It wasn’t only
birds that caused problems. In 1897, the Railway Age reported the
CB&Q as having a problem with mud wasps using brake retaining valves as
incubating apartments. It noted that “Mr. Rhodes [Superintendent
Motive Power, Aurora] desired it to be understood that his paper was not to be
considered as an argument against the use of retaining valves, which were found
to be desirable in a number of places, even on so level a road as the C. B.
& Q.”
The full article is at http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?num=70&u=1&seq=1&view=image&size=100&id=njp.32101048999328&q1=Rhodes
Rupert Gamlen
Auckland NZ
From:
CBQ@yahoogroups.com [mailto:CBQ@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of HOL WAGNER
Sent: Wednesday, 1 May 2013 1:42
a.m.
To: CB&Q Group
Subject: [CBQ] Trivia
Thought I'd post a few more items of trivial interest that
I ran across in my sorting of old records at the Colorado Railroad Museum
library.
Here is a bulletin issued to "All Enginemen" on May 26, 1944, at
Casper, Wyo., by Wm. Schwartz, Casper Master Mechanic:
Please be referred to
various previous notices in regard to birds nests in water spouts.
We are again
experiencing trouble with birds nests getting into water tanks [of locomotive
tenders]. Existing instructions are that enginemen, during the Spring and
Summer months, in taking water, should flush out the spout before dropping into
tank. In this way any birds nests which might happer to be in the spout
will be washed out on the ground.
Enginemen will please
see these instructions are followed.
More to come.
Hol