Railroaders' Nostalgia > SP Roseville Division Engineer P M Bentley

Just received the bad news that Phil Bentley passed. 
As well as being an excellent engineer, a trip with Phil was never dull, as Phil was a great actor.  He would scare a new student into staying awake on a night trip by acting gay, and telling the student that he would kiss him to wake him up if he fell asleep.
I don't know how none of us got into trouble on the UP for sexual harrassment for walking up and patting him on the butt and saying HI in a high voice.
G

I remember a trip on the Valley Sub with Phil  off the extra board on the hated MRVHK. On duty usually 2345-2359, all nighter to Dunsmuir. As usual we went in the hole for #11 & 14 and everything else it seemed like. We finally get past Red Bulff and we go in the hole at Blunt and it's now around 8 am and we both kick our feet up and pass out. 

Evidently, the dispatcher lined us out after one went by. We were out cold and never heard the first south man, the morning dispatcher must have figured we needed some extra rest and ran another southbound by us. This time the following crew came on the radio and awoke us from our slumber saying the the dispatcher was trying to get ahold of us. 

When we got ahold of the dispatcher, he asked "you guys ready to go now" Phil comes on the radio says something along the lines of "yep I just needed to cuddle with my conductor" his stories made the runs go by quicker... High Greens Phil you can go over 40MPH now.
 

That's funny..., I have heard of a lot of ways to prevent guys sleeping but that's a new one.  

As we lovingly called him "Far out Phil". I swapped many a train from him both off the mountain or a southbound out of Dunsmuir. Asking about the speedometer and the power you just never knew what would come out of Phil's mouth. I can guarantee it was usually pretty damn funny however!

I remember him.  I forget the circumstances, but several Roseville engineers, him included, came to Los Angeles to work between LA and Bakersfield back in the 90's.  He started that gay act, and I looked at him and said, "What are the odds of two of being on a crew at the same time?"  The brakeman about fell out of his seat laughing.
RIP Brother.

Brian Black
Castle Rock, CO

Sorry tp hear the sad news.Sometimes the sleeping worked in your favor ,while asleep the same old boring stories were not told again. RIP. Bill Webb