Railroaders' Nostalgia > Parachute Perry

Back in the mid-80's I was working for the UPRR in the Los Angeles service unit. We were so short of engineers that the mighty UPRR granted a 'bounty' a.k.a. 'transfer allowance' on those engineers willing to transfer to Los Angeles. As you'd expect, the dregs of the UP system were the ONLY ones who would give up their seniority (for money) and start fresh in California (Los Angeles). One of these guys was from Wyoming by the moniker of "Parachute Perry". Seems this engineer was at track speed and came upon a cut that was filled with tumbleweeds. Thinking that the cut was impassable, he put the train in emergency and jumped out the engineer's side window THUS parachuting. Well, I've come across a few engineers that were beneath contempt in my 32 year career and Fred was on of them. He proved himself when he got caught speeding with me as his fireman and promised me that he had the power to blackball me from the union if I didn't lie about it too. Well, all these years ago and I'm still a member of the engineer's union and in good standing. And Fred, who knows?

My lips are sealed.

Have fun, be safe,
Bruce "Doc" Jones
Sierra Madre CA

I saw Fred on a 3751 San Diego trip a few years back. He told me he now lived in Brazil.There was a rumor running around the UP at that time that he had passed away.I asked Roland Fogarty about it and he said it wasn't true and I saw Fred soon after that.I spent too much "Quality Time" working with Fred also. Gyralight took me along with him to work as the conductor on the westbound UP3985 Democratic Convention trip in August of 2000 .Upon checking into the Holiday Inn at Barstow,Ca, Steve Lee came up to me and asked if I knew Fred. I said I did and he said." Let me tell you some Fred C Perry stories".A while later another steam crew member did the same thing.The next morning at the little breakfast area at the hotel crew members wives asked me if I knew him and more stories were told. I must have heard 30 stories all of them different about his days in Wyoming. Fred was one of a kind. I have quite a few stories of my own just like any other UP employee.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/12 22:46 by Fredo.

the last time I saw Parachute was several years ago before he retired. Only met him a few times.. being a former SP Employee.. His reputation was known in the SP circle. He was telling several of us that he was going to move to Brazil and be the head of the entire National Railroad of Brazil... I thought to myself hmmm.. great promotion from the engineers' extra board to the head of a National Railroad. The B.S. meter was working overtime...

Ha, ha, ha! There's a name from the past. I worked with Fred many times. Yep, my B.S. meter was always pegged in the red zone when he was blathering on about something. The story I heard about how he came to obtain his nickname was a bit different. Same result though.

I remember some time in the early 1990s UP gave all of us in train service a video about "sleep management" and one segment in the video was a couple minutes of an "interview" with Fred going on about something or other. Damned near put me to sleep. ;-)

trainjunkie Wrote:
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> I remember some time in the early 1990s UP gave
> all of us in train service a video about "sleep
> management" and one segment in the video was a
> couple minutes of an "interview" with Fred going
> on about something or other. Damned near put me to
> sleep. ;-)


Mike I still have that tape somewhere. It was produced by the Burlington Northern not the UP.Speaking of video tapes I recorded the UP844 and SP4449 coming into LAUPT for the 50Th anniversary off my TV and there was Fred talking to the news reporter and he told the reporter," I remember being in the service and coming home on that one and going back on that one",as he pointed to each locomotive.

Reminds me of Honest Jack, a switchman in West Oakland.

Fredo Wrote:
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> Mike I still have that tape somewhere. It was
> produced by the Burlington Northern not the
> UP.

FF,

Possibly. I recall it had a UP label on the case but I don't recall who actually produced it. All I remember is how angry watching it made me. The video told us all about everything we already knew about sleep deprivation. Hell, we were living it. We didn't need "experts" to tell us what it was like.

It went into the RR lifestyle, sleep cycles, circadian rhythm, etc., but offered no solutions whatsoever. Another clear case of the carrier trying to cover their butts by being able to claim they made an effort to "educate" us on sleep deprivation, but offering no solutions whatsoever. This was long before the "Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008". Better line-ups would have been way more useful to us extra boarders. But of course, that was too much to ask.

I too have this video somewhere. I should try to find it and get it converted to DVD just for $hit$ and giggles.

I heard another one of his nicknames was "Peckerhead Fred"... and I have heard a few about him... some I know to be FACT some I don't know.

trainjunkie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Ha, ha, ha! There's a name from the past. I worked
> with Fred many times. Yep, my B.S. meter was
> always pegged in the red zone when he was
> blathering on about something. The story I heard
> about how he came to obtain his nickname was a bit
> different. Same result though.
>
> I remember some time in the early 1990s UP gave
> all of us in train service a video about "sleep
> management" and one segment in the video was a
> couple minutes of an "interview" with Fred going
> on about something or other. Damned near put me to
> sleep. ;-)



I heard he got his name.. because as a kid (think he was born an old head) he used to train surf and ride the side ladders of trains down the maintrack,, and then jump off.. therefore the name stuck....

This thread could be expanded to another legendary, former (I think) UP hoghead out of Los Angeles, who also had a most unfortunate nickname.

tehachcond Wrote:
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> This thread could be expanded to another
> legendary, former (I think) UP hoghead out of Los
> Angeles, who also had a most unfortunate nickname.


Who is that Brian ???

As of yet nobody has posted any stories about "Cat Man" who worked for the SP in the LA Basin.

And, what, no "Booger" stories? Has to be a T-bone meet with a potato truck story out there somewhere. And I always wondered if anybody got a picture of that poor cactus at Yuma. Heard 'ol Brett was PISSED!

Of course there is always Paul McGuffin's "Baker's Run" at Pepper St to talk about...



Allen



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/12 18:02 by bradleymckay.

bradleymckay Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As of yet nobody has posted any stories about "Cat
> Man" who worked for the SP in the LA Basin.
>
> And, what, no "Booger" stories? Has to be a
> T-bone meet with a potato truck story out there
> somewhere. And I always wondered if anybody got a
> picture of that poor cactus at Yuma. Heard 'ol
> Brett was PISSED!
>
> Of course there is always Paul McGuffin's "Baker's
> Run" at Pepper St to talk about...
>
>
>
> Allen


I think Booger stories have been covered..???? Don't think Catman stories have been written as of yet...

I met Fred at the Pacific Southwest Railroad Museum in Campo
while we were restoring ex SP 2353! He came in with lots of stories
about growing up along the El Cajon branch of the SD&AE, riding with
the crews and helping out in the shop!

One story that stands out in my mind is not from Fred, but about Fred.
After the 2353 restoration was complete, Fred was the engineer on the
2353, pulling the train up to Miller Creek and back.

On the return trip to Campo, crossing State Highway 94, Fred's hat blew
off and out the cab window. Instead of getting on the radio and calling the
crew on the fire protection motorcar, he brings the train to a quick stop,
bails out to retrieve his own hat.

Unfortunately, due to one of the Museum "Experts" changing the SOP for the
fire protection motorcar,(from following the train at 1/4 to 1/2 mile, it
was changed to allow the motorcar to tuck in behind the train while crossing
the Hwy 94 crossing while the gates were down)the operator wasn't paying to
much attention to the train in front of him, ran right into the rear of the
train!
He had to be cut out of the remains of the motorcar with major injuries!!

The good part was he fully recovered from his injuries and is still a member.

The bad part was Fred was penalized for his actions, which was appropriate,
but neither the motorcar operator or the "Expert" responsible for wrongfully
changing the SOP were penalized in anyway!!

Volunteer politics at its best!!

The last time I talked to Fred, he was calling from South America, telling us
he was working with a RR down there that was still operating steam and he was
their chief consultant!!

Mike

The only 'booger' story I ever heard was when he got off a UP train at a siding on a mission to get something to eat. In the darkness, he slipped and fell down a deep concrete drainage ditch and had left his lantern, so no one could see him or hear his call for help. The rails, in their usual kind, benevolent nature renamed the canal in his honor thereby proclaiming it 'Booger Creek.'

Posted from iPhone

As Getting Lots of Cash used to say, Oh Mah!.

When Fred Perry came to L.A. from Wyoming I had already started my student trips as an engineer and the day we started was our engineer seniority date. Fred was put behind the 5 guys in my engineer class and put up such a fuss with the union being he was an already "qualified" (I use that term loosely) engineer, that they ended up placing him ahead of me on the roster which haunted me until the day he retired. Every time I was able to hold a local or even the L.A. Basin pool, he would come along and bump me.

When Fred was on the L.A. basin pool he was always sharp shooting for hot shot trains or an early quit. He almost got himself fire for stealing time when he went to the hotel in Long Beach (CA.). He would get a train out of the hotel back to West Colton and would take the Renzenberger shuttle van back to Long Beach and tie up to stay on continuous held away (penalty pay for being held at the away from home terminal after 16 hours). He got caught doing it for the umpteenth time and from what I understand, he had to pay over 5 figures back to the UP and was able to keep his job.-BMT

EtoinShrdlu Wrote:
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> Reminds me of Honest Jack, a switchman in West
> Oakland.
Or the hoghead Farty Crack of W.O. who was also known beyond the SP.

Yep, all of this sounds like good ole Fred. I made a mistake once letting him run the 844 while I was the engineer but we won't get into that. Enjoy the stories.

Bob Krieger
Cheyenne, WY