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Kippy anr Mili, My dad was an engine dispatcher for the New York Central in Ashtabula for 35 years. Once told me "don't ever work for the railroad". But then he did get me a job as a fireman every summer while I was at Ohio State. A fireman on a diesel engine had nothing to do but it sure paid great. I never got to work on a steam engine, probably just as well.
I did , however, learn how to run a diesel engine. On christmas eve in 1960 I got a call to work on an engine in the Colinwood yards in Cleveland. Colinwood was the biggest yards between New York and Chicago in those days. I forund my engine about 11PM and waited about a hour till my engineer showed up. He was [censored] faced drunk and asked me " hey kid, do you know how to run her"? Of course I said yes. He promptly took the firemans seat and went to sleep. My crew showed up a while later ( I think they were drunk also).
Anyway, I switched cars in that giant yard for the next 6 hours. I was scared out of my mind the whole time.
The most interesting railroad experience was when we would take a 100+ cars of iron ore to Youngstown and return with a train of coal to be shipped to Canada.
My dad died a very bitter man because of the demise of the NYC.
The railroads were king when he was younger and he lived to see the NYC fade and then die.
Kippy, Mili is very right. The job a breakman was a very dangerious back then. Many were killed and most lost fingers or a hand.
Go Bucks
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