Railroaders' Nostalgia > Conversations with the boss - 11

The MILW trainmaster for Bellingham was in Seattle.

Whenever we were on the ground seriously enough to affect service, I called him as well as the chief dispatcher in Tacoma.

When I called the trainmaster, I had all of the info and a plan. I learned long ago as an assistant chief dispatcher that if you have a derailment or collision, when you call the Superintendent, you are wasting his time if you don't have a detailed and accurate description of what is going on and what your plan to deal with it is. Contrary to modern management style as it is, nobody is in a position to make an instant decision on a situation sprung on them in a surprise phone call in the middle of the night. Beside that, contrary to modern management style as it is, my railroad education thus far required me to be fully competent to handle any situation and require only minor adjustment, if any, from the supervisor (be it the operator for the train dispatcher and trainmaster, the train dispatcher or assistant chief dispatcher for the chief dispatcher, or the chief dispatcher for the superintendent). I'm way too old school for the railroad world I watch from the sidelines nowadays.

The first time I called for a derailment, it was late at night. There was a derailment that was big enough to need some help. There were cars on their side and sideways. The trainmaster answered the phone. I reported something like...

Bellingham; we're in the ditch pretty good. We've got a loaded boxcar that split the east end of 4-5 and is derailed in both tracks upright, an empty box west of it on 5 turned over on 4...about 60 degree angle, the covered hopper west of it in 5 is derailed upright and a foot from the rail. The east stuff already built is in 4. There are two more east in the cut they're switching. There's no way I can get them in block with the east so I'll leave them here. 361's on duty in 30 minutes. They'll wind up on the same train out of Black River whether I run them tomorrow or put them in the Tacoma block. We'll need to hire a crane for the one turned over. I don't think we can pull it up with the engine from where it sits. (etc.).

I called the chief first. The reply was ok, thanks.

The trainmaster on the other hand...

That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard, you idiot! Stay right there and I'll tell you what you need to do. click...dead circuit. I stood there with the handset in my hand looking at it. Did that really happen? I hung up.

My hand was still on the handset and the phone started ringing.

Milwaukee Bellingham

It was the trainmaster. You know, the one who hung up 15 seconds ago.

Listen close because I'm only going to go through this once. Don't screw it up. He proceeded to tell me to do everything that I told him I was going to do...but it was his plan.

This happened every time I called about a derailment. I got used to it.

One night at about 10p, I was walking along State Street a couple of blocks from the station, headed to the roundhouse to look at the Tacoma power. The day before and the day before that were over 16 hours. I talked to the yard crew around 630p (remember, I go on duty at 7p). So far, all was well. All of their cars were on the railroad and were in the places that their list said they were. The local got a late start; they just left as the yard crew came to work. It was going to be a long night. I told them I was going to get a little more sleep, I'll be at home if they need me (all of the Bellingham guys had my home number).

I encountered the trainmaster, you know... that trainmaster. He went ballistic when he saw me.

Where have you been?! You're supposed to be on duty at the depot. You haven't been there. I've been around there checking on you! You're all done here. I'm calling an investigation. The demurrage is still behind and the Tacoma train isn't made up and you don't even bother coming to work. Do you really think you can get away with putting in timeslips for your shift then not show up?

Ok fine...I'm an operator and he's the trainmaster. I also used to be an assistant chief dispatcher in the days when that meant I was the chief whenever I was in the chair...and I learned from two of the most competent and meanest bosses I've ever worked for. They taught me that you can't be timid and be a good rail, particularly a good train dispatcher...and you don't get to be a train dispatcher if you start off timid as an operator.

I don't think so G------. (the trainmaster) I think you are going to shut the hell up and get the hell out of my way. Of course, maybe you want to explain when I show FRA the other timeslips I have...the ones for the hours I really work, He's turning red and I let go another round: ...and maybe you will have a good time explaining the difference between the switchlists and the yard checks when you are explaining to ICC why we're not charging demurrage on cars that sit around for a week...or why cars aren't where the official yard check says they are. On top of that, P------- (the chief) doesn't have anybody stupid enough to take this job or anybody on the extra board who can even deal with being assigned to it

I expected a scene something like another Dali painting: http://cdn2.all-art.org/art_20th_century/dali1/dali5/1952_18.jpg

Get to work!

He stormed off down State Street back toward the depot. I continued on to the roundhouse to see if the Tacoma power was still on the railroad and running.

One unusual day, I had three full tracks for the Tacoma train. I called the crew and went down to the yard to list up the train (actually check against my heated list that I had already used to line up the bills). The middle of the three tracks was all empty flat cars. I climbed up on the west flat car and walked the flat car decks, checking the tracks to my left and right. The trainmaster showed up right after I took off hiking. I got to the end of the track, got off of the east car and hiked back along the middle track, checking that track. I got back to the west end with a check of all three tracks. I was headed to my truck to go back to the depot when the trainmaster stopped me.

I was watching. You didn't check those tracks. You just walked down and back. There are three tracks in that train. Now get out there and check them the right way!

I showed him the lists and told him that I listed up two tracks at once on the way down and listed the middle track on the way back.

I don't know what you're talking about! Just get out there and get that train listed up right. I don't them showing up in Black River with a bad list!

Ok fine. I turned around and headed back to the west track of the three, pulling a couple of fresh hard copies (that doesn't mean printed on paper as it is used in the computer age; it means the cardboard bottom copy of a switch list). I hiked the west track, hiked the middle track, hiked the east track, and walked back from the east end to my truck.

Apparently satisfied with his supervision prowess, the trainmaster was gone when I got back to the east end of the yard. 361's crew was waiting for me when I got back to the depot. They had been there for a while. I opened the window between the office and the register room and told the conductor I'd be ready for him in a bit. They weren't used to me calling them and not being ready when they got there. The conductor gave a quizzical look.

G------ was here instructing me on the proper way to list up a train.

There was laughter coming from the locker room as I went to work finishing up their paperwork.

TAW

Another excellent installment.

I will always remember the first time I got an ass-chewing that I did not deserve. It was a big shock to find out that that was how they played the game.

Too bad you only got to work for the game-playing morons instead of the really good heads like Bill Brodsky and Bing Torpin.

Best regards,

Rob L.

Negative reinforcement is far too often an excellent learning tool. Thank heaven I spent a few years as a trainman before getting into the management training program on a different railroad.
About 1965 or so, I was working as the head brakeman on train # 2, the Sunset, between Los Angeles and Yuma. We had a huge train, perhaps 25 cars or so ( this was the combined Sunset and Golden State), and my chores were to spot the train at each station stop for loading mail and express and the head 8 coaches, then pass signals with a lantern for the second spot to load the middle of the train, and the third spot was to load the sleepers on the rear of the train. Of course, most stations were well located on a curve where the view was blocked. I also kept a record of the delays for the conductor, and lifted the tickets in the head 8 coaches. Out of Colton, I had to walk the entire train and set retainers for the ride down Beaumont Hill, then turn the retainers down leaving West Palm Springs. Lots to do but it was fun and MY GOD! I am working on a passenger train at 20 years of age!
After leaving Indio about midnight, I finish with my ticket collections, and start back toward the leading coach. In one of the vestibules, a huge man, even bigger than me, wearing a hat, stops me and proceeds to lambaste me for wearing a tie with faint thin red stripes on it. I thought it rather dressy, really, but he was not impressed, and he had to tell me so several times. I really understood his message the first time. "You be damned sure that you have a regulation dark blue or black tie before you return to LA, you understand?"
What could I say? "Yes sir! I didn't get your name sir."
"C. T. Babers - I am trainmaster at Yuma!"
An hour or so later, a young passenger came up to where the Conductor and I were straightening out the tickets, saying "Mister, your train is on fire!"
We rushed to the vestibule and looked back and saw the roof of a coach about 10 cars back was glowing red. I believe I related this incident some time ago, where we stopped in the middle of nowhere between Niland and Yuma, and after getting the car fire out, we continued to Yuma. My it was hot out the around Glamis in the middle of the night in the summer.
At Yuma, a switch crew cut the defective coach out of our train, we got the passengers resettled, the Tucson crew took over, and I was going to ride on to Phoenix to visit relatives, so I stayed on the train.
Trainmaster Babers was frumping about the depot and on the train. I told him I was going on to Phoenix and offered to help him get the names and other information from the affected passengers. "No dammit! I am not going to pay you to do that!"
"Mr. Babers, we have a problem here...I am not even thinking of anything but taking care of these people by helping you" I said.
"Should I be sorry I offered?".
I went to other end of the coach and started taking information and notes. When I gave my notes to him an hour or so later, he motioned for me to follow him into the vestibule, where he clumsily apologized. He still wanted me to get rid of the tie, though!

Norm

Norman Orfall
Helendale, CA
TIOGA PASS, a private railcar



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/10/14 00:40 by aronco.

Mr. White, thanks so much for these well-written and entertaining stories. Your expectation that the Trainmaster would melt down and/or erupt into "something like another Dali painting" is so funny. I've never worked for a railroad but I think most of us beyond a certain age have probably worked for someone like that during our careers.