The Rock Island Lines Silvis Shop main bay was divided in half. East was called the ramp. This is where running repairs and FRA inspections were done. West was the back shop where heavy repairs and rebuilds were done. So this view is looking west. At the time I was an electrician helper and the electrician craft ran the 150 ton cranes in the shop. The regular crane operator had Sat/Sun off so I was the crane op. on weekends. I still had my normal electrician helper duties on the ground but when someone needed a lift they blew the whistle and up to the crows nest I went. If you look at the far end of the left track you can see GP7 4508. This was the first of GP7 rebuild program completed at Silvis. It also revealed the new image paint scheme which I hated....and still do.
I would like to thank fellow Railpictures,Net contributor Erik Rasmussen for all the help so that I can post my photos.
