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OK...by "popular request"...at least by Louis..Here's my "GET ER DONE" story It was either late December 1960 or early January 61. I was finishing up my year's "stint" in the RI's management training program. It was customary, as the Christmas season approach that the Trainees were sent out to "expedite" the Christmas mail and "oversee" the operation of passenger trains at terminal points. Of course we had no authority whatsoever, but out we went equipped, as we liked to say...Complete with Hat, Notebook, flashlight, and, sometimes Cigar.
Since I was assigned to the Rock Island Divison with HQ at Rock Island my task was to be at the Rock Island depot for all the passenger trains as they arrived and departed. On this particular winter morning, after being there all night, I was awaiting the arrival of Train No. 40. This train was the "remnant of what had been THE IMPERIAL from Chicago to Los Angeles, but had been reduced to a mail train carrying one coach for passengers. Time was somewhere around 6:30-7:00am and it had been an "exciting night"...as most were on the RI at that time.
On this particular morning the one coach bringing up the markers behind all of the mail and baggage cars was one of the RI's 2700 series suburban cars. These cars bought by the RI in 1949 were the first air conditioned suburban service cars in the Chicago area on any railroad. These cars were referred to as "THE AC'S" Each car was powered by a Waukasha diesel engine which provided power for lighting and air conditioning. These cars...as did lots of Rock Island equipment at that time had some very unique features which often placed them into the 'Orphan" category when they got out of their home territory. One feature was that because each car was indiividualy powered they would not "trainline" to any other passenger equipment (to trainline means that a passenger car could, via connectors at each end of the car be connected to the electrical system to another adjacent car and hence draw power from that "mother" car if necessary.
These cars had another unique feature which was the "proximate cause" of this little missive being written. The AC's did not have end vestibules as did a conventional passenger coach. Instead there were two sets of air operated sliding doors on each side of the car. These doors would be controlled by a trainman at passenger stops in suburban service. The air system was set up that the doors on several cars could be controlled by a trainman stationed, normally, at the head end of the train. Also each car could be individually controlled by a trainman stationed at one set of doors.
One more unique feature of the door operation on these cars is that..in the winter season with lots of snow and ice, the track on which these doors ran would fill up with ice and snow..and GUESS WHAT....THE DOORS WOULD NOT OPEN. This was the situation on No. 40's coach that cold January morning. The doors were "froze up" and the passengers could not get off.
The conductor and his brakeman had opened the end doors and jumped down to the ground and were standing around the outside of the coach pondering what to do. That's when I arrived on the scene. This was a real delima...actually it had the possibilities of turning into a major crisis. There was no way to get the passengers off other than them jumping down from car floor level to the track. That was a solution which could not be used to solve the problem. What to do....What to do...I was the "ranking officer"..with no authority, but something had to be done....But what was it???
I said to myself...SELF you have got to find a solution.....As I looked around, across the main tracks in the Rock Island freight yard I saw the 3 ancient heavyweight coaches which made up the consist of the SHOP TRAIN. The SHOP TRAIN was operated Monday-Friday starting at the Rock Island depot...thence running west to Missouri Division Junction (west of Davenport) and then returning from that point, making several stops along the way to pick up Rock Island employees who worked at the Shop, Storehouse and other RI facilities at Silvis. The train was operated by a switch crew and the cars were heated by coal stoves and had open vestibules. This whole affair must have occurred on either a Saturday or Sunday morning or the Shop Train would not have still been at Rock Island when No. 40 came in.
The Rock Island yard switch engine with it's crew was also sitting over in the freight yard...Suddenly the solution came to me. I ran over to the switch engine and told the foreman to go against the shop train's equipment...cut off one coach and come against the rear end of No. 40. He, without question, thought I was somebody he should listen to so he got his engine...Coupled onto the west coach of the shop train...drug it out on the eastbound main track and coupled it to the rear end of the recalcitrant AC coach on the rear end of No. 40. No. 40's conductor went back in 40's coach through the open vestibule of the shop train coach..Rounded up his passengers and herded them to the ground via the rear door of the AC and the open vestibule of the shop train coach....and VOILA...the job was done.
My memory of the whole situation ends here. I don't know whether 40 went on to Chicago with the frozen doors or whether or not somebody got them to work. Also I don't recall that any Rock Island commended me or criticized me for the move. Either was a real possibility.
I had totally forgotten...actually those who know me think that I don't "totally" forget anything...but the matter was not toward the front of my brain, when several years later....a friend of mine who worked in the Chief Engineer's office (this would have been in the mid 70's...15 plus years after the event)...told me that he had been on No. 40 that morning coming back from Kansas City and remembered the whole situation.
Also when I put this thing on the RITS "list I got an e mail message from a man who regularly rode the Rock Island in from "Tinley Park in the AC cars and told of the many times when he and his fellow passengers had to exert "superogatory effort" to get in and out of those doors.
OK that's my "get er done" story.
Pete
-----Original Message-----
From: LZadnichek@aol.com [CBQ] <CBQ@yahoogroups.com> To: CBQ <CBQ@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Fri, Dec 25, 2015 1:33 pm Subject: Re: [CBQ] Merry Christmas Across Lines East And West Christmas Day 2015
Pete - It's Christmas, let's hear your story whether its RI or not....
Getting back to your identifying the motor car snow plow image, thanks! Do
you agree with my speculation that the road master is decorating the gondola to
pass signals? You'd think the shock of hitting a drift would knock him off,
unless he climbed down after the image was taken. Do you have any snow
fighting stories from your career? Happy Holidays - Louis
In a message dated 12/25/2015 1:24:13 P.M. Central Standard Time,
CBQ@yahoogroups.com writes:
__._,_.___ Posted by: jpslhedgpeth@aol.com __,_._,___ |