THE HUMAN SIDE OF A LEGENDARY EXECUTIVE W. Graham Claytor BY RON ZIEL/PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR


W. GRAHAM CLAYTOR, JR., was a promi- nent Washington, D.C., attorney when I first met him in September 1966. Serving as Vice President Law for the Southern Railway, he had been the dri- ving force behind returning Southern 4501 to active service. Claytor had a number of lifetime accomplishments including firing Norfolk & Western lo- comotives during his law school days during the Depression; skipper of a de- stroyer during World War II when just in his early thirties; partner in one of the capital’s prominent law firms and now at the beginning of a fast-rising ca- reer in railroad management. Claytor would which eventually be named pres- ident of the Southern and finally, Chairman of Amtrak, interrupted only by a tour as Secretary of the Navy and Deputy Secretary of Defense. All of this impressive resume would


seem to convey the image of a brilliant, but detached upper-class business man who would scorn the common man, spending most of his time flying in cor- porate jets to meetings with boards of directors, governors and other digni- taries. Far from the aloof, oft arrogant management image, Claytor seemed to genuinely enjoy mingling with his em- ployees and the railway enthusiasts who rode his steam trains. I got to know Claytor well over the next 25 years since I was commissioned by him to produce the official souvenir book Southern Steam Specials in 1970. One of the earliest duties of the gold-


trimmed green Mikado was to pull an excursion train down the Keysville Branch in northern Virginia on Labor Day weekend in 1966. On that trip the 4501 was coaled by hand at Burkeville. After seeing an 8×10 print of the scene, Claytor ordered an 11×14 from me and later explained why. The Southern had just opened a new multi-million-dollar coal-loading facility and, after explain- ing the intricacies of the modern tech- nology, he showed my “bucket brigade” picture, which cracked everybody up; a


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classic example of Graham’s dry sense of humor. Like his younger brother, the late


Robert Claytor (who eventually became chairman of the merged Norfolk South- ern Railway), Graham was a qualified steam locomotive engineer. Dressed in a white shirt and bow tie he would of- ten take the throttle of his excursion engines. At the end of the run, the en- gine crew would emerge covered with soot and grease, while Claytor descend- ed from the cab with his white shirt spotless and his hair unruffled. Noting his appearance, I remarked to an offi- cial that it seemed unbelievable that the engine (in this instance, Savannah & Atlanta No. 750), had not gotten Claytor dirty. “It wouldn’t dare!” was the sardonic reply. On that same trip (the July 5, 1969, Georgia Peach Spe- cial) one of the passengers standing next to Claytor during a photo runby asked, “Hey buddy, do you know where we are?” “Damned if I know,” he an- swered, then turning to me, “I’ve got eight thousand miles of railroad, I don’t know it all.” Anybody involved with Southern


Steam Specials knew James A. Bist- line, SR’s best-known legal mind, who was also the official in charge of steam operations and a close confidant of President Claytor. Along with their dedicated employees, they built the SR steam program into the most impres- sive in North America. While Bistline and Vice President Public Relations, William F. Geeslin were the officials whom Mike Eagleson and I worked with to complete Southern Steam Spe- cials, Claytor made his presence known throughout the project. We happened to arrive at Southern’s Washington, D.C., headquarters just as Claytor came in for the day’s work. Greeting his secretary, Claytor asked, “Anything wrong this morning?” “Good morning sir,” was the reply, “Nothing on the ground today.” Turning to us, Claytor grinned, “That’s what a rail-


road president likes to hear, boys. Eight thousand miles of track and nothing on the ground.” Delighted to see Claytor in such a good mood, I thought the book review would see easy going. With Bistline, Geeslin and sev- eral other officials seated in Claytor’s office with us, the president spoke into the intercom, “Don’t disturb me until I tell you.” With the manuscript in my lap, Claytor turned to me and said, “Ron, read me the book.’’ Thus started a two-and-a-half hour session of presi- dential editing. Since only one of Southern’s magnif-


icent Ps-4 Pacifics survived and it was irretrievably walled into the Smithson- ian’s transportation building, Claytor was looking for a similar engine that could be restored to appear as a Ps-4. We had written that the last Ps-4, No. 1401, could not be returned, therefore a Ps-4 would never again run on South- ern rails. “Change that to read that the 1401 will never run again,” Claytor ad- monished. I replied that since it was the only survivor, what was the differ- ence? “I am looking for a USRA heavy Pacific and when I find one, I will make it into a Ps-4!” I should have known bet- ter than to reply, “Even so, it won’t re- ally be a Ps-4!” Claytor leaned over and looking me right in the eye, he an- swered most convincingly: “When I get done with it, it’ll be a Ps-4.” “Yes, sir!” I agreed, as I made the correction. After all of the Claytor changes were incorporated into the manuscript, the other officials prepared to leave and Claytor asked them how they liked it. They all agreed that it was fine and bade us farewell. As they shut the door behind them, Claytor remarked to Mike and me, “Good thing. They better like it!” Autocratic, yet democratic, that was the complex personality of Claytor. After Jim Bistline arranged a night


photo session of the S&A 750 and Southern 630 in Atlanta in 1969, he in- vited a half-dozen of the photographers to a steak dinner in the Southern busi-


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