THE MEMPHIS BUFF
VOLUME 39 ISSUE 11
NATIONAL RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
November 2012
CLG 508 - 1894 Central Station Offices -1955 Memphis and Its Environs Map - 1865 One Way Ticket to Jail - 1957 Jackson to Jackson Passenger Train - 1968
Memphis Chapter Officers President – Walter Lang
Vice President – Bruce Smedley Director – Bill Strong Secretary/Treasurer – Thomas Doherty Program Co-chairman – Carl Lancaster Program Co-chairman – Don Weis Yahoo Group Co-ordinater – Terry Redeker Newsletter Editor – Tom Parker
walterhlang@yahoo.com
williambstrong@bellsouth.net TRDoherty@aol.com DBWeis@aol.com tkredeker@hotmail.com tscottparker@gmail.co
CLG 508 Central Station Offices February 1955
Michael Jack sent me this picture of an an old truss rod caboose on display in Greenwood MS. I, like Michael assumed that it was an old Illinois Central Caboose. Seeking more information, I started “Googling” it on the internet. I discovered that it was in fact an old Columbus and Greenville caboose. When the Southern Railroad sold what became the CLG to a group of Mississippi businessmen, the new railroad inherited thirteen wooden cabooses, most of them built in 1894. One of these, CLG 508, originally Sou X1350 is the one on display in Greenwood.
A listing of offices in Memphis Central Station Feb. 1955 Room Office 301 Traveling Auditor 302 Trainmaster, Traveling Engineer Fulton Dist., Miss Divn 306 Conference Room 307 Pet Milk Company (Rental) 308 Forest Products Bureau 304 Employees Credit Union 301 U. S. Appeals Board (Rental) 401 Hospital Department – Infirmary 406 Special Agent 411 Communication Dept. 415 Telephone Exchange 407 G.O. Telegraph 501-2 Memphis Terminal Trainmaster 503-4-7-10-11 Joint Memphis Trml. and Memphis Div. Office 512 Chief Dispatcher & Dispatchers 514 Memphis Division Trainmaster 516 Memphis Terminal Transportation Inspector 601-6 Memphis Trml. and Div. Joint Division Engineers Office 607-8 Asst. Engineer MofW, Sgnl Sup., Supervisor Work Equip. 611-14 Claim Agents 615 System Bridge Inspectors 616 Frisco RR Claim Agents (Rental) 706 Memphis Terminal – Division Joint Asst. Div. Engineers 712 Motor Express Rentals Corp. (Rental) 714 Agricultural Agent Eighth Floor Traffic Department
Steve Albers and Terry Cox gather data for the installation of antennas on the roof of Central Station for an ATCS Monitor server. In addition to ATCS Monitor, the installation will include a scanner radio feed of all Memphis railroads on radioreference.com. Terry came forward and rescued the project by enlisting the aid of the local ham radio enthusiasts. Still needed for the project: Relocation/addition of a receptacle in the penthouse, installation of CAT5 cable from penthouse to Don Weiss' office on the eighth floor. (A hole has been located in the penthouse floor to attic, eliminating need to drill through 20 inches of concrete!). Volunteers/donations of material needed. Contact Tom Parker (tscottparker@gmail.com)
“Memphis and Its Environs” Map By Michael Jack This map is dated May 25, 1865 – fifteen days after the end of the Civil War. Drawn by the “Military Division of West Mississippi” it shows the depot locations of the four railroads serving Memphis. The Memphis and Little Rock Railroad depot shown at Hopefield was reached by ferry. The other three points of the compass were serviced by the Memphis and Ohio, Memphis and Charleston, and Mississippi and Tennessee Railroads.
One Way Ticket to Jail (1957) by Tom Parker
Back on September 14th I was listening to the NBC Nightly News when Brian Williams reported on a cold case mystery having been solved.
Seven year old Maria Ridulph disappeared December 3, 1957
“On a snowy winters night in 1957 in a small town west of Chicago a seven year old girl disappeared and was later found dead” he began . As he continued , the story began to sound strangely familiar.
Jack McCullough at age 18
Prime suspect seventeen year old Jack McCullough claimed he was in Chicago for a military medical exam at the time of her disappearance. His story fell apart last year after investigators re-interviewed a woman who dated him in 1957 and asked her to search through some personal items She found an unused train ticket from Rockford to Chicago purchased shortly before the Maria Ridulph went missing. It was that part of the story that made me sit up and take notice. Just ten days earlier on September 4th , I received an email from Larry Kott with the Illinois State Police; “I don't know if you remember me but you helped me about two years ago with some questions I had about an old train ticket from 1957 “ his email began.
Back of ticket showing issue date just five days prior to Maria's disappearance. "M5604654" is the Government Order number.
Through my association with the Illinois Central Historical Society, Kott had originally emailed me on September 11, 2010, for schedule information on train between Rockford and Chicago, IL in 1957. I sent him copys of what I had. On September 15th Kott sent copies of an Illinois Central train ticket for me to analyze.
Front of ticket furnished by Illinois State Police. "Govt. Order" stamp indicates that the ticket was purchased with a U.S. Government Travel Order. These government orders were typically used by the military.
Kott's September 4th email said he had a follow up question and asked for a number where I could be reached. Although I gave him my number, he never called. I suspect that the prosecution was getting all their ducks in a row and wanted to make sure they were able to contact me should the need arise. Possibly an “expert” witness?
Jackson MS to Jackson TN Passenger Train? (1968) By Tom Parker
Recently I was going through some donations to the Memphis Railroad and Trolley Museum. Among the papers was a sheaf of train orders. These can sometinmes be interesting so I set them hence change in the trains desigaside for review. nation. What kind of train is this? A pretty good sized one for a passenger train according to the Canton register ticket – two engines 4016 & 4006 and eleven cars.
The last order issued at Water Valley clears the train all the way to Frogmoor Yard at Jackson TN with a meet at Middleburg.
A train order issued at North Jackson MS addressed to Engines 4006 and 4039 reads “Engines 4006 and 4039 run as first and second 2 North Jackson to Canton.” Number 2 was the northbound City of New Orleans. This indicated that tere were two sections of the City of New Orleans. The orders were dated August 4, 1968, a Sunday. What would be going on to neccesitate two sections of the City? Not a holiday weekend, no Bowl games, At Grenada an order was issued No Kentucky Derby. for passenger extra 4016 to take The second oreder read “Engine the siding at Water Valley to meet 4006 run passenger extra Canton extra 8082. ( A previous train orto Water Valley”. Something even der changed the the engine numweirder here. First 2 is now a ber from 4006 to 4016. One pospassenger extra Canton to Water sibility, engine problems with Valley. The City of New Orleans 4006 caused the engines to be doesn't go through Water Valley, swapped.)
A little research has provided a possible explanation for this train. The Republican National Convention was held in Miami August 5th – 9th. This was probably the Mississippi Delegation going to the convention. At Jackson, TN, they would pick up the route of the City of Miami: IC to Birmingham, CofGa to Albany and SCL to Miami.
CABOOSE
IC 9380 – TC Railway Museum, Nashville, TN Michael Jack Photo
Meeting Schedule November 13, 2012 December 6, 2012 Germantown Public Library 7-9 pm. 1925 Exeter Road Germantown, TN 38138
Contact the Editor Tom Parker 3012 Wood Thrush Drive Memphis, TN 38134 tscottparker@gmail.com