Before I
get to the
story I need
to lay the
ground work.
As many of you
know the BRHS
has received
files from the
Aurora,IL.
local. I've
been going
through the
files before
they go to the
archives to
remove
personal info.
And any BN
material.
Tonight I
stumbled on a
file, that's
going to the
archive, that
contains
something I
never
experienced
while working
or ever heard
about before.
The Aurora
lodge was
actually two
lodges but
with one
seniority
list. An
Aurora lodge
at Galesburg
handled frt.
and passenger
between
Galesburg and
Chicago. It
also worked
any locals
between
Galesburg and
Mendota. The
lodge at
Aurora covered
everything
else between
Chicago,Savanna,streator,Mendota,Rockford,etc,etc.
In 1938 an
Aurora
Division,Galesburg
based crew was
ordered out of
Cicero and
departed
12:45PM with
97 cars
destined
Galesburg. At
Eola while the
train was
being "worked"
they were
instructed to
run to Wedron
on the Fox
River branch,
pick up four
cars of sand
and take them
to Congress
for set out on
the south wye
to the IHB.
The crew then
returned to
Eola, gathered
up their train
and proceeded
to Galesburg
just under the
16 hour "hog
law".
Needless to
say timeslips
flew.
Leo Phillipp