Railroaders' Nostalgia > Booze Part Deux

i posted this on the other thread but after 4 pages i thought it might get lost so i started a new thread ...

i have so many damn alkeehalll stories i wouldn't know where to begin but one that comes to mind is the early years of the pee tests for physicals since just about everybody was due unless ya came back from furlough or injury ... just a scam to catch someone dirty ... so it was Freddy B's turn to go for a physical along with a few of us ...

Freddy was a tipper and he loved his Bud ... he'd throw down some suds before he came in while he was working and on his way home ... he was so particular he would check the cans to see what brewery the beer came from ... if the beer was brewed in Newark,NJ he'd put the package back and look for a St Loius or Williamsburg because he said the water in Newark made bad beer ... he also could be an arrogant onry SOB

so we all go downtown Philly to the Drs office ... the nurse was a witch and the Dr didn't give a damn if ya walked in on one leg with crutches they just wanted your pee ...

the nurse tells Freddy she needs a sample to go in the stall but to leave the door open ... well Freddy had a quick wit says to the nurse " i can't pee unless i'm taking a crap" ... the nurse says you need to pee ... so Freddy turns around faces the nurse drops his pants sits on the toilet and continues to drop a few nuggets in the pool blowin out some gas in the process ... the rest of us are rollin on the floor ... none us could stop laffin ... the nurse was so disturbed she told Freddy to get out immediately ... Freddy grabs a few squares wipes up and grins as he walks out ... he knew he was gonna have to come back so as much as it killed him he had forgone knockin any suds down until he went back and gave his sample ...

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/15 10:26 by Out_Of_Service.

Ah, a fresh start... and a story from the East for a change. Freddy was a real classy guy.

Back in the 1970's, early '80's did any of the railroads for whom you guys worked have organized programs to deal with alcohol abuse, other than discipline? Before the First World War, several, notably the Harriman Lines, did make corporate attempts to deal with the issue, but this all seems to have gone away with Prohibition, not to return.

EO

hogheaded Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ah, a fresh start... and a story from the East for
> a change. Freddy was a real classy guy.
>
> Back in the 1970's, early '80's did any of the
> railroads for whom you guys worked have organized
> programs to deal with alcohol abuse, other than
> discipline? Before the First World War, several,
> notably the Harriman Lines, did make corporate
> attempts to deal with the issue, but this all
> seems to have gone away with Prohibition, not to
> return.
>
> EO

yeah there was an achohol abuse program ... it was an employee policing policy ... the policy was to hide the load so he wouldn't get caught and lose his job ... on the other hand i worked with a few functioning achoholics and substance abusers ... if ya didn't know their story there was no way ya could tell ...

on the other end of the spectrum back in the early 70s my pop was in his last decade of a 44 year railroad career as a conductor for the P-RSL ... his best friend railroad buddy Mr E was also a conductor with the same senoirity and worked middle shift at Paulsboro yard in Paulsboro,NJ ... the yards main function was to setup and pull the Sacony Vacuum refinery now owned by PBF ... well in a very unfortunate incident Mr E was between cars preparing to make a joint and the engineer for whatever reason made a shove and caught Mr E in between the knuckles ... he was still alive but barely ... his family was called to come to the scene a priest was called for last rights and the pull was made and Mr E expired on the spot ... it was the only time i ever saw my pop cry ... my pop knew the engineer well also a senoir guy and told me he was a known drinker and a functioning achoholic ...

my pop questioned if he was drinking at the time of the incident and sided that he probably was ... he was relieved from the cab when the incident happened and interviewed by management ... he was never acused of drinking that fateful day ...


as for Freddy he did wind up getting pinched for Rule G 20 years after the nurse incident ... he was sent to a rehab center for 30 days but he only lasted 4 days ... the staff there had no clue what to do with him he was soooo obnoxious ... the staff finally sent Freddy packin tellin the railroad even tho he was caught drinking it was determined he didn't have a drinking problem ... altho he drank close to the amount of 2 sixers to a case a day ... he did however do a 2 year random testing probation period ... Freddy was a stubborn mutha and when he wanted to do something he did it ... Freddy was numero uno and after the Rule G he never drank again during the week working all his overtime on weekdays and drinking just on weekends ... if he wanted to work any OT on weekends he set it up ahead of time where he was clean on company time ...

Freddy is also the guy i wrote about previously that when asked by a new manager what his name was ... Freddy replied "Ugo" ... the manager says "Oh that's a peculiar name what's your full name ... Freddy's no non sense reply was ..."UgoF*^kYourself" ... again an upoar of laughter followed this outrageous snide remark

Posted from Android



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/15 10:20 by Out_Of_Service.

Finally get to know the origin of the coupled up story. Been told many times, on different RRs.

Posted from Android

Well, since we are on the subject of alcohol, I was working a yard job at the top end of Butte St (PE's main yard, Rich H.)in 1966 and it was a 4 man crew, Conductor and 3 brakeman. One of my braking' partners was a fellow by the name of John J W. JJ was the terminal drunk. One morning as we were switching from the top end I noticed as the morning wore on, JJ was getting more and more unsteady on his feet. This was in July, and Los Angeles gets pretty dang warm. JJ had on a "Car" coat (a coat that most older guys remember). It is a long coat, not as heavy as a Navy Pea coat, but similar. When we finally went to beans JJ could hardly make it to his car for a little nap. I guess I was sorta naive, because I asked the Conductor what was wrong with JJ. He laughed and said "he's drunk". I had watched JJ all morning and NEVER saw him take a drink, and told the conductor that. He said "see that coat he has on". "Yes" I replied. He said JJ kept a flask in the inside pocket with a plastic tube running up between the inside lining and the coat's shell, and from there he had the tube stubbed out just under the collar and he'd take a little sip every minute or so and you would never see the movement unless you were really looking for it. When JJ finally came out in the yard the Conductor told JJ to show me the apparatus he had rigged up. I saw it and just cracked up at his ingenuity. Ah, the good old days!!


V

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