Railroaders' Nostalgia > I'm Singing To The Lord!

Back when I worked in Oakland as a trainman, I had a regular gig with my partner in crime Conductor Bob where we did a round trip on a San Joaquin, two Capitols and a night in the coach yard.  On this particular trip, we were working the San Joaquin 718 to Bakersfield, I was the A/C and we split the train in half and would meet in the diner.  I was walking the train again after Emeryville, all is well, I get to the rear car collecting tickets and I hear this god awful singing coming from the lower level.  So I make my way to the lower level and there's this very, very large woman taking up two seats, she has on headphones going full blast and is singing really, really loudly, but it was more like fingernails on a chalk board.  I collect her ticket, and I say to her politely, "mad dam, I understand you would like to sing out loud, that's fine, but you need to tone it down", I don't even think she listened to anything I had to say.

So I go up to the diner, were counting tickets, and we get ready for the next stop which was Richmond, we stop and load up, highball!  I walk my part of the train, I get to the rear, low and behold she's singing away again, but now passengers are complaining to me and some are even taking their seat checks and moving to the next car.  Once again I make my way downstairs and there's no one down there but her, I again ask her nicely "mad dam could please tone your voice down, now I have other passengers complaining about your singing".  She said "alright, alright", thinking I had resolved the issue, I proceed back to the diner to our office on the lower level.  We arrive at Martinez, again load and discharge any passengers going on 718, we highball and I start my rounds once again.  And wouldn't you know it, she's at it again, the rear car is damn near empty now and folks are still complaining.

I take a deep breath, go down stairs and once again with a bit more of a stern voice "mad dam could you please stop singing now, if you continue disturbing other passengers, we will ask you to leave the train at the next stop or have you removed".  Did she listen, heck no as I start walking back up the stairs, there she goes with the singing, I about had it I tried on my own to resolve the situation to no avail.  Now I call Conductor Bob to the rear car, we have a little pow wow and I explained the situation, which he could now hear for himself.  So he goes down stairs and I follow, he politely says "mad dam, could you please stop the singing, or we will have you leave the train" and she replies back to him "I'm singing to the Lord and that WHITE conductor won't let me sing".  Without missing a beat, I'm standing there and I said "yea, and the Lord can hear you!".  Conductor Bob had to bite his tongue I think, she stopped and eventually got off at Stockton or something like that, he got a kick out of my reply and that again is one of his "Frank Stories" he tells.

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/31/16 16:45 by fjc.

Great story, Frank

Oh, how I don't miss working those San Joaquin's. Only worked a year out of the Oakland Crew Base before transferring to the Auto Train, but could almost fill a book with stories.

Kevin