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Tales of the rails

Train no. 96

Jim L. Rueber

On November 26, 1914 Chicago Great Western train No 96 rambled into Oelwein with 121 cars, 3,617 tons. Train was in charge of Conductor Wheaton, Engineer Snavley was handling engine No 609 and Engineer Colette on engine No 354. This was quite a train for freezing weather, the temperature being 32 degrees. After Ole Berg, yardmaster at Hayfield, had every car in sight put on the train, he called the dispatcher saying all ready to go, that he had everything in the yard except the station building on the train, and wanted to know if he should put that on. When Chas. McLaughlin, yardmaster at Oelwein, saw the train coming, he said, "How did all of those extras get bunched."