[RITSlist] Brass Switchkey railnews, V.14, #52, Sep 30, 07-6 (fwd)

Sun Oct 7 11:15:08 CDT 2007

Bravo Paul, for an excellent, and very knowledgable
response to an article of inaccuracies. It's much
easier for a reporter to make "idiots" of those who
can no longer defend themselves than to research the
true facts before writing a "sensational" article
instead.  Thanks,
 Dick Hutchins

--- Gerald Berwald <glb141072 at mchsi.com> wrote:

> Paul,
> 
> Sorry about all the inaccurate info in the posting;
> I was just 
> passing it on for what it was worth.  Not being a
> history or steam 
> buff, I had no idea there was so many mistakes in
> the 
> story.  Hopefully your comments will promote sales
> of Data Sheets 
> from the Company Store, as Jack has a whole box full
> to sell.
> 
> Jerry Berwald
> 
> At 12:32 AM 10/4/2007, Paul Schuch wrote:
> >Hello Jerry and RITSlist Members:
> >
> >I have a few comments in regards to Jim Johnson's
> posting that I 
> >have put in all CAPS in the body of his article.  I
> wrote three DATA 
> >SHEETS for The ROCK newsletter several years ago on
> the Rock 
> >Island's P-31 Pacifics in general and specifically
> the 886 (nee 887) 
> >after doing much research on the locomotives. 
> Copies are available 
> >from the RITS Company Store.
> >
> >Here are my comments.  They are not meant to offend
> anyone.  Feel 
> >free to pass them on to whoever in order to set the
> record straight.
> >
> >
> >>Remembering the RI's Peoria Rocket ~ Jim Johnson
> >>
> >>     Referring to the article re the leaking rail
> tank car at 
> >> Oskaloosa, guess I should have forwarded the
> article to you from 
> >> the Oskaloosa Daily Herald where I worked some
> while a student at 
> >> William Penn Univ. (it was College then).  This
> is, of course, 
> >> former M&StL trackage, and would have included
> the Oskaloosa Shops 
> >> where my grandfather toiled for three decades as
> an M&StL 
> >> machinist.  Had this occurred while I was at Penn
> from 1959 to 
> >> 1963, they probably wouldn't have even bothered
> to evacuate a 
> >> campus of 250 students (it has 10 times that
> today).
> >>     I HAVE forwarded you an article from the
> Peoria Journal Star 
> >> in regard to Rock Island #886, a Hudson . . .
> >
> >NO, IT WAS A 4-6-2 PACIFIC.
> >
> >. . .  with a storied past AFTER it was retired and
> donated to the city.
> >
> >NO, IT WAS DONATED IN 1956 TO THE PEORIA JUNIOR
> JCs, NOT THE CITY.
> >
> >The locomotive was placed below the hill in Glen
> Oak Park, where the 
> >only visitors it attracted were vandals.
> >
> >IT WAS MORE THE LACK OF MAINTENANCE THAN VANDALS
> THAT CAUSED THE 
> >DETERIORATION.  THE LOCOMOTIVE WAS OWNED BY THE
> PEORIA JUNIOR JC's 
> >AT THE TIME AND WAS LOCATED ON PARK DISTRICT
> PROPERTY.  MY BEST 
> >GUESS OF THE SITUATION IS THAT NO ONE HAD THE MONEY
> OR WANTED TO 
> >SPEND MONEY ON MAINTAINING IT.  IT WAS ALSO LOCATED
> IN A REMOTE, 
> >WOODED AND UNLIT PORTION OF THE PARK, WHICH
> CONTIRIBUTED TO ITS DETERIORATION.
> >
> >Eager to rid themselves of an aging derelict, the
> Peoria Parks Supt. 
> >asked the infamous James G. Pate, head of public
> relations for the 
> >Rock Island, if they could get a scrap dealer to
> cut it up.  The 
> >mostly idiotic Pate told them they had his blessing
> as long as they 
> >first painted over the Rock Island logo and
> identification.
> >
> >I KNOW NOTHING OF THIS STORY, AND WONDER ABOUT ITS
> ACCURACY.
> >
> >So, the parks director took the request to the
> Peoria Parks Board, 
> >among his members was the astute Louis B.
> Neumiller, CEO of 
> >Peoria-based Caterpillar Tractor Co., and who
> recognized the value 
> >of the railroad (any Cat executive, among whom
> included both my 
> >father and my future father-in-law, who dared take
> Ozark Airlines 
> >instead of The Peoria Rocket to Chicago could go
> find a job
> >>  at John Deere.  Thus, Cat employees on Cat
> business were frequent 
> >> riders of The Rocket (and HATED it when the
> conventional 
> >> streamlined Rocket was replaced by the
> Spanish-built Talgo "Jet 
> >> Rocket," which was like riding a rattlesnake). 
> Fortunately, when 
> >> the Jet Rocket, during a Board of Directors
> special, caused a cup 
> >> of coffee to be dumped in the lap of a CRI&P
> board member . . . ,
> >
> >I KNOW NOTHING OF THE ACCURACY OF THIS STORY.
> >
> >. . . the lurching import was relegated to suburban
> service and 
> >conventional equipment returned to The Peoria
> Rocket's two daily 
> >Peoria-Chicago round trips, much to the delight of
> my dad.
> >>     But getting back to Mr. Nuemiller, he was
> ALSO on the Rock 
> >> Island's board, and was in serious disagreement
> with Pate's OK of 
> >> the parks director's dumb request.  Both escaped
> with their jobs 
> >> and little else.
> >
> >IT WAS NOT THE PARK DISTRICT DECISION TO GET RID OF
> THE 
> >LOCOMOTIVE.  THE JUNIOR JC'S SOLD THE 886 (nee 887)
> FOR SCRAP.  THE 
> >PARK BOARD AND A GROUP OF CITIZENS GOT THE SCRAP
> DEALER TO CANCEL 
> >THE SALE AND THE ROCK ISLAND DID ANOTHER
> RESTORATION OF THE LOCOMOTIVE IN 1963.
> >
> >Meanwhile, the 886 was moved to Detwiler . . .
> >
> >THE CORRECT SPELLING IS "DETWEILLER".
> >
> >. . . Park, which borders Illinois 29 between
> Peoria and Chillicothe 
> >as well as the CRI&P right-of-way, where it stayed
> until some idiot 
> >allowed the private museum to buy it, move it, and
> force folks who 
> >used to view it for free to pay a fee to get in and
> see it.
> >
> >THIS IS TOTALLY INACCURATE.  THE ILLINOIS VALLEY
> RAILROAD CLUB 
> >MAINTIANED THE LOCOMOTIVE FOR MANY YEARS UNTIL THEY
> DISBANDED IN THE 
> >EARLY 1970s.  THE LOCOMOTIVE AGAIN FELL INTO
> DISREPAIR AND WAS 
> >VANDALIZED BY MANY AFTER A HOLE WAS CUT IN A
> PROTECTIVE FENCE AROUND IT.
> >
> >THE PEORIA PARK BOARD WORKED OUT AN AGREEMENT WITH
> THE WHEELS O' 
> >TIME MUSEUM TO MOVE THE LOCOMOTIVE TO THEIR MUSEUM
> SITE WHERE IT 
> >COULD BE MAINTAINED AND KEPT FROM VANDALS.  THE
> LOCOMOTIVE WAS MOVED 
> >TO THIS LOCATION IN 1985, AND HAS BEEN PROPERLY
> MAINTAINED SINCE 
> >THEN BY THE MUSEUM WITH THE HELP OF RITS MEMBER
> DICK WILHELM.
> >
> >THIS MOVE ACTUALLY HELPED TO PRESERVE THE
> LOCOMOTIVE.  I DON'T 
> >BELIEVE AN "IDIOT" HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE
> MOVING OF THE 
> >LOCOMOTIVE.  IN FACT, THE WHEELS O' TIME WOULD
> PROBABLY ARGUE THE 
> >EXACT OPPOSITE, AND I WOULD CONCUR, THAT THE MOVE
> HAS PRESERVED THE 
> >LOCOMOTIVE LONGER THAN AT ANY OF ITS PREVIOUS TWO
> LOCATIONS.
> >
> >Too bad Neumiller didn't live forever -- but I do
> not doubt that he 
> >rolled over in his grave!
> >
> >LOUIS B. NEUMILLER WOULD BE PROUD OF THE MUSEUM'S
> EFFORTS IN THE 
> >PRESERVATION OF THE LOCOMOTIVE.
> >
> 
=== message truncated ===>
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