Did the MONON use pushers out of shops S B ?

[Gene Remaly]

When the rear end cleared the speed limit on 5th street, the head end was thru the jct. and into the up grade preventing a head start.
Let me try to answer my own question--They had more power than needed to get going, but was needed before they got to McDole.

[Robert Wheeler]

All
I do not recall seeing a tonnage rating for pushers southward from Shops.

From the beginning of tonnage ratings (CIL TT#29-11/02/13) there were tonnage ratings for pushers northward from Shops to Monon until MON TT#16. Monon TT#17 (04/30/67) had only ratings Shops to Monon and Monon to South Hammond or Michigan City with no pushers mentioned anywhere on the timetable.

There were ratings southward Shops to Wallace Junction and Wallace Junction to McDoel but no southward pushers here. Elswhere on the system there were pusher and doubling tonnage ratings given at various locations.

[Rick Dreistadt]

I have never heard of a southbound being pushed out of Shops. I have seen yard engines heading to the Ralston Purina plant hang up on 5th st. and have to double to Laft. Jct. or have a 2nd yard job(if one was on duty) shove them to the Jct. At night, especially, southbounds were moving considerably over the speed limit when their caboose cleared 5th st.  We had one engineer whom we dispatchers used to say made the speediest portion if his trip down 5th. St. No, it wasn't any engineer you guys would be familiar with. LOL!
Rick

[Ron Marquardt]

I agree with Rick.  I never heard of pusher service S/B between Lafayette and McDoel.  The main grades S/B were coming up out of the Wea and past Taylors, a moderate grade south out of Linden up Vinegar Hill (where the overhead bridge is), from Sugar Creek through Crawfordsville past Ames, from the north switch at Greencastle halfway to Limedale, the grade between Putnamville and Cloverdale, and the grade generally all the way from White river to Hunters, but heaviest between Ellettsville and Hunters.  / Ron