Canadian Railroads > Forty Friday

CN 5013 slogging up the hill at Dundas, ON.   Another "Kodak Instamatic Moment"   Slide date February 1971.
Doug

---

Flags flying, conductor in traditional garb- nice shot !

Mike Bannon
St Catharines, ON

algoma11 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Flags flying, conductor in traditional garb- nice
> shot !

I'm kind of wondering about the fellow in the image. That time era the Conductor would be riding in the caboose. The traditional railway garb the fellow is wearing sure is Engineer style work apparel. Wonder if he was letting the Fireman run up the hill or perhaps he had one of those new Engine Service Brakeman (ESB) working with him. Or maybe he was just mugging for the camera. Then again in the "crop & zoom" image it almost looks like he has a white necktie on, perhaps just a blemish on the slide. Maybe the trip was a "special occasion" for the gentleman, and anniversary trip or perhaps a retirement trip. Then again maybe he was just a snappy dresser !!! We'll never know.
Doug
 

---

The locomotive fireman jealously guarded the rear seat on the left hand side of the cab on CP, the front seat was for the brakeman. Why an older, more senior employee would sit in it is a mystery.

eminence_grise Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The locomotive fireman jealously guarded the rear
> seat on the left hand side of the cab on CP, the
> front seat was for the brakeman. Why an older,
> more senior employee would sit in it is a mystery.

Why did the firemen prefer the rear seat?  Did it have more legroom, was it less drafty, or  . . . . ?

railsmith Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> eminence_grise Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The locomotive fireman jealously guarded the
> rear
> > seat on the left hand side of the cab on CP,
> the
> > front seat was for the brakeman. Why an older,
> > more senior employee would sit in it is a
> mystery.
>
> Why did the firemen prefer the rear seat?  Did it
> have more legroom, was it less drafty, or  . . .
> . ?

The front seat was drafty with no legroom, the rear seat was right next to the cab heater. When the conductor moved to the head end on an older style cab, he claimed the rear seat,
however the trainman moved back to the second cab.