Railroaders' Nostalgia > 50 Years Ago Today

On Monday, June 22, 1964 I reported to work at the SP freight station in Brownsville, TX, for my first paid day as a railroad employee. As with many (or maybe most) of us here it was certainly not my first day spent on railroad property. For ten years I had spent all the time I possibly could in train order offices, interlocking towers, crew dispatchers' offices, yardmaster's towers, register rooms and wire chief's offices learning all a youngster could about how a railroad ran and who ran what. As I got older I was allowed to ride trains, both freight and passenger, with San Antonio crews that had adopted me. Long before I finished high school it was clear that the only way I wanted to spend my working life was as a railroader.

As a general clerk, working for an agent and with two other clerks, my responsibilities included everything having to do with LCL freight, mostly inbound, at Brownsville. I helped unload the LCL into the warehouse, cut freight bills using a standard billing machine typewriter, kept demurrage records and made yard checks. 50 years later there is no SP, no Brownsville freight office and all of the duties of that general clerk's assignment have disappeared.

The following year I established my trainman's seniority date and worked out of San Antonio as a brakeman. I attended school while cut off and, upon graduation from Northwestern, went into the Southern Pacific management training program and had the privilege of meeting Mike Ongerth, with whom I have maintained a close friendship for way too long.

In the mid 60's there was no main frame computer, TOPS was yet to be implemented, and trains got over the railroad with rules overlaid with plenty of creativity and art. Head brakemen worth their salt never made their engineers stop to head in to a siding, dispatchers depended on crews to squeeze the last out of wait orders given superior trains and the BSM was the centerpiece of our pride in the Sunset Route. Whether or not it really was the world's fastest freight train, all the folks who had learned to change crews without stopping at Del Rio and Valentine believed it and were proud of it.

These were not the good old days, they were just different and undoubtedly much more exciting and personally rewarding for those of us involved in "getting the trains over the road." Railroads had yet to go through the wrenching process of wringing out the redundant facilities that were both expensive and, along with stifling regulation, prevented railroads from extracting price for the value they provided. Not only were railroads' margins getting so thin that some did not survive, employees were being injured at rates that would be considered appalling today.

Many things have changed over the last five decades. Railroads are faced with whole new sets of challenges. On one hand there are the volume opportunities we could have only dreamed about in the 70's and 80's. On the other there are safety and regulatory challenges that must be effectively met. Both of these will be tests of leadership and commitment.

When I walked into the office this morning I was greeted by a kindred spirit who now has the job of general superintendent in BNSF's network operations center in Fort Worth. Although less than half my age I know that his passion for railroad operations long preceded his railroad employment date. When I asked him how things were going today his response was a dry "Oh, just living the dream." I replied, "I know, Paul. We both are."

rdb

mr. breedeburg (spelling?), you are a class act and a gentleman! thank you for sharing.

Great story. Was very different back then. I've always felt bad I couldn't reciprocate when I ended up going to work for the railroad, as a second career, in 1998.

Rollin,

Great to see you add to what MDO (and some others) relate about the earlier days on the SP. Please continue. I know there are still items that can't be discussed, as MDO has mentioned but time will cure all those ills.

J.

Hearsay from retired railroaders is accompanied with a healthy dose of plausible deniability. Post away...we love the stories!

Hey Delano,
You weren't one of those fraudulent enlistment kids were you when you hired out?(underage)
congrats anyway.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/22/14 18:27 by JLY.

Rollin: for me it is 45 years as of May 20th this year and looks like I will make to 47 years. I hired out on the Erie Lackawanna in New Jersey out of high school as a trackman for one summer in 1969 and then in the fall went off to college in Huron South Dakota to play football. After football season the CNW was looking for help cleaning switches partime until they needed an extra board train service employee that Christmas so over to train service I went,working the extra board and going to school. The crew caller used to drive over to the dorm room to call me because it was less than a mile and the later on in
March of that year they needed one more trainman and my soon to be father in-law hired a fellow football player Dan Shudak who came to the UP from the CNW. Oh I left out I met my bride of 45 years in South Dakota fell for her at a 4H dance . Now 45 years later and 18 moves we are in Stockton for a 2nd time.
I guess I should post a few stories about my travels and what I have seen been there and done that.

Congratulations on 50 years of service when you are out this way come by the CCT and see us and how the port just keeps growing

DLB



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/22/14 21:25 by cctgm.

Rollin, tell us about feed, water and rest for chicken shipments.

Ken

JLY Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hey Delano,
> You weren't one of those fraudulent enlistment
> kids were you when you hired out?(underage)
> congrats anyway.

Absolutely not! I was one month away from my 19th birthday.

RDB

You could also tell us about rerailing cars with dunnage bags.

50 years is quite an accomplishment in this day and age. Congratulations!

mdo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> RDB
>
> You could also tell us about rerailing cars with
> dunnage bags.

You could also tell us about relocating the handrails from Long Ravine Bridge to the traffic lanes of I-80 with the wide wing rotary.

RDB
Good to see you back on the forum.

WKB

Posted from Android

Congratulations on your 50th!!! You and Michael are my favorites!

Congratulations Mr. B! 50 years of successful railroading is a major accomplishment. Your professionalism on the job, your thoughtful insights here, and your tremendous support over the years of the 4449 program is greatly appreciated. A hearty "Well Done!" to a class act.

Would love to hear about those first years around the valley in Texas as well.

RickL

Mr. Breedenburg, enjoyed reading of your exploits from the past. Were you traveling on a private car at the rear of the "Tough Guys" movie train with 4449 returning to Portland after the filming in Southern California? I had the pleasure of being one of the guest employees who rode that train as far as Fresno that day. On that day I could identify with your statement of "living the dream". I rode in the combine with a door open to hear all the good sounds enroute. Thanks for sharing.

Ray

Hey Rollin,

I followed you 2 years later, reporting to the San Francisco Central Travel Service Agency at 3rd & Townsend. Bill Boles, who posted just above, helped break me in.

Congratulations on the golden anniversary! Here's to some great memories from your time in the Bay Area, and Caroline sends her love.

Best regards,
Rich Tower

My congratulations also. It is always great to have you out with us too. Definitely keep "living the dream".

RDB:
Thanks for taking the time to post here again.
I'm just back from an inspection trip (disguised as a vacation to Glacier National Park) between Vancouver and Glacier Park.
That, and reading Fred Fraily's current TRAINS article on your winter, make me understand how your last few months have been...very busy!
MEM