For the LOF plant in Ottawa IL the sand just went across the street through the village of Naplate (National Plate Glass Co.) and directly to a long bay with a car pull that took the uncovered and covered hoopers into the plant. Limestone came to LOF from plants
near Oglesby IL which also had one cement plant on the C&Q and one served by the Illinois Central. The soda ash arrived by rail transferred from the Rock Island. I don't know where it originated since I didn't work at LOF.
Owens Illinois (the source of lots of Libby-Owens glassware and millions of glass bottles a year) in Streator IL got its sand via the Q and its soda ash and limestone from the Santa Fe.
There were some Santa Fe cars that would come through Ottawa Silica. Into the 1970s there would be boxcars of sand loaded at Ottawa Silica and at Wedron to be shipped on the Q to places in Wisconsin and Michigan. There were also a few companies that ordered
open gondolas of sand during the summer. One of the operators filling a gondola said that he knew where that one was going and that it would have two young guys who would spend two days shoveling it out by hand because the old man at that business was an SOB
who liked to see these guys sweat it out in the sun shoveling out a car every other week.
That is my two-cents on the area around LaSalle County.
Edward V. Carroll
Distinguished Professor of History - Emeritus
Heartland Community College
1500 West Raab Road
Normal IL 61761
ed.carroll@heartland.edu
_____________________
Understanding the past requires pretending that you don't know the present.
Paul Fussell
From: CBQ@groups.io <CBQ@groups.io> on behalf of carl via groups.io <carl=9teen60s.com@groups.io>
Sent: Tuesday, July 6, 2021 4:19 PM
To: CBQ@groups.io <CBQ@groups.io>
Subject: [External] [CBQ] How was Soda Ash and Silica Sand transported?
I'm planning my 1950s switching layout and one of my industries could be a glass manufacturer... the primary ingredients for glass are silica sand, soda ash and limestone.... assuming the limestone was found locally were the sand and soda ash delivered
by tank car? Maybe the sand was in a covered hopper car? I can't seem to find any historical information about shipping these items... any help you can provide is appreciated, thanks! Hauling away the finished product via boxcar is covered!
Carl
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