by Idiot Railfan
The thread about remembering Sept. 11 seemed to be going in this direction.
JT and others discussed the bond that develops between conductors (for this topic I put conductors, trainmen, collectors, asst. conductors together as "conductors") and their passengers. As the son of a retired conductor and the brother of an active conductor, I could tell a million stories. When I was married more than a few years ago, my father of course invited a bunch of his railroad buddies, but there were a few long-time commuters as well.
But what I remember most was when my dad retired. I mentioned in another thread the send-off from Hoboken that evening, but just as touching was the party we had a few nights later. A lot of his passengers came out, and I remember the Wall Street gazillionaires slinging the hash in the American Legion Hall kitchen alongside the guys from the car wash who rode the same train. One of the Wall Streeters told me how he would never forget how kind my father was to him back when he was starting out. He might have been a Master of the Universe today, but there was a time not all that long before when he had to pick between his monthly ticket and baby food. My dad just winked at him and said "just open your wallet and pretend you're showing me something."
Same thing with the guys from the car wash. The got on the train cold and wet with just a few dollars in their pockets, most of which was going to be sent home to their families. My dad didn't have the heart to take money from them. So he might have deprived the railroad of some revenue (and he's retired now anyway, so I can talk about it) but he didn't profit himself, other than the good feeling he got from throwing one over the plate to somebody who needed a little break.
What always impressed me about riding the train was how there are no rank insignias. The Wall Street barons, the car wash guys, the conductors and the regular working stiffs all mingle together on the train and have a beer or two or six.
I like riding the train to work!
JT and others discussed the bond that develops between conductors (for this topic I put conductors, trainmen, collectors, asst. conductors together as "conductors") and their passengers. As the son of a retired conductor and the brother of an active conductor, I could tell a million stories. When I was married more than a few years ago, my father of course invited a bunch of his railroad buddies, but there were a few long-time commuters as well.
But what I remember most was when my dad retired. I mentioned in another thread the send-off from Hoboken that evening, but just as touching was the party we had a few nights later. A lot of his passengers came out, and I remember the Wall Street gazillionaires slinging the hash in the American Legion Hall kitchen alongside the guys from the car wash who rode the same train. One of the Wall Streeters told me how he would never forget how kind my father was to him back when he was starting out. He might have been a Master of the Universe today, but there was a time not all that long before when he had to pick between his monthly ticket and baby food. My dad just winked at him and said "just open your wallet and pretend you're showing me something."
Same thing with the guys from the car wash. The got on the train cold and wet with just a few dollars in their pockets, most of which was going to be sent home to their families. My dad didn't have the heart to take money from them. So he might have deprived the railroad of some revenue (and he's retired now anyway, so I can talk about it) but he didn't profit himself, other than the good feeling he got from throwing one over the plate to somebody who needed a little break.
What always impressed me about riding the train was how there are no rank insignias. The Wall Street barons, the car wash guys, the conductors and the regular working stiffs all mingle together on the train and have a beer or two or six.
I like riding the train to work!
"But Dad. It's Smokey!"
