Diesel Engines Replace Steam Engines
The merger of the Chicago & Alton and Gulf, Mobile & Ohio (GM&O) railroads in 1946, and the switch from steam engines to diesel engines, dramatically reduced employment at Bloomington’s shops. Employment dwindled from 1,200 in 1946 to 476 by 1950. The shops closed by 1972.Featuring:Ralph D.W. Gapen, (1919 – 1991), C&A brakemanDomingo Carranza, (1931 – 2019), C&A section hand