Railroaders' Nostalgia > Mad Dog Chronicle #183: Commissary Operations

MDC #183: Commissary Operations


For reference see:
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,944269,944269#msg-944269
(Biaggini and the car Sunset)
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,1135378,1136069#msg-1136069
(Rebuilding the Business Cars at West Oakland)
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,1160735,1160735#msg-1160735
(Business Car Rehab, part 2)

I have previously described the role of the Western Division in the maintenance and rehabilitation of the SP’s Business Car fleet.

West Oakland Passenger Yard was also the location of the SP Commissary operations. All through the 1970s and into the early 1980s the Manager of Commissary Operations reported to the Vice President of Traffic. I had been painfully aware of this reporting relationship on many occasions going back to my days as an Oakland Terminal Operating Officer. This relationship had created major trouble both for Ed Seil, the Assistant Division Superintendent, Mechanical as well as the Division Superintendent, for most of this era W M Jones.

It seemed that every few months, some one of the business cars would be handled roughly by the West Oakland passenger car yard switch engine. Dishes or glassware would be broken. The Manager of the Commissary would write a report to the VP Traffic who would then pass this report to the VPO. This inevitably led to a bitter letter or a gruesome phone call from the Western Lines GM, or the VPO, himself, to the Western Division Superintendents office. Unfortunately, by the time that we heard about these incidents, it was virtually impossible to investigate and or verify any of these incidents. It was just one more gottcha, another Awws**t, which, of course, will wipe out any recent ataboys.

Then one day, not too long after Krebs had become VPO, his secretary called my office. Could I please come over to the VPO’s office later that morning and bring Ed Seil with me. I had learned to dread these innocent sounding summons. Seil and I speculated as to what this could be about, as we rode BART for a seven-minute trip under San Francisco Bay from West Oakland to the Embarcadero Station, only across the street from the General Office HQ of the SP. We were early, but were soon ushered into Krebs office. There too, was Ed Ahern, Assistant to the Chairman.

Krebs proceeded to tell us that the responsibility for management of the Commissary had been shifted from the VP Traffic to the VPO that morning. I was told that since we were already responsible for the maintenance of the business cars, we could now also assume responsibility for all of the business car operations, including the commissary. We would be given budget authority for that responsibility immediately; Mr. Ahern informed me. Krebs then told me that for the past year the commissary operations had been badly overrunning their budget. I was to establish strict budgetary controls. In consultation with Krebs, we were to develop standard menus. He also wanted to participate in a review of wine and liquor served to guests. He would help to select a new wine list for routine guests and service. (The business car attendents were soon calling Krebs "Old Screw Top") Of course, the chairman and the President would still call the shots for their menus on their trips. My job would be to establish and enforce the use of the standard menus for all of the other users. This would not be too hard for Superintendents and engineering officers, as long as I had the VPO’s backing. However, what about all the other Vice Presidents. I developed a very high degree of tact, to say the very least.

Seil and I returned to West Oakland the same way we had come. On the way back, Ed made one of the best suggestions that he ever offered me, and he offered me many while he was my Assistant. We should not set one foot in the commissary until the General Office Auditors had performed a complete inventory of all supplies, silver, dishes glassware and linens. I am forever grateful that this is what we proceeded to do.

The Commissary Manager retired the very next day. His books were a mess for one thing. The list of shortages was astounding. We would at least start with a clean slate and a bench mark inventory.

We also found out what all of the supposed dish and glassware breakage was about. You see, guests were sometimes known to walk off with a memento or two after a business car ride. In fact, they were sometimes even given some of these “mementoes” by their host, most often by the Traffic Department AVPs. The commissary manager simply covered this shrinkage by reporting breakage during switching. And what do you know, almost all of this breakage miraculously seemed to stop as soon as the Superintendent and his right hand man Seil were in charge.

Imagine that.

1/10/07
mdo

Do you have a menu to post for us, i.e. an example of the standard bill of fare for guests?

WAF Wrote:
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> Do you have a menu to post for us, i.e. an example
> of the standard bill of fare for guests?

Sure I do, somewhere in my boxes of old stuff. Actually, there were many menus to choose from. The menues served today on the Sunset and the Stanford are an evolution of these standard menues, developed in 1982. My second Commisary Manager, Robert Andrade, still works on some of the UP cars as a contract chef. The last time that I was on the Stanford, he was the chef (An inspection trip over the CCT last year)

mdo

I would think that the retiring of the Commissary Manager when the responsibility for the management of the commisary was shifted to the VPO would have raised up a red flag or two. Did it?

I didn't ride a lot of business cars but on the ones I did, I had a great time and good food. I learned a lot about the railroad and how superintendents and their assistants perform their job (if that is the correct word to use) while riding a business car.

JDE

Actually, what really raised the red flags was the audit of the commissary.

The retirement of the manager of commissary was sort of a voluntary plea bargin. It put a lot of messy issues to rest without the need for a formal investigation.

Now we could start with a fresh page or two.

mdo

Mike--
During your stint as Western Division Superintendent, did the Commisary Dept folks ever have "famous" old time SP items on the business car menu such as their "Salad Bowl" with thousand island dressing or their fantastic "Raisin Bread", or were the food items all modern day stuff ??

Also, when I rode the Kite Route TALGO train excursion a few years back, visiting with your Dad, where we went from Oakland to Sacto to Lathrop to San Jose, where YOU got on, there were a number of retired COOKS and WAITERS that the SP evidently brought out of retirement to help serve food to all the special guests.
To your knowledge, are any of these gentlemen still living or used on specials in any capacity ??
One that my wife and I met knew my grandfather, years earlier, in West Oakland. I thought THAT was kind of special!!
Thanks for replying...

"Key Route Ken"...

Actually Mike, as my memory serves me correctly, I do have a little booket from 1975 put out by your former commissary boss. It tells attendants how to serve guests on business cars and set the table. For the chefs, suggested menus. Somehow having Krebs himself select the wine list doesn't surprise me in the least.

mdo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> WAF Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Do you have a menu to post for us, i.e. an
> example
> > of the standard bill of fare for guests?
>
> . My second Commisary
> Manager, Robert Andrade, still works on some of
> the UP cars as a contract chef. The last time
> that I was on the Stanford, he was the chef (An
> inspection trip over the CCT last year)
>
> mdo


Robert frequently works for Burt Hermey and Al Bishop who own the Silver Lariat. Robert was our chef when we chartered the Lariat for our 40th anniversary as well as when Huell Howser filmed aboard the Lariat for the California's Gold CZ program in '95. Some incredibly fabulous food came from that tiny galley. Also, Norman Bradley, age 86, is still serving the food on Lariat charters.
C.

Carol Voss
Bakersfield, CA

I think the SP commissary had a open account at the Piedmont Market at 40th Street and Piedmont Ave in Oakland. This Market is probably the most expensive market to shop at in the east bay. The Housewife's market on 11th street would have been cheaper and a lot closer to the coach yard...??

KeyRouteKen Wrote:
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> Mike--
> During your stint as Western Division
> Superintendent, did the Commisary Dept folks ever
> have "famous" old time SP items on the business
> car menu such as their "Salad Bowl" with thousand
> island dressing or their fantastic "Raisin Bread",
> or were the food items all modern day stuff ??

Most of the chefs had one or more specialties that they served frequently. One or more were excellent pastry chefs.
However, I do not recall any of the items from the old SP dining cars. This does not mean that those old recepies weren't used. I just could not identify them.
The SP dining cars were almost all gone by the time I started with the SP.


> Also, when I rode the Kite Route TALGO train
> excursion a few years back,, there were
> a number of retired COOKS and WAITERS that the SP
> evidently brought out of retirement to help serve
> food to all the special guests.

Yes, we frequently employed them as contractors, as long as they were willing and able to travel. Most of these men worked in the diner on the business trains such as the one you rode. They also worked the Super Bowl Specials that SP operated up through the early 1990s


> To your knowledge, are any of these gentlemen
> still living or used on specials in any capacity

See Carol 's post two below re Norman Bradley... Isaw him last year on the Car Stanford on the CCT inspection train.

mdo

350 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think the SP commissary had a open account at
> the Piedmont Market at 40th Street and Piedmont
> Ave in Oakland. This Market is probably the most
> expensive market to shop at in the east bay. The
> Housewife's market on 11th street would have been
> cheaper and a lot closer to the coach yard...??


The answers are yes, yes, and yes.

Actually, I think that the Commissary did some shopping at both markets.

Mike,
Didn't the SP have a meat supplier on 24 hour call in SF? Like if a hook was called out anywhere on the system?

I was the Fireman on the hospital train taking the busted units from the Tunnel 7 wreck from Margarita to Wat. Jct. We were stuck for a few hours while they got everything ready to go so the hoghead sent me to the diner on the relief outfit for coffee. The Chef gave me the coffee in an old Daylight Silver pot with the Ball & wings on the lid. The 2 coffee cups had the Sunset Herald on them. Charlie & I were both "thinking" about these items, just before we pulled, when the Chef came through the door asking for his items back. Later that day, in the hole at San Ardo for trains, we went back to have lunch and what a feed. All the steak & food you could eat. That's when I found out the "Chef" was a carman from Wat. Jct. where the hook was stored at the time. He was the one that said the meat and food came from SF. All the china, silver, etc were from the SP diners.

I had a lot of free meals over the years on the old "Safety Diner" that they would spot for a few days at SLO and Wat Jct. and other trips with the hook.

Would love to know what happened to all that "Stuff".


Nudge

I've heard rumors to such its at the bottom of SF Bay.

spnudge Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> for coffee. The Chef gave me the coffee in an old
> Daylight Silver pot with the Ball & wings on the
> lid. The 2 coffee cups had the Sunset Herald on
> them. Charlie & I were both "thinking" about these
> items, just before we pulled, when the Chef came
> through the door asking for his items back.

Do the Sunset and Stanford have the old SP China on board today?
Dave
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/attachments/fullsize/129000/SP_150_from_rear_at_Secret_Town_Nov._1974......04.JPG

Old SP china under UP control? Probably has UP china now.

dmaffei Wrote:
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> Do the Sunset and Stanford have the old SP China
> on board today?

I didn't see the china, but the silver is all original SP. The neatest pieces are the ones with the car name stamped or engraved on them. The linens are also custom, so the napkins in the Sunset have a speedball Daylight type logo with the name Sunset.

Strange they would keep the SP stuff..

Like I said, I didn't see the china (UP uses the Winged Streamliner pattern in general) so don't know what they've done there. The silver pieces though were all one of a kind things, and I doubt even UP has a bottomless stock of old UP silver.

Waybiller Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> dmaffei Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Do the Sunset and Stanford have the old SP
> China
> > on board today?
>
> I didn't see the china, but the silver is all
> original SP.
This is what I heard. I heard the China was locked up someplace as well.
Should all be in a museum as a part of history...
Dave

dmaffei Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Waybiller Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > dmaffei Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Do the Sunset and Stanford have the old SP
> > China
> > > on board today?
> >
> > I didn't see the china, but the silver is all
> > original SP.
> This is what I heard. I heard the China was locked
> up someplace as well.
> Should all be in a museum as a part of history...
> Dave

In many ways it IS in a museum. If you tried to tamper with, pilfer, or otherwise nick, scuff, or disrespect the Sunset (and ESPECIALLY the Stanford) then I am quite sure Mr. Andrade would make sure you wound up on the bottom of San Francisco Bay. I can't think of any safer place for these artifacts to be than on these cars.