Re: [CBQ] Burning Up The Ballast At Altona

["Louis Zadnichek via groups.io" <LZadnichek=aol.com@groups.io>]

October 30, 2020

Ron - I've shown this image to two retired CB&Q/BN/BNSF locomotive engineers, both of whom spent their careers running Galesburg to Cicero through Altona.  Both are positive that the reefer special is east bound through Altona. That's all I can tell you. Thanks for commenting - Louis

Louis Zadnichek II

Fairhope, AL 

-----Original Message-----
From: Ronald Peterson <rcp95240@outlook.com>
To: CBQ@groups.io <CBQ@groups.io>
Sent: Fri, Oct 30, 2020 10:31 am
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Burning Up The Ballast At Altona

Looking at that picture from past, that 4-6-2 is westbound for Galesburg.

One of those iced reefers of beef, could have been taken off at Galesburg 

and spotted at the dock of the packing house. 

Today we have unit trains of Illinois corn going west to feed the

chickens & cows of California. Back then, it was unit trains from

the meat factories of Chicago aka Stockyards.

Shadows say a late afternoon arrival

Ron Peterson

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From: CBQ@groups.io <CBQ@groups.io> on behalf of Leo Phillipp via groups.io <qutlx1=aol.com@groups.io>
Sent: Friday, October 30, 2020 8:12 AM
To: CBQ@groups.io <CBQ@groups.io>
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Burning Up The Ballast At Altona

 

Having had the opportunity to review the notes of dispatchers from “the day book” of Aurora and Cicero Illinois based dispatchers I can add that silk and/or berry Specials were watched carefully and given every opportunity to “make best possible time”. These trains running times were especially noted above and beyond the daily dispatchers sheets.

Leo Phillipp

On Oct 30, 2020, at 10:03 AM, Louis Zadnichek via groups.io <LZadnichek=aol.com@groups.io> wrote:



October 30, 2020

Doug - The use of a passenger locomotive on the reefer train means, at least to me, this was a special high speed movement for a valuable and perishable cargo.  Meat moved by refrigerated car almost every day in regularly scheduled freight trains, or extras if the need arose.  I don't think the Altona train was carrying meat. Might've been perishable produce out of southern Iowa as you speculate - Louis

Louis Zadnichek II

Fairhope, AL 

-----Original Message-----
From: Douglas Harding <iowacentralrr@gmail.com>
To: CBQ@groups.io
Sent: Thu, Oct 29, 2020 10:38 pm
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Burning Up The Ballast At Altona

Opps I made an error. The PFE ice dock was at Council Bluffs on the UP, not at Pacific Jct. Don’t know where I got the idea it was at Pacific Jct.

 

Doug Harding

www.iowacentralrr.org

 

From: CBQ@groups.io <CBQ@groups.io> On Behalf Of Douglas Harding via groups.io
Sent: Thursday, October 29, 2020 9:07 PM
To: CBQ@groups.io
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Burning Up The Ballast At Altona

 

A string of east bound reefers in 1908 at Altona, could be meat reefers coming out of Ottumwa or Omaha. Southern Iowa (Q territory) was also producing a lot of berries, grapes and similar produce before the depression. More likely the photo is a string of PFE reefers. I seem to recall that PFE had an icing dock at Pacific Jct on the Q. PFE was formed in Dec 1906 and began shipping in Oct 1907, the fall before this photo. A more remote possibility is lettuce or potatoes out of the San Luis valley of south central Colorado. This area was served mostly by ART, jointly owned by MoPac and Wabash, but the Q could have gotten some traffic.

 

 

Doug Harding

http://www.iowacentralrr.org/

 

From: CBQ@groups.io <CBQ@groups.io> On Behalf Of Louis Zadnichek via groups.io
Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2020 4:19 PM
To: cbq@groups.io
Subject: [CBQ] Burning Up The Ballast At Altona

 

October 28, 2020

 

Group - The "flying" locomotive burning up the ballast at Altona, IL, in the attached image is a nearly new Class S-1 passenger 4-6-2 type.  Note that it's powering an express train of refrigerator cars.  No doubt the hottest train on the division that long ago day in 1908!  May be the cars were loaded with apples from Washington State or some other very valuable perishable freight requiring passenger train speeds to get it to market in time. I don't think the cargo was silk as that was handled in baggage cars. Look closely and you can see the head brakeman standing-up on the tender facing backwards on the engineer's side to check his train for hot boxes or other problems. 

 

Plus, you can just barely see the elevated crossing guard shack at far left that has a bell.  No doubt it's ringing loudly to warn of the fast approaching reefer express. An "exciting" action image, even some 112 years later. I imagine that the hogger had just about slung out the journal box oil on all the reefer trucks from the high speed run. This is the only photograph I've ever seen of a Class S-1 powering a reefer express. This image and nearly 27,500 others can now be found on the BRHS Website Members Only Section in the Flickr Section. Also just posted are a wide selection of 4960/5632 fan trip fliers from the late 1950s and into the mid-1960s. Have a look!  - Louis

 

Louis Zadnichek II

Fairhope, AL 

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