Re: [CBQ] Composite gons in 'coal' service

["John D. Mitchell, Jr." <cbqrr47@yahoo.com>]

I don't know of any coal companies that were still bagging coal in the 50's, in Southern Illinois, however a number of wholesalers provided this service. They were primarily located in larger cities like St. Louis. I can't imagine why the Q would buy from them, at least on the Lines East where they had access to cheap coal and section men to shovel it. Even after the Valier Mine was leased, Old Ben sold them coal at a discount (they had to pay the Q the royalty).

John

--- On Fri, 2/22/13, Gerald Edgar <gvlc6@hotmail.com> wrote:

From: Gerald Edgar <gvlc6@hotmail.com>
Subject: [CBQ] Composite gons in 'coal' service
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Date: Friday, February 22, 2013, 12:46 PM

 

A few yrs back, speaking with a ret'd Q Agent (LaX Div)about B&B forces servicing stations, the old wooden gons in MoW/Company service came up. I commented about the little hatch doors on both sides at either end. (Note: like most MoW equipment, the gons were painted safety orange with a lot of variation due to wood weathering, sun fading, board replacement, etc - some of you have seen my slides of same @ BRHS clinics, esp. detail of the home-made "hatches"). He related these were used by section crews to shove bags of coal thru at stations, MoW sheds, etc in latter yrs for locations that still burned coal (and this gentleman nearly always worked stations on the 'main'). Makes sense as no shoveling required. He said the sacks were similar to potato sacks; his best (or should I say worst) memory was when they split open & spilled coal. He recalled too that they were bagged at Q mines in Illinois - John Mitchell may have info. A Car Dept Mgr @ Galesburg in the mid-70's told me the same thing that the gons were modified at various car shops; a very few still in BN service at the time. I believe too commercial coal yards at one time sold bagged coal as well as bulk. And speaking of shoveling, a fraternity brother told me of a summer job in early 70's on a Q line in southern Iowa where he worked for a lumber/coal dealer. One day he was given the solo task of unloading a rare gon of coal as a ramp was no longer available (very few people still burning coal by then). He told me memories of that helped him keep his nose in his textbooks so he would become a Pharmacist (he did) rather than shovel coal for a living. Gerald

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