Leo:
Shop switchers 300-311 were all converted from G-3 0-6-0s under AFE 27089 dated March 1931. It appears the Lines East conversions were done at West Burlington and the Lines West ones at Denver. Assignment sheets (which do list the shop switchers) show
that all were completed and in service by August 1931. The 300 went into service as a shop switcher at Eola, briefly still carrying its old number, 1400, but was soon renumbered. It remained at Eola until transferred to St. Joseph in 1939. It was replaced
at Eola by the 302, which came up from Beardstown. It remained the Eola shop switcher until it was retired under AFE 51050 dated June 7, 1951, and was sold for scrap to North Western Steel & Wire Co. at Sterling. There are at least two photos of the 302,
both in the 1950-51 period, working at Clyde, so it may have spent its last year there. The 300 was retired under AFE 51353 dated March 23, 1954, and was scrapped at Hannibal.
Most of the shop switchers stayed put for long periods of time, and the changes in assignment usually came when a roundhouse that had a shop switcher was downsized or closed entirely. As more and more facilities closed, the number of shop switchers gradually
declined, with the last two not surprisingly based at Galesburg and Lincoln.
As for the ebay photo of 300, I do have another photo of the engine, also marked Eola, that shows those same plain roundhouse doors.
Hope this answers your questions.
Hol
From: CBQ@yahoogroups.com <CBQ@yahoogroups.com> on behalf of qutlx1@aol.com [CBQ] <CBQ@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 22, 2017 7:37 PM
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [CBQ] Class G-3 converted to shop switchers in 1931
I'm using the Steam Locomotives of the Burlington by Corbin and Kerka as my main reference for my research on shop switcher 300.
This loco. Was built as a G-3 at Aurora in 1900. Then converted to a shop switcher in 1931. I am wondering where the conversion was done.
There are pictures of the 300 at Eola in 1937. Followed by the 302 as Roundhouse switcher at that location in 1939 in the book. I've seen pictures of Eola Roundhouse in its full compliment when there was a powerhouse,etc. also have one with something like 85
men on the turntable as Roundhouse forces. As far as I can determine assignment sheets don't list shop engines until the end of steam.
I'd be interested in knowing what would cause these little guys to be moved from location to location. Surely the Roundhouse forces could handle what these locos needed ?
Also can't locate any scrapping,info. On these locos.
All this digging started because there's a photo of 300 on eBay that's states it's at Eola.
Let me assure you Eola never had stall doors like those shown.
Leo Phillipp
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Posted by: Hol Wagner <holpennywagner@msn.com>
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