Hol - I'm a "silent" member of this List and want to step forward and say how much I enjoy reading the transcribed official correspondence. My late father M.L. Zadnichek was a Lines East and West train master, division superintendent and director of TOFC during the 1950s and 60s. Dad may've been train master at St. Joseph, MO, at the time E.R. Schrader was division superintendent as we lived there in the mid-1950s. Dad was a baggage man and brake man on the C&I during World War Two. All his family were C&NW people going back to my g-g-grandfather who established his seniority on the section at Quarry, IA, in 1870 having immigrated earlier from Bohemia. I was born in 1946 at Mendota, IL, where my mom said the vibration from passing trains would shake the pictures loose on the walls, as well as make her rewash the clothes from the cinders that fell in the yard where the clothes line was located. The name E.L. Potarf particularly rang a bell as he mentored my father as a young trainmaster at Casper, WY, in the early 1950s. Mr. Potarf became a close family friend and I have snapshots taken by my dad of Mr. and Mrs. Potarf and daughter with myself, brother and mother at Sunday afternoon family get-togethers. Both my dad and mom thought the world of Mr. Potarf and stayed in touch with him through their lifetimes. I also see other names of Q officials who my dad was well acquainted with and some of whom I met as a child. It really was one big Burlington Family in that era, something that today has been lost. Dad was a collector, too, and I have his personal papers, official documents pertaining to his career, lanterns, bells, headlights, whistles, builders plates, photographs and other Q memorabilia. Today, my son Miles continues the Zadnichek Family railroad heritage as a revenue accountant with NS in Atlanta, GA. I encourage you to continue researching and transcribing the official correspondence. I very much appreciate your efforts. Best Regards - Louis Zadnichek II, Fairhope, AL
In a message dated 1/24/2013 10:59:53 A.M. Central Standard Time, holpennywagner@msn.com writes:
Pete:
Yup, I checked an Alliance Division ETT and he was indeed division superintendent. Thanks!
Hol
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
From: Jpslhedgpeth@aol.com
Date: Thu, 24 Jan 2013 11:46:03 -0500
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Boxcars in Passenger Service
E.R. Shrader was a Superintendent...He was at St. Joe in the 1950's...I have a personal letter from him turning down my request for Jim Christen and I to ride the "head end" of No.93 from Corning to Villisca.
Shrader's nephew lives here in Lincoln and we have had several conversations recently about "uncle Ed". He is buried near York, NE...His nephew is going to take me out to his burial site sometime next spring.
Pete