Re: [CBQ] Re: 1956 mty stock cars eastbound

[Jpslhedgpeth@aol.com]

I've posted on this subject before, but i'll do it again here...As late as 1956-57...maybe later...starting in August there would be stock trains coming out of Wyoming-Montana headed for the Omaha Packing houses...These were designated  MWSPU...(Montana Wyoming Stock pick up)....Not being "agrculturally  knowlegable or well versed on how "on the hoof" stock was handled at that tender age (20) I don't know whether these were "feeder cattle" or bovines designated for the slaughter houses...Keeping with the railroaders tradition for giving a nickname or "moniker" for everything these  MWSPU were dubbed  "A MONKEY WARD"...John Mitchell once commented that he and i were probably the only ones of the list who knew what "Monkey Ward was.

Pete

-----Original Message-----
From: Leo <qutlx1@aol.com>
To: CBQ <CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Fri, Dec 13, 2013 4:15 pm
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Re: 1956 mty stock cars eastbound

 

Bill,

My understanding is there was little to no livestock moving on rails to packing plants by this date; trucks had taken the business. Most of the livestock business was feeder cattle/sheep Off the western ranges in the fall for local farmers to fatten until spring. We handled this type of business well into the mid 70s until the company got out of the business.

That said this train could be the "pick up" out of Savanna,which besides dragging around a bunch of "dead frt" would do the local work Savanna- Oregon and also block s/o and p/u at Oregon,Flag Center,Rochelle and Eola. The stock cars maybe mtys from Milledgeville,Polo or even Rochelle from feeder stock loads. But if from Rochelle(Del Monte feeders) the mtys would have been placed on the storage or pass at Rochelle for a westbound to grab. Same if the loads had been inbound to Swift at Rochelle. As I mentioned this was before it became the norm to rever se cars scores or hundreds of miles to save an intermediate switch. Actually leaving the cars at Rochelle would get them westbound faster than taking them to Eola and then west.

As far as I know Eola Reclamation plant/scrap dock did not dismantle "foreign" cars except if destroyed on the Q. Interesting little sidebar here. Hundreds of stock cars and way cars were simply burned at Montgomery sheep yards and the nonmetallic material used as fill to expand the track area. Same thing also happened at Eola,even into the 1970s. I have heard a first hand story from a former coworker that one night on 4 o'clock shift a large number of way cars went up in flames on the "old west rips".

Leo

Sent from my iPad

On Dec 13, 2013, at 1:00 PM, William Barber <clipperw@gmail.com> wrote:

 

Leo,

There appear to be six stock cars in the group, all of similar style. They also appear to be old cars (of course, so is the lead outside brace box car). The first one looks like it has truss rods. The door on the third one appears to have some sort of defect. Is it possible that these cars are in some other service? Another possibility is that they are destine for scrap or reclamation. Did the Q scrap equipment for GN and NP at Eola in addition to their own equipment? Were there any meat processing plants between Savanna and Chicago or the Twin Cities and Chicago? Could the cars have dropped off a load en route eastbound and then were picked up by the O-5 to be assembled into a westbound train for shipment back to the Twin Cities? Think eastward facing switch points on a siding.

BTW, the locomotive is 5621, not 5631. Looks like it got a load of bad water judging by the lime deposits toward the rear of the boiler. T here are other photos of No. 5621, taken in the same time period, that also exhibit heavy lime deposits. 

It is interesting to speculate about what was going on more than 57 years ago. One thing is certain. Looking at Google street view, the scene hasn't changed a great deal. 

Bill Barber

Gravois Mills, MO

On Dec 13, 2013, at 4:51 AM, CBQ@yahoogroups.com wrote:

1956 mty stock cars eastbound

Thu Dec 12, 2013 6:38 pm (PST) . Posted by:

"Leo" leophillipp

There is currently an awesome photo of the 5631 eastbound just east of Shabbona taken from the route 30 overpass dated 1956 on ebay. The current bid price reflects just how nice it is.

The train is clearly not a Wayfreight. So why are what appear to be mty NP and GN. (The car doors are open) Stock cars doing going eastbound. This is long before the current logic of back hauling to avoid switching yards in route. 

Any ideas ? Steve ?
Leo

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