Grandson
Takes Me Out
The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Grandson
Takes Me Out
by Dessa Rodeffer
Quill Editor/Publisher
27 June 2001
This time, my nine-year-old grandson, Drew Postle, took me out. Usually, I can take him shopping and he is ready to go in about thirty minutes, but this time, we went to one of his favorite places, the train depot to attend Galesburg's Railroad Days.
If I only had room for a picture story, you would understand just how busy we were. This is the 24th year of this event and the first time they have ever offered a train ride with dinner at the event.
We arrived early to get two of 170 seats that were being sold Saturday. We chose the dome car and the boxed chicken lunch and enjoyed the 2 1/2 hour 30mph ride to Yates City and back.
A railroad man entertained us on the way back with lite humor, stories, and song. One was "Bye bye youth, hello Geritol". His last song was a comparison of how throwing a switch and making a decision can effect everyone on the train, and it is the same way in life. He sang a song "Keep your hand on the Throttle," asking each to keep on track with Jesus.
A couple from Decatur were on one side who travel the states shooting pictures of trains. Their real jobs were hairdressers in Decatur. A couple of guys in front of us were from Naperville and train enthusiasts who came just for the Yates City ride.
One said he had been in Stronghurst and photographed many trains nearby the Stronghurst Depot. He said he was disappointed when they resided it and took the lettering off the Depot.
Drew was able to go through some stationary trains, sit in the Engineer's seat, visit a steam engine as the engineer told how his job use to be producing the steam while the other Engineer's job was to use it and run the train.
The steam had to be gray, he said, so he was always watching out the window to make sure it wasn't black or white. We were able to visit the mail car which was of special interest to me . A couple of the former postal workers who worked on the trains were there from Burlington, IA and Darrell Mack from Ottumwa, IA. Darrell said he had wanted to work on the train since he was 8 years old, like his dad.
In 1967-77 they began pulling postal workers off the trains and moving them to the post offices. His dad was pulled off the year he retired in 1968. Darrell said he was able to work 14 years on the train but had to continue 24 years in the post office before he retired. He really missed the excitement of the train.
He remembers going through Stronghurst and many other small towns and getting the newspapers to sort. It was a busy day each week and the smaller papers took more care, he said.
He had to stand with his legs partially apart to balance himself as he worked, a habit he kept even inside the post office. The final employees were pulled off July 1st 1977 from the New York to Washington DC route.
Drew was able to purchase a 1999 BNSF poster from Ron Hatch and have it signed, a favorite train of his.
We spent the late afternoon at Carl Sandburg College visiting floors of model trains, and many train momentums people were selling. Although it was enjoyable, I finally convinced Drew, that it was time to return home.
