Passenger Trains > Thank You Ross Rowland, it was a good ride!

Tomorrow morning I step off Capitol Corridor Train 527 and take my pension.  32yrs service, all as an LSA.  I think I racked up about 3mil miles in the process. 
I got started 32yrs ago thanks to a little help from Ross Rowland. In 1983-84 I was driving for Greyhound which was going through massive internal change at the time.  Greyhound management had set it's sites on lowering wages so I decided to see if maybe I could jump to Amtrak.  The only jobs on board Amtrak trains were OBS staff- T&E jobs were still a few years away.  The closest Crew Base to my home in Dutch Flat was in Oakland.  But OBS staffing of the Zephyr had just been shifted to Chicago- a loss of 300+ jobs! 
Next closest was Los Angeles.  LA felt, understandably, that working the LA extra board from a home 500mi away was laughable.  I needed a bit of help.
Enter Ross Rowland.  In 1984 Ross held a position on Amtrak's Board of Directors.  8yrs before I had been the Assistant Curator on the American Freedom Train.  So I called Wash DC and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to get through to Ross.  Yes, of course he remembered me- the AFT was family.
The next day Amtrak called me.
I commuted 500 miles to LA for 8yrs- about 3 on the XB, a year on the Chief, and 4 on the Starlight.  In 1991 I transferred to Oakland to help launch the Capitols- I've worked them ever since.  After well over 9000 runs, I'm the last of the original Capitol staff.
Thank you Ross, it was a good run!
SR Bush
Oakland OBS

BTW: I don't expect anyone in OAK will shed a tear to see me go- I tied up the #1 spot on the roster for 15yrs
 

Very interesting story.

Congrats on your upcoming retirement. It was fun reading about your AFT adventures here on TO and the marvelous presentation at Winterail. It was also fun chatting with you onboard the Capitol Corridor in recent months.
 

Congratulations on your retirement BoilingMan! Love your posts here and the inside info on the CapCorridor. I'm sure I ran into you on one of my many rides back when I used to ride to work that way. One of these days I'll need an old hi-level dinner named after you for my HO layout since you clued me in to what I had taken pictures of. Enjoy retirement!

Nathan

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/16 22:24 by atsf121.

Congratulations on your retirement. Now every day will be Saturday - except possibly Sunday. Enjoy.

So, beginning tomorrow, we should look for your stories an remembrances on the Railroader's Nostalgia board?  Happy retirement! 

Stephen,
I remember working with you before I transfered to L.A. in 1994. You always had a good wit and dry humour, especially in describing things about Amtrak. After 43 years, I'm still down here working out of L.A. Glad to hear you stuck it out all these years. I know in recent years the first question your fellow employees always asked was "when are you going to retire."  Have fun and I know you will use your pass.

Richard Talmy (amsnoop)

7-18-16,  SR having an in depth discussion with TO member SP3204, something about yellow skittles I think.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/25/16 23:06 by SP4360.

---

Ha!
That was last week- SP4360, SP3204, and Stevo de Weimaro all came to take a last ride w me. Our paths first crossed (collided?) 40yrs ago. The 4 of us are all AFT Alumni. That's what?, a collective 160yrs of laugh'n, lie'n, and foam'n?
Next stop PDX.



SP4360 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 7-18-16,  SR having an in depth discussion with
> TO member SP3204, something about yellow skittles
> I think.

BoilingMan/Steve ---
Many congratulations on your well-deserved retirement!
You have certaily earned it!

Your post is wonderful and fascinating.  Thanks so much
for sharing all that.  I just absolutely love stories like yours!
Ross R is to be praised for being so kind to you in helping
a fellow AFT family member get a job with Amtrak.  After
all, it was really up to you whether or not you could make
a 500-mile (!!!) commute work -- and you did.  Until I read
your post, a commute that long is one that I had thought
that only airline crews ever made!  Man -- that is dedication!

I wish you all the best in your retirement, and very much hope
that it will be a long and healthy and happy one.

I wish I had ridden the Capitol when you worked it, but I rarely
rode Amtrak -- not enough time off or money to travel much. 
Darn!   We -- my railfan son and I -- rode the special inaugural
run of the Capitol in 1991.  That was fun!

I love your stories and photos about the AFT.  Please write more
when you have time.

Clear greens and smooth track, sir!

Richard! You're still working?!
Good god man- you're just supposed to sip the Kool-aid, not swim in it!!
SR


amsnoop Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Stephen,
> I remember working with you before I transfered to
> L.A. in 1994. You always had a good wit and dry
> humour, especially in describing things about
> Amtrak. After 43 years, I'm still down here
> working out of L.A. Glad to hear you stuck it out
> all these years. I know in recent years the first
> question your fellow employees always asked was
> "when are you going to retire."  Have fun and I
> know you will use your pass.
>
> Richard Talmy (amsnoop)

Thanks Margaret
Yeah, taking XB calls from 500mi out was kinda nuts!

And here's a bit of irony:
I only missed one call in those early days. I was at LAUPT one evening and spotted PV "Brothers Two" set out in the station. (Ross's car) I when and tapped on the glass- sure enough, Ross was aboard. Typical Ross hospitality: "Have you eaten? How do you like your steak?"
While we dined and swapped stories, the Crew Clerk inside the station searched for me...
She eventually gave up and I got dropped!
oops
SR



Margaret_SP_fan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BoilingMan/Steve ---
> Many congratulations on your well-deserved
> retirement!
> You have certaily earned it!
>
> Your post is wonderful and fascinating.  Thanks
> so much
> for sharing all that.  I just absolutely love
> stories like yours!
> Ross R is to be praised for being so kind to you
> in helping
> a fellow AFT family member get a job with
> Amtrak.  After
> all, it was really up to you whether or not you
> could make
> a 500-mile (!!!) commute work -- and you did. 
> Until I read
> your post, a commute that long is one that I had
> thought
> that only airline crews ever made!  Man -- that
> is dedication!
>
> I wish you all the best in your retirement, and
> very much hope
> that it will be a long and healthy and happy one.
>
> I wish I had ridden the Capitol when you worked
> it, but I rarely
> rode Amtrak -- not enough time off or money to
> travel much. 
> Darn!   We -- my railfan son and I -- rode the
> special inaugural
> run of the Capitol in 1991.  That was fun!
>
> I love your stories and photos about the AFT. 
> Please write more
> when you have time.
>
> Clear greens and smooth track, sir!

Steve, I had the privilege of riding with you in 2013 on my big Amtrak trip that year.  Congratulations on a great railroad career and enjoy your retirement, you've earned it!

Geno Dailey

Congratulations! You made it. I've enjoyed your postings on TO and that great Winterail show in Stockton. Don't be a stranger here just because you retired.

I'll bet you get a greeting from Gene S. He was instrumental in making the CapCorridor a success. But a good LSA plays a big part in that success story too! Happy trails.

John Stashik

What beer is that between the Sierra Nevada and the Anchor Steam?  LOL!

Lagunitas "Lucky 13"

Thanks you for so many years of making the trip enjoyable for so many people.  Best wishes on the next phase of your life!

Hearty congratulations Steve on your many years of outstanding service to countless Amtrak guests and for your witty and always interesting posts on TO. IIRC I was able to help about 5 ex-AFT family members get started at Amtrak but you are the sole member of that group to have made it all the way to the "gold watch" station.

    Like you I'm really looking forward to this years bi-annual AFT reunion in Portland as I understand we'll be having a record size crowd attending the 40th. anniversary of our great 21 month journey together, and that the folks at the Oregon Rail Heritage Foundation have put together a first rate AFT exhibit that will have its grand opening during our reunion.  

    Seems to me our great nation could use some of the positive patriotism we delivered on the AFT about now.

    Hearty congratulations on a career well executed and for making lots and lots of folks glad they decided to travel by train !!! 

    Lord willing......I'll see you in Portland.............Ross Rowland

Ah, Ross! Good, I was hoping you'd see this!
Again- thanks
SR

Laurie called last week and said the count for the reunion has passed 130!

Congrats on your retirement!  Now you can full time enjoy the fruits of your labor.  Take a picture of your first sunrise as a retiree and post it for us.  Congrats!

SR/Boiling Man,

Congratulations on your retirement and welcome to the check of the month club!  See you in Portland!

Regards,
Burlington John