This one is a much lower impact event but still interesting. Sometime around
1977/78 as crew shortages became a daily event mgmt and the union local agreed
to turn the C&I pool into a extra list,dog catch, maid of all chores list. I
don't recall this being put to a vote at the lodge and I made most meetings,
something like this would have needed two meetings to get passed.
So about that time not only did the 21 or 22 crews in the C&I pool protect all
trains between Cicero and Savanna; we were blessed with dog catching not only
our own crews between Savanna and Cicero who died on the hog law but any
crew,anywhere on the Aurora Division.
On top of that the locals between Eola-Denrock-Savanna and return to Eola via
Oregon were abolished and an " as needed" local from Savanna- Denrock-Mendota
and Cicero and one from Savanna-Cicero via Oregon would be ordered from time to
time and protected by the C&I pool crews. These trains rarely made it east of
Aurora(the crew supply base,draw your own conclusions as to why).The goal here
was to reduce eastbound dead heads from Savanna as there was an imbalance in
favor of westbound trains. Needless to say the C&I train crews were less than
thrilled and the engine crews even less happy with the turning of the C&I pool
into an extra list.
You could no longer predict a day off in the cycle not to mention getting
called at any hour. It was really a glorified extra list. But we made a LOT of
money.
So one day we're ordered for the "as needed" Wayfreight from Savanna to Cicero.
It's sometime late winter/very early spring of 1979. The blizzards and sub zero
are gone but there are still plenty of snow drifts several feet deep in many
spots.
We have worked every station since Chadwick and are coming into Waterman long
past dark. We pick up an mty covered hopper at FS so it's Ahead of the engine.
There's an mty box car behind the engine for De Kalb seed to load seed corn
into. We are downtown on the passing trk and before we run around the covered
hopper Scott shoves the mty box into the De Kalb spur for spotting at their
dock. I'm warm and cozy in the w/c cupola (there's not much I can do to help).
He's riding the steps of the SD and we're all watching the box car. It reaches
the 3' drift and proceeds to climb on top of it rather than plow it out of the
way. It climbs steadily and Scott flags down. OK let's go backwards(ahead) and
see if this car will follow along behind the engine back onto the rails.
Amazingly that's just what it does !
The car sits there for a few weeks until the ice covered drift melts and
another crew shoves the car to spot. Not sure who paid the demurrage while it
sat there.
Oh,if you wondering, we made it as far as Eola that night and got a cab back to
Aurora depot where our cars were parked.
If you're interested in more winter Railroading of how to overcome snow and ice
in an urban setting with tracks in the streets on the Q .... If your not a BRHS
member go to the website when BULLETIN 50 is printed. Or better yet join now
and get an issue guaranteed as part of your membership. I am not on the board
but suspect the issue cover price will be about a years membership dues.
How do I know. I wrote the articles in the issue and have the drafts in front
of me.
Leo
Sent from my iPad
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