Re: [CBQ] Cut Flowers shipped via REA on the Q

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

OK Guys   You may think that I have opened every door into my railroad experiences and stories...well not quite there is still, at least, one more and thanks to Leo I am now going to open it up...Here we go.

When the Rock Port Langdon and Northern RR "quit" my dad "hung onto" the Railway Express Agency which belonged  to the railroad. ie he was the 'AGENT"  for the  RAILWAY EXPRESS AGENCY. at Rock Port.

An important "facet" of the Agency's business was the handling of  "Cut Flowers" from  STUPPIES (a cut flowers wholesaler) in Kansas City, MO.  Stuppie's number one customer at Rock Port, Missouri was  "CHAMBERLAIN GREENOUSE" at Rock Port.  The business was run by George and Hazel Chamberlain and their son Greg.  They were the number one supplier, arranger and general experts in all facets of the "Flower Business" for Rock Port weddings, funerals, graduations and any function which needed flowers provided and set up.

Boxes of cut flowers were prepared by Stuppies in Kansas City, MO each day when Chamberlain's had an order.  Stuppies delivery truck would take these boxes...could be 3-4 or more long boxes to the Railway Express office at the Kansas City Union Station and placed into the awaiting hands of the Express handlers at the KC  UD.  

These boxes of flowers had to be taken to the UD before 4:00pm so that they could be processed and placed in the baggage car of CB &Q train No. 21 (Silver Streak Zephyr) prior to its 4:00pm departure..   Said flowers after a kind and gentle ride from KC to Langdon, MO they would be removed and placed on a station baggage truck at Langdon, MO.  A regular stop for No. 21 at  6:25 pm.  

Flowers were then picked up by my dad and taken to Rock Port and delivered directly to the Chamberlain Greenhouse for arranging and preparation for an upcoming  Funeral, wedding, anniversary or whatever the need was.

There was not a regular movement of flowers for Chamberlain hence my dad would usually call George Chamberlain as to whether he had flowers coming that day.   If flowers were to be arriving there would be a discussion between my dad and my mother as to whether we would have "supper' "before he went to Langdon....or whether after he got back"    Normally it would be after he came back and if the flowers were "on short time" for a  "doin's" the next day my dad..and usually with me along would go to Langdon and meet No. 21 and get the flowers right up to the Chamberlain work room where Mrs. C. and another helper were already at work preparing the arrangements.

If there was no "particular rush" on the flowers we would have supper and then "go to Langdon, pick up the flowers and deliver them to Chamerlain's Studio...usually if the flowers were not for immediate consumption we...(usuallly me) would put those big boxes into the Chamberlain "walk in cooler" where "Hazel"  Mrs. C who did all the work of arranging would work on them later or on the next day.

OK Leo now you have the "real story"   Yes indeed flowers...extremely perishable by nature did move....in our case  by conciencious and hard working REA folks.   

Pete

-----Original Message-----
From: Leo Phillipp via groups.io <qutlx1=aol.com@groups.io>
To: CBQ@groups.io
Sent: Fri, May 27, 2022 9:01 pm
Subject: [CBQ] Cut Flowers shipped via REA on the Q

I thought I’d pass this along as to my knowledge the subject has rarely, if ever, been discussed on this group in the decades I have participated. It shows how involved the Q and other RR’s were in citizens daily lives back in the day.

As background last weekend I attended a close cousins’ daughters wedding. Seated at the same dinner table with me was the third generation family member of the Schaefer family that owns the large greenhouse and retail store of the same name that is located very near the site of the Montgomery,IL wreck which was the subject of one article in BRHS Bulletin 65. My cousin had tipped me off before hand that the Schaefer family would be at my table so I had already thought of points I wanted to discuss.

The discussion started with an explanation that this family matriarch was the 3rd generation involved in the business but she was no longer active and that the fourth and fifth generations were in charge.

I asked about her memory of the greenhouse receiving coal via rail. It would have been spotted directly across route 31 from the greenhouses on the west sheep yard lead between Barrett’s water services(which received salt) and Hines Lumber . Since I have not found a record of a spur across the highway to the greenhouse I asked if she had any memory of shuttling coal over. She did not. She did have memories of the retail store receiving its cut flowers by rail. It’s my assumption the flowers moved via REA and were delivered by Aurora based REA trucks from the office at the Aurora depot complex. I’m willing to wager that at Christmas time the greenery and trees likely came the same way.

Leo Phillipp

Ps-all wedding flowers were of course from Schaefer’s.

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