A visit to Lafayette June 1993

[Eric Reinert]

I found these color prints in the basement a couple weeks ago and finally got around to scanning them. Not the best resolution but thought WTH. With my wife 8-1/2 months pregnant with our first child in early June in 1993, on the spur of the moment, I was invited to go along with George Rausch and his son, my Uncle by marriage, Paul Rausch, to tour what was left of Shops and the car shop. While we were there I met a couple of guys in the yard office, sorry I can't recall any names now... Rick ? maybe?. Georges' dad, George Sr. worked out of South Hammond way back and George, an Erie man who went over to the Monon when EL started cutting guys in Hammond in 1969. He transferred to Lafayette in 1981 or so when Hammond went dormant, retiring in about 1985.
The wife would give birth on June 24th to a 10lb. 1-1/2 oz. Daughter. I would still be hearing about how my love of "all things Monon" kept me from seeing the birth of my first child if things had gone differently!
I will post a few at a time so the files don't get too large.

Eric Reinert

[Eric Reinert]

A few more

[Eric Reinert]

And yet more.

[Eric Reinert]

Here's the last of them.

[George Lortz]

Thanks for posting the photos, Eric.  I have a bunch of post-Monon photos taken at Shops.  I need to scan them.  BTW, the Monon Society owns the safety sign that came from the locomotive shops building.  It needs a home and some TLC.

George L.

[Mark Johnson]

I was in Lafayette visiting family right after [not allowed]mas, and the old coaling tower is still standing! I'm beginning to think they will need floodlights to tear it down, 5 billion years from now, when the sun runs out of fuel and goes dark.

Mark J
Columbia, MO

[Gene Remaly]

Shops safety sign :

Lots of people have seen the front. There is a message on the back side.  What is it ?

Hint--- is is just four words

[Mark Johnson]

Heck, Gene, the FRONT side only has five or six words on it!

Mark J
Columbia, MO

[Mike Albert]

"This side to wall"

[Gene Remaly]

Mark is closer than the funny man from the North end, Mike

The answer will be posted in a week or so.

I was there almost every day during demolition.  Mr. Benhem had set a day for the removal. When I arrived, the sign was on the ground with five or six guys standing on it to keep out of the mud.
I hauled it to a storage barn within 100 feet of the MONON main where it was for 10-15 years.
The trailer would haul 1000 lbs and the sign was all it wanted.

[Eric Reinert]

Is it something like: "Wear your safety glasses"?

[Gene Remaly]

  Have a clean
  safe shop

  There was a piece of 1/4 steel plate on the wall of the welding area. Some of the machinists wrote their names with the arc welder. Garth Norris located his name and the crew cut it out for him.

I do have VHS video of the demolition. If I could find some one to edit it and transfer it to DVD, I would donate it to stores.