Speaking of Company coal...I had personal experience with that commodity in my "back in the day" experience on the FAirmont Hildreth local back in "ought 58". Shortly after the first of August the old head conductor said..."well it's about time for the company coal to show up...I didn't give it much thought or make any inquiry.
Well a week or so later a "flat bottom 'system' gondola loading with...Voila...company coal showed up in the yard at FAirmont for distribution "along the line". ..Here's how it worked. The first trip west we took the company coal and set it out at Geneva....Next trip two days later we picked up the coal at Geneva and took it to Shickley. Two days later we picked the coal up at Shickly and took it to Ong. Two days later we picked it up and Ong and took it to Nelson..(Edgar was a closed station)..Next trip we picked the coal up at Nelson and took it to Lawrence...Next trip west to Blue Hill,..next trip west to Bladen...next trip west to Campbell...next trip west to Upland..Next trip west to Hildreth.
At each station we would spot the coal at the "coal house"...ever country depot had one...and the "section" would shovel the coal...that means...unload by hand for you millenials..if there are any on here.
Even at that time at my young and tender age (22)..I thought..what an expensive operation for such a menial job...How many man hours were spent doing this kind of thing for years and years and years...I think in the early 60's or so whatever depots remained were fixed up with oil burning stoves with the fuel oil..probably supplied by the local distributor from his "tank wagon"..
Just another example of "That's the way we've always done it" on the railroad.
Pete
-----Original Message-----
From: STEVEN HOLDING
sholding@sbcglobal.net [CBQ] <
CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
To: CBQ <
CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sun, Jun 4, 2017 9:30 am
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Steel gons v composite gons
Rupert
Thank you for the post on the Gons. It is interesting to note the difference in load capacity with the wood car having a higher light weight and less cubic capacity yet working longer with less repairs. It has been my observation that gons were used mostly for company coal. And not just GS gons but often they used other gons as well with the section unloading coal at depots along the way might take a week or two for a gon of coal to be moved by the wayfreight and section from station to station on a subdivisioin. Most photos of coal chutes also show gons bringing the coal in.
Thanks
Steve in SC
If anyone has an interest in the differences between the
Burlington’s steel gons and composite gons, there was a presentation to
the Western Railway Club in 1917 by William Queenan, Assistant Shops Superintendent
for the CB&Q, in which he compared the history, qualities, rebuilding and
repair costs of the GA-1’s built by Cambria with those of the GA-2’s
built by Standard Steel. The presentation was followed by a lengthy discussion
by officials from a variety of roads.
The transcript of the presentation and discussion can be found at https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b2978105;view=1up;seq=406
Rupert Gamlen
Auckland NZ