Railroaders' Nostalgia > Starting my RR career on the Santa Fe

Here are a couple more “scene” shots from the Tony Fey collection, which I’m now the ‘caretaker’ of. Tony was doubtless recording these structures for general railfan posterity. I’m sure he didn’t know how precious they would be to yours truly. Image #1 is where this brand-new Santa Fe employee attended the week-long switchman-brakeman classes in May of 1978. I have many good memories from those classes. The excitement this die-hard railfan experienced at hiring on with my favorite RR was off the chart!

1. AT&SF Newton freighthouse at N Ash & W 4th Streets. This structure was long past being a real freighthouse when I hired on in 1978. And by 1989 I’m quite certain its days were numbered. I don’t exactly know when it happened, but this is now a vacant lot... :^(
Photo taken December 21, 1989 in Newton, KS.

2. I originally thought I was hiring right onto the brakeman’s extra board at Emporia, where my wife & I chose to live after moving down from Manhattan. But upon establishing my seniority date (6-6-78) the SFe brass decided I needed to work the switchman’s extra board in Wichita until they could get a few more hands hired. So I rented a $10/week basement bedroom in Wichita from an elderly lady whose name I cannot remember. And I worked as a switchman for the first 11 days of my new RR career. Tony got a great shot here of the North Wichita yard office, just like I remember it.
Photo taken April 16, 1973 in Wichita, KS (just over 5 years before I would start my RR career here).

Thanks Tony, these 2 slides are near & dear to my railfan heart!
Lance Garrels
santafe199
Remembering the late Tony Fey, aka ‘mopacrr’

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North Wichita,  my seniority date was 6/13/73 I think and when I first started and that building was full of people.  John Nufer was general yardmaster, then the regular yardmaster, an operator, a crew clerk, demeurrage(?) clerk, and I think two others as well.   3 daylight jobs, 3 afternoon jobs and 3 night jobs plus swing jobs to protect the days off of those positions.  A large collection of personalities infested that place as well.  Some were WW2 vets with problems from that conflict and a handful were decent people. a few were not though.  

OK kid, here you go....Switch key...Lantern...Operating and Safety Rule Books...Timetable (or "timetables", as appropriate)...Here's a list of the addresses of the on duty locations you'll be protecting.

You are now marked up. Get your rest, because you're five times out with eleven holes showing. Welcome to the railroad.  😎

 

RetiredHogger Wrote: ... OK kid, here you go ..................................................................................... Welcome to the railroad ... 

Yep, you NAILED it!

😎

No lie!

Regards

Posted from iPhone

I hired out the Summer of 1973 on the Plains Division for the summer wheat rush.  I got called for a Rago turn out Wichita one morning and our Plains Division crew met at the Roundhouse and we were inspecing our waycar that was ready to be placed on the rear of our covered hopper train and our Conductor found some issue with the waycar that he was going to refuse to take it.  He called the on-duty Yardmaster about the issue.  We were told someone would come out to check on it.  John Nufer the forementioned General Yardmaster came out, introduced himself to the crew and asked what the problem was, the conductor told him and said we need another waycar.  John proceeded to tell him why he would be taking the waycar and the Conductor politely told John, we don't do things that way on the Plains Division.  John turned purple and we got another waycar for our train.

In 1977 I hired out again as a brakeman/switchman on the Middle Division and spent many a shift at North Wichita switching and working with the cast of characters working as yardmasters and engine foremen.  Charcters like Liver Lips Turner, Crazy Eddie Bauer, the Hutchinson Brothers, and more.

atsfer, you hired out 10 days ahead of me. I was in Savannah, on the SCL. Had about the same training. It doesn't seem like 51 years ago. What I always told newhires, when you are at the the top of the miuntain looking down it doesn't look too high. When you are at the bottom looking up it seems to touch the sky.

Sam 

 

On the Santa Fe did you have to write the rulebook before marking up? We did on the L&N.
Steve

Yes, you had to sit down and read the entire rule book and then basically do copy work on a worksheet answering questions in an open book format.  Seemed strange but I guess they wanted you to be a least a little acquainted with everything in it.

ln844south Wrote: > ... did you have to write the rulebook before marking up?

As atsfer said, we certainly did. And I've no doubt the purpose was to at least get our eyes thoroughly acquainted with the rule book as much as it was to teach us "the rules". Making us actually read the rule book was a step in the right direction. And they were right! I was renting a room in Newton during those swithcman/brakeman classes. And I spent my nights writing the book. And writing the book. And writing the book. And writing the book. And ........ well, you get the idea! One I night took a break, got my camera & tripod and walked over to the passenger station area because Amtrak #16, the Lone Star was due: ( Stormy future for the Lone Star? (trainorders.com) )

For some forgotten reason all I had in the camera was B/W film..... 

Lance/199



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/08/24 04:18 by santafe199.