Re: [CBQ] Digest Number 5610

[RWA325@aol.com]

Bill (Barber),

 

In the summer of 1961, I rode a CB&Q commuter from Chicago to Downers Grove on boot liberty from Great Lakes, with DG native and fellow boot, Ron Pluth.  I seem to remember the cars being Pullman green (OD) heavy weights, but never saw the head end.  What was likely pulling it in those days?  (I was still a decade away from being a "real" railfan, then.)

 

Thanks,

Bob Arthur

Princeton, NC

 

In a message dated 7/30/2013 9:45:03 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, clipperw@gmail.com writes:

 

Bill,

I grew up in Downers Grove and I do recall that both Naperville and Downers had flooding problems in the mid to late 1950s. When that occurred, the Cock Robin, (I believe it was Prince Castle at that time), was flooded along with other buildings in the area close to the river as was the Washington St. bridge. AS you indicated, when I graduated from DG High School in 1961, Naperville had a population of a little over 14000 while DG's population was about 25000. Now, Naperville is 140000 and DG is 48000! How things change over time. BTW, many years ago, what is now Ogden Avenue, was known as Plank Road all through the western suburbs. 

As for the RR, I seem to recall that Moser Lumber had a spur track on the south side and, of course, Kroeler Furniture also had a siding. Was the Moser siding possibly a truncated portion of the old quarry siding?

Bill Barber

Gravois Mills, MO

On Jul 30, 2013, at 5:00 AM, CBQ@yahoogroups.com wrote:

Re: Naperville.

Mon Jul 29, 2013 8:08 am (PDT) . Posted by:

"Bill Hirt" wdhirt

Mike,

As others have noted, Naperville was already a town 30 ye ars before the 
railroad. There was plank road through town that preceded the CB&Q 
(there was a street called Plank Road when I lived there 40 years ago). 
So the orginal town grew up around the river as a power source. As 
Gerald Edgar noted, one can look at the Sanborn maps and see how the 
CB&Q had a spur down paralleling Mill Street to the quarries and just 
southwest of downtown. It was a big deal when the rail served Nabisco 
plant opened on the edge of town around the BN merger.

In the eight years I lived there, the DuPage River never flooded the 
down town. I don't even remember it ever even flooding the Cock Robin or 
Burger King which were directly next to it along Washington Street. The 
city was only 15,000-20,000 then and there was still a lot of farmland 
and open country to absorb all that rainwater. There was still a Future 
Farmers of America chapter at the high school when I was there. You had 
to watch which commuter train to ride home after a day in Chicago 
because a number of them skipped or never got to Naperville during rush 
hour.

Bill Hirt

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