Railroaders' Nostalgia > Not a Smart Way to Get Reinstated.

Retired SP/UP Los Angeles-San Joaquin conductor here.  This story was told to me on a caboose one night by my conductor who used to be the Local Chairman for ther old ORC&B on the Los Angeles-Bakersfield territory.
There was a conductor who had been fired for Rule G, and after a suitable time, the superintendent agreed to reinstate him.  This was way before the days where A Rule Ger would have had to go through Rehab, AKA "The Charm school.'  At the time, it was customary for there to be a meeting between the super, the Local Chairman, and the person coming back to work.  On the morning of the meeting, at the appointed time, there was no sign of Mr. Rule G.
Suddenly, the office door crashed open, and there he was, roaring drunk!  The secretary tried to stop him, but he stormed in to the superintendent's office, snarling, "By God, I can work as well drunk or sober!  The Southern Pacific isn't going to control my lifestyle!
As you can imagine, that was the shortest reinstatement record in history.  Afterwards, he hung around Bakersfield for awhile bumming a few dollars off the other rails, and then he simply disappeared.

Brian Black
Castle Rock, CO

Great story. Alcohol has always seemed to generate actions that would have been better left undone.

I worked for the SP in Oakland, CA. My next door neighbor's brother-in-law was a brakeman for the Santa Fe in Bakersfield. I had heard of him having a problem with alcohol on the railroad but I had only met him briefly and had never discussed it. I never saw him again until the neighbor's daughter had a nice church wedding one Saturday afternoon, followed by an even nicer, formal reception. The punch was spiked and as I was having my one glass limit and milling about the guests, I spotted Mr. Santa Fe who did not remember me. He was enjoying the punch too, as I walked up to him and with no introduction asked "Is that a Rule G violation?" I thought he was going to have a heart attack from the look of pure panic on his face. I assured him I was not with the ATSF or checking on him, so he should enjoy the occasion. My wife and I left for home soon after.   

Westbound Wrote:
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> Great story. Alcohol has always seemed to generate
> actions that would have been better left undone.
>
> I worked for the SP in Oakland, CA. My next door
> neighbor's brother-in-law was a brakeman for the
> Santa Fe in Bakersfield. I had heard of him having
> a problem with alcohol on the railroad but I had
> only met him briefly and had never discussed it. I
> never saw him again until the neighbor's daughter
> had a nice church wedding one Saturday afternoon,
> followed by an even nicer, formal reception. The
> punch was spiked and as I was having my one glass
> limit and milling about the guests, I spotted Mr.
> Santa Fe who did not remember me. He was enjoying
> the punch too, as I walked up to him and with no
> introduction asked "Is that a Rule G violation?" I
> thought he was going to have a heart attack from
> the look of pure panic on his face. I assured him
> I was not with the ATSF or checking on him, so he
> should enjoy the occasion. My wife and I left for
> home soon after.   

Now that story deserves a post of its own! About spilled my beer laughing so hard.
Rule G police, stand down! I’m retired!

Brian

Posted from iPhone

tehachcond Wrote:
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> Rehab, AKA "The Charm school.' 

"Camp Snoopy" where I work. LOL

trainjunkie Wrote:
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> tehachcond Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Rehab, AKA "The Charm school.' 
>
> "Camp Snoopy" where I work. LOL

Hm, hadn't heard that one.  Whick road is that?

Brian

On CP. we called it the "Spin Dry".

Bernice was a member of the Clerks union and worked in Southern Pacific's General Office in San Francisco where she eventually was promoted to an exempt clerical position, where I first met her. She had a history with alcohol, but because her department head had his own history she got away with drinking before work and on the job. Then the day came when he retired and she had a new boss who took Rule G seriously. Bernice was called on the carpet and told she would never again show up for work under the influence or drink on the job.. She was good for a few days, then fell back to her old ways which resulted in her being advised she was suspended until she completed the dry out program at her own expense.

A male officer friend of mine worked in the same department and had a similar history of alcohol. They both entered the rehabilitation program which he successfully completed. Bernice only lasted a few days before she succumbed to the siren call of the drink which resulted in her firing from Southern Pacific. But that was not the end of her career with the railroad. She had faithfully paid clerks union dues for years, so exercised her seniority in Oakland. She began working in the Engineering department on the Western Division. Her desk faced a busy aisle so I often saw her there during the few weeks she remained. Early one morning I walked past her desk and was completely unprepared for what I thought I smelled: strong cheap mens aftershave. It took a minute before I realized the smell was wine, so strong that it was coming out her pores. The next day, a bright new face had taken her position and I never saw Bernice again. 

While working out of Palmdale on the CTC project in 1979, our BRS local chaiman would show up with a snootfull from time to time. Then there was the trainmaster and RFE that would hide out on the backside of Mojave yard and get plastered. Funny how they never got caught and always had an excuse for the other guy.

SP4360 Wrote:
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> While working out of Palmdale on the CTC project
> in 1979, our BRS local chaiman would show up with
> a snootfull from time to time. Then there was the
> trainmaster and RFE that would hide out on the
> backside of Mojave yard and get plastered. Funny
> how they never got caught and always had an excuse
> for the other guy.

Must of been wally and Barfly Bob..

Posted from Android

Brian was it jolly Raleigh?

Posted from Android

Yes it was, the 2 clowns of the Mojave circus.

SanJoaquinEngr Wrote:
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> SP4360 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > While working out of Palmdale on the CTC
> project
> > in 1979, our BRS local chaiman would show up
> with
> > a snootfull from time to time. Then there was
> the
> > trainmaster and RFE that would hide out on the
> > backside of Mojave yard and get plastered.
> Funny
> > how they never got caught and always had an
> excuse
> > for the other guy.
>
> Must of been wally and Barfly Bob..
>
> Posted from Android

Those are tough challenges that I wish we had better results or a higher success rate. Bill Webb

This is from my interview of a Wabash Conductor friend for my book (out of print). It took place at the Wabash Divison Point at Montpelier, Ohio many years ago.

"Though he has passed on, I don’t mention the full name of this character to protect the innocent. Perhaps someone knows who I am talking about? Conductor Pat so-and-so had a problem with going to work after having had a few drinks. He was such a happy-go-lucky guy that when he would get a few drinks in him he wouldn’t bother anybody anyway. (If he had been an engineer he wouldn’t have gotten away with that.) So one day he was called for the Chicago Ninety-One in the middle of the afternoon between three and four o’clock, and being in the afternoon, he’d probably been up town and had few drinks. Two Ninety-Ones came out of Detroit into Montpelier at the same time and usually the mainline one (to St. Louis) was first and the Chicago Ninety-One via the Fourth District would be next. They would almost always have a fill (added cars) at the west end of the yard and take the Detroit caboose off Chicago Ninety-One and put the Chicago caboose on.

Pat came down and signed the register to go to work, got his bills and figured he was getting on his caboose on the Chicago train. He just had time to grab a hold of the caboose as it went by. When he got on and went in, he noticed two guys on board and asked the guys on board, that he didn’t recognize, “What are you guys doing on here?!” (They knew Pat as everybody knew Pat.) They replied, “We’re going to Peru, Pat. You’re not going to Peru are you?” “No”, he said, “I’m going to Chicago. You guys better get off as we’re moving.” But they countered, “Pat, you are on the wrong train, your train is on number-one track.” “Well, good grief”, he said, “I guess I better get off. I want to go to Chicago.” Well, he got off the moving train and reportedly almost lost his footing and started back towards the east end of the yard. They had made an air test and everyone was on the head end having figured on picking him up on the rear end.

But they were really moving when he caught up with the train. Pat felt pretty bad about the whole thing, but no one said anything so I don’t think it got back to the officials and the trains were not delayed. (As a rule back then, the fellows pretty much protected their own.) A few years later Pat had an accident at Forty-Seventh Street in Chicago. He was standing on an embankment to relieve himself and lost his footing, falling down and breaking his leg. Pat was near retirement age, and I really don’t remember if he came back to work after that."

Copyright Victor Baird, Erstwhile Publications

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/08/25 15:28 by wabash2800.

Camp Snoopy on BNSF

SP4360 Wrote:
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> While working out of Palmdale on the CTC project
> in 1979, our BRS local chaiman would show up with
> a snootfull from time to time. Then there was the
> trainmaster and RFE that would hide out on the
> backside of Mojave yard and get plastered. Funny
> how they never got caught and always had an excuse
> for the other guy.

Everyone knew about these guys.  One night, we put a couple of cars on the ground at Mojave,  That trainmaster showed up so drunk, he couldn"t hit his butt with both hands.  How he drove there is beyond me.  He asked a couple of questions, and then snarled at me, "Clean up this mess!"
Didn't take us too long to frog them back on.  No track damage, no reports.

Brian

SanJoaquinEngr Wrote:
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> Brian was it jolly Raleigh?

No, the guys name was R.R. Minor.  This was probably before your time.  I think you're thinking of the time Jolly Raleigh" was icing down a six-pack (or more) of beer on his caboose at Mojave when Joe Neal got on the caboose, saw the beer, and asked Raleigh what he was going to do with it.
"I'm going to drink it, what the hell do you think I'm going to do with it!," was the answer.
Joe had no choice but to pull him out of service.  He was fired for a spell, but got back to work after a spell.

Brian
>
> Posted from Android

When I first hired out worked with Jolly. I was so new that I was never issued a stamp. Jolly had a cigar box full of rubber stamps and never wrote anything in ink on his time slip except his name. He asked me for my stamp and told him that I didn't have one. He had a conniption ! He yelled at me and said you ruined my whole timeslip.

Posted from Android

After the merger with the UP worked with a legendary brake man that was well known for his alcoholic antics. This person is still alive and will not divulge his real name. Those whom might know him will get a laugh. Lulu bell was his nickname. He was working at Commerce yard one night working as the field man taking a shove in the deep. I guess Lulu was partaking in a few beers and snorting nose candy. He was on the radio taking the shove and was looking at the wrong track in the dark. The cut of cars slammed into another track causing a derailment. The crew was tested and Lulu was positive for drugs and alcohol. He was out of service for 5 plus years. He finally was recalled and met with the superintendent on a friday. The superintendent told him will put you back to work on Monday pending a clean drug test. Over the weekend he had a party to celebrate his reinstatement. He did some drugs over the weekend. The test on Monday was positive and was fired for another 3 years. He went to charm school and ended up on my job.
Fast forward a few years and on a hot July day he was boozing at the switch nipping on his bottle. We had switched out 40 cars and were ready to depart. I started pulling the cars and felt a tug..I thought oh no. We had shoved thru the lead switch upon investigation had derailed 3 LPG cars. Again another drug test. Lulu blew hot on the test. He was fired again for a year. He was reinstated because his last rule G was just barely over 10 years since his last rule G. He finally retired.. Thank God..

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/12/25 09:39 by SanJoaquinEngr.

SanJoaquinEngr Wrote:
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> When I first hired out worked with Jolly. I was
> so new that I was never issued a stamp. Jolly had
> a cigar box full of rubber stamps and never wrote
> anything in ink on his time slip except his name.
> He asked me for my stamp and told him that I
> didn't have one. He had a conniption ! He yelled
> at me and said you ruined my whole timeslip.
>
> Posted from Android

For some reason, he took a liking to me.  He confessed to me he had only a third grade education.  He had hired out on the SP experienced off the Colorado & Southern out of Trinidad during the manpower shortage of World War II.
He was completely incapable of doing anything involving arthmetic.  The rear man had to figure the TPOB and whatnot.

Brian

Railroad39 Wrote:
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> On CP. we called it the "Spin Dry".

Heard that in Montana too.  BSB