Andrew R Stewart 

Skip- Thanks for the contact info. I've sent Lee an email about passing along my quarry to Al.

Doug- I think the young builder you speak of was Scott or his partner/buddy whose name escapes me. They worked at CN a couple of years before I got there. There was a big falling out, I only heard Eddy's side of the story and it wasn't a pleasant one. The split was so bad that when Eddy had his head injury (heavy box of ski stuff fell on his head) Scott and buddy came forward and told the Worker's Comp investigator that Eddy had been mugged thus no valid WC claim. It took over a year for WC to decide Eddy had been injured at work and release a payment. Eddy wasn't about to ever forget that Scott tried to scuttle the claim. I saw only one frame Scott and buddy had made after their leaving CN and that was because it had cracked at the seat stays contact with the seat tube (it was a Helenic style). Eddy was happy to point out the poor brazing and over heated joint to whoever was willing to listen. I stayed out of this situation as even being young I recognized a no win for me if I piped up no matter what I might have said.

RRB was about 12+ miles North of CN (and my apartment), along the shoreline. It sure had some fancy homes, golf courses and High end Euro car dealers. At one time the town (Wilmette or Winnetka?) had the highest per household income in the nation, or so I was told. Part of my surprise about the messy and disorganized frame shop basement was the contrast with the clean and over the top glitzy rest of the town.

When I first moved to Chicago it was late Jan early Feb and of course I brought a rideable bike (besides the bare frame that was my resume for the CN job) and looked forward to riding there. Very early on I found the riding to be flat and dull (late winter in Chicago has a lot of shades of grays with little else to look at) so when I hired on at CN I soon asked where they ride to get hills, and hopefully some green and browns. They told me of "the Ravines", said in somewhat hollowed tones. These were north on Sheridan, along the lake shore. On my next day off away I went North looking for these hills. I wasn't able to find them and again asked about where they were. The hollowed tones repeated the earlier location. Again I rode North and didn't find what I would have called "hollow toned hills". What I did find was about a 50' drop down to a creek that emptied into the lake, and the back up those 50'. In Chicago this was the big hill for many miles. My plans to woo my girlfriend away from Chicago began. Andy