Helped Out Some” — in The Railroad Teleg- rapher offers a glimpse of how integrated into railroad work food and its sources were. The night Op, who was planning to hop a train 30 miles for a date with “the red headed girl who cooked at the little eating house in the station,” has been ordered to keep the key open past closing. The line’s President is on a passing train. The Section Foreman’s wife, meanwhile, has prepared six dinner buckets for her hus- band’s crew, also dispatched to insure the Pres- ident’s safe passage. She added one more for our hero. Each pail holds a pair of ham sand- wiches, a wedge of blueberry pie (homemade, not manufactured, maybe still warm?), and an indeterminate number of hard-boiled eggs. The Section Foreman suggests the Op take all the buckets to his station and they’ll meet there af- ter the train passes safely. The food, hanging on pegs in the station, attracts the attention of a bear. Long story short: In the mayhem that follows, the bear’s behavior results in the Op looking like a hero, which gets the President’s attention, which results in the Op being pro- moted. I was, frankly, surprised there was no further mention of the red head. Red heads were, it seems, often trouble for trainmen. February 16, 1947: The New York Times announced the launch of new equipment on a number of named first-class passenger trains — noting the cars were the first built for their railroads “since the war.” Among the ameni- ties, a coffee-shop lounge car as a new dining option on the Empire Builder; and a new chil- dren’s menu with the appearance of a school- room slate, and a coloring book with more than
Project2_Layout 1 10/20/14 3:43 PM Page 1
100 train pictures for youngsters eating in a New Haven dining car. The piece also noted a new “Experimental Train” coming from Pull- man-Standard and General Motors. This sen- tence stood out: “Each car will have an Astra Dome, a 24-seat glass-enclosed compartment located in the roof.” A modest mention for some- thing as innovative as the Train of Tomorrow. As usual, doing research on railroad topics
is time-consuming, especially when reading through old newspapers and magazines. One — most of us, I presume — does not get far before we encounter other interesting content that has nothing to do with the topic that sent us looking in the first place. On this occasion that included finding the text of the train or- der mandating one of the first railroad moves arranged by telegraph; a first-hand account by a reporter trying to get to Nashville to catch up with General Sherman’s army as it conducted it’s March to the Sea in 1854; and a description of a runaway train in Spring- field, Mass., that passed through the passen- ger shed without incident, only to proceed on through the engine house, where it collided with another locomotive with enough force to drive them both through the building’s far wall and pile up against a wood pile. An assis- tant fireman and a brakeman, about to open the engine house door, were “instantly killed and mutilated in the most shocking manner.” So while this is off to Steve Barry in a mo-
philamemoriesv1.qxd 3/22/2010 1:55 PM Page 1 Approx.
ment, I have not closed the archives I was ex- ploring. One produced 1,630 articles, the oth- er 420,299. There’s still plenty of time before dawn. And it’s still snowing.
Three hours
ONLY $29.95
www.
RonRailPictures .com
RonRail2@aol.com 20
RonRail Pictures
PLEASE SEND QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS on railroad dining, art, and other trackside treats to Jim Porterfield at P.O. Box 3041, Elkins, WV 26241, or email
onthemenu@railfan.com.
ww.RonRailPictures.com PHILADELPHIA MEMORIES
VOLUME THREE - THE RED ARROW TROLLEYS
The story of a surviving suburban trolley system from the 1950's to today. Includes Routes 101 - 102 - 103 and 104. As seen through the Super-8 lens of Gary Grahl, a look back at the marvelous Brill, St. Louis and Kawasaki rail cars through Delaware County to West Chester, Ardmore, Sharon Hill and Media. 126 Minutes ONLY $29.95
VOLUME TWO - SUBWAY AND SURFACE LINES
Philadelphia SEPTA City Transit: Juniper St to 40th St subway lines through Woodland and Chester Ave surface lines and more. 1970’s PCC Cars through 1980’s Kawasaki. Experimental color schemes and one of a kinds. Includes Routes 10 - 11 - 13 - 34 - 36. ONLY $29.95
The Colorfull Years - 1970’s and 1980’s
PHILADELPHIA MEMORIES
From the lens of Gary Grahl. See Philadelphia PCC’s during the colorful 1970’ and 1980’s on Routes 6, 15, 23, 53, 56, and 60.
VOLUME 1 SURFACE LINES
RonRail w Pictures
1 Hour 7 Minutes
VOLUME ONE - SURFACE LINES
Two Discs Set 2 Hrs 23 Min Two Discs Set 2 Hours 23 Minutes
Includes Routes 6 - 15 - 23 53 - 56 - 60
From the lens of Gary Grahl. See Philadelphia PCC’s during the color- ful 1970’ and 1980’s on Routes 6, 15, 23, 53, 56, and 60. ONLY $29.95
Add $4.00 S&H per order (PA add 6% tax) See us on the web at
www.ronrailpictures.com or mail check or M/O to RonRail Pictures, DeptT
5552 Republic Way, Bethlehem, PA 18017
A superb retrospective on the last decade of the WP through stunning full-tone black and white photography.
$79.95 W
plus shipping
In U.S., add $5 per book for shipping Outside U.S. call or email for rates
White River Productions, PO Box 48, Bucklin, MO 64631 • 877-787-2467 • 816-285-6560 (overseas) Find these and other great products at
WhiteRiverProductions.com
59 • 877-787-2467 • 816-285-6560 (overseas)
PHILADELPHIA MEMORIES Vol 1 Surface Lines - The Colorful Years - 1970’s and 1980’s
NEW!
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70