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40

Nov. 28, 1940 to July 16, 1942

A lot of water has gone over the dam since I quit my journal back on Mov. 28, 1940 and I was just figuring roughly that had I spent roughly 15 minutes a day on it since that time I would have journal equivalent to about a month of 40 hour weeks working on nothing but journal and that would be a splendid and fascinating record even though brief day by day.  Now I propose to do that job in a half an evening rather than have nothing.

I can record briefly the development of my job as head of the Industrial Haulage Section from a $3,000,000 a year outfit at the start to a $15,000,000 a year business now under the impetus of the war effort and the demand for locomotives it has imposed.  My loss of Jake Brauns in January 1941 to the Army and his succession by Jack Hause as my understudy while I understudy Henry Guy.  The development of our standard locomotives - the GE733 [motion?] headaches - my troubles with Slapter - my friendship with Chuck Church and our development of our publicity program - our standardization work with the other builders - NEMA associations on the [mining?] locomotives - cost reduction efforts - job of meeting our 1941 budget - contacts with the district men on the new work - priority headaches as the demand increased for locomotives - development of the equipment business with the other builders - field work at the Dupont plant at Charlestown, Ind. & the famed trip to Louisville with Gouldthorpe when I couldn't get the shower turned off - the Mining Congress in the spring of 1941 - the visits to Whitcomb and Davenport-Besler - the management committee work with A.J. Woodward and Dick Miller - the expansion