Re: [CBQ] CB&Q Wheel Reports

["Jpslhedgpeth@aol.com [CBQ]" <CBQ@yahoogroups.com>]

Louis et al

Louis:  I was pleased to see you mention Charlie Able.  I knew Charlie from Sept 1954 when I was a freshman at the University of Nebraska and Charlie was a member of our Lincoln Railfans Club.   Charlie and I made an all night trip across Iowa in early August 1955 to ride the fantrip from Ft. Madison-Broomfield, IA.  We got back to Ft. M  that evening and on the Sunday after we went up to Boone Ia and rode the Ft. DDM&S  down to Des Moines and back.

Charlie had a 1952 4 door Ford sedan which he kept in immaculate condition.  He was at that time a Master Sargent in the US Air Force and was kind of a what we would call an office manager or Chief Clerk.  I think Charlie left Lincoln sometime in 1956 and returned to Illinois to finish his college education at Milliken University at Decatur, IL.  After finishing there, probably in the early 60's.  He became Chief Clerk in J.J. Alms, Passenger Traffic Manager.  I'm not sure exactly when he got into the Operating Department, but it would have been sometime subsequent to 1958.   

Charlie and Jim Christen, my longtime railfan friend from "way back" rode No. 3 to Villisca, IA and rode branch train No. 94 to Corning, MO summer 1958.  My girlfriend, later wife, and i met Charlie and Jim downtown one Sunday morning at the old Lincoln Hotel and I've got a photo of all of us together standing in front of the hotel.  To the best of my memory that was the last time that I ever saw Charlie, but did follow his career and his final battle with cancer.  I don't recall exactly when he died..I think it was mid 80's.  I have a letter from his wife, Linda sent out after Charlie's death explaining his situation and thanking his friends for prayers and support during his last days.  I thought that I could find the letter and other correspondence with Charlie over the years, but, along with some other things they seem to be "misfiled".

Charlie was the most organized and meticulous individual that I have ever known.  I'm sure that he turned into a fine trainmaster and was a man M.L. Zadnicheck would have been very proud of.

Charlie smoked a pipe and, as I recall, possessed a "quick wit"...I am glad to have known him and am happy that you and others had the privilege of knowing him.

Pete

-----Original Message-----
From: LZadnichek@aol.com [CBQ] <CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
To: CBQ <CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tue, Nov 3, 2015 3:49 pm
Subject: Re: [CBQ] CB&Q Wheel Reports

 

November 3, 2015

 

All - Charlie Able was a friend and colleague of my Dad who was Chicago Div. Supt. in the early 1960s. Dad thought highly of Mr. Able as I recall. Dad saved a lot of Q paper memorabilia, but not wheel reports. Best Regards - Louis

 

Louis Zadnichek II

Fairhope, AL 

 

In a message dated 11/1/2015 8:16:41 P.M. Central Standard Time, CBQ@yahoogroups.com writes:

Blocking to and from the Chicago and the Twin Cities was not very sophisticated until the BN merger.  I don't know if there even was a CBQ block on GN82.  If not, it was GN Union Yard's job to make up a delivery to the Q at Dayton's Bluff and the Bluff would sort out the Chicago's from the Eolas, IHB's (usually Perishables for NYC/PC), Galesburg, La Crosse, Savanna and local cars.  Empty CBQ ownership cars not assigned to a shipper (common cars like plain box, gons, hoppers, etc.) were handled by a local car distributor.  Empty assigned cars were returned to their location by, hopefully, using a non-revenue waybill.  A Q97 from Cicero in this time frame was blocked: 1. GN, 2. NP, 3. All others, with loads having preference.  Dayton's Bluff ran a transfer off of 97 to the GN, another to the NP, and the rest were further sorted the other deliveries such as the Minnesota Transfer.  Q97's hot move was to GN97 followed by the NP's to Northtown for NP 601 or 603  GN82's hot move was to Q82.  I do not think Q and GN/NP road power ran through although I think I heard that Q97s road power was used on the 97 GN transfer.  There were other trains to/from Dayton's Bluff including 80, 81, 83 88.  If I remember correctly there were additional interchange transfers to both the GN and NP.  Cicero would switch inbound 82 to make the proper interchange or local switch.  Charlie Able told me one time when he was a trainmaster at Cicero they ran an extra train to the Bluff with over 100 mty 40ft box cars in two blocks (GN and NP sorted by ownership, that's almost like switching by car color :>)) via Mendota and Denrock with one SD24.  I know that this is pretty general and might be a little off but this almost 50 years ago.  The thing that amazes me now that all of this was done with paper and pencil and it worked.  That's because of a bunch of good people working together.

On Sunday, November 1, 2015 12:19 PM, "Bill Scott wscott@optonline.net [CBQ]" <CBQ@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

 

I was looking at the wheel report from GN train 82, April 19, 1968, and wondered, why weren’t the cars bound for the same destination all grouped together?  For example, there were a dozen cars bound for Chicago, but only a few pairs can be found, and never more than pair together.  Was it the receiving yard’s problem to sort the cars, and the sending yard didn’t bother to do that all?  So, I guess my question is, how were outbound train composed? Randomly, or was there a method to their apparent randomness?

Bill Scott

On Nov 1, 2015, at 10:08 AM, Bill Hirt whirt@fastmail.com [CBQ] <CBQ@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Tom,

I assume you have looked at <http://www.greatnorthernempire.net/index2.htm?GNEFreightCars.htm>. There are a number of GN wheel reports. They will give you an idea what cars were transferred from the GN to the Q at the Twin Cities for forwarding on the C&I.

Bill

On 10/31/2015 7:30 PM, thommack@yahoo.com [CBQ] wrote:

Does anyone have any late 60's CB&Q wheel reports for trains between Chicago and Savanna / Mpls / St. Paul? and vice versa? I have a few from Galesburg to Savanna but not across the C&I.

Tom Mack

Cincinnati, OH

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Posted by: jpslhedgpeth@aol.com

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