NEWARK FARMERS 



GRAIN COMPANY 



OfieAaiei Oijun 



Nawarlc elevator's own locomotive moves 

 o COT up for loading. It's pretty conven- 



ient to have your own engine available 

 ior switching at any time of the day. 



William Thorsen, operator of the "one-man 



railroad" is probably one oi the busiest 



engineers on any roil line as he is the 



switchman, firemon, brakeman, etc 



With great pufis oi smoke and steam. No. 



4 moves out oi its exclusive "roundhouse" 



ready ior a day's work. 



IT ISN'T very often that you find a 

 grain elevator with postwar plans for 

 rebuilding railroad tracks and road- 

 bed. That's because there are few eleva- 

 tors like the Newark Farmers Grain Com- 

 pany of Kendall county owning and op- 

 erating a rail system complete with a 42- 

 ton locomotive. 



The Newark elevator has received na- 

 tionwide publicity on its "one-man" rail- 

 road, but it's no longer a novelty to the 

 farmers of the neighborhood. Old No. 

 4, as the stubby switch engine is known, 

 is a familiar sight as it runs over a two- 

 mile route through creek bottom lands 

 between Newark and Millington. 



At the century old village of Milling- 

 ton on the Fox river, cars of grain from 

 the Newark elevator are switched on to 

 the main line of the Burlington. On the 

 return trip to Newark, No. 4 brings back 

 cars of coal and lumber. 



The man in the cab of No. 4 is Bill 

 Thorsen who is engineer, fireman, freight 

 agent, brakeman, switchman, maintenance 

 and section crew, all in one. Manpower 

 shortages have yet to be a worry to this 

 railroad. 



Thorsen always has a "clear track" as 

 his is the only locomotive running on 

 this exclusive railroad, but operates at a 

 conservative speed — about 10 miles an 

 hour — because he doesn't want to take 

 a chance on a wreck. 



During the early spring thaws the 

 roadbed is inclined to be soft and oc- 

 casionally there has been an unavoidable 

 derailment. However, with the aid of 

 a hand jack, Thorsen has always man- 

 aged to get his iron horse back on the 

 rails. Between runs Thorsen travels over 

 the line in an old Model T Ford 

 equipped with handcar wheels and makes 

 any necessary repairs. 



After the war Thorsen may be able to 

 step up the speed of his locomotive be- 

 cause at the last annual meeting of the 

 Newark elevator in February the board 

 decided to set aside $5000 for rebuilding 

 the roadbed. Over the years the board 

 has found rail transportation to be a 

 highly satisfactory method of handling 

 grain and it plans to keep the line in 

 operation. 



While the railroad has brought con- 

 siderable attention to the Newark elevator 

 outside of the immediate territory, the 

 grain producers of the area know the co- 

 operative for the service it has given them 

 for more than a score of years. 



At the close of 1943 the Newark eleva- 

 tor had a net profit of $25,000. Of this 

 amount, $15,000 was returned to farmers 

 in the form of patronage dividends and 

 the remainder was set up in reserves to 

 further strengthen the cooperative's fi- 

 nancial position. Capital stock of the 

 elevator now amounts to $27,300. Dur- 

 ing 1943 the elevator paid back $36,300 



in patrc 

 which wa 

 This cove 

 inclusive.! 

 strictly cl 

 has lon£ 

 Grain Cc 

 There 

 from a fel 

 age dividJ 

 to know 

 checks, 

 explained! 

 enthusiastf 



When 

 dends wel 

 stock cre<| 

 a share 

 were a litl 

 stock. Tl 

 liable in 

 Their rell 

 received t 

 the form 

 capital stc 

 These 

 not at all 

 ship, but 

 story of c 

 to be tol( 

 It also 

 cooperativ 

 doesn't b 

 groups of 

 want to 

 tively. If 

 who have 

 have to s 

 In many 

 hard selli 

 neers oft( 

 own pock 

 is sold to 

 the early 

 The ^ 

 1916, sh 

 railroad 

 Newark 

 stock wa 

 during t! 

 , the railrc 



In 19: 



lease on 

 so ago t 

 of the t 

 It is und 

 tems ow 

 horses, t 

 learned 

 of railri 

 locomot 



A Ion/ 

 bought 

 for $901 

 was sole 



Toda 

 look bai 

 ful they 

 ume of 



16. 



L A. A. RECORD 



MAY. 



