Nostalgia & History > My, how things have changed!

Picked this image out of the "land of the lost" negatives of the B&O. I never originally printed it because I had so many more interesting shots. It hit me when I looked at it though, how different it is. First, you are looking at a 5 man crew! This local job in Baltimore had an engineer, a fireman!, 2 brakemen, and a conductor. Second, this was a small stub end yard called Huntingdon Ave. yard. I have shown this in several posts previously. Yards like this have virtually disappeared on major roads in big cities. Third item is the Fairbanks Morse H-12-44 switcher itself. Fourth is the B&o itself. In 1965 this was "common" stuff. In 2018, no one or nothing in this photo exists. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/18 05:44 by Roadjob.

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Thanks for this photographic journey into the past.
Bob

Great photo... It's amazing they made any money with a 5 man crew...but that's how lucartive the freight market must have been.

bluesboyst Wrote:
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> Great photo... It's amazing they made any money
> with a 5 man crew...but that's how lucrative the
> freight market must have been.
It was a different time period when medical insurance was not high, since we were not paying for all the deadbeats in our country, and wages were more reasonable too.  Keep in mind it's the combination of higher wages and especially benefits that is killing our country, especially when so many people who do not work receive these benefits.  I'm not talking about those folks who have real disabilities, but rather the illegals in our country and others who receive welfare when they could be working like the rest of us have had to do.
Anyhow, the photograph is nice and I remember that yard very well.  Those were great times when rail enthusiasts like me could ride with a switch crew and witness them working first hand.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

A blast from the past! Thanks for sharing!!

Doc

bluesboyst Wrote:
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> Great photo... It's amazing they made any money
> with a 5 man crew...but that's how lucartive the
> freight market must have been.

Remember how many railroads were going bankrupt in the 60's, 70's and early 80's.   

That photo is really a great look back.
ALLEN

Milwaukee Wrote:
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> bluesboyst Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Great photo... It's amazing they made any money
> > with a 5 man crew...but that's how lucartive
> the
> > freight market must have been.
>
> Remember how many railroads were going bankrupt in
> the 60's, 70's and early 80's.   

Lol I was gonna say most railroads weren’t. The B&O was one of the ones that was able to make it through that era with frugal management and eventual merger. They were trying times for the industry.

First rule of staying in business is to not spend money on anything you do not need. I know that sounds cold but that's the way it is and I've been on both sides of the coin.
That rule also applies to everything else in life.

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

ClubCar Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> bluesboyst Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Great photo... It's amazing they made any money
> > with a 5 man crew...but that's how lucrative
> the
> > freight market must have been.
> It was a different time period when medical
> insurance was not high, since we were not paying
> for all the deadbeats in our country, and wages
> were more reasonable too.  Keep in mind it's the
> combination of higher wages and especially
> benefits that is killing our country, especially
> when so many people who do not work receive these
> benefits.  I'm not talking about those folks who
> have real disabilities, but rather the illegals in
> our country and others who receive welfare when
> they could be working like the rest of us have had
> to do.
> Anyhow, the photograph is nice and I remember that
> yard very well.  Those were great times when rail
> enthusiasts like me could ride with a switch crew
> and witness them working first hand.
> John in White Marsh, Maryland

...And just like that, my previous respect for your opinions gets flushed.

jtbrandt Wrote:
>
> ...And just like that, my previous respect for
> your opinions gets flushed.


??????????????????

Don't know why you injected politics into this thread.  However, since you did, here are three responses

1) Accounting for inflation wages of blue collar workers have, in fact, declined since the 1970s  Perhaps you are referring specifically to railroad employees, in which case many people would point out that railroaders' productivity has greatly increased since the photo was taken.

2) Train staffing has nothing to do with welfare or immigration policy.

3) If you are upset about people receiving welfare, I trust you support increased state support for bus and light rail transit in Baltimore so those without automobiles have improved access to education and employment opportunities.

ClubCar Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It was a different time period when medical
> insurance was not high, since we were not paying
> for all the deadbeats in our country, and wages
> were more reasonable too.  Keep in mind it's the
> combination of higher wages and especially
> benefits that is killing our country, especially
> when so many people who do not work receive these
> benefits.  I'm not talking about those folks who
> have real disabilities, but rather the illegals in
> our country and others who receive welfare when
> they could be working like the rest of us have had
> to do.
> Anyhow, the photograph is nice and I remember that
> yard very well.  Those were great times when rail
> enthusiasts like me could ride with a switch crew
> and witness them working first hand.
> John in White Marsh, Maryland

What is that hung up in the cab ?????  to me it looks as if it is a sheet of canvas or some such thing, but what would it be there for I wonder.

Malcolm
New Zealand.

bluesboyst Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Great photo... It's amazing they made any money with a 5 man crew...
> but that's how lucartive the freight market must have been.

Five might be excessive, but I wonder how much is being saved with two man crews when the train spends so much time stopped while the conductor is walking the train. Add a third "man" and the job could be done much more efficiently. (Whether that would save money would depend on how the crews were paid, but not having crews die on the law and need relief because it took too much time switching an industry should help save money.)

Without radios sometimes three ground men would be needed to relay hand signals when handling a long cut around curves.  

There is very little to compare then and now. We dont remember, at least most of us, when bread was 10 cents a loaf but the other side of the coin was wages were maybe less than $2 per day for skilled workers like a welder.
RB

MMD Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What is that hung up in the cab ?????  to me it
> looks as if it is a sheet of canvas or some such
> thing, but what would it be there for I wonder.
>
> Malcolm
> New Zealand.

Looks like those may be replacement plexiglas/Lexan windows and that's a reflection.  Glass wouldn't create such a curvy reflection.