Bob Read
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 It was Franklin's good fortune that the  the Chicago Burlington and Quincy rail road   ran right through town.  Even more so because it was decided to make Franklin a watering station for the steam locomotives.  That required the construction of a reservoir to store water.  Franklin citizens dug the "Franklin Lake" at the turn of the century in return for membership in the "Franklin Outing Club" whose members were permitted to use the lake and surrounding woods for recreation.  A membership in the club could also be purchased.  It was an unusual plus for a small prairie town to have a picnic, fishing and swimming spa.  Boys my age learned from earlier generations that one could sneak in the southwest end of the lake for fishing or swimming though we were not club members.Certainly the presence of the reservoir contributed to better living for Franklin boys. But in the 1930s there came an unexpected contribution.  The original purpose of the reservoir was to supply water for steam locomotives.  Thus the water was piped to a water tower by the railroad and near the cemetery.  Franklin became a routine stop for the many passing trains.  We lived no more than a hundred yards from the track, so we were always aware that trains slowing past our house were destined to stop for water. I don't recall who was first to discover it, but Jim and I quickly learned that we should grab a bushel basket and our red wagon and race to the water tower when a train was stopping for water.  When we arrived beside the huffing engine, we would be joined by a troop of similarly equipped boys.  As we drew up to the engine's coal car, we whistled and yelled until we had the attention of the fireman and the engineer.  Those kind gentlemen would almost always throw off enough coal to fill our baskets. In the mid 1930s several needy homes were heated with free coal from the CB&Q. 

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