THERE IS A TOWN THAT HAS KEPT ALIVE ITS
HERITAGE OF THE STEEL RAILS.
ORIGINALLY, HOUSED IN JUST ONE
CAR, IT IS NOW GROWN TO WHERE IT
HAS ITS OWN FACILITY, AS WE
DISCOVERED AT THE GALESBURG
RAILROAD MUSEUM.
>>THERE IS SO MUCH HISTORY THAT FALLS BACK TO THE START OF
RAILROAD IN 1854 WHEN THE FIRST
TRAIN COME HERE, AND ALL THE
CONNECTIONS.
CONNECTIONS. IT ACTUALLY GOES SEVEN DIFFERENT
WAYS OUT OF HERE.
>> TODAY THE MUSEUM COMPRESSES
THAT HISTORY IN A FACILITY
LOCATED NEXT TO THE LOCAL AMTRAK
STATION.
STATION. INSIDE, DISPLACE ARE DIVIDED BY
CATEGORIES THAT TOUCH UPON EVERY
ASPECT OF RAILROADING.
FOR EXAMPLE, THERE ARE EXHIBITS
HIGHLIGHTING CONDUCTORS OF NOT
ONLY PASSENGER TRAINS, BUT ALSO
FREIGHT TRAINS.
FREIGHT TRAINS. >> WHERE WE ARE STANDING HERE IS
THE BROTHERHOOD, THE ORDER, THE
LADIES EXALL RY, AS WELL AS THE
UNION THAT REPRESENTS THE
WORKERS.
WORKERS. THE COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT,
WE HAVE OUR CENTRAL AND TRAFFIC
CONTROL BOARD, WE HAVE THE
TELEGRAPHY BOARD, AND SIGNAL
DEPARTMENT ALL REPRESENTED IN
HERE AS WELL.
IN THE EARLY DAYS OF
RAILROADING, IT WAS VERY
IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHERE THE
TRAINS WERE.
TRAINS WERE. EACH TOWN HAD AN AGENT THAT
LEARNED TELEGRAPHY.
LEARNED TELEGRAPHY. THE KEYS WERE HERE, UP AND DOWN
KEY FOR THE DOTS AND DASHES.
THEN THEY MOVED TO HYDRO PLEX.
IT WENT BACK AND FORTH.
IT WAS MUCH FASTER.
IN FACT, SOME WOULD EVEN LISTEN
AND BE TALKING ON THE PHONE AND
STILL WRITE THE MESSAGE DOWN.
>>GALESBURG WAS THE SECOND WORLD
LARGEST HUMP YARD.
THEY SORTED STUFF HERE IN
GALESBURG, TO THE EAST COAST AND
BEYOND.
BEYOND. >>IT WAS AT HUMP YARD THAT
INCOMING TRAINS ARE UNHOOKED AND
FREIGHT CARS THROUGH SERIES OF
SWITCHES ARE REASSEMBLED ON
VARIOUS TRACKS TO THEIR NEXT
DESTINATION.
DESTINATION. ALSO ON DISPLAY ARE EXAMPLES OF
SOME OF THE CHINA SETS THAT ONCE
GRACED THE TABLES ON THE CHICAGO
BURLINGTON AND QUINCY RAILROAD.
>> THEY HAD DISTINCTIVE PATTERNS
FOR CERTAIN TRAINS.
I THINK THERE WAS 16 DIFFERENT
PATTERNS ON THE CBQ ALONE.
IT WAS FINE CHINA, FINE
STERILING SILVER.
STERILING SILVER. BUT ITS LARGE OUTDOOR DISPLACE
AT FIRST DRAW THE MOST
ATTENTION.
ATTENTION. AMONG THE CARS AT THE MUSEUM IS
THIS CABOOSE WHICH FULFILLED
SEVERAL PURPOSES.
SEVERAL PURPOSES. IT WAS A ROLLING OFFICE FOR THE
CONDUCTOR.
CONDUCTOR. THERE IS AN ELEVATED PLATFORM TO
KEEP A WATCH ON THE TRAIN.
IT WAS A LIVING QUARTERS FOR THE
MEN WHEN THEY WERE AWAY FROM
HOME.
HOME. ACROSS FROM THE CABOOSE IS RPO,
OR RAILROAD POST OFFICE CAR.
AS THE TRAIN PASSED THROUGH A
STATION, THE MEN IN THE RPO
WOULD RAISE A HOOK TO CAPTURE
THE MAILBAG.
THE MAILBAG. THEN THEY WOULD BRING IT IN,
TAKE IT OFF, AND THEN GIVE IT TO
THE OTHER RPO EMPLOYEES, AND
THEY WOULD START SORTING.
AS YOU LOOK AT THESE, ROCK
ISLAND, DIFFERENT TOWNS, AND
THEY WOULD THROW THE MAIL IN
THERE.
THERE. AS FAR AS THE NEWSPAPERS, THEY
WOULD THROW THEM IN THE
CONTAINERS LIKE THAT, AND WHERE
THE NEXT TOWNS WERE GOING.
>>JUST FORWARD OF THE RPO CAR IS
THIS CB AND Q STEAM ENGINE.
>> CBQ HAD TEN OF THESE BUILT
BACK IN 1930.
IT WAS BUILT FOR PASSENGER
SERVICE.
SERVICE. AT THE TIME I HAVE BEEN TOLD IT
WAS DESIGNED TO RUN 80 MILES AN
HOUR.
HOUR. THE ENGINEER HAD HIS CONTROLS
HERE.
HERE. HE HAD BRAKES FOR THE CARS AND
THE TRAIN, ENGINE BRAKES WERE UP
HERE THAT HAD A RELEASE ON IT.
THIS IS THE DIRECTION YOUR
GEARSHIFT, FORWARD OR REVERSE,
AND THIS WAS YOUR THROTTLE.
THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST AUGUR
FED STOKERS TO FEED COAL THROUGH
THE BOILER.
THE BOILER. THE FIREMAN'S JOB WAS KEEP THE
FIRE GOING AND KEEP STEAM UP.
HE HAD AN ARRANGEMENT OF FIVE
STEAM JETS BY WHICH THE COAL
COULD BE DISPURSED EITHER ALL
THE WAY DOWN FORWARD, THE LEFT
SIDE OR RIGHT SIDE OR JUST
IMMEDIATELY FALL OVER.
>>WE ARE MORE THAN JUST A
MUSEUM.
MUSEUM. WE DO HAVE QUITE A BIT OF ONE
TIME, WHAT I CALL COLLECTIBLE
BOOKS THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR
PEOPLE THAT DO COME AND DO
RESEARCH BECAUSE THE CB AND Q IS
THE ONLY RAILROAD IN THE UNITED
STATES, EVEN TO THIS DAY, THAT
HAS STAYED IN THE BLACK IN THEIR
FINANCES.
FINANCES. >>I WANT PEOPLE, WHEN THEY COME
TO THE MUSEUM, IT IS OUR JOB TO
GIVE THEM THIS HISTORY.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE RAILROAD MUSEUM, GO TO WWW
WWW.GALESBURGRAILROAD MUSEUM.ORG
WWW.GALESBURGRAILROAD MUSEUM.ORG OR CALL (309)342-9400.