Leland, Iowa
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Photo from Paul S. Green collection
From Paul S, Green
I was stationed at Leland for 3 months and Rippey for 8 months in 1955. Due to the railroad having already lost a large portion of the LCL (less carload) business, and there no longer being daytime passenger trains, I do remember that the work load for a small town depot agent was very light. We did have the chatter of 3 telegraph wires to keep us posted concerning what was going on with our particular line. At Rippey there were occasional train orders involving meet orders for freight trains because the Rock Island sent a freight each way over the M&StL between Gowrie and West Des Moines
My main regret about those days is that I did not anticipate how much value I would later place on memorabilia which I could easily have "requisitioned" from all those depots which would be abandoned and destroyed in such a few short years.
I had an article titled "A Louie Man Reminisces" published in the Spring 1997 issue of "Northwestern Lines" issued by the C&NW historical Society based on my 14 years of work on the RR.
Paul S. Green
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