg or
Yates City
Yates City
11:00 AM Buda
2:00-2:20
Schedules in
the
GT->Peoria
do not jive.
>April 1958
just shows
Mixed train
service
Consult agent
No times shown
>Would be
neat on a
model railroad
to change
locations
where jobs
worked out of
and then maybe
even change
them to run in
the opposite
direction
>Steve in
SC
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