Cookie told me the same story about burning the ties to bring down the stack. I remember the big fire very well. I also remember the demo of the buildings. It all started when they cut the lock and opened the gate that was halfway between Stillwell and Hall streets. I and some friends were there watching and one of the bosses told us we should throw rocks at the windows in the old car shop.(the only time we did) After the tranfer table pit was filled in, that gate became the main entrance to the yard office. Before that, you drove in the main gate at 18th and Monon Ave. You drove past the office bldg., through the gate, across 2 tracks and then down the narrow road to the yard office. Some of you may remember how narrow the road was. I walked through all of those buildings with my Dad before they tore them down. Living so close, we passed the shops every day and when we heard the transfer table moving, we would ride our bikes over to watch the big red tractor move cars around the shops. In the days before video games, we were always outside and living next to the shops was about as cool as it gets.
Mark
