Re: [CBQ] Savanna Yard East End Switching Leads

["jpslhedgpeth via Groups.Io" <jpslhedgpeth=aol.com@groups.io>]

Another SUPERB Leo tale...

Pete

-----Original Message-----
From: Leo Phillipp via Groups.Io <qutlx1=aol.com@groups.io>
To: CBQ <CBQ@groups.io>
Sent: Wed, Dec 12, 2018 7:48 am
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Savanna Yard East End Switching Leads

Buds' Erie story brought a similar incident to mind sometime in early '73. 

We were ordered for #364 just after midnight out of Savanna doing whatever needed doing between Savanna and Aurora. Mostly that would be block setouts and pickups at Oregon,Flag Center and Rochelle. But anything and everything else could be tossed into the mix.

When we bring the power from the rdhse. And tie into the train the head cars are two loads of livestock. Shortly we learn they are to be spotted at Polo. It's late winter/early spring with a driving wind and rain coming down in sheets with the temps. Somewhere in the 40s. A typical wonderful night for that time of year. 

So sometime in the middle of the night we arrive at Polo. The location is on a long sweeping curve and the stock yard was toward the east end of the lone side track in town. As we come into town the engineer looks over at me and in a sorry sounding way says that "if the stockmen aren't there you're going to have to unload the stock". 

From that moment I started peering intently into darkness hoping to see any kind of light  to indicate help was at hand. As I cut the stock off our train and went by the pens everything was dark. I'd never unloaded stock and while I did spend time on relatives farms as a kid I don't have a clue how to actually do the job. So I'm really staring hard down the spur as we now shove back toward the stock chutes. And just about the time we start alongside the pens headlights appear from a couple stock trucks !  

By the time I get the two cars spotted a guy comes walking along the platform dressed in a long poncho, hip boots and a big floppy hat. I ask him if they've got the situation from here and he says yes. Never so glad to pull the pin and get out of town !

Leo

On Dec 11, 2018, at 9:27 PM, Steven Holding <sholding@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

In the first year I got back on with BN the last 7 months of 1973 I worked 2nd trick Aurora Tower.  At the time any time a train was too long to fit at Congress Park and clear La Grange Rd to set out at Congress Park they set the cars out at Nabisco(just east of Eola Yard and before you get to Ill Rt. 59)  So one nite after the parade was over We had an eastbound come into Aurora with stock and he would not fit and clear Terry Ave in Aurora so I had him pull down to the depot and set the stock out in the depot.  Grab his train and Hi-ball for Cicero.  When the switch engine came up from the Hill Yard I ran him right on the stock and out the west end of the depot thru the Xovers and down to the Stock Yards

The bar on the out side of the stock cars  (Bottom Photo on Page 75 and 76 of Spoors "Freight and Passenger Color Guide )  Is the  "Bull Bar"  This was a 2 X 6 with a chain to fasten it to the car that was used when a load of stock was loaded to keep them from pushing against the door and falling down between the door and the car body.  You can see the bracket on some of the other photos on page 74 and 75..  The door on a stock car had rollers at the top(most rusted and in op so you just pushed the door along the track) the bottom was very loose with just a loop or chain to hold it to the car.  The bull bar IF not put into the bracket or in side the car would drag and break or fly along in kite fashion. 

No. 1 safety rule (unwritten) when hooping up orders was to watch for sparks, Bands and Bull Bars.

Steve in SC

On Tuesday, December 11, 2018, 10:51:12 AM EST, Bud Linroth <wcman8@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello Tom and Group.  I was on #89 and we were called by radio and told to stop at Erie and unload the car of stock we had next to the engine.  I had never seen any stock at the Erie stockyard since my first trip North in April of 1971.  The agent at Erie last name was Melby and I got a clue of what was ahead of us when I saw his hip deep wading outfit like what trout fishermen might wear.  Once we spotted the car, he opened the door and all heck broke loose.  I am trying to find some words to describe it but the bottom line was they all wanted to get off at the same time.  Some came down feet first some slid down sideways, it was total mayhem.  We left the car there and continued on to Savanna.  I believe it was late 1972 or early 1973.  Bud Linroth.

On Tue, Dec 11, 2018 at 8:02 AM Leo Phillipp via Groups.Io <qutlx1=aol.com@groups.io> wrote:

The stock pens were in use well into the mid 1970s. I have a photo of the eastbound C&I wayfreight spotting stock at Polo that had rested at Savanna sometime in early 70s.

Toward the end stock would come in from the North, be unloaded at Savanna and trucked to Milledgeville as one example.

Leo Phillipp

On Dec 11, 2018, at 7:53 AM, Tom Mack via Groups.Io <thommack=yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote:

On Mon, Dec 10, 2018 at 11:26 AM, Bud Linroth wrote:

Hello Tom and group.  The wood structures (pens) are the stockyards and the wood small building is a section house or a trackriders motor car  house.  The stock yards had a stub track running east off of the yard lead.  If you had stock on the rear end, the switch engine would be in the clear on the stockyard track and would stop the train when it cleared the switch and reach out and get the way car and the stock and spot it for unloading.  The stock from Galesburg came in on #89 which terminated at Savanna.

Thanks Bud and others who have responded. Does anyone know how late #89 actually brought stock to Savanna? Would the stock pens have been used in the late 1965-1970 range?

--
Tom Mack
Cincinnati, OH

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