Nostalgia & History > A CB&Q Rock and Stone Crushers, circa 1900

I guess you made ballast as you built track. Certainly interesting steam-powered contraptions. These photographs and captions are from the Wisconsin Historical Society's Online Collection.

1. The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad crew with the rock crusher. The train car is labeled '204430' and 'Burlington Route'. A steep hill rises behind them.
Image ID: 94298
Creation Date: 1900 ca.
Creator Name: Feiker, Frank
City: Cassville, Wisconsin

2. The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad stone crusher. There is a large group of workmen posing along the work site.
Image ID: 93529
Creation Date: 1900 ca.
Creator Name: Feiker, Frank
City: Cassville, Wisconsin


Enjoy,
Marty Bernard



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/14 16:18 by MartyBernard.

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Throw it down fix it later.

The Q followed the Mississippi River Bluffs. Alternating layers of Sandstone and Dolomite (a metamorphosed limestone). Neither of which makes good ballast.

They must have been on the cheap.

-John



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/25/14 16:56 by LarryDoyle.

If I were doing an ID on photo #1 I would have called it a Steam Shovel.
Roger B

LarryDoyle Wrote:
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> Throw it down fix it later.
>
> The Q followed the Mississippi River Bluffs.
> Alternating layers of Sandstone and Dolomite (a
> metamorphosed limestone). Neither of which makes
> good ballast.
>
> They must have been on the cheap.
>
> -John

Yes, they were cheap. Given the name: "Cheapest, Best and
Quickest" for a reason. Into the 1960s, the "Q" used stone
from a quarry near Wyalusing, WI north and west of Cassville.
The stone was light tan in color, and is shown on many of
the color postcards of the 'Zephyrs' in the late 40s and
early 50s. You are correct, the ballast retained water, and
broke down easily. When BN became a reality, granite and
quartzite ballast became the preferred stone. Thanks for
bringing back some good memories.

Yes, first pic. is of a steam shovel, not a crusher which is in the second pic. upkpfan

But it is a steam shovel with no track to call its own, except the two lengths or so under it and the tender. So it is probably scraping up blasted rock from that slope on the left and dumping it in ore cars of some sort as might come by on the track on the right. That probably makes it a part of the ballast crushing operation. But admittedly, mis-titled.