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- Cars were grouped for final destination.
- Cars were inspected for safety, cars needing repair
were repaired.
- Cars needing icing were serviced.
- Stock needing rest and water in route were serviced.
- Destinations were verified and changed if necessary.
- All crews were changed here.
- The Galesburg, Ottumwa, Aurora, and Beardstown
Divisions terminated here.
- Until 1942, many railroad cars were built in
Galesburg. The wheel shop remained until 1983.
- One of the larger tie processing plants owned by a
railroad was located here. Now operated by Koppers.
- Lake Rice, Lake Bracken and Lake Storey were railroad
lakes. Built and owned for water source for their steam
engines. Lake Storey was given to the City of Galesburg
by the Santa Fe RR. Lake Rice and Bracken were sold -
monies to Knox College and other sources.
- The Roundhouse, the diesel pit and the shop area
serviced first steam engines and later diesel units.
Daily servicing, monthly and yearly inspections that were
required.
- At one time Galesburg yard was the largest railroad
yard of its type in the world, operated by a single
railroad. The yard contained an eastbound and westbound
classification yards with a total of 84 tracks. Trains
arriving at Galesburg had cars of mixed destinations.
Trains leaving Galesburg had cars completely grouped for
towns the Burlington served. Total miles of track in this
facility was 212 miles.
From 1931 to 1984 ( approximately 53 years ) 53,000,000
cars were classified in this yard. This would make a train
of 500,000 miles long. At 50 mph, it would take 418 days to
pass a given point.
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