Leesburg IN - 1913-15 Looking North, first building North of depot is toilet, last building is MOW Section House. Maurice Lewman Collecton.
When I started in 1950 the depot, toilet and platform were still there just like in the photo . In the photo it was a train order station and in my day it was a manual block , train order station . After about 1963 it returned to a train order station and non - block operation . The old highway 15 was to the left of the depot and made a small S curve behind the train . Of course the railroad had to make the same S curve to stay east of the highway . The rail was probably 65 lb. but during my time was 105 lb. . When the rebuild started in the 70s 135 lb. welded rail was used . The elevator and lumber company was the industry at this location . There was a small 15 car siding until about 1965 . What made things go was a gravel pit at this location and as the interstate highway building progressed we had 40 cars of sand out of the pit 6 days a week . The loading tipple was in a hole making us use air when handling the cuts in and out of the pit . One day we were switching and it started to get dark . The brakemen got caught without their lanterns and I asked the condr. how I was supposed to see him . We had about 40 cars and there was not one light at the pit making depth perception non existent . The conductor said for me to watch for a signal in the super structure of the tipple . After some time I saw a, come ahead signal , with a cigarette lighter. You could get in the clear with 109E cars and locomotive , but you had to straddle the derail with the rear trucks and every track including the siding was full . LEW
