Mystery Photograph

Mystery Photograph

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Can anyone identify the date, location and circumstance surrounding this photo? It sure looks like a parade complete with a locomotive float. The engine number is interesting – I remember a 5031A, but not a 5031B. Naturally, with what happens to memories as one gets older, I could be wrong on that. At any rate, the 5031A arrived in June, 1953, which might date the picture to around the same time. Part way up the float, it says: “Let’s Pull Together” and at the bottom it looks like: “C&NW Women’s Club.”

Mystery Solved!

Jerry Drager of Rapid City, SD found the answer – right under our noses on page 34 of the September/October 1953 issue of the North Western Newsliner. There, a picture of this float shows 5 women standing on it along with a replica of the 5031B. The caption for the Newsliner picture reads: “WOMENS CLUB FLOAT WINS TOP PRIZE.” The Newsliner, in case you’ve forgotten, was the title of the employee magazine published by the railway between 1945 and 1955.

The Boone, IA C&NW Women’s Club entered this float in the 1953 Boone County Fair where it was awarded the title “Overall Champion.” The float, which took three weeks to construct, included a replica of diesel engine 5031B. It was designed and built by Iowa Division Engineers L. Matson, W.I. Carroll, G.E. DuGan, L.E. Weston and D.L. Hamilton. The wives of these men and other members of the Womens Club made all the decorations.

When Jerry was assigned to Boone in April 1967, W.I. Carroll and L.E. Weston were still working on the West Iowa Division as engineers.

The Newsliner Picture

Photo submitted by Ray Weart

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Revised: 03/19/06