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 "mot her" 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
Louis et al....I do,
indeed, have a story which is very much "akin" to the attached missive which
I thoroughly enjoyed and, being of about Mr. Andrews "vintage" I can
relate to. Indeed our paths may have crossed at UNL since the fall
semester 1958 was my last "hurrah" at UNL prior to graduating January 31st
1959.
My story puts me in the position of one who solved the problem as
whoever lined up the express box at Alliance and got the job done rather
than "Dale"..who was one of those guys who ran by "you can't do that...it's
against the rules"..
My only hesitancy is that my "story" took place on the CRI&P rather
than the CB&Q...Hence...I'm going to wait awhile to relate it...If
I hear nothing from the "web police" by this evening I'll "risk it" and put
it on here...It's a really good story...in my opinion and when I put it on
the RI list a few years ago I got several responses backing up the
conditions which required "action" rather than..."You can't do that"..
Pete