NORTH WESTERN LINES · 2007. 10. 2. · locomotives, all types of rolling stock, brass and plastic....

NORTH WESTERN LINESAN HISTORICAL -TECHNICAL

and MODELING SOCIETYVol . 5, No . 2

April 1978$3.00

Falcon Service . . .C&NW Success Story

Maintracker Power Part 3

Members'ExchangeWANT ADS FREE to members . Items for sale,first 15 words $1 .00, each additional word 5cents . Name and address free . Copy deadline,first of the month preceeding the month of pub-lication . Send copy along with full remittanceto ADVERTISING MANAGER, North WesternLines, 1502 - 26th Street, Kenosha, Wisconsin53140.

FOR SALE : HO-Scale etched brass car sidesfor C&NW 3431-3476 series coaches . Formsthe basis of a handsome car using commerciallyavailable wood or brass stock . $13 .25 per pair(one car), plus $1 .25 shipping per order . Den-nis C . Henry, 302 Fourth Ave., Suite 5, Coral-ville, IA . 52241 .

PROFESSIONAL CUSTOM PAINTING,weathering and superdetailing . Prompt, topquality work at affordable prices . Specializingin HO scale Pacific Northwest and Midwesternprototypes . Service includes steam and diesellocomotives, all types of rolling stock, brassand plastic . Large stock of custom paintedready-to-run items at all times, brass toolPlease send large SSAE for card, full details,RTR list . The Empire Builder, 1120 Cary Road,Algonquin, IL . 60102 .

WANTED: C&NW, CGW, M&StL, Omahadepot photos, b&w, color or slides, also wantC&NW depot items for restoration project ofan ex-C&NW depot I own . Len Beard, P.O .Box 112, Wonder Lake, IL . 60097 .

WANTED: WILL TRADE slides of remainingfreight F's (Covered Wagons) . Units #201,202, 205, 208, 210, 211, 212, 213, 215 and217 for any other F's or E's in either C&NW orCGW paint schemes . Also looking for shots ofF units stored at Oelwein, Iowa . RogerSchmidt, 4141 Lexington Ave . S ., Eagan, MN .55123 .

WANTED: PHOTO OF former depot atSioux City, Ia . H . S . Still, 11 18 East 2nd Ave .,Cheyenne, WY . 82001 .

WANTED TO BUY : North Western Lines Bul-letins in good condition : Vol . 1, #2, 3 and 4(1974) ; Vol . 2, #3 (1975) . State asking pricein first letter . Bruce Black, 644 Bermont Ave .Lafayette, CO . 80026 .

WANTED: PHOTOS OR slides of ex-OmahaGP-7's #151 thru #161 in original paint andlettering scheme . Terry Timm, 1502 - 26thStreet, Kenosha, WI . 53140

WANTED: PHOTOS OF brewery-ownedfreight cars ; and private-label railroad beerbottles, cans, and literature . Rich La Susa, 568Thunderbird Trail, Carol Stream, IL . 60187 .

WANTED: PHOTOS OF C&NW passengertrains . Please send letter describing materialand price . Robert A . Baker, 3834 W. SharonLane . Franklin, WI . 53132 .

WANTED: KEMTRON HO gouge brassmodel of the Pioneer, either kit or assembled .State price and condition in first letter . WalterFeret, 8703 N . Olcott, Niles, IL . 60648 .

USE THE MEMBERS' EXCHANGE

TO ENHANCE YOUR

COLLECTION OR TO SELL YOUR

SURPLUS

NORTH WESTERN LINESApril 1978Volume 5, Number 2North Western Lines is issued four times per year, January, April, July and October by NorthWestern Lines, Inc ., (C&NW Historical, Technical & Modeling Society), a non-profit,educational corporation chartered in the State of Wisconsin . Office of publication : 1812 HoodAvenue, Chicago, Illinois 60660 . Second class postage paid at Chicago, Illinois 60607 .-Annual membership for North Western Lines, Inc ., is $5 .00 . $3 .00 of this amount coverssubscription to North Western Lines, official publication of North Western Lines, Inc . Singlecopies $3.00 each .

POSTMASTER: SEND FORM 3579 TO :NORTH WESTERN LINES, INC .

1812 Hood Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60660WALTER P . FERET President

8703 North Olcott Avenue, Niles, Illinois 60648JOSEPH FOLLMAR Editor

P.O. Box 98, Bangor, Wisconsin 54614

MICHAEL W . BLASZAK Associate EditorApt. 3, 225 Homestead, La Grange Park, Illinois 60525

JIM LOHMAN M&StL EditorRoute 1, Box 141, Stanley, Wisconsin 54768

ROBERT A. JANZ Art DirectorGARY CRAWFORD and LOUIS GERARD, Jr . . . Production AssistantsA . DONALD FISHBEIN Legal Advisor

69 W. Washington Street, Chicago, Illinois 60602-312/368-4444WILLIAM F. STAUSSVice President and Secretary

3682-C McCain Park Drive, North Little Rock, Arkansas 72116

JOHN S . KAMACHERTreasurer and Production Manager1812 Hood Avenue . Chicago, Illinois 60660

THOMAS MACKOWIAKMembership Secretary17004 Locust Drive, Hazel Crest, Illinois 60429

TERRY TIMM Advertising Manager1502 - 26th Street, Kenosha, Wisconsin 53140

Board of Directors : Walter P . Feret, William F . Stauss,Dennis V. Blunt, Larry Easton and John S . Kamacher .

I n d e xEditorial 1Society Notes 1Mailbag 2Annual Meeting 2C&NW Happenings 3Falcon Service - C&NW Success Story5M&StL Mileposts 11Maintracker Power - Class J, Part 312

Plan, class J-A 14Passenger Cars in Maintenance of Way Service25Marshalltown Traffic Survey 26A Most Unusual Box CarBack Cover

COVER PHOTO : SD-40-2 6399 leads C&NW 6935 and UP 2933 off theRockwell Street line from the Wood Street Yard and onto the IllinoisDivision mainline westbound at Kedzie Tower, Chicago with train 245, theafternoon "Falcon" on April 1, 1978 .

∎

NORTH WESTERN LINES solicits both editorial material andphotographs for publication . Materials submitted are done so with theunderstanding that no monetary compensation is paid what so ever . Sendall materials for publication consideration to the EDITOR, North WesternLines, P.O. Box 98, Bangor, Wisconsin 54614 .

EditorialHOW MANY CHANGES HAVE you noticed in the North West-

ern since you first became interested in the railroad? Even if your inter-.est goes back only a few years, the number of changes is bound to beimmense .

Think about just the last twenty years . In the late fifties the NorthWestern was a complacent railroad property operating (usually at a fi-nancial loss) some 10,000 miles of track in the upper Midwest . A time-table-full of intercity passenger trains arrived and departed fromNorth Western Station in Chicago each day . The station was otherwisefilled with commuter trains whose standard equipment was just beingreplaced with bilevels . Freight trains operated behind F units, Fair-banks-Morse Junior Trainmasters . and Baldwins of various descrip-tions . Freight moved in box cars, whether it was automobiles or bulkgrain . Hundreds of station agents labored in historic buildings acrossthe railroad .

The management of the North Western decided it had to take ac-tion to prevent the company from falling into bankruptcy . The passen-ger trains were discontinued, one by one, until only a few were left,and these expired with the advent of Amtrak . The commuter servicewas completely refitted with bilevels and diesels equipped for head-end power. Eventually, locomotives from Kansas City Southern andUnion Pacific were rebuilt for use in the fleet . Branch lines were ruth-lessly pruned . C&N W absorbed the Minneapolis and St . Louis in 1960and the Chicago Great Western in 1968 ; large portions of these for-merly-independent roads were abandoned as their traffic was divertedonto parallel C&NW routes . Many open stations were closed andagency jobs were consolidated . Piggyback, containerization, auto racksand specialized covered hoppers revolutionized the freight equipmentfleet . C&NW tried to buy the Rock Island but couldn't ; tried to mergewith the Milwaukee Road but didn't ; and eventually found itself beingoffered to the Milwaukee in a sales transaction which never took place .Eventually, the Heineman administration, which had expandedC&N W into the giant Northwest Industries conglomerate, decided thestill-marginal railroad was a drag on its earnings and spun it off ontoits employees in 1972 .

The changes didn't stop there . The new Chicago and North West-ern Transportation Company, under the leadership of first LarryProvo and later Jim Wolfe, embarked upon a vigorous program torebuild the company's physical plant and revamp its operations in or-der to insure its continued survival . Earnings were used to rebuild theChicago-Fremont main line to the point where it could handle today'slong, heavy freight trains safely at 60 mph . In conjunction with theUnion Pacific, C&NW's operating and marketing forces instituted theFalcon service, which proved a financial success . C&NW's fleet of

Sooty NotesTHE BOARD OF DIRECTORS of North Western Lines, Inc .,

held a board meeting on February 4, 1978 . A budget projection for thecoming year, fiscal 1979, indicated that an increase in dues is necessaryfor continued operation . But how much of an increase? The Societyhad a very good deal going with our original printer, but as you re-member, he passed away, and so did our deal . Then too, this change inprinters took place after the 1977 annual meeting, so there was no im-mediate means of raising the dues, because all dues increases must bevoted on by the membership at the annual meeting . Taking this intoconsideration plus the fact that costs are continuing to rise, the Boardhas proposed that the annual dues be increased to $10 per year pend-ing approval by the membership at the annual meeting on May 20,1978 .

Speaking of the Annual Meeting, Terry Timm, Chairman of the1978 Meet Committee, reported that everything is in readiness . I hopeto see all of you at the meet in Milwaukee, Wisconsin . Don't forget thedonation of items for the auction . Details and a listing of events can befound elsewhere in this issue .

The Board has for some time been aware of the advantages in in-corporating the Society in the state of Illinois rather than as it is now, a

Continued on page 28

mostly-elderly freight locomotives was bolstered by the acquisition of135 new SD40-2s and a few other new units . In addition, the railroadrebuilt many of its own Geeps in company shops, along with second-hand power from the likes of Frisco, Quebec North Shore and Labra-dor, and Union Pacific . Yards were cleaned and improved . Finally, thecompany came to an agreement with Chicago's RTA under which itwould continue commuter service in return for a subsidy .

What does the future hold? No one knows, but it is certain thereare many more changes in the offing . And when newsworthy eventsoccur, you can bet they'll be covered in the "C&NW Happenings"portion of your NWL . It is our purpose to keep readers informed ofthe activities of today's North Western - not merely by echoing thecompany's P .R . pronouncements, but by telling it like it is at lineside .That's where you readers can help . Despite the continuing abandon-ments, the C&NW is still a pretty big railroad - too big for our smallstaff to cover personally . We know many interesting events take placeon the C&N W that we don't report, because no one thought to sendthe news in to us . So . if you learn of a new train operation, or see a de-pot being torn down, or find an unusual locomotive operating in yourneck of the woods, please let us know . A postcard will do . Rememberthat if you don't tell the rest of our membership what you learn duringyour railfanning activities along the North Western, chances are thechanges you see taking place will never be shared with the people whoare most interested in them - the readers of this publication .

Michael W. Blaszak, associate editor

Contributing MembersThe following members have made a contribution of $5 .00 or more inaddition to their regular dues . Their support of the Society is greatlyappreciated by the officers and their fellow members .

Ronald J . AlbersEdward M . BarberCharles A . BassPaul L. BehrensKenneth E . BerghorstBruno BerzinsRobert F . BodenRalph BrownJames P . BuonanomaFrancis BushmanFrederick C . BrechlerPhilip E . CaseHans ChristensenHerbert G . DannemanRodger DarlingDonald H . DegnerLawrence DiPrimaGary DuganLarry EastonDennis EdwardsClifford J . FarleyRobert R. FeltonWalter P . FeretJoseph FishbeinJoseph FisherJoseph FeltonLowell E . FrederickLouis F . GerardTrace L. HafnerFred HartwigKurt HayekThomas E. HemmingerWilliam J . HerschiedRobert G . HiltonM . T . HovdetRobert A. JanzMarvin V . JelonekJohn S. KamacherLloyd A . KeyserDavid L . KingsbakerNiles C . KnutzenDonald J. Kopplin

NORTH WESTERN LINES

Gary D . LeithnerJames P. LeonardWilliam MartinJoe MartinsonJ. Kent MarvilJohn A. MatthewsDonald D. McCombsThomas F. MehringThomas M. MinardJim MitchellRobert J . MoskalOakman MullenMichael D. NelsonFrank J . PawlinkowskiRobert W. PetermanJoseph PiersenW. David RandallR . John RatzaGeorge RogersGary E. RumlerJames A. RunnebergGary SchambergerEdward SelinskyScott ShermanJames SlossMichael J . SosallaCharles H . ScatsWilliam StaussDonald E . SteffenRobert E. SteinRichard T . SteinbrennerH. S . StillDavid A. SvendsenPhil TygumV. Allan VaughnJ. Scott WalkerJohn A . WaltherCharles R. WickmanD. K. WickmanN. Budd WilderHugh WilliamsKern Yager

April 1978 1

MailbagSLEEPERS - AS ALWAYS, NWI. (October issue) was inter-

esting, particularly Oak Mullen's feature .However, I do question the statement that heavy-weight sleeping

cars were changed from Pullman green to "400" colors in 1939 . 1 had aclose association with the North Western from 1942 forward and donot recall seeing any heavy-weight sleepers in yellow and green untillate 1948 . At that time bedroom-lounge and dining cars were given thatlivery to match the streamlined sleeping cars introduced on the "NorthWestern Limited" and on the "Duluth-Superior" and "Chicago Limit-eds." I discussed yellow heavy-weight cars with Wallace Abby, who re-sided in Evanston and was employed by C&NW during the 1940's . andhe agrees that there were no yellow-green heavyweights prior to 1948 .

Also, I can definitely state the streamlined "400" trains were soequipped in September 1939, not November . See page 12 of the Octo-ber issue .

See also photo on page 13 of Trains magazine, October 1949 . foran illustration of 406 with streamlined duplex roomette cars, and thestandard sleeper-lounge and standard diner .

Jim Scribbins .

LAKE FOREST WAS NOT scrapped . It is in the M/W service asNo. 301019 .

William Elev .

SPOONER-IN EARLY SEPTEMBER I passed through Spoo-ner, Wisc ., and discovered a very interesting attraction for us C&NWbuffs. On Walnut Street, about a half block from the yards, is a pubnamed "Railroad Memories," which is loaded with C&NW memo-rabilia, from handcars to timetables . None of it is for sale, but NWLmembers would enjoy this display .

I was able to fit in a quick review of the roundhouse, turntableand yards located there ; I was unable to learn if the roundhouse andturntable are still in use . GP-7 1625 was working the yard which ex-tends for about a mile . Rolling stock in the yard was predominantlybox cars, bulkhead flats, covered hoppers and gondolas modified forpulpwood loads . Two low-hood Geeps were spotted at the north endof the yard . Two former passenger cars in M/W service were present,one in yellow and green . Alone at the far south end of the yard stood acombine in yellow and green with the name "The Namekagon" onher letterboard .

Clem Devine

THE 5000-A - I just finished reading the excellent article in Ja-nuary 1978 NWL entitled "C&NW's Baldwin DR6-2-1000 ." The ar-ticle mentioned that this engine would not MU with any other diesel .Following is a list of trains at Milwaukee that had this diesel and al-ways in company with another diesel . I took it for granted that thesediesels were being operated in MU fashion .

May 12, 1950, train No . 168 - 5000-A and 5001-A .May 18, 1950, train No . 152 - 5000-A and 5005-A .June 12, 1952, train No . 160 - 5000-A and 5024-A .Nov. 24, 1954, train No. 206 - 5000-A and 5025-A . M. T. Hovdeti

5000-A - A NOTE to follow up on the 5000-A story in the Ja-nuary issue . Mr . Bachenberg says it is not clear what this odd one-en-gine and baggage configuration was built for . I can give two guesses .

One is that the unit was expected to provide extra head-end capa-city on some short train, such as the four-car "Minnesota 400," whichat one time carried only a baggage-tap cafe car for head-end business .The 5000-A would have about doubled the space in a train like thatwithout adding an extra car .

My second guess is that the baggage space might have been ex-pected to eliminate the need for an express car on short trains such asthe three-car locals shown in the photos, if normal business did not fillthe separate express car . The problem there was that the engine's com-partment needed to be accessible to other express compartments, andas one of the photos clearly shows, the RPO intervened . On the trainswhich I can recall, the RPO's were all next the engine rather than thecoach. This may have been C&N W standard practice or perhaps a PostOffice requirement .

Also on equipment which was not turned, the coach would haveintervened in one direction . In the three years or so that I saw the 5000-A on numbers 108-109, I never saw the baggage compartment in use .

Incidentally, not all locals were run with the equipment not beingturned, as the caption for the cover photo implies . Trains 116 and 125shown in the timetable on page 10 were turned ; perhaps this was be-cause there was a wye handy at both Appleton Jet ., and Antigo, their

2 April 1978 NORTH WESTERN LINES

NORTH WESTERN LINES welcomes comments both pro and conconcerning matters of interest to the membership . Please keep let-ters as brief as possible and address them to : MAILBAG, North Wes-tern Lines, P .O . Box 98, Bangor, Wisconsin 54614.

northern terminal . Earlier, before the inauguration of the "Flambeau400," when 116-125 ran Milwaukee-Ashland they were also turned .The Milwaukee-Ashland operation of 116-125 went eastbound viaManitowoc, as 306 east of Manitowoc and westbound via Fond duLac, and not in the public timetables below Fond du Lac . At the sametime, trains 108-109 never were turned .

Does anyone know how 108-109's consist was carried when theyhad the Twin Cities-Manitowoc sleeper? A sleeper next to the engine .especially before air conditioning, would not seem ideal for peacefulsleep for the average passenger . For railfans, of course, it would havebeen ideal .

Charles Stats

THE 5000-A WAS BOUGHT expressly for the Freeport passen-ger job . I never was on the unit but used to deadhead on 109, Manito-woe to Appleton Jet .

Oaknran Mullen

COVERED HOPPERS - I WAS amused exceedingly at the ar-ticle on rebuilt short covered hoppers (April 1977) . Did anyone evermention even a few of their faults? 1 : Center to center of center pinscoincided with much of joint spacing on mile after mile of track settingup sychonistical tracking tendencies that were almost maniacal . 2 : Flatplate over lead and trailing wheels is invariably scarred and cut bywheels whereas most other cars provided clearance by punching alarge pouch or pocket upward to provide clearance . 3 : Much less thanreasonable diameter for male and female centerplates, only 9", werenew ones are running as high as 14" unlubricated . 4 : Also there are dodampening devices on the side bearings or in the spring groups .

Holman F. Braden

NWL CHANGES-I RECEIVED my January 1978 issue and myinitial reaction was, to put it bluntly, shocked . An increase in cost of

Continued on page 28

fourth Annual MeetSet for May 20th

THE FOURTH ANNUAL MEETING of the society will be heldat the Sheraton-Mayfair Motor Inn in Milwaukee on Saturday. May20th . 1978 starting at 10 :00 a .m. Highlights of the meeting will includea presentation by noted railroad historian Russ Porter, an auction ofC&NW related items, a photo contest and a banquet . A flyer withcomplete details and registration blanks has been mailed to members .Non-members and those desiring extra copies may obtain them bysending a stamped, self-addressed to the Treasurer, North WesternLines, 1812 Hood Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60660 . Total cost of regis-tration is $12 .00 per person .

An important part of the meeting will be the annual businessmeeting and election of officers . As mentioned elsewhere in this issuethere are several very important items to be discussed and voted uponand it is to every members interest to try and attend .

Because of the success of the raffle at last years meeting, it hasbeen decided to hold an auction of C&N W related items this year . Theauction will be conducted in the afternoon by auctioneer Stan Bye withall proceeds going towards the society, so if you have any C&NW re-lated items such as slides, photos, models, timetables or even itemsfrom one of the absorbed lines, please bring it along, the rules for boththe auction and the photo contest appear in the meeting flyer.

Members bringing items to sell or swap must handle all such ex-changes outside the meeting room proper .

The success of your society depends on the support of you themembership, so plan on attending and participating at the meeting andhelp to make it the biggest and best yet .

Terry TimmChairman 1978 Meeting

f

C&NW HappeningsORE MOVEMENTS ARE PROVIDING the North Western with

extra revenue this winter. It is believed that all-rail ore movementsfrom the Missabe Range north of Duluth to the blast furnaces of theChicago and Pittsburgh areas may exceed the previous C&NW recordof approximately 152 train loads (of 100 cars each) set during the win-ter of 1973-74 .

The extra movements, precipitated by cold weather which hasclosed the ore's usual all-water route to Chicago, began on January 18,when Erie Mining Company of Emco, Minn ., began routing four 100-car trains of ore per week via Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range toItasca (Superior), Wise ., thence via C&NW to Chicago, where inter-change is made to the Chicago, South Shore and South Bend for deliv-ery to Bethelehem Steel's Burns Harbor plant in Indiana . On January20, United States Steel's Minntac Division began sending two 100-cartaconite trains daily to the Chicago area . These movements, of course,use U .S . Steel-owned roads as much as possible - DM&IR to Itasca,C&NW to Upton Junction, Ill ., and Elgin, Joliet and Eastern to eitherthe Gary Works or South Works in Chicago .

A third ore route began in late January . Ore trains off the LakeSuperior and Ishpeming are interchanged to the North Western at Ish-peming, Minn. C&NW carries the trains to Proviso, where they arehanded over to the Indiana Harbor Belt. Chicago, West Pullman andSouthern delivers the trains to the Wisconsin Steel mill on Chicago'sSouth Side. Two 100-car trains per week are expected to travel thisroute . The fourth and most ambitious ore move will see 100-car trainsoff the LS&I reach C&NW rails at Ishpeming, with C&NW carryingthem to Chicago and the junction with Conrail . Conrail will move thetrains over its own lines to a junction with Pittsburgh and Lake Erie,which will deliver them to the Jones and Laughlin plant in Aliquippa,Penn. This movement will require five trains per week.

These heavy ore train movements have caused considerable strainon the C&NW motive power pool . As a result, the railroad has addedmanpower at the Oelwein, Marshalltown and Green Bay shops to re-turn dead-line locomotives to service . Three units per week are beingremoved from storage and added to the operational fleet . Even thathasn't been sufficient to meet demand, so the road took an unusualstep - leasing 18 SD9s from the Bessemer and Lake Erie, units 822,823, 824, 827, 830, 833, 834, 836 through 842, and 844 through 847 . TheB&LE units include both orange-and-black ones (the standard B&LEscheme) and maroon-and-yellow diesels formerly owned by sister roadDM&IR and bearing provisional lettering (white on black patches) fortheir current owner . The B&LE's have been concentrated in the Chi-cago area (the editor counted nine in and around Proviso on February18) and are used on a variety of freight trains (not necessarily oremovements) . C&NW also negotiated for the use of Canadian NationalSD40s and GP40s . The first of these units was reported seen in the Chi-

Information and photos for C&NW Happenings should be sent toAssociate Editor Michael W . Blaszak, Apartment 3, 225 Homestead,La Grange Park, IL . 60525 .

cago area on February 18 . There reportedly are eight GP40s (4000-4007, 4012-15) and 10 SD40s (5045-51, 5053, 5054, 5057 and 5082) onthe property . C&NW uses three units on loaded ore trains from Itascato Altoona, Wise . ; two of these are on the point while the third (sepa-rately crewed, apparently) pushes from in front of the caboose . Threeunits on the point, says C&NW, would result in pulled drawbars on theshort ore cars . South of Altoona the third unit is not required, so it issent back to Itasca while the two engines in the lead pull the train intothe Chicago region .

To make more room for the ore trains, C&NW temporarily re-routed freight trains 488 and 477 . the all-intermodal Chicago-TwinCities Viking 400, via Elroy and Janesville . All ore trains run via Mil-waukee, on the Viking's usual route. To provide more cars, C&NWhas secured the use of 500 hoppers from Chesapeake and Ohio andBaltimore and Ohio and 333 from Conrail . These extra ore movementsare expected to continue until spring, when the lakes ice willmelt permitting the ore to return to its usual ali-water route over theGreat Lakes . (Some information from Extra 2200 South .)

WHEN THE REGIONAL Transportation Authority provided theNorth Western with eight new F40PH-Ds for its suburban trains,C&NW found itself with surplus commuter F units . The railroad hasnow found a job for some of these displaced units - pulling the Vik-ing 400. Since at least the beginning of January, trains 477 and 488have been in the custody of a pair of Fs . Units seen on these trains in-clude 417, 418, 422 and 423 . F7A 4072C is still around and can often beseen at Proviso .

OTHER INTERESTING POWER sightings on the North West-ern: In November C&N W reportedly hosted at least one set of Duluth,Winnipeg and Pacific RS I Is between Duluth and Chicago . The unitsworked south on a freight which used the Skokie Valley Line in theChicago area . They were sent east the following day to a new home onthe Central Vermont . In January C&NW reportedly had two AlaskaRailroad F7As (1511 and 1516) at the Proviso enginehouse . These werebound for EMD as trade-ins on ARR GP40-2s. Also reported (byNorth Western Limited) is a lease of about 50 Chesapeake and Ohiounits during early January. Some C&O units have been sighted at Pro-viso . More detailed information concerning these events is neededfrom our readers .

Continued on page 4

NORTH WESTERN LINES

Bessemer & Lake Erie SD-9 834heads up a combined lash-up ofUP and C&NW power at Provisoduring February of this year .Photo by Mike Blazsak .

April 1978

3

C&NW Happenings continuedTHE REBUILDING PROGRAM for the 25 ex-Union Pacific

GP9s was completed in October . The following units have been re-leased from Oelwein Shops :

Previously-discussed rebuilds 4496, 4394 and 4399 also have thelarge 2500 gallon fuel tank . After the completion of this program, Oel-wein was put to work on the considerable dead line of EMD powerawaiting attention outside the shops . Of the 40 C&NW units in thedead line, many have been returned to service at a rate of 3 per week .Most of the dead units require generator and traction motor work .Plans for 1978 are not finalized, but once the dead line is cleared off,Oelwein might rebuild 20 or more non-rebuilt GP7s and GP9s . Theseunits may get chop noses like the 4300 and 4500 classes of the early sev-enties, although this is not confirmed . Oelwein has repaired and rebuiltBaldwin/EMD switchers 1245 and 1259 . (LaVerne Andreesen, TheMixed Train) .

C&NW'S SAND-HAULING DeKalb-Howe (Troy Grove) . Ill .,line is doing well . There are two daily-except-Saturday movements ineach direction on the line, and business will probably continue togrow. Although the North Western is experiencing many derailmentson this line, it should be rebuilt this spring . The sand carried on theline is used both for glass making and for locomotive traction . Whenheavy snows fell in early January, C&NW called out Jordan spreadersto clear this line. (Bob Vicker, North Western Limited) .

C&NW'S BYRON BRANCH consists of the DeKalb-Sycamorebranch and the former Chicago Great Western main line from Syca-more to Byron. A local works the line three days per week (Mondays,Wednesdays and Fridays, usually), departing DeKalb about 6 p .m . be-hind a C&NW Geep . Predominant traffic on this train is constructionmaterial bound for a nuclear power plant under construction onthe east side of the Rock River south of Byron . The Byron station isstill manned . The branch's future after the power plant is completed(about 1982) is clouded ; C&NW already has the Byron-Sycamore seg-ment down as "anticipated subject of abandonment proceedings"within 3 years on the System Diagram Map filed with the InterstateCommerce Commission . (North Western Limited) .

AMFLEET ON THE North Western? On January 2 and again onJanuary 14 C&NW hosted Amtrak/Milwaukee Road trains 9 and/or10, the Twin Cities Hiawathas, which are equipped with an F40PH die-sel and Amfeet cars . On January I, Burlington Northern freight train240 derailed at St . Croix Tower, tying up both the BN and the Mil-waukee main lines into Minneapolis . The Milwaukee line was stillblocked the following morning, so Amtrak arranged to detour No . 9over C&NW from Camp Douglas, Wisc ., to Minneapolis via EauClaire . The train"arrived 2 hours 40 minutes late . On January 13, a de-railment at Portage, Wise ., closed the Milwaukee main line again .C&N W handled trains 9 and 10 the following day between Milwaukeeand Tunnel City, Wise . The westbound train took two hours to get toBark Pit siding near Sussex (about 20 miles) to meet No . 10, but thenNo. 9 began running west, averaging 50-55 mph with sprints above 60 .Number 9 arrived in LaCrosse 1 hour 45 minutes late. All detouredtrains ran without making passenger stops ; passengers to MilwaukeeRoad stations missed by the C&N W were bussed . (North Western Lim-ited) .

BOONE, IOWA ON THE main line between Chicago andOmaha/Fremont, is a busy place . Five and eight-train meets havebeen seen there, and weekends tend to be busier than weekdays. Theyard is almost always full . Local power assigned to Boone consistsmostly of GP7s and GP9s (rebuilt and unrebuilt) .

There appears to be much track work taking place on the Mar-shalltown Subdivision . South of Eldora most of the track is in 40-50


mph condition, while north of there the track can handle 35-40 mphspeeds . Most of the track from Hampton to Mason City can take trainsat up to 45 mph . Several thousand ties were installed during the fall be-tween Hampton and Eldora, and some welded rail is expected to be in-stalled. C&NW may reroute through Kansas City-Minneapolis trainsvia this route rather than via Oelwein, as the track on the Oelweinroute is much poorer, resulting in crews being outlawed .

On December 19, C&NW began running a turn out of Marshall-town to Eldora and then up the Alden Branch . This train departsweekdays at about 1 :00 p .m. This train, like most Marshalltown Subdi-vision runs, is powered by Geeps, but F units can often be found onthrough runs . Lately, occasional high-horsepower hoods from bothC&NW and UP have shown up .

The Oelwein-Dubuque branch, a part of the former ChicagoGreat Western main line, is out of service due to bridge damage . Theline is expected to be abandoned eventually, but there are rumors thatthe railroad is thinking about upgrading it . (Preceding four items fromKevin Penner) .

C&NW TRIED TO PLOW out the snowbound Crystal Lake-Al-gonquin, IL branch on January 31 with 2 Geeps and a Jordan sprea-der. Unfortunately, high winds and a string of bad-order boxcars re-sulted in high drifts which the plow train could not get through. As aresult, the line remained snowbound. Also snowbound for several daysin late January and early February was the Lake Geneva branch ; pas-senger service was suspended . (Jeff Lemke) .

THE MILWAUKEE ROAD bankruptcy may cost C&NW $1 mil-lion in cash . The Milwaukee owes C&NW at least twice that throughvarious interline accounts and joint facility agreements, and, of course,the trustee is not obligated to pay off pre-bankruptcy debts at thisstage . Therefore, C&NW will have to write about $1 million off itsearnings to reflect the fact that this amount is not collectible .

CHICAGO'S REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION Authority hasapproved a $288 .8 million budget for fiscal year 1979 . Several C&NW-related projects are included ; among these are a bus turnaround at theDes Plaines station and a study of replacing the W aukegan station witha "transportation center ." A separate project will see $17 million spentI on track improvements under the RTA-C&NW contract . RTA andC&NW have approved a contract for reconstruction of the Kedzie Av-enue interlocking in Chicago . The new plant will cost $2 .6 million andwill be in place by the end of 1979 .

TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY BROCK Adams presidedover hearings on the Midwest rail situation in Chicago on January 18and 19 . This followed Congressional hearings on the implications ofthe Milwaukee Road bankruptcy in early January . At both events,North Western management advocated "restructuring" the Midwest-ern rail system through liquidation of the Milwaukee and/or the RockIsland, with profitable railroads buying whatever parts of those roadsthey wanted and abandoning the remainder . C&NW has taken painsto refute government assertions that the company should be lumped inwith the "weak" railroads, such as the Milwaukee, Rock Island, Il-linois Central Gulf and Katy . In order to prevent the road from beingthought of as weak by the public, C&N W began an ad campaign in Ja-nuary. A full-page ad telling of the company's profitability and pros-pects for the future appeared in various metropolitan newspapers,Time, Newsweek, Forbes, Business Week . U.S. News and World Report,and Sports Illustrated. It was C&NW's first advertising campaign inmany years .

Continued on back cover

RTA F40PH-D 110 the "Brainerd" during air brake tests on theC&NW's North Line at Rosehill, Chicago just prior to enteringsuburban service in the fall of 1978 . Photo by John S . Kamacher .

C&NW Number UP Number Released Remarks4396 274 9/01/77 Long hood from UP

4397 181 9/08/77313B: non UP trucksNon-UP trucks

4398 235 10/06/77 Long hood from UP

4497 306 9/22/77160B ; UP trucks2500 gallon fuel tank

4498 322 9/16/77 Same ; long hood from

4499 342 9/30/77UP 3I0B . UP trucksSame ; UP trucks . Longhood from UP 182B

I

falcon Service

TOFC/COFC SuccessStoryA FEW YEARS AGO, the Air Force Academy played a football

game in Chicago and the cheerleaders brought along an academy mas-cot, a falcon - which, turned loose to perform, promptly circled thestadium and departed . It was later spotted, picking off pigeons one byone in a railroad yard some miles away, and apparently enjoying itselfimmensely.

At Chicago & North Western, though, a "Falcon" has loftiergoals . C&NW's Falcons are its dedicated TOFC/COFC trains oper-ating transcontinentally in conjunction with Union Pacific - andwhile these Falcons have picked off their share of "pigeons," they'vealso been stalking, successfully, much bigger game .

The first Falcon went into service in 1973, and that year NorthWestern handled 50% more trailers than it had in '72 . In '74 there was amodest gain ; in '75, in the full bloom of recession, there was a drop .But the numbers bounced back in '76, and in '77 North Western islooking toward an increase of about 22% from '76 totals . By 1981,C&N W projects a volume of close to 210,000 units - and its projec-tions thus far have been pretty close to the mark .

Revenues from piggyback, meanwhile, were just $13 million in'72 . In '76, TOFC/COFC brought in $225 million - and the estimatefor 1981 keeps pace with the past growth record .

WHAT NORTH WESTERN IS selling - and delivering - is ser-vice, pure and simple . Around C&NW, some say that "the quickestway to get, ah, separated is to foul up the Chicago commuter service"- but fouling up a Falcon surely has to rank as a close second .

According to the timetable, there's one daily Falcon departingWood Street Yard in Chicago for the UP connection at Fremont, Neb .,but that's just a bit misleading : North Western is averaging 22 Falconsa week westbound (along with about 12 per week eastbound) . Max-imum consist is 50 cars, 35 to 40 is regarded as a "comfortable" consist,and the power is adequate - four, sometimes five, units .

Admittedly, the track isn't everything North Western wishes itwere, but it's getting there : Since it can't pay much in the way of divi-dends anyway for a while (under terms of its sale contract separating itfrom Northwest Industries five years ago), the road has been pouringmoney into maintenance and property improvement ; too, almost all ofthe fixed-plant upgrading made possible by FRA purchase of almost$25 million in redeemable preference shares will go into the Chicago-Fremont line, and that upgrading will include the laying of 80-plusmiles of continuous welded rail .

ALREADY, NORTH WESTERN PEOPLE say, record-keepingshippers are aware that the Falcons are giving them better than 95%

The accompanying article on the C&NW's "Falcon Service" isreprinted from the October 31, 1977 issue of RAILWAY AGE bypermission of the publisher, Simmons-Boardman Publishing Co ., ofNew York City . It was felt that this piece deserved the attention ofanyone interested in the C&NW. Due to the limited distribution of,RAILWAY AGE it was decided to reprint the article in total . TheEditor.

on-time performance, and that can only improve as track is improvedand remaining slow orders can be removed .

In the transcontinental TOFC/COFC business . North Westernknows it's up against tough competition from, for instance, Santa Feand Burlington Northern out of Chicago . James M . Ronayne, generalmanager-intermodal sales, likens the competition to that out at therace track : "We all get ready together, we all go to the post together .and hang, the gate's open and we're off . Whoever gets home first -and does it consistently - becomes the favorite and gets the business ."

North Western has, in fact, picked up traffic from other rail car-riers . But much of the road's gains, he believes, represent traffic thatonce moved by highway, including a lot that once went by owner-op-erator trucking .

IN RAIL-vs-RAIL COMPETITION, the biggest gain came inMay of last year when the C&NW-UP routing was awarded U .S . mailcontracts stretching into 1980 . The award came on short notice . Withina matter of days . Jim Ronayne recalls, "we had about 32,000 trailers ayear dropped on us ." Protests against the award failed, North Westernbegan handling the business - and some observers waited for theWood Street piggyback yard to bog down . But thus far it apparentlyhasn't happened : Wood Street is doing the job, on mail and en all traf-fic, and Ronayne is convinced that there are a couple of reasons . Onehas to do with the inventiveness and adaptability of the people work-ing there . Another is that Wood Street, as TOFC/COFC terminals go,borders on the unique .

"You know your standard piggyback yard ." he says . "It has acouple or three or four long, long tracks . Well, Wood Street has a lot ofshort tracks . Let's face it, the yard hasn't been changed much, and it'san old potato yard . But what we have there is a classification yard inminiature. On West Coast traffic, for example, we can use one trackfor Los Angeles traffic, one for Bay Area pigs, one for Pacific North-west loads, one for something else, and when we're ready we just pullthe tracks and we've got a perfectly-blocked train . And it's just awfullyhard to do that if you have a terminal with a couple of real long tracks,

Wood Street Terminal, home of the "Falcons ." Here is located the ramp from which the Falcons depart on their journey west . C&NW Photo.

NORTH WESTERN LINES April 1978 5

SD-40-2 6922 along with 6910were lettered for "Falcon

Service ." From the collection of J .M. Gruber.

because you really don't know where to start and stop with your blockswhen you're loading ."

Of course, not everything in C&NW's piggyback file is a growthstory - but the big negative-growth story is a possitive one, and it con-cerns meat traffic, something that a few roads have tried to make a goof, without success. In 1971, Ronayne recalls, "we carried about 26,000trailerloads of meat . Through August of this year, we show one - one- trailerload . I wonder if it was misclassified ."

For all its recent success, though, North Western - like manyroads - has made its share of errors in going after the highway-trailermarket . One involved the meat business, a non-profit endeavor if everthere was one . Another involved the rush-to-ramp, with ramps in-stalled at a number of points on branch lines and secondary mains .Once, Ronayne notes, C&NW had more than 90 ramps . Now, it has43, and some of those are under study for possible consolidation at"super-ramp" points, to and from which Falcon-type expedited ser-vice could be provided .

AS FOR THE FUTURE, Jim Ronayne has a number of thoughts .One is that North Western will probably continue to experiencegrowth in containerization : Box-type traffic, about 5% of the piggy-back total last year, is now running at better than 16% .

Another is that even more attention will have to be paid to pre-paring for the unexpected : "We've always put a lot of effort into sell-ing the shipper who's off-rail, who isn't dependent upon a railroad forbox-car traffic or switching or anything else . Now, we've got to beready to handle the calls we're getting - and there are a lot of them -from shippers we've never heard of and who maybe never beforethought much about us ."

A third is that North Western has to continue to let the customerknow, the instant there's an "exception" to report on his expected de-livery : "Railroads tend to make two mistakes . The first is to make anactual mistake in the handling of a shipment . The second, and it'sworse, is not to let the customer know . We're manned around theclock, seven days a week, so that we can `let the customer know .' Andwhen something does go wrong, if a car is bad-ordered for example,we also let him know that it's going to be repaired right now and thatit's going to move on the next Falcon and not on some local . This allgoes to build the integrity of the service - and the customers are ral-lying-'round ."

With the record established by the Falcons, what do you do for an

In this 1963 view (looking west) of the Wood Street Yard, Chicago wecan see the paved area, here containing refrigerator cars from the dayswhen the yard was a produce terminal, that was later to become the

piggy-back ramp, known locally as the "Falcon's Nest ." Thedevelopment of the side loading "piggy-packer" permitted the easy

conversion of this area to a trailer terminal without the need for costlyconstruction of either end ramps or overhead cranes . The Rockwell

Street line of the C&NW heads off to the upper right (north) to join theIllinois Division east-west mainline at Kedzie Tower . C&NW Photo .


,.K

4

encore? In C&NW's case, you put on the "Viking" - a dedicatedTOFC/COFC train between Chicago and the Twin Cities. Intermodalpeople told North Western President James R . Wolfe they'd like to tryit, Jim Wolfe said "Try it," experiments worked - and the Vikingtrains are up to forecast and growing .

Pride . . . gets the job doneTHEY TALK A 1 .0'I' about pride these days at C&N W, and a lot

of people attribute it to employee-ownership : After all, about 3,300 ofNorth Western's employees are also stockholders . But there's anotherfactor that bears mention, and it's evident all around the "Falcon" op-eration . As one North Western officer puts it, "When people see thatwe're serious about building business, and then they see the businessbuilding, that just naturally breeds pride - and the desire to do a job ."

Cases in point? Well, one frigid night last winter a supervisor atWood Street Yard was watching a switchman - "he was old enoughto be my father" - taping airhose connections on a soon-to-departFalcon : "He'd tape one and then run to the next one and tape it andthen run to the next one . So when he got done, I mentioned this run-ning to him - thinking, maybe, that he was running to keep warm ."The switchman looked the supervisor up and down . "Nope," he said,"this is my train . "

THEN THERE WAS THE time a Falcon was beginning to pullout and a crew member lost his footing as he was preparing to board

Wood Street yardmaster Jeff Green confers with a yard crew byradio concering the makeup of train 245, the afternoon "Falcon ."

Small cab, highly maneuverable tractors are used to place trailers on the ramp for loading by the "Piggy-Packer ."

FWD model P-70 "piggy-packer"used to handle trailers at WoodStreet Terminal . Use of this typeof loader permits trailers to behandled anywhere in the trainrather then in a strict order asrequired in the original endloading method when piggy-bakservice was first introduced .C&NW Photo .


8

LOCATION of TOFC RAMP FACILITIESon the CHICAGO & NORTH WESTERNILLINOISChicago (Proviso)Chicago (Wood St .)Madison (St . Louis)WaukeganIOWABooneCouncil BluffsDenisonDes MoinesFt . DodgeMarshalltownSioux CityWaterlooMICHIGANEscanabaMINNESOTAAlbert LeaDuluth (Superior)MankatoMinneapolisRed WingRochesterSt. PaulWinonaMISSOURISt. Louis (Madison)

(Omaha)

GP-7 1642 makes up train 245 atthe east end of the Wood StreetYard . Most of the yard work hereis handled by Geeps . Chicago'sSears Tower over looks the scene

from the north .

NEBRASKAFremontNorfolkOmaha (Council Bluffs)SOUTH DAKOTARapid CitySioux FallsWISCONSINAltoona (Eau Claire)AppeltonButlerFond du LacGreen BayJanesvilleKenoshaLa CrosseMadisonManitowocMarinetteMilwaukeeOshkoshRacineSheboyganSuperiorWausauWYOMINGCasper

April 1978 NORTH WESTERN LINES

Trainmaster G . L. Walker (left) and yardmaster Green go over last min-ute details at the Wood Street yard office prior to the departure of train245 for Fremont, Nebraska and it's connection with the Union Pacific .

Train 488, the "Viking," newestmember of the C&NW's family ofTOFC/COFC trains enteringProviso at Grand Avenue on themorning of March 11, 1978 .Former suburban F-7A 423started her journey from St . Paulthe previous evening . Photo byLouis Gerard, Jr .

All vehicles entering the WoodStreet ramp must check in at theguard house. Due to the generallyhigh value of TOFC/COFC cargossecurity is of utmost importance .Sign in back ground attests to the

yards original function as aproduce terminal .

the caboose . "Stop the train," one nearby employee shouted . "Stop thetrain, hell," another hollered . "Let him get the next one ." It's a simplephilosophy C&NW people have : You run as many trains as you need .you leave on time, you don't get in a Falcon's way out on the road, andyou get in on time - or better .

They have a sign at the Wood Street yard office that reads "TheFalcon's Nest ." But it was another, more temporary, sign at the yardthat perhaps expressed the spirit even better . A new Piggy Packer hadjust arrived at the yard, and before it was unloaded . a couple of em-ployees scrounged a huge piece of plywood on which they painted a

large sign, after which they mounted the sheet on the Piggy Packer carso that it faced the adjacent yard of another railroad . The message onthe sign? In somewhat paraphrased version : "We're gonna whup yourtail ."

Then there was the young tractor driver at the yard who inquiredone day why the Falcons couldn't get even more business . A supervisorexplained, among other things, that trailer parking space was simplynot unlimited. The young man nodded thoughtfully . A couple of dayslater he handed the supervisor a list of every vacant property withintwo miles where trailers could perhaps be parked .

These distinctive white trailers with the green "Falcon Service" lettering have become a common sight in the midwest in recent times . This oneawaits departure aboard train 245 at Wood Street .


Train 243 one of the westbound"Falcons" entering Fremont,

Nebraska on C&NW track July 23,1977. There are 25 TTX's in theconsist and plenty of power up

front, C&NW 6834 and 6905, andUP 2862 and 2949. This trackage

is operated as the FremontSubdivision from Missouri Valleyto Fremont, but is still part of the

Iowa Division . Photo by J . B .Holman .

Why Falcon?HOW DID THE CHICAGO & North Western hit upon the name,

"Falcons," for its dedicated piggyback trains? "As the story goes, atthe time when C&NW decided to make its big push for piggyback, R .J . Degnan, assistant vice president-sales, and James M . Ronayne,general manager-intermodal sales, were sitting in Ray Degnan's kit-chen; Degnan came up with the name, `Falcon,' and, Jim Ronaynerecalls, `I was leafing through magazines, looking for the symbol ofthe bird we could use .' Between them, Degnan and Ronayne, cameup with the symbol that is both apt and not apt . North Western's Fal-cons have, indeed, been birds of prey . But the falcon-certain types,at least-is also an endangered species . And in the case of NorthWestern's Falcons, that's not apt . Not at all ."


Otto Perry C&NWPhotos Available

At Fremont,Nebraska onJuly 23, 1977train 243, one ofthe "Falcons"has just beendelivered to theUnion Pacific .UP 1404 hasbeen added tothe lash-up ofpower. Photo byJ . B . Holman .

PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE C&NW and Omaha are availablefrom the Denver Public Library, Western History Department, 1357Broadway, Denver, Colorado 80203 . They are prints from the collec-tion of Otto C . Perry . The catalog has some seventeen pages listingphotos of steam and diesel engines, trains and equipment, of bothC&NW and CStPM&O ; many are scenes from the 1920's and1930's . Postcard size prints are available at $1 .25 each as well aslarger size prints . The catalog itself includes other railroads, ofcourse, and it is priced at $5 .00 .

t

v

M&S1L MilepostsIT IS UNSURE TO me how many ex-M&StL depots are in exis-

tence under the reign of the C&N W, but I would like to give you a ran-dom sampling of the variety of structures still standing .

Albert Lea, Minn . - At one time this used to be the end of theM&StL before the merger with the Iowa Central . At this time theM&StL was known as the "Albert Lea Route ." The first depot isshown in the book "Mileposts on the Prairie." Here in the depot lunch-room you could get a four course meal for 50 cents in the "BunkerRoom" which was located in the depot .

Perry, Iowa - Here is a good example of second generation de-pots on the M&StL which were built of "brick-block ." There wereabout twelve of these buildings on the M&StL which were constructedin the late 1940's .

The traditional color of wooden depots was "Kelly Green," andfrom the one at Redwood, Minnesota started the Sears-Roebuck Com-pany, when a local jeweler wouldn't accept a box of watches, so Rich-ard Sears sold them himself, founding the company .

CORRECTION - "Northwood" mentioned in the list of pro-posed abandonments in the Jan . NWL should read "Norwood" . Thatis Norwood, Minn . ; one reader thought that I was talking aboutNorthwood, Iowa .

BETWEEN ALBERT LEA AND MANLY C&NW operates overCRI&P, the Rock Island . That is the route for trains 701 and 702 and703/704 between Albert Lea and Marshalltown, from M&StL tra-ckage. There is some confusion about whose track this is and was . It iscommonly regarded as Rock Island track because operations over the27 miles are controlled by the Rock . One reader reminded us that thisline was half owned by the Rock and half by the M&StL . According to"Mileposts on the prairie," page 266, "In the twenty-seven milesstretch the Rock Island owns approximately the upper half and theM&StL the lower half. To make matters more involved, the IC has tra-ckage rights from Albert Lea to Glenville ." Presumably the same thingholds true for the C&NW today . In the C&NW timetable this is re-garded as part of the Marshalltown subdivision .

Albert Lea, Minnesota depot today houses C&NW offices . This redbrick structure has a red roof and white trim . Photo taken July 2,1977. All photos by Ralph Voss .

vs a71(1e .

Peoria0ateWy

'94!LWP

Information and photos for M&StL Mileposts should be sent toM&StL Editor Jim Lohman, Route 1, Box 141, Stanley, WI . 54768 .

°tee.

Dallas Center, Iowa has this well maintained structure for a depot .Color is gray with white trim ; the date, October 29, 1977 .

Frame depot at LuVerne, Iowa as it looked on April 24, 1977 . Theoriginal color was Kelly green though somewhat faded now .

The Perry, Iowa depot shows the "brick-block" type of constructionthat was common in the late 1940's on the M&StL. The brick is a

A red brick structure serves Minburn, Iowa . It sports a gray roof withwhitish color. This view was taken October 29, 1977

white trim . October 29, 1977 .

NORTH WESTERN LINES April 1978

1 1

Part 3 A Spotting Guide

Maintracker Power Class JBy Raymond JorgensenTHESE NOTES HAVE BEEN compiled primarily from informa-

tion in Fred Cole's 1938 R&LHS roster, the Omaha roster published in"Midwest Railroader" in 1964, and from examination of about 300photos of J's that I have come across . The purpose of these notes wasoriginally to build a data base on which to differentiate different ap-pearing engines, so that a coherent set of photos could be used to allowconstruction of a scale model . I did not find Class J photos as availableas other C&NW engines and there are just enough variations in 342engines built over a span of eleven years, with selected engines havingbeen rebuilt too, to retard the achievement of my goal .

However, in the course of my research I have been able to identifyseveral distinct groups of J's as built and that J-A's were constructedfrom members of most of these groups . I have also observed that someJ-A's had their valve gear changed to a different type late in their lives, .

Over the eleven year span in which J's were built, changes did oc-cur in several features that are visually identifiable, but many thingsstayed the same . All J's as built (and as rebuilt to J-A) had the sameboiler shape and size, the typical perforated firebox jacket and thesame cab shape and size . The engine dimensions apparently remainedthe same, although the tenders did grow slightly . All J's had the samesmokestack, sandbox, and steam dome ; all had a generator on the leftside of the boiler at the pop valve cluster, with a ladder from walkwayto handrail at the generator location . The latter feature was found onall C&NW road engines built from 1900 through Class H . The numberof air reservoirs, three, and the air compressor was uniform on the en-tire class and was not changed by rebuilding . All J's were built with ex-tended piston rods, extending through the front of the cylinders .

In attempting to sort out the C&NW J's, I used Cole's roster toprovide groups of consecutive construction numbers for C&NW en-gines, and Midwest Railroader's roster to do the same for the Omahaengines . I was hoping at the time that all engines of a given group ofconsecutive numbers could be assumed to be the same . Thus I came upwith Table 1 .

FROM THE NOTES IN Cole's roster, I knew that J's had twokinds of valve gear and three types of trailing trucks . After examining afew dozen photos of J's it became apparent that there were other vari-

TABLE ICLASS "J" CONSTRUCTION NUMBERS

C&NW and CStPM&O


ations that could be recognized, giving a list of varying features as fol-lows :

1 . valve gear type2 . trailing truck type3 . injector type4 . number of cab windows5. with or without manhole behind steam dome6 . with or without outside throttle rod7 . walkway location on boiler8 . valve rod guides9 . side rod type10 . power reverse cylinders11 . tender size ; among the as built features .To try and verify that the observed variations were systematic, I

created a matrix of features versus the number of groupings of C&N Wengines from Table I and began compiling a photo library . As my col-lection grew I was able to fill in the column in the matrix and to make alist of apparent exceptions, which so far are few . One exception whichbothered me for a long while was a photo of 2358 which should havehad a manhole and inside throttle rod like the rest of the group, 2336-2360. Fortunately Knudsen published a diagram encompassing thisnumber grouping ; the diagram had a note explaining that the changein feature, which 2358 illustrated, did not occur with the break in con-struction number, but within a group of consecutive construction num-bers . This exception has made me aware that there may be other ex-ceptions to assigning specific features exclusively to construction num-ber groupings, but I haven't noticed any others . Eventually I was ableto complete all the entries in the matrix which in its final form ispresented here as Table 11 .

With the eleven features that I observed to vary from group togroup of engines built, I have concluded that J's can be classified intoseven distinct groups as follows :

GROUP 1 ENGINES - (Omaha 390-405 and C&NW 2301-2335) . From the builder's numbers it seems that Omaha 390-399 werethe first J's built . Group I engines had an early form of Baker valvegear in which the crosshead link was attached to the crosshead belowthe crosshead guides and extended to the rear beyond the crossheadguide hanger, connecting to a long vertical link . These engines had aCole design trailing truck whose frame consisted of very thin upperand lower members with a lot of open space between the two framemembers. For lack of more accurate terminology I have called thistrailing truck design an "open frame Cole ." This group had lifting in-jectors and wooden pilots, features employed on all of the first 224 J'sbuilt . These engines were among the first on the C&NW to be builtwith a manhole cover on top of the boiler between the steamdome andthe pop valve cluster. The unique feature which distinguished these en-gines from all other J's was the valve rod guides, which were rectangu-lar bars extending from the cylinders to the front of the valve gearhanger . The valve rod crosshead completely wrapped around thisguide . The ALCO builders photos of CStPM&O 395 and C&N W 2301,reveal an unusual power reverse mechanism mounted along the edgeof the ashpan . However, not all of this group came so equipped . In itsbuilder's photo, 2335 has a Ragonnet power reverse cylinder . The 1913engines, 390-399 and 2301-2315, did not have the ladder from walkwayto handrail on the left side of the boiler at the pop valve cluster, a fea-ture that was common to all the following J's . The generator on theseengines was located on top of the boiler between the pop valve clusterand the front of the cab .

GROUP 2 ENGINES - (C&NW 2336-2355) were identical toGroup I engines except for valve rod guides and power reverse type .The valve rods were supported by rod guides attached to the cylindersbelow the valve rods . This design of valve rod guide was utilized on allremaining J's except for group 5 . The power reverse on these engineswas Ragonnet .

GROUP 3 ENGINES - (C&N W 2356-2372 and Omaha 406-411)continued the use of the early style Baker valve gear, but incorporateda throttle rod located outside of the boiler shroud, connecting to the

ROAD NUMBERS BUILT BUILDER CONST. No .CMO 390-399 1913 Schenectady 52697-52706CNW 2301-2315 1913 Schenectady 53094-53108CNW 2316-2335 1914 Schenectady 54429-54448CMO 400-405 1914 Schenectady 54520-54525CNW 2336-2360 1914 Schenectady 54862-54886CMO 406-411 1916 Schenectady 55562-55567CNW 2361-2372 1916 Schenectady 55606-55617CNW 2373-2397 1916 Schenectady 56259-56283CMO 412-421 1916 Schenectady 56284-56293CNW 2398-2422 1917 Schenectady 57292-57316CNW 2423-2442 1918 Richmond 58144-58163CNW 2443-2472 1918 Richmond 58377-58406CNW 2473-2492 1918-19 Richmond 58407-58426CNW 2493-2522 1921 Richmond 62664-62693CNW 2523-2532 1921 Richmond 62785-62794CNW 2533-2552 1922 Dunkirk 63507-63526CNW 2553-2592 1923 Dunkirk 63843-63882CNW 2593-2600 1923 Dunkirk 64445-64452CNW 2701-2710 1923 Dunkirk 64453-64462

On the Schenectady Works turntable, Omaha engine 395 displays her right side . Many of the classes original features shown here will either bealtered or eliminated during their years of service . The huge ungainly stack will shrink in a few years, the upper front bulkhead cab windows willbe covered over and the superheater damper control will be removed . The position of the drivers displays the valve gear arrangement clearly .This engine is identical to C&NW engine 2301 . Photo courtesy of ALCO Historic Photos .

throttle on the right side of the steam dome . With this change inthrottle design the manhole was deleted from the design . This group ofJ's was among the first C&NW engines to have the outside throttle rod,a design which was incorporated in all C&NW road locomotives until1919 . The original power reverse cylinder on these engines was Ragon-net, a feature continued from group 2 and also used on group 4 . Notethat engines 2356-2360 were the last five engines of the last lot of en-gines built in 1914, whereas the balance of the group were built in1916 .

GROUP 4 ENGINES - (C&NW 2372-2492 and Omaha 412-421) were the same as Group 3, with open frame Cole trailing truck,lifting injector, outside throttle and no manhole, but are differentiatedby having standard Baker valve gear in which the crosshead motion isadded to valve rod motion by a link forward of the crosshead, attacheddirectly to the valve rod . This group of 130 engines was the largestgroup of J's that were all alike .

GROUP 5 ENGINES - (C&NW 2493-2532) encompassed themost extensive changes in the class J development . Instead of the Bak-er valve gear which had been used on all previous J engines, this groupwas built with Young valve gear, as were all the remaining J's . To ac-commodate the Young gear, the air tanks and the walkways above the

TABLE II - C&NW and CStPM&O CLASS "J" FEATURE STUDY

valve gear were raised several inches, while keeping the rear portionsof the walkway in the same location as on the first four groups . Sinceall Baker equipped engines had walkways at a constant elevation, thetwo level walkways provided a quick visual means of differentiatingbetween the two types . This group of engines saw the throttle rodsagain placed inside the boiler, the manhole returned to the design, andthe injectors changed from lifting type to a non-lifting type . The gener-ator location was changed to the left side of the pop valve cluster, and anewer version of the Pyle generator was applied . The power reversecylinders were of Barco manufacture, a design used on the E2's andJ4's also . The wooden pilots of earlier groups were replaced with newlyadopted standard steel pilots . Additionally this group of engines hadtwo unique features not found in any other group : the forward mostwindow on the cab sides was omitted, and the valve rods were sup-ported by bottom and top guides, giving the valve rod the appearancethat a small size alligator crosshead had been used .

GROUP 6 ENGINES- (C&N W 2533-2597) changed the trailingtruck from a built up open frame Cole design, to a one piece cast steelDelta design by Commonwealth, and the forward cab window was re-turned to the design . Also the side rods which had been fluted on allearlier groups, lost their flutes and were solid crossection rods . These


GROUP ROAD QUANTITY YEARNo.

BUILTBLDR .

Schen .

VALVEGEAREarly Style Baker (ESB)

TRAILINGTRUCKOpen Frame Cole (OFC)

MAN-HOLEYes

OUTSIDETHROTTLENo

FRONT CABWINDOWYes

INJECTOR

Lifting1 390-399 10 19131 2301-2315 15 1913 Schen . ESB OFC Yes No Yes Lifting1 2316-2335 20 1914 Schen . ESB OFC Yes No Yes Lifting1 400-405 6 1914 Schen . ESB OFC Yes No Yes Lifting2 2336-2355 20 1914 Schen . ESB OFC Yes No Yes Lifting3 2356-2360 5 1914 Schen . ESB OFC No Yes Yes Lifting3 406-411 6 1916 Schen . ESB OFC No Yes Yes Lifting3 2361-2372 12 1916 Schen . ESB OFC No Yes Yes Lifting4 2373-2397 25 1916 Schen . Baker OFC No Yes Yes Lifting4 412-421 10 1916 Schen . Baker OFC No Yes Yes Lifting4 2398-2422 25 1917 Schen . Baker OFC No Yes Yes Lifting4 2423-2442 20 1918 Rich . Baker OFC No Yes Yes Lifting4 2443-2472 30 1918 Rich . Baker OFC No Yes Yes Lifting4 2473-2492 20 1918-19 Rich . Baker OFC No Yes Yes Lifting5 2493-2522 30 1921 Rich . Young OFC Yes No No Non-Lifting5 2523-2532 10 1921 Rich . Young OFC Yes No No Non-Lifting6 2533-2552 20 1922 Dunkirk Young Delta Yes No Yes Non-Lifting6 2553-2592 40 1923 Dunkirk Young Delta Yes No Yes Non-Lifting6 2593-2597 5 1923 Dunkirk Young Delta Yes No Yes Non-Lifting7 2598-2600 3 1923 Dunkirk Young USRA Cole Yes No Yes Non-Lifting7 2701-2710 10 1923 Dunkirk Young USRA Cole Yes No Yes Non-Lifting

14

April 1978

. . . . .. .. .

. .. .. . . . . .. .. .. .. . . . .. . . . .. . . .. . . .. . . . . .. . .. .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . .. . . . . . . . . . .. . .. .. .. .. .. . . . .. .. . . . . . . .. . . .. . . .... . .. .. ..

HALF REAR VIEW

LOOKING FORWARD

CAB SECTION

NORTH WESTERN LINES

SECTION AT

SECTION ATREAR DRIVER

MAIN DRIVERLOOKING TOWARD REAR

.

I ! !//II

SECTION AT I

SECTION ATSECOND DRIVER

FIRST DRIVERLOOKING TOWARD REAR

-11r-1

g lop

5t ;

--------- - --- --- ---- ----------------

6 . -2 .

31,

It

10 , 2"to rail

JHG.

s' 8"

51-0 .

3'-11'

3,-0 14*

LOOKING FORWARD

Scale : 3/16 inch equals 1'0"

Class J-A

Built by Richmond Works of theAmerican Locomotive Company,April 1921 as class J engine .Converted to class J-A by the C&NWSeptember 30, 1937 .

Copyright 1947, Kalmbach PublishingCompany, reprinted by permission ofMODEL RAILROADER Magazine .

Chicago & North Western282NORTH WESTERN LINES April 1978

15

Engine 395, a group 1 Omaha class J, photographed at the American Locomotive Company Schenectady Works in June 1913 . Examination ofthe photo reveals several component installations not yet completed . This suggests a tight construction schedule with barely enough time tocomplete projects at any one stage along the way . It also suggests there are workmen with tools and parts in hand lurking off camera waiting tocomplete the air and rope connections to the bell as well as install the blow-off cocks and over fire jets . In this view, the headlight shelf should benoted; its construction is strictly utilitarian ; two bent angle irons riveted to the smoke box door, a bent plate fastened between the two forming floorand number board . This is a standard C&NW design which survived from its inception to the end of steam operation with little change other thanthe addition of a brace on each side . This photo also reveals that neither the ladder from the running board to the hand rail nor the ladder hungfrom the valve gear frame have become standard fittings . Also absent is the short running board above the air pump . Photo courtesy of ALCOHistoric Photos .

engines continued the use of Young valve gear, non-lifting injectorsand the manhole behind the steam dome . This group came from thebuilders with tenders with higher sides on the coal bunker, which allfollowing engines had also . Eventually almost all of the tenders of ear-lier engines were modified to the same capacity .

GROUP 7 ENGINES - (C&N W 2598-2600 and 2701-2710) werethe same as group 6 except that in place of the Delta trailing truck wasa newer version of the Cole design . These Cole trailing trucks had aheavy, solid frame in contrast to the type used on Group I-5 . This formof trailing truck was used on many USRA engine designs and is com-monly known among modelers as a USRA trailing truck, thanks toCal-Scale labeling their model of it with that designation .

During their lives all J's received new headlights . At first bothC&NW and Omaha shared a common standard headlight, a largediameter, visorless, cylinder type. When the C&NW adopted the Pylevisored headlight as standard, all C&NW J's were eventually changedto the new standard . Not so with Omaha engines ; several retained theircylindrical headlamps, although with the addition of a visor, until theend of steam .

All J's had their extended piston rods replaced with conventionalpiston rod designs. Groups 1-4 were delivered with wooden pilotswhich were replaced with the new standard cast steel pilot . Spoked pi-lot and trailing truck wheels were gradually replaced by solid wheels .Power reverse cylinders, when they wore out, were replaced with theAlco design currently catalogued ; 1930's replacements were with cylin-ders without piston rod guides and 1940's replacements were with a de-sign having piston rod guides . The original crosshead guides on all J'swere tapered on both ends . During the 1940's and later replacementguides did not have the taper, appearing quite massive compared tothe original guides .

Now for some comments on the exceptions to the group descrip-tions stated above . Four J's arrived from the builder with feed waterheaters, which apparently no other J's ever had . Worthington feed-water heaters were applied to 2529 and 2530 and Elesco unit were ap-plied to 2531 and 2532. Photos of 2531 and 2532 in the October 1977


NWL show the C&NW doing things differently, mounting the Elescoon the pilot deck rather than in the usual position in front of thesmokestack. Apparently none of these feedwater heater installationslasted very long .

TWO J'S WERE equipped with booster engines, 2564 receiving aBethlehem Auxiliary Locomotive on a tender truck and 2570 beingequipped with a trailing truck booster . A photo of 2570 can be foundin "Model Railroader Cyclopedia," Vol. 1, Steam Locomotives, p . 64,showing this engine with the booster, early style lettering and still hav-ing extended piston rods .

Engine 2455 was rebuilt in 1924, apparently a wreck rebuildingjob. This was a Group 4 engine with the outside throttle and no man-hole . When rebuilt 2455 received an inside throttle rod and a manhole,but otherwise maintained its Group 4 features .

From mid-1935 through mid-1937 the C&NW rebuilt 24 J's intoJ-A . These 24 engines were all Young valve gear engines, and consistedof nine Group 5's, fourteen Group 6's, and one Group 7 engine . TheseJ-A's received a stoker, slightly larger Box-Pok drivers, internal modi-fications and an increased tender capacity . Most of these engines hadoriginal tenders whose sides were increased in height by 12", increas-ing both coal and water capacity . From Cole's roster these engineswere: 2494, 2495, 2504, 2507, 2531, 2526, 2529, 2531, 2532, 2534, 2541,2542, 2550, 2555, 2557, 2558, 2561 2567, 2574, 2579, 2584, 2585, 2596and 2600 .

Beginning 1937 most, possibly all, Omaha J's were rebuilt to J-A .Among the Group I and 2 J's at least 396, 398, 399, 400, 402, 403and 404 became J-A's . These engines had their early style Baker gearchanged to the more modern style, and all ended up with the cylindermounted valve rod guides used on most later J's . Omaha Group 3'srebuilt to J-A were at least 406-411 and 440 (ex-C&NW 2368) . All tenOmaha Group 4's, 412-421, were rebuilt to J-A .

ALL THESE OMAHA J-A's retained their original Group 1/2 orGroup 3/4 throttle/manhole configuration and the lifting injector dothe right side. On the left side the lifting injector was replaced with an

.mar

This ALCO builder's photo of engine 2301, illustrates the key identifying features of group 1 : Baker valve gear with crosshead link extendingdown and to the rear, rectangular bar valve rod guides extending from cylinder to valve gear frame, and manhole behind steam dome . The openframe Cole design trailing truck was used on the first 264 J's built . This type of photo with its background opaqued was the builders officialphotograph of the locomotive . Photo courtesy of C&NW Railway .

This view by the builder of engine 2335, a group 1 class J shows her in a greater state of completion than the views of engine 395 . This engine ispart of the first lot of those constructed in 1914 and is equipped with a Ragonnet power reverse . It seems that C&NW may have applied newtechnologies represented here by the Ragonnet, to only a few engines of a given order to gain experience before committing large investments .This concept is reflected in other test installations such as the Elesco feedwaters on engines 2531 and 2532, Worthington feedwater heaters onengines 2529 and 2530 and the booster tender truck on engine 2564 . Photo courtesy of ALCO Historic Photos .

exhaust steam injector located just in front of the trailing truck . TheOmaha J-A's received a different tender modification than the 1935-37group of C&NW J-A's . Where the C&NW tenders were increased inheight, the Omaha tenders had the water compartment increased inlength by about six feet, increasing water capacity by about a thirdwhile not significantly changing coal capacity .

Following the publication of Cole's roster in 1938 the C&NWapparently continued to rebuild J's into J-A's . I have observed 13 addi-tional engines, all Young valve gear engines, not listed in Cole's roster,having Box-Pok drivers, and I thus conclude that they are also J-A's .These are : 2493 ; 2503, 2513, 2514, 2528, 2545, 2554, 2559, 2565, 2572,2578, 2591 and 2593 . All of then engines have tenders with extendedwater compartments similar to the Omaha J-A tenders, but unlike the

BAKER VALVE GEARAS APPLIED TO CLASS J2-8-2 TYPE LOCOMOTIVE

Omaha engines the coal bunker sides were also increased in height byabout a foot, thus increasing both water and coal capacity . Several ofthis group of J-A's, because of their large water capacity tenders, wereequipped with steam lines for passenger service, primarily troop trains .At least 2493 and 2513 were so equipped, and probably there weremore .

Some C&N W J-A's received another change to their appearancewhen the Young valve gear was replaced with Baker . This version ofthe Baker gear had a massive valve gear hanger, compared to the hang-er on engines originally equipped with Baker. Group 5 examples ofthis are 2493 and 2503 ; there may have been more . The only Group 6example I have noticed is 2561 shown on p . 153 of Knudsen, shownwith Young gear in the diagram at the bottom of the page, but sporting

.UK-=

O


17

Engine 2340, a group 2 class J, shown here equipped with footboards front and rear and back-up headlight on tender . Clear-vision alterationshave been made to the coal bunker to broaden the enginemens' field of vision to the rear . Photographed at Proviso, March 14, 1948 by C . T .Felstead, from the collection of John S . Kamacher .

Baker gear in the photo at the top of the page . Theonly Group 7 engine converted to J-A, 2600, also gotthe Baker gear conversion .

Class J engines not rebuilt to J-A received modi-fications which were reflected visually in their ten-ders . The first 232 C&N W J's and all 32 Omaha J'sapparently had the same kind of tender . The balanceof the J's had tenders with higher but curved inwardsides to the coal bunker, a change that was generallyretrofitted to almost all of the earlier tenders . SomeJ's had tenders whose coal bunkers were raised to thesame height as found on the J-A engines with ex-tended length tenders . Some tenders as found on thelater J-A's, and some J's assigned to transfer servicein the Chicago area had coal bunkers narrowed forimproved visibility while backing. Most J's even-tually had stokers applied . The most obvious in-dication of the stoker was in the tender with an ac-cess door on the left side at the lower front corner .

West of Fremont, Nebr ., on the Nebraska Divi-sion J's were used which had oil fired engines . Cole'sroster noted that 2701-2710 were received from thebuilder equipped to burn oil . These were not theonly fired J's, as some of the Group l's were also inservice on the Nebraska Division .

YOUNG VALVE GEARAS APPLIED TO CLASS J2-8-2 TYPE LOCOMOTIVE

18

April 1978 NORTH WESTERN LINES

Engine 2598, a group 7 class J, photographed at North Yard roundhouse, Belvidere, Ill .on May 25, 1930 by A. W . Johnson . Close examination of the pilot and pilot beam revealthe initials C&NW cast into each part . Also, behind the pilot the Automatic Train Controlpickup coils are clearly defined . Running down the left boiler brace is a conduit leading tothe pilot beam flag and marker light stanchions at the extreme ends of the beam . Undercertain conditions the front of a locomotive could be the rear of a train, when such was thecase, marker lamps taken from the tender were placed on the pilot beam and illuminatedwhen necessary. The upper lamps on the smoke box front are classification lights andcould not be used as markers due to the different combination of colors . Collection of R .A. Janz .

A group 2 class J, engine 2351 shown at Butler, Wisc . on May 4, 1940 . Not yet stoker equipped at time of photo . Note the application of a mudguard above the engine truck . Photo by La Mar Kelly, collection of R . A. Janz .

D . W . Yungmeyer photographed this group 3, class J at 40th Street, Chicago, Illinois on August 13, 1935 . She is equipped for terminal servicewith footboards front and rear, firehose box on the running board and a back-up headlight . Stoker equipment has not been applied to this engineat the time of this photo although it will be eventually . The presence of the waycar suggest the engine is working a terminal transfer assignment .Collection of R . A . Janz .

Engine 2424, a group 4 class J, shown here in 40th Street yard on July 26, 1935 . She is equipped with footboards front and rear, a back-upheadlight is also discernible on the tender deck, all of which indicate terminal service assignments . Many class J engines were used in transferwork between C&NW Railwayy yards within the Chicago Switching District and various foreign lines . Transfer movements operated heavy trainsover long distances and occasionally, difficult grades, such situations required an engine of the class J's capabilities . Being assigned to terminalservice was not a case of being relegated to a lesser service but to one which required more power than a yard engine could provide . Photo by D .W. Yungmeyer, collection of R . A. Janz .


19

Engine 2455, a group 4 class J was originally built in 1913 . In March 1924 she was rebuilt with a new boiler built to the specifications of the 1923engines, probably at Dunkirk at the same time 2533-2710 were under construction . As a result of the new boiler engine, 2455 no longer matchedher sisters due to the lack of an outside throttle rod and the presence of an inspection manhole . Photographed at Elroy, Wisc . in October, 1952,from the collection of R . M . Jorgenson .

Engine 2498 a group 5 class J, shown here on the Galena Division between Elmhurst and West Chicago running extra with what appears to bedead freight. A C&NW photo, date unknown .


Engine 2493, a group 5 class J shown at the Proviso roundhouse . At the time of conversion to class J-A in 1939, this engine was equipped with along tender having a capacity of 11,000 gallons of water and 14 tons of coal . Locomotives to left of photo are class R-1 ten-wheelers which will beassigned to locals such as the Des Plaines switchrun and the Freeport wayfreight . Date unknown . C&NW Photograph from the collection of R . AJanz .

Engine 2576, a group 6, class J, shown here in terminal service, date and location unknown, evidently on the Pennsylvania Railroad in theChicago area as indicated by the presence of two PRR locomotives back to back . At the time of the photo she was still a hand fired engine .Several transfer assignments operated between Proviso and the PRR . Logically the engine has delivered its train to the PRR and is now about totake on a tank of water or possibly coal . Photographer unknown, from the collection of J . S. Kamacher .


sngmouuo4 agmmp~o~ooJ oxownhomah~oonvom~nmo!mmJ'xin1937noarLa~m ~von i OakPo~ U! w~i~"bmak i "uo04waommonn~0mupm~~n.~o amU~am, ~oooong~ouwaoinomaaodhy i ~of~ m d r~No~~ho~~~~no!~»oomko,oquipmon~undo,~hooab~mor~han~hoounmma~x»ndo,oo~pa~mon~~EnginooqvippodhorAvmmm~TminComm!omdhaoaaNpo

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Engine 2561, a group 6 class J, shown here as a class J-A at Proviso, III ., October 26, 1947 . Originally built with Young valve gear, she is nowequipped with a modern Baker type . Photo by A .W. Johnson, collection of W. P . Feret .

Engine 2561, a group 6 class J, shown at Ames, Iowa, November 26, 1947 . The original Young valve gear has been replaced by a modern Bakertype . Many class J engines were equipped for passenger service and were used during World War Two in this capacity . Here, 2561 handles a"System" baggage car in either a pick-up or set-out move on the Iowa Division . Photo by Ed Selinsky .

SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON CLASS J ENGINES


Blueprints UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES WILLIAM A. RAIACARL ULRICH Northern Illinois University 4828 W. Hutchinson Ave .1341 Redwood Lane DeKalb, IL . 60115 Chicago, IL. 60641Libertyville, IL . 60048

CHARLES FELSTEAD GLENN F. MONHARTPhotos 6136 S . Maplewood Avenue 5743 S. ThurlowOTTO C. PERRY COLLECTION Chicago, IL. 60629 Hinsdale, IL. 60521Western History Department1357 Broadway LEE HASTMAN ALCO HISTORICAL PHOTOSDenver, Colorado 80203 P.O. Box 97 P.O. Box 655Catalog $5.00 Morton Grove, IL . 60053 Schenectady, N.Y. 12301

Engine 2600, a group 7 class J, shown as a class J-A at Proviso, Illinois in October 1939 . Eventually the original Young valve gear will bereplaced by a modern Baker type . Photo by J . Buckley, from the collection of R . A . Janz .

Engine 2600, a group 7 class J, shortly after conversion to class J-A about 1938 . Her Young valve gear will eventually be replaced by a modernBaker type . While equipped with Young gear, she was a fine engine, strong and fast . With the Baker gear she operated poorly . Photographed onthe cinder pit at Baraboo, Wisc . by E . F . Mueller .

CORRECTIONSeveral readers have spotted the error in the caption under the photoof class J #2521 on page 16 of the January NWL . The stokerhousing is not visible in this view as stated . It is located on the leftside of the' engine as in the photo of #2539 on page 15 of the sameissue . The cylindrical housing forward of the brakeman's cupola isthe slope sheet coal pusher .


SUPPORT NORTH WESTERN LINESTHROUGH YOUR DONATIONS AND

MEMBERSHIP RECRUITMENT

In M of W Service

Former Passenger EquipmentThe list of former passenger equipment in maintenance of way

service which follows was compiled from information collected byGary Rumler, William Stauss and William Eley . Additional informa-tion to complete and update this list will be most welcome .

USE THE MEMBERS' EXCHANGETO ENHANCE YOUR

COLLECTION OR TO SELL YOURSURPLUS


M/W No . PASSENGER SERVICENUMBER or NAME

ORIGINAL USE

300907 CNW 6191 Coach300913 Tourist 4110 Sleeper300914 CNW 6028300915 Tourist 4150 Sleeper300916 CNW 4020 7

300919 CNW 4132 Smoker300929 CNW 6130 Coach300936 CNW 3125 Coach300937 CNW 325 9

300938 McClellan Sleeper, 12-1300943 CNW 6933 Diner300945 Joseph Lister Sleeper, 8-4-1300946 Ephraim McDowell Sleeper, 8-4-1300948 Rapid City Sleeper, 10-1-1300949 Sterling Sleeper, 12-1300954 CNW 6105 Coach300955 CNW 8117 70' Baggage-Mail300960 CNW 7307 Lounge300964 CNW 420 9

300966 CNW 9430 60' Mail300970 CNW 8664 60' Baggage300973 CNW 3056 Coach300974 Long Pine Sleeper, 12-1300975 CNW 7502 Tavern-Lounge-Bagg .300977 CMO 429 75' Combine300978 CNW 7501 Tavern-Lounge-Bagg .300979 CNW 7413 Combine300981 CNW 8108 70' Baggage-Mail300982 CNW 8754 70' Baggage300983 CNW 8129 70' Baggage-Mail300994 CMO 448 68' Combine300995 Humbird Sleeper, 14 sec .300996 Lake Geneva Sleeper, 10-1-2300997 Poplar Court Sleeper, 6-6300998 Shorewood Sleeper, 14 sec .300999 CNW 4103 Smoker301000 Villa Grove Sleeper, 10-3301002 Lake Bluff Sleeper, 10-1-2301003 Villa Hermosa Sleeper, 10-3301008 CNW 8609 60' Baggage301015 CNW 7600 Mail-Bagg .-Tavern301017 Lake Gardner Sleeper, 10-1-2301019 Lake Forest Sleeper, 10-1-2301020 CNW 8203 9

301021 CNW 7000 Cafe-Coach301025 Georgetown University Sleeper, 12-1301026 Fordham University Sleeper, 12-2301027 Clan Gordon Sleeper, 10-3301028 Poplar Bluff Sleeper, 6-6301029 CNW 8122 70' Baggage-Mail301034 CNW 813 Streamlined Coach301035 CNW 814 Streamlined Coach309968 CMO 900 Lounge Coach

M/W No . PASSENGER SERVICENUMBER or NAME

ORIGINAL USE

199091 CMO 2581199093 CMO 2583 9

199094 CMO 2584 9199096 CMO 757 Combine199097 CMO 2594 (759) Coach199102 CMO 2000 Motor trailer coach199104 CMO 544 Diner199106 Twin Cities Sleeper, 14 sec .199890 CMO 603 Coach250142 CNW 8900 Baggage260982 CNW 8201 82' Baggage-Mail300003 CNW 8638 60' Baggage300007 CNW 8426 9300008 CNW 8637 60' Baggage300012 CNW 8729 60' Baggage300013 CNW 8725 60' Baggage300014 CNW 8679 Baggage300708 CNW 8766 60' Baggage300719 CNW 8170 60' Baggage-Mail300721 CNW 8689 60' Baggage300722 CNW 8628 60' Baggage300725 CMO 262 60' Baggage300726 CNW 8603 60' Baggage300728 CNW 8699 60' Baggage300731 CNW 8611 60' Baggage300734 CNW 8177 9300736 CNW 8150 60' Baggage-Mail300737 Instruction Car300738 CMO 283 72' Baggage300741 CNW 8785 60' Baggage300743 CNW 8707 60' Baggage300747 CNW 8120 70' Baggage-Mail300748 CNW 8136 70' Baggage-Mail300749 CNW 8153 60' Baggage-Mail300750 CNW 8712 60' Baggage300756 CNW 8100 70' Baggage-Mail300761 M&StL 451 0300763 CNW 8109 70' Baggage-Mail300764 CNW 8721 60' Baggage300775 CNW 8726 60' Baggage300776 CNW 8735 60' Baggage300779 CNW 8734 60' Baggage300781 CNW 8681 60' Baggage300782 CNW 8711 60' Baggage300783 CNW 8697 60' Baggage300786 CNW 8656 60' Baggage300787 CNW 8718 60' Baggage300789 CNW 8690 60' Baggage300791 CNW 8737 60' Baggage300792 CNW 8601 60' Baggage300795 CNW 8900 Baggage300863 Pres. Garfield Sleeper300868 CNW 3081 Coach300882 CNW 9919 Gas electric300883 CNW 9918 Gas electric300902 City of Denver 70 9

Marshailtown One Day's TrafficBy Joseph HolmanPRESENTLY THERE ARE .ABOI'T 40 to 45 trains per day oper-

ating through or into Marshalltown . Yard jobs are also on duty at allhours .

Main line trains are powered mostly with six-axle SD's . Ex-CGWand ex-M&StL lines get all types of rebuilds, second-hands, F's, smallSD's occasionally, and any dead power being ferried to Oelwein shops,latter only on ex-CGW line .

On February 12 train number 252 pulled in with 147 cars, led by6899, 3282 and UP 2829 . Right behind them, arriving about 3:30 pmwas number 243 with 6903, 6866 and UP 2914 and 31 TTX's . After thata train that was either 252 or 250 left behind 6927, 2862, UP 2878 and3154; there were 88 cars . Maximum speed for non-TOFC trains is saidto be 40 mph on both tracks from Boone to Fremont, probably tempo-rary on account of cold weather .

The main line running east and west through Marshalltown is theClinton Subdivision of the Iowa Division, which runs from Clinton toBoone, a distance of 196 miles. Marshalltown is 145 miles west of Clin-ton on this line . This subdivision has always been C&NW track .

At Marshalltown this main line connects with the followingC&NW branch lines : the Des Moines Subdivision from Marshalltownsouth to Des Moines . This is also part of the 1 , )wa Division now, butwas formerly CGW track . Another part of the Iowa Division is the AI-bia Subdivision from Marshalltown south to Albia ; this was formerlyM&StL track . The former M&StL track north from Marshalltown toMason City is the Marshalltown Subdivision, part of the Central Divi-sion.

There are two highway bridges with sidewalks crossing the yardarea at Marshalltown; they provide a good vantage point for trainwatching .

a) 243 is often run in sections on Saturdays .b) 244 is often run in sections, usually referred to as 1st or 2nd 244 .c) 245 is occasionally run in sections .d) 250 was run frequently in sections during the summer of 1977 .e) Until the fall of 1977, 251/252 ran via Fremont, Neb . This was then changed to avoid congestion until the C&NW could expand its yard at

Fremont. These two trains are at present again running via the Fremont cutoff .


Train No . Time of Day atMarshalltown (approx .)

Consist Terminals of Run

a)b)

241 (1st class)242 (1st class)243 (1st class)244

6-7 p.m ., Fri .-Sat . onlyLate evening, daily6-7 a.m ., excpt. Mon .Late evening probably

TOFC-COFCTOFC-COFCTOFC-COFCMostly perishables

Wood St. (Chicago) - Fremont, Neb .Fremont, Neb . - Wood St. (Chicago)Wood St. (Chicago) - Fremont, Neb .Fremont, Neb . - Proviso

c) 245 (1st class)246

9-10 p.m., excpt . Sun .Midday

TOFC-COFCMostly perishables

Wood St. (Chicago) - Fremont, Neb .Fremont, Neb . - Proviso

247 Midday Autos, general, mty PFE's Proviso - Fremont, Neb .248 Midday to late afternoon TOFC-COFC, general Fremont, Neb . - Wood St. (Chicago)249 Late afternoon Autos, general, mty PFE's Proviso - Fremont, Neb .

d) 250 Varies considerably TOFC-COFC, general Fremont, Neb . - Wood St . (Chicago)e) 251 Very early a .m . Drag freight for UP Proviso - Council Bluffse) 252 Evening hours Drag freight from UP Council Bluffs - Proviso

255 Midday to late afternoon General, usually long Proviso - Council Bluffs258 Night or early a .m . General, usually long Council Bluffs - Wood St . (Chicago)260 Night or early a .m . General Council Bluffs - Proviso261 Irregular UP or PFE empties Proviso - Fremont, Neb .263 Very early a .m . Set outs, pick ups Proviso - Council Bluffs271 Midday to late afternoon Autos, gen ., mty PFE's Proviso - Fremont, Neb .Coal TrainsHopper Trains384

Anytime, usually 2 a dayAnytime, usually 2 a dayEarly afternnon

CoalMty coal hoppersGeneral

Couhcil Bluffs - Chicago or MilwaukeeChicago or Milwaukee - Council BluffsBoone, Ia . - St . Louis

391 Late afternoon General St . Louis - Boone, Ia .392 Late evening General Boone, Ia . - South Pekin, Ill .395 Early morning to midday General Madison, III . - Boone, Ia .141 Late afternoon Autos, general Proviso - Kansas City142 Very early a .m . General Kansas City - Proviso143 Not operating at present General Proviso - Kansas City144 Not operating at present General Kansas City - Proviso161 Night General Twin Cities - Kansas City162 Late afternoon General Marshalltown - East Minneapolis163 Late afternoon General East Minneapolis - Marshalltown164 Night General Kansas City - Twin CitiesLocal

166/165

Arrives late Mon/Wed/FriLeaves early Tue/Thu/SatMid afternoon

General

General

Oelwein, Ia . - MarshalltownMarshalltown - Oelwein, Ia .Des Moines - Ames - Marshalltown and back to Des

GeneralGeneralGeneralGeneralGeneral

Moines, forming a triangleCedar Lake, Ia . - MarshalltownMarshalltown - Cedar Lake, Ia .Cedar Lake, Ia . - MarshalltownMarshalltown - Cedar Lake, Ia .Marshalltown - Albia, Ia .Albia, Ia . -Marshalltown

701

Early morning702

Afternoon to early evening703

Mid afternoon704

NightLocal Leaves Marshalltown Mon/Wed/Fri

Arrives Marshalltown Tue/Thu/Fri

Zr-ZMrf)

A "Train Location Report" commonly known as a Line-Up is issued several times daily . It

b

outlines the number, direction, times and points of origin along with the number of the lead unit ifv

Chicago and North WesJer,n ,Transportation Company

`°a'^ s' -1. 1.11

TRAIN LOCATION REPORT (Line-Up)

1001

DateOCT 29 1977To _AWnIVN-'-AF -MARSHALLTOM

WESTBOUND

(Direction)(Specif})

SIGNATURES I I HIS LINK: UP VOID AT -12W F".

F NY

BAKER

S :doic is a hiii-iron iob .nth ~

630 AMnost,,t,mg,orgwtt~cghme,

I~mcRerciru .

Chicago and North Western~Transportation CompanyTRAIN LOCATION REPORT (Line-Up)

TO AT MARSHALLTOWSUM 9R___ (Direction)

SIGNATURES

WESTBOUND-

100'1--

Date OCT 30 1977

(Specify)

NO0WESTERN

Safetc ,s :. full-tune job withno starting or quitting time .

Time Received 630 AM

known of all trains operating during the period specified . It is for the information of all employeeswhose jobs would require knowledge of daily train movements .

TRAIN SHOULD LEAVE STATION APPROXIMATETIME TRAIN SHOULD LEAVE STATION

APPROXIMATETIME

1/243 ENG 6890 CLINTON 512 AM EXTRA 6877 253 MARSHALLTOWN 513 AM

EXTRA 6843 395 CLINTON 520 AM 2/243 ENG 6815 TAMA 640 AN

EXTRA 6871 255 CLI NTON 552 AM EXTRA 6919 255 CLINTON 455 AM

CL I NTON 701 AM EXTRA 6876 247 CLINTON 525 MI2/243 ENG 6916EXTRA 800 391 CLINTON 801 MI

EXTRA 8922 247 CLINTON 745 N4 EXTRA 6908 271 CLINTON 845 AMEXTRA ENG UNKN 253 CLI NTON 901 AM EXTRA ENG UNKN 249 CLINTON 1045 AM

EXTRA ENG UNKN 141 CLINTON 1115 AMEXTRA 6869 271 CLINTON 945 MI

EXTRA 6893 HOPPERWRECKER EXTRA 1652

CLINTONBETWEEN LOWDEN AND MECHANICSVILLE

1130 MI

(Direction)EASTBOUND

(Sprint(Direction)

EASTBOUND

(Specifv)

EXTRA 962 392 BEVERLY

333 AM EXTRA 924 242 TAMA

333 AMEXTRA 908 392 TAMA

520 AMEXTRA 6888 142 BEVERLY

556 AMBEVERLY

449 AMEXTRA 6820 1/244EXTRA 963 258

APRTAMA

629 AMMARSHALLTOWN

609 AMEXTRA 6864 MANIFESTEXTRA 6660 250 BOONE

547 AMEXTRA 6887 246 BOONE

555 AM EXTRA 6929 MANIFEST BOONE

715 AM

EXTRA 6809 258 BOONE

605 AM EXTRA 6059 252 BOONE

830 AMEXTRA ENO t1NKN COAL BOONE


611 AM EXTRA 6574 COAL BOONE


645 AM EXTRA ENG UNKN 314

BOONE

1030 AMEXTRA 6030 MANIFEST

BOONE

1035 AMEXTRA ENG UNKN 384 BOONE

901 AM EXTRA 6917 246

BOONE

1045 ANEXTRA 6867 248 BOONE

1001 = AM EXTRA 6836 248 BOONE

1130 AMEXTRA ENO UNKN 166 AMES JCT TO MARSHALLTOIWN

1030 AMEXTRA ENG UNKN 250WRECKER EXTRA 1652

BOONEBET;IEEN MECHANICSVILLE AND LOWDENTHEN OPE ; . ,TES TO CLINTON

1130 AM

EXTRA 17.47 JAY FRT BELLE PLAINE TU CLINTON

1005 AM

Society Notes continuedWisconsin corporation . Let us first look at the reason for North West-ern Lines, Inc ., being a Wisconsin corporation . At the time of in-corporation it was convenient because the editing, the printing, and themailing of the magazine were all done in Wisconsin, but now it is morepractical for the Society to be an Illinois corporation . The magazine isstill edited in Wisconsin, but it is made-up, printed, and mailed in Il-linois . Add to this the fact that an Illinois corporation would be in abetter position to negotiate with Northern Illinois University at De-Kalb and enter into any agreements with the Chicago & North West-ern Transportation Company when the time comes to receive archivalmaterial .

At the same time as the incorporation in Illinois the Board feltthat this would be the proper time to change the name of the Society tothe more explicit "Chicago & North Western Historical Society, Inc ."This name spells out exactly who and what the Society is, and elimi-nates the impression that the Society is in some way officially con-nected with the railway. The name of our publication will continue tobe North Western Lines.

THE BOARD WAS ADVISED by council that the means ofbringing about these changes was to set up a new corporation, namely,the Chicago & North Western Historical Society, Inc ., with basicallythe same officers and board . And then, with the approval of the mem-bership at the Annual Meeting, merge the two corporations . This newcorporation has since been created, and new bi-laws have been written .It was felt that a seven member Board of Directors was more flexible,and representative of the members at large, so two additional Boardmembers were elected .

They are Joe Follmar, Editor of North Western Lines and RobertJanz, Art Director of North Western Lines . This also gives the Editor a

Mailbag confined$1 .50 and an obvious decrease in paper quality . The latter is what I wasmost concerned about . I am in favor of an increase in the single copyprice for non-subscribers . I think it is a good idea, not only to make afew extra "needed" dollars, but this should encourage others to be-come members . I know at least a half dozen people who buy N W L offthe stand but wouldn't become members . Hopefully this will changetheir minds . The one thing that bugged me about this issue was thelight weight paper used . I realize that you changed printers and moneyis tight, and I am sure that this had a lot to do with it . This is only myopinion but when I buy a magazine one major thing is considered oth-er than article quality and cost . This is, will this item survive the triphome in the paper bag with all the other goodies I just bought? Sooneror later it's going to end up looking like the weekly TV Guide if it ismade too light . In fact that is how mine looked when I got it, via thegood old U .S . Mail . I can only hope that sometime in the future NWLwill go back to the heavy weight cover or else sending out members'copies in "Post Office proof" envelopes . Jeff Lemke

ALCO CENTURY C628'S-A question for Max Marmon: whywere the C628's usually if not always run as the second or third units?Answer: The C628's do not have train stop equipment, which is re-quired for trains operating into or from Chicago to Harvard and Ke-nosha . Max Marmon .

CLASS J-IT SURPRISED me that so relatively few C&N W J'swere converted to J-A . The Omaha had a much greater percentage ofconversions to J-A. When I was taking photos of Omaha power about1951 on, I didn't get a single photo of an Omaha J . I suppose that bythen any J that wasn't converted had been scrapped . The "MidwestRailroader" Omaha roster has notes on whicha engines became J-A's .

Note that C&NW 2397, the last of a series built October 1916 hasshop number 56283 . Omaha 412 follows consecutively with shop num-ber 56284 . After comparing photos of these two series of engines 1 can'tsee any difference between the Omaha and C&N W locos, as they camefrom the builder . Through the years of course differences appeareddue to the fact that the two railroads shopped their engines accordingto their own preferences .

All the Omaha J-A mikes I saw had the exhaust steam injector onthe fireman's side. It's probable that the railroad liked this device from


voice in decisions effecting the Society and its publication . There wasone other change in the officers of the new corporation . The offices ofvice-president and secretary will not be held by the same person .William Stauss will retain his position as Vice-president, and ThomasMackowiak, our current Membership Secretary, will also hold the of-fice of Secretary . The above listed changes bring the new corporationinto compliance with other similar organizations .

Here are some answers to questions you will probably be asking . Ithink they will help to explain our situation .

Q.- Why $10 dues ; why not $7 .50 like other groups?A-. Some of these groups are looking at the $10 area because of

rising costs, while others are already charging $10 . As for our Society,we cannot quite frankly make ends meet by charging $7 .50 per year .

Q-. Does the fact that we are incorporating in Illinois have anybearing on the proposed dues increase to $10 per year?

A-. No; the costs of incorporating have already been incurred .These costs were covered by donations collected from the Board Mem-bers .

Q-. Why change the name?A- . The new name is more explicit, as to our purpose .Q-. When the corporations merge, will there be any changes in the

resulting society?A- . Yes . There will be two additional Board Members, a new Sec-

retary, and new bi-laws to help the Board of Directors in governing thenew Society .

Q- . Will there be any changes in the magazine North WesternLines?

A-, No . The name will remain the same, and the magazine willcontinue to strive for improvements .

Walter P. Feret, president

the experience of having it on the E-3 pacifies which came equippedwith it .

It is interesting that while the C&NW was building the Class J lo-comotives in 1923, the Omaha got some USRA heavy mikes in 1919(Class J-2) and stayed with that design until its last batch of modifiedUSRA's, the J-3's built in 1926 .

One reason the Omaha may have converted so many of theirClass J's to J-A is that they didn't have the class H 4-8-4 engines as didthe North Western . The H class ran on the Omaha only as far west asAltoona, but couldn't go nearer to the Twin Cities . It regulary pow-ered trains 483, 479 and 490 between Adams and Altoona . From Al-toona to Minneapolis it wasn't uncommon for two mikes to powerthese hot-shots .

I remember my father firing the H class and I have some of histime books showing these engines on these runs . I'll never forget thenight he took me over to Altoona and we climbed into the cab of an H .It was too big for the turntable at Altoona and had to be turned on awye east of the roundhouse . My dad was a working railroader and notmuch of a railfan, but I remember him showing me around the H witha considerable amount of pride in his work . M. P . McMahon .

THE RICHES"TO•RAGS•AND•BACKSTORY OF A RAILROAD:

CHICAGO AND NORTH WESTERN .

This is how the 130-year-old Chicagoand North Western got back on theright track .

Successful for years serving thegreat midwest grain belt, C&NW feltthe pinch of the first highways, thenthe squeeze of the interstates,competing as mass movers .

The midwest rail problem is, quitesimply, overcapacity. At the turn ofthe century in Iowa, for example, youcouldn't get more than 7 miles from arailroad-in any direction ; a situationthat largely persists to this day . Thiswas roughly the distance a horse-drawnwagon could travel to a rail stationand return home during the daylighthours . Needless to say, times havechanged .

Since then, many routes have beenmade obsolete by highways .

This, along with duplication ofservice by other railroads, was a majorreason for the recent petitions forreorganization in the BankruptcyCourts of two large midwest railroads :The Rock Island and the MilwaukeeRoad .

But on the North Western, we'vegrown stronger with freight servicethat's more efficient, essential andprofitable . Because we decided in timeto move with the times . Boldly.

In 1972, C&NW became the firstand only employee-owned railroad .Since then, C&NW has made a profitevery year but'75 . (Remember thatrecession? The deepest since theGreat Depression .)

We bounced back strongly in 1976and we'll make an even better showingin 1977 .

Employee ownership and a newsense of involvement was greatlyresponsible . Along with an aggressivenew management approach that wasn'tafraid to streamline-to cut backobsolete trackage .

So C&NW again became an efficientsystem . By plowing our profits back,we improved useful track and addednew equipment : 450 new and rebuiltlocomotives and over 6000 newfreight cars .

In all, we've plowed $440,000,000of capital into our railroad during thepast 6 years to improve our roadbed,rolling stock and, of course, ourservice to shippers .

During this period, we were able tofinance $315,000,000 in debt andlong-term leases .

On top of that, we've paid off$200,000,000 of long-term debt andpaid our lease obligations .

We've innovated and diversified,with high-speed piggyback service,unit grain and coal trains .

Where from here? More improve-ments . More new equipment . New andrenovated track . Better services . Andwe're working hard toward buildinga new route to the vital western low-sulphur coal fields . Yes, Chicago andNorth Western is a railroad that's onthe right track . All aboard!

This advertisement, the first in many years for the Chicago & North Western appeared recently in numerous publications . See Michael Blazsak'sC&NW Happenings column on page 4 of this issue .

C&NW Happenings continuedTHE PROVISO DIESEL SHOP and spot RIP track are receiving

new $75,000 heating systems . The Proviso spot track will be the first onthe system to have heat, with infrared devices keeping employees re-latively warm .

C&NW sent its ballast undercutter-cleaner south to Plyas, NM towork on Phelps Dodge trackage at a copper smelter . The BUC andC&NW employees undercut ten miles of track and installed a "filtercloth" beneath the ballast to prevent dirt from rising into and foulingthe roadbed . The BUC is expected back in C&N W territory in March .

C&NW has ordered 25 60 foot-9 inch boxcars from InternationalCar Company of Kenton, Ohio . The $52,000 cars will carry auto partsand are to be delivered beginning in May 1978 .

ON DECEMBER 13 C&NW conveyed to the Regional Trans-portation Authority 264 of its 280 commuter coaches, all of its E units .and F units 406 through 414 and 416. C&NW is retaining the other Funits and cars . RTA paid $20,795,735 .39 for this equipment, which isbeing leased back to the North Western for a nominal sum . C&NWsays the cars and locomotives conveyed will be repainted in RTA col-ors "as they are shopped for heavy repair ." (Preceeding five items fromC&NW News).

Terry Timm

A most unusual boxcarBy Terry TimmONE OF THE NORTH Western's more unusual freight cars is

box car No. 68002 . This 50'6", 50-ton capacity car is equipped with two3-foot diameter roof hatches for top loading of aluminum chips . Thecar is in assigned service to American Motors, Kenosha, Wisconsin,and is shown here being loaded from an overhead aluminum chip stor-age hopper. The chips are a by-product of casting machining .

This car was modified for this service in July of 1973 at the NorthWestern's Clinton Shops and because of the roof hatches, retains thefull height ladders and metal roof running board . The hatches are sim-ilar to those used on some type of covered hoppers and are located,one on each side of the running board, about 4'6" in from the ends ofthe car.

Now assigned classification "XL", this car was built at MichiganCity, Indiana by Pullman Standard in September of 1941 as a class"BX" car and was one of series No . 68000 to No . 68048 (even num-bers) built for express service . They were equipped with passengertrucks, air signal lines, steam heat lines and painted Pullman Green .Car No. 68002 still retains a metal plate on each end which states : "2inch metallic steam connection" .

CORRECTIONA TYPOGRAPHICAL ERROR APPEARS in the Triangle Bar

Eight advertisement on the back cover of the January issue of NWL.The print of the E-4 Steamliner is mis-labeled as print #2 . It isactually print #3 . We apologize for any inconvenience this error mayhave caused .

ABANDONMENTS - C&NW FILED notices of intent to aban-dor, five line segments in late November 1977 . These are BinghamLake-Currie, Minn ., (38 .6 miles), Heron Lake-Lake Wilson, MN (36 .6miles), Beloit-Evansville, Wisc ., (23 .0 miles), Conover-Phelps, Wisc .(9 .2 miles) and Rockford-Winnebago, III . (6 .9 miles) . Applications forpermission to abandon these lines were filed with the ICC in late De-cember. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation has asked theICC to investigate the Conover-Phelps petition . Many shippers and re-ceivers of goods on the line have expressed concern that they will becut off from their suppliers and markets if the line is abandoned . Thismarks C&NW's third attempt to abandon this line ; the first two failed .

C&NW received ICC permission to abandon the 41 .3 miles of by-passed track between Tunnel City and LaCrosse, Wisc ., on December13 . Freights are using Milwaukee Road rails to travel between thosepoints . For the record, the status of the line is as follows : track fromMP 163 .2 near Tunnel City to MP 267 .8 near Medary Jet . has beenabandoned, except for MP 168 .0-169 .5 (Camp McCoy); MP 176.0-MP248.0 (Sparta), and MP 260.0-MP 261 .9 .

Final permission from the ICC for the abandonment of the Ban-croft-Ledyard, Iowa branch came on January 16 .

C&NW received ICC authorization on February 3 to operate overMilwaukee Road tracks at Fond du Lac and Oshkosh, Wisc ., in orderto serve the Milwaukee's customers there . The Milwaukee was unableto reach these two cities because its line was snowed under .

C&N W has the approval of an ICC administrative law judge in itsattempt to abandon the Hayward-Ashland Jet . and Washburn-Bayfield, Wisc ., lines . C&NW wants to drop the entire Hayward-Bayfield line, but the ALJ required the railroad to retain service fromAshland to Ashland Jet. to Washburn to accommodate log shippers .Meanwhile, Ashland County Board member James A . Melin has pro-posed that Ashland and Bayfield Counties back a nonprofit corpo-ration that he will organize in an effort to institute steam excursionpassenger service between Ashland and Bayfield . If the WisconsinDOT helps by acquiring the right-of-way, the nonprofit corporationwill need $750,000 to $1 million to upgrade the track and secure pas-senger equipment. Various planning commissions in northwest Wis-consin have expressed support for the proposal .

C&NW has an ALJ's approval of its bid to abandon the Rose-mere-Forest Jet . line west of Manitowoc, Wisc .

BACK ISSUESNORTH WESTERN LINES

Still available at $1.00 each-Jan . 76 Color cover of GP-18 #1776 .

The "Oelwein Geep ."Current C&NW roster .

Jan . 77 The standard waycar .50 and 70 ton gondolas .Current motive power assignments .

Available at $1.50 each-July '77 GP-15-1 feature .

A gallery of waycars .The Oshkosh Branch, part 2 .

Oct . 77J class 2-8-2 feature, part 1 .Heaveyweight sleepers, 10-2-1 .The Oshkosh Branch, part 3 .

Available at $3.00 each-Jan . '785000-A, C&NW's only DR6-2-1000 .

5000-A drawings.J class 2-8-2 feature, part 2 .Back issues are sent postpaidand may be ordered from :

Treasurer, NORTH WESTERN LINES, Inc .1812 Hood Avenue

Chicago, Illinois 60660Allow 3 weeks for delivery

Printed by the Merrill Printing Company, Hinsdale, Illinois 60521

NORTH WESTERN LINES · 2007. 10. 2. · locomotives, all types of rolling stock, brass and plastic....

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Transcript of NORTH WESTERN LINES · 2007. 10. 2. · locomotives, all types of rolling stock, brass and plastic....