Robert E. Jacobs was hired in September 11, 1944 as a station helper at the Chicago Burlington & Quincy depot in Liberty, Missouri. At the age of seventeen he was eager to learn about the duties of the depot and with the returning of the soldiers from the war, this would be an excellent time to secure a job that could become a career. With the help of the station agent, James E. Deems and the other operators, Gene was given the proper instructions on the execution of the duties as an operator, leverman and express agent of the Chicago Burlington & Quincy railroad. After four months he took his operators test in Brookfield, Missouri, passing the test he was hired on June 08, 1945. He went out on the road relieving other agents at several locations including, Brookfield, Browning, Callao, Cameron, Cameron Junction, Carrollton, Chillicothe, Hamilton, Hunnewell, Kearney, Liberty, Lathrop, Macon, Monroe City and Shelbina. One year later he passed his levermans test at Birmingham. Being a leverman includes the responsibility of switching trains from one track to another and the proper reading of the semaphores or signals from the tower, which was required at Birmingham and Block 222. During the time he spent at the Liberty depot in 1945, there was a particular young lady, Ruth Engel who would pick up the mail for the American Red Cross at the depot. She was the Executive Secretary for C. Ray Franklin, who was the Chairman of the Clay County Chapter, which had their office at the Clay County Court house on the square. They struck up a friendship, which turned into a relationship and they were married one year later on November 30, 1946 in Liberty, Clay County, Missouri.
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