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Yes, there were several wrecks at Maple Avenue in Brookfield that I saw. I lived one block from there. And small wrecks would happen at the IHB interchange a couple of time a year. You'd hear the big thunder rumble and run out to the tracks to see what happened. The grade coming into Brookfield from the West was the apparent problem. Several times, as the set out was being pushed back on the IHB, the rest of the Q train, sitting on the Main, would have the air would equalize (?) and the rest of the train would start to roll into the cut being shoved back on to the IHB. Several times cattle cars would be damaged and cattle and pigs would be running loose around the tracks in Brookfield. I think there were special instructions issues out about setting so many hand brakes on the main to stop this occurrence. When was the Aurora/Eola hook converted to diesel? Sometime in the late 50's? That would tend to nail down the date a bit. What I remember at Downers Grove, or maybe it was closer and around Hinsdale, was that the hook was still in steam, putting out a lot of white steam and you could smell the sweet coal smoke. So, I saw it in steam when I was 9 or 10. Does anyone have a record (listing) of the wrecks on the C&A? Or, a list when the Hook was called out to clear derailments in the 50's? Thanks. __._,_.___ Posted by: reforst@comcast.net __,_._,___ |