Nostalgia & History > Best Friends Friday - Crew Portraits '67-'68

Sometimes when passenger train crews encourage young railfans, it turns out okay.

These were my buddies. My lifelong affinity for steel rails is forever linked to these guys. They were veterans of steam railroading, as wise as the hills and the valleys, and had enough seniority to be The Unbumpable Ones. So they were always there when I needed a friendly face.


1. Bill Harlow, SP 11-12, 1967. Bill claimed to be Number Two man on the entire SP. He also claimed that Jean Harlow was his sister, so I have to question both. A dry kidder, he told me I knew more about his SDP-45 than he did. I doubt that.

2. A.P. Boyd, SP 11-12, 1967. Harlow's counterpart. (I always get his initials wrong, but I never called him other than "Mr. Boyd" anyway.) Had a Scots brogue. Claimed to like his new SDP's better for their "three-wheel trucks." Said of the quickly-disappearing F-units that "those two-wheel trucks, they ride like a sonofab****!"

3. B.L. Corgiat, SP 51-52, 1968. A nice guy. Notable for his baseball cap and street clothes, where Boyd was decked in traditional pinstripe overalls and pencil-thin moustache. The nicest guy, Mr. Corgiat. Always a friendly wave, soft-spoken, a gentleman.


(SP 11-12 were the Oakland-Portland "Cascade" overnight; SP 51-52 were the Oakland-Los Angeles "San Joaquin Daylight" via Tehachapi.)

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4. Bruce Goss, SP 51-52, Brakeman. Reflective and deep. Philosophized about the doomed train he was working, how sad it was that the company allowed the neglect. Would end every rumination with "See what I mean?"

5. Chester A. Wampler, SP 51-52, Conductor. A sparkplug of a man, exuberant, engaging, funny. Had a little speech pathology that made him kin to Elmer Fudd, but there was nothing Fuddy about him. A bounce in his step, that carnation in the lapel, even as the "Daylight" was dissolving around him.

6. A second pose of "Mr. Boyd." I think he asked me for this one... said it would be better with his gloves on. He said he wanted to "at least look like a g******** engineer" but I think he was just proud of those new gloves!


All five of these fellows held their heads high while passenger trains were self-destructing in America. They had dignity and pride in their jobs. And they encouraged the enthusiasm they saw in a young kid who evidently didn't have anything better to do than hang at the depot.

I sure didn't. And 40-some years later, you can bet I'm glad of it.

~ BZ

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What a great post and commentary! I too had a handful of old steam-era heads that I got to know and ride with. Remarkable people.

Notch 16,

One of the all time best threads I've seen on here.

Very moving.

Thanks,
P5r24,
A.K. Gary

Very cool, Bob!

I remember Mr. Corgiat vaguely, but do remember his son quite well. He would always share info with a young railfan and, in my opinion, was a credit to his profession. Do you happen to remember Frank Hicks, Russ Valentine or Peter Ohanian from long-ago Fresno?

John

Exceptional photos and vignettes. Thank you. I love Mr. Boyd's mustache. Memories of Jimmy Buffett and Boston Blackie.

I'm intrigued by the fedora style hats worn by the engineers.

On the railroad I worked for, many company officers wore bowler hats right up into the 1970's, long after they had gone out of fashion in the rest of the business world. It was like a badge of office. Roadmasters and carforemen and road foremen of engines would wear work clothes, but in the days before hard hats, they were identified by the bowler hat.

One passenger trainmaster was famous for his cigar and bowler hat. During a fan trip in the 1970's, a passing train during a run past dislodged his hat and sent it into a nearby lake. He promptly commandeered a row boat and pursued the hat. He didn't notice that the boat was without oars. Not to worry, he retrieved the hat little the worse for wear and used his hands to get the boat back to shore, swearing loudly all the way. Very few photographed the passing train, preferring to watch the trainmasters performance.

A most valuable thread. Classy pictures of classy railroaders. Have you any more?

eminence_grise Wrote:
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> I'm intrigued by the fedora style hats worn by the
> engineers.
>
> On the railroad I worked for, many company
> officers wore bowler hats right up into the
> 1970's, long after they had gone out of fashion in
> the rest of the business world. It was like a
> badge of office. Roadmasters and carforemen and
> road foremen of engines would wear work clothes,
> but in the days before hard hats, they were
> identified by the bowler hat.
>

Engineer Boyd is really wearing a form of the pork pie, made famous by NY jazz musicians of the '20s.

I've done some study of the practice head ware in the days of steam and you rarely saw an engineer with a fedora. It was too drafty in the cab (possible exception would be on a cab forward). Same with most brakeman. Fedoras and pork pies on train and engine crews during steam were generally limited to conductors since they didn't have to ride on tops of cars (of course we're talking freight crews). Only after Diesel did you see hogheads and fireman wear fedoras. It seems that during steam the headend crew favored engineer caps and kromers. Swing brakeman seem to prefer the newsboy cap. The conductor and flagman fedora and pork pie. Bowlers seem to have faded in popularity once the fedora was introduced. One hat you rarely saw during this period was the now-ubiquitous baseball cap. And if you did, it would really be a duck-billed cap. Wish these classy hats would make a return.

Do you happen to
> remember Frank Hicks, Russ Valentine or Peter
> Ohanian from long-ago Fresno?
>
> John

Peter Ohanian, you bet!

~ BZ

> Engineer Boyd is really wearing a form of the pork
> pie, made famous by NY jazz musicians of the
> '20s.

The West Coast in the 60's -- and particularly the Bay Area, as I recall -- was the home of the snap-brim straw hat. Skinny little brim. Harlow and Boyd are both sporting hoghead variations. San Francisco was the last American city to doff its business hats, well into the 70's.

I think Mr. Boyd looks pretty darn jazzy, in fact.

A two-toned Ricky Ricardo jacket
And an autographed picture of Andy Devine...

BCHellman Wrote:
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> A most valuable thread. Classy pictures of classy
> railroaders. Have you any more?

How I wish. Reminds us to record our friends as well as our favorite rolling stock. I have these, but missed taking portraits of all my favorite dining and lounge car staffers, station and ticket agents, all the folks who smiled and tolerated the kid with the camera pointed at the trains. Give me a time machine and I'll be right back!

Southern Pacific..."the friendly railroad"...these are the men that made it so. Long live the SP in memories such as these!!!!!

EMDSW-1 Wrote:
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> Southern Pacific..."the friendly railroad"...these
> are the men that made it so. Long live the SP in
> memories such as these!!!!!

The SP uniforms are sure better looking than the garbage Anthrax came up with.

Definately gets on my list of top 10 TO threads. Great stuff, especially that last portrait! haha.

Take Care,
Alex Ramos

Wooden axles and iron men!

sphogger

Anyone see a bit of The Godfather in Mr Boyd? How refreshing to see clear evidence of the exact opposite of that pathetic thread regarding the TOer who video'd an AMTRAK dining car as he entered, and was severely admonished by some idiot whom AMTRAK erroneously thought capable of working with customers. A lot of pride in the profession visible in these photos. AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

Wow, THESE guys were railroaders. Ny lime green vest just doesn't look as cool.

Pump