[CBQ] Fwd: West Chicago

["qutlx1@aol.com [CBQ]" <CBQ@yahoogroups.com>]

Thought the group might enjoy the emails below describing in a small way how General Mills at West Chicago was served.

By the way the plant is now closed, permanently. The West Chicago plant employees were informed by upper mgmt that General Mills has no intention of locating any future plants in Illinois. 

Also it was recently on the news that Illinois lost more residents in 2016 than the number 

Who moved in. This is the 3rd year in a row that has occurred and its projected that when a new census is taken Illinois will lose a representative in the U.S. house. 

Leo Phillipp


Begin forwarded message:

From: qutlx1@aol.com
Date: January 9, 2017 at 8:53:13 PM CST
To: Bob Herrick <rdherrick@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: West Chicago

Hi Bob,

Since the "Mails" were "road switchers" after 1964, Eola didn't bother to put the train in station order. Let me explain.

A Wayfreight runs from "A" to "b" and since it's a Wayfreight it's originating terminal must block its train in station order. If not the crew is entitled to a one hour penalty payment for cars placed in the train,leaving the yard, not in station order as they have to switch them around while in route.

After the 1964 agreement establishing "road switcher " class of service, that allowed the crew to make any number of back and forth moves between stations or back to origin terminal and out again without a penalty in its 25 miles zone, there was no penalty for 

The train crew in a train made up out of station order. 

So on the mails the trains were routinely made up with Batavia cars( usually North American can) buried behind West Chicago cars. Now here's the little known tid bit.

The engineers union did not sign the road switcher agreement so the Condr would give

The engineer a copy of the wheel report for his one hour time slip for out of station order cars. In reality, regardless of where a car for North American was placed in the train it would go to West Chicago and be brought back  there on their return leg as the switch Opened West or south. So the engineer received a bonus hours pay for doing absolutely Nothing different !

So when a Mail got to West Chicago the train was a mix of mtys for the distribution center and loads for the old warehouse. The Condrs kept switch lists for each track in the yard at West Chicago and anything placed on the leads. These lists were updated

By each Condr. And handed off to the next as they passed in route on the branch. 

Once the inbound train was "yarded" at West Chicago the crew would start making the 

"Setups" for the distribution center. These are the empties going into a track that is pulled so once a "setup" was made the crew would go engine lite to the distribution center and visit with the agent(who's office was inside the center) or if it was the night job they would visit with the shipping foreman. Since the cars assigned to General Mills were pooled all a crew had to do was find 8 mtys. To make a setup. Pull 8 loads and set back 8 mtys. The only variance was once 50 footers were assigned, no matter the mix of cars in a setup you had to make a cut, usually behind the second car from the door

To get the car doors to line up with the spaces between the loading dividers.

As to blocking Towne road,it didn't happen. The yard ended just west of it. So you yarded your train on a clear track,cut off the engine and went back, usually thru yard 3

To the rear end. All switching was done from the west end. Now blocking Rte 38 was another matter !

In making up "setup" and pulling the distribution center the engine would often end up west of the Rte 38 xing. The goal was to make the moves as quickly as possible to get off it.

Leo

On Jan 9, 2017, at 2:40 PM, Bob Herrick <rdherrick@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Leo,

 

A couple of West Chicago questions for you.

 

Did Eola block cars in any particular order or was it your job to sort them upon arrival.? And a related question: When 50-footers started appearing, did you line them with the 40-footers in any particular order? I recall you saying you had to make one or two cuts to space the cars correctly as the loading docks in the old warehouse were designed before the advent of the longer cars.

 

Finally, how did crews handle blocking Towne Road to vehicle traffic, i.e. were there rules in place for how long, etc.?

 

Thanks, Leo, as always.

 

Bob Herrick

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Posted by: qutlx1@aol.com

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