Diesel Engines Replace Steam Engines

Ralph D.W. Gapen’s (1919-1991) first job was a mechanic for Bloomington’s Barker Motor Company, but WWII military service interrupted his employment. When he returned Ralph became a brakeman for the C&A RR. The lowest ranked member of the train’s crew, Ralph’s work involved assisting the conductor, inspecting the train, and pulling switches that allowed trains to move from one track to another.

Brakemen like Ralph connected or “coupled” railcars together. This included connecting brake hoses. Avoiding slips or falls was imperative, as they could result in serious injuries, especially when cars were being connected.

As a brakeman, Ralph also checked the wheel bearing boxes on each railcar.

Ralph continued as a brakeman until around 1950, when he became a passenger train conductor for the GM&O Railroad. In this new position Ralph acted as the manager of the train. He dealt with paperwork and was expected to know the destination of his passengers and any mail or other items loaded onto his train. He also oversaw porters, who handled passengers’ luggage. At departure time he surveyed the boarding area, shouted "All aboard," stepped onto the train, and then signaled the engineer that the train was ready to go. He then walked the train, punched the passengers’ tickets, and made sure his counts were accurate.

Passenger train ridership began to decline after WWII as more people chose to travel by automobile on their own time, rather than by train schedules.

In 1970 Congress passed the Rail Passenger Service Act, which created Amtrak — a private company that managed a nationwide rail system dedicated to passenger service. When Amtrak service began, most other railroads eliminated passenger service.

Ralph transferred to Amtrak and worked for the company as a conductor until his retirement in 1980.

Until 1965 Domingo Carranza (1931-2019) crossed the Mexican border frequently as a campesino (farm worker) under the Bracero program (1942-1964), which allowed Mexican workers legal access into the U.S. (He did not know that he was already a U.S. citizen.) But that year Domingo stopped picking cotton, tomatoes, and other crops and began work as a section hand for the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railroad (TP&W RR). He worked that summer “pulling spikes,” as the railroad laid down new rails westward from Forrest to East Peoria.

Domingo returned the next year as a permanent section hand and worked with a crew of four others to maintain the track from Forrest to East Peoria. Working year-round, they cleared frozen switches and tracks in the winter, and in warmer weather replaced and maintained ties and rails. One winter severe weather closed the roads, but Domingo still got to work — a freight train stopped on the track two houses down from his home, picked him up, and took him to work.

The eight-hour day and steady pay allowed him to move his family from Mexico and to settle in Chenoa.

Fortunately Domingo was a member of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees. He was financially compensated for his injury and was able to retire.

When the Chicago & Alton Railroad shops opened in 1854 it was the beginning of an era of growth and prosperity in McLean County.

Ninety-two years later, in 1946, the GM&O Railroad took over the shops and railyard. By then new technologies had already started to reduce the impact of the shops on the community and its work force.

When the shops closed in 1972 it signaled the end of an era.