Uniform Question

Hi! I'm new as you can tell, in so many was, start officially on the trains this May 13th & get a mentor in just a few weeks.

Well, no, we haven't recieved our uniforms yet (what else is new) but as a woman, I was wondering about the red ties. They looked burgandy to me and our jackets have cherry red stripes. This fashion faux paux is driving me nuts but isn't bothering anyone else in the class of course.

Those of you already wearing the uniform, does it make a difference? Is it so far away that you don't even realize it? I know, I've got more important things to worry about like reviewing my signals, buzzers and the like but this has been bugging me.......

Nice site! Never took an interest in trains until this whole Asst. Conductor process. Should be most interesting......

Also, do you all pack a whole lunch or just get something as you're going along. Is there even time? I assume their must be as I'm sure I'll be getting everyone's coffee as the new guy........

Congrats ACP! I spoke with you on the "other" forum.

As a bit of levity, you can fit several cans of beer in your metal fusee/flag shoulder holder.

Just kidding . . . but it's been done.

If you should be interested in the history of LIRR uniforms past and present, I've put a page together on my website.

Check it out at:
http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirrphotos/ ... lution.htm

I've got some edits in the works and a new badge scan to add and hopefully it will be completed within the week when my web guy and friend and co-author, Steve Lynch can get the time to make the changes.

Check it out in the meantime, however and do well on the job! Be safe! Don't step on any third rails!!!!! The color of your tie will become a moot point.

Dave

I see my page has already been edited by Steve.

If ANYONE has EXACT dating on the tall badge with logo and 5-digit IBM number AND the same style, replacement badge with the 4-digit "uniform" number, please let me know.

These dates are NOT accurate.

Dave

ACP, i prefer the Navy Blue Tie with the white striped shirt, i think that looks sharp, esp when you add the sweater vest and the male conductors hat (which type of hat did you choose? male or female). i've noticed on the trains that even most of the female conductors prefer to wear the mens hat, the females hat reminds me to much of a flight attendent.
you didn't get the tacky clip on tie did you? (although personally, i'm kinda surprised that they don't mandate clip on ties-for safety reasons. if your clip on tie gets caught in something it will just rip off, if its a normal tie, you'll be dragged and choked along with it. oh well, when it does happen then they will add it to the safety rules.)

The ladies' hats are very reminiscent of those worn by female train crews during WWII.

They're also reminiscent of female military hats of years past (WAVES, WACs, etc.)

The male style hat is more a protection to the head due to the stiff construction of the sides, in the event of a downward-dropped object, or a collision where one is propelled head-first against a bulkhead.

A trainman in the 1950 Richmond Hill wreck attributed his surviving the crash due to the construction of his uniform cap. Upon impact, he was flung upwards and smashed his head against the ceiling of the car, knocking him out cold and crushing his hat but saving his head and his life.

Dave

Yeah The Hat saved me from head injury once. I was climbing up on a powerpack a few years ago, I think it was 605. As I got to the doorway on the engineers side, I stood straight up, and hit my head on the door frame. I am 5 11 and trust me when I tell you this, the door frame was shorter then that. The hat took much of the hit and collapsed, and I was not injured

When I was a young engineer, the conductor had a gold hat badge and the brakeman had a silver one. I think that they should return to this because its a badge of rank and achievement and shows that the bearer passed some pretty tough exams to wear it.

bodhisattva

bodhisattva wrote:When I was a young engineer, the conductor had a gold hat badge and the brakeman had a silver one. I think that they should return to this because its a badge of rank and achievement and shows that the bearer passed some pretty tough exams to wear it.

bodhisattva

I like the idea, however, I think there is one distinct drawback: if you are an irate passenger, who are you going to go yell at, the guy with the gold badge or the guy with the silver one? Seems like in certain situations the conductor would practically be wearing a bullseye on his head!

And why not?

He's the boss.

Ever been a boss? I have. And I dealt with customers at that time. Customers don't want to talk to just anyone. They want to talk to a boss. If they don't get satisfaction from you, then they want to talk to YOUR boss.

You can’t get away by equating it with officers in WWII painting out their bars on their helmets and removing lapel insignia as the Japanese soldiers always targeted officers first! “Kill the head and the body falls to pieces.”

If you look at my "Uniform Cap Badge Evolution" you will clearly see where, starting in 1923, Conductors got the gold-toned (brass) badge along with gold-toned (brass) buttons (as did "Stationmaster"). All others got nickle plated.

This policy stopped during the era of the Postman Gray uniforms and the early badges issued during the MTA take-over. All badges were nickle, until you got to the wider (taller) MTA badges when Conductor was again distinguished by a gold-tone.

Now . . . going back in time, while everyone began to wear nickle plated badges sometime into the early years of Pennsy ownership (c. 1908) conductors had gold-toned (brass) BUTTONS while everyone else had silver-toned (nickle) ones. Their badges didn't follow suit until 1923, as mentioned above.

Fascinating . . .

Also see my LIRR Button Evolution:
http://www.trainsarefun.com/lirrphotos/ ... lution.htm


Dave

Sorry . . I ment to post that the conductors had brass buttons going back to the 1880s and INTO the era of Pennsy ownership while others wore nickle plated.

Dave

Not to defend irate passengers who want someone to yell at, but isn't the conductor the "captain" of the train? In other words, if you want the privileges and the respect that goes with the rank, you also have to take the responsibility of dealing with your "customers" directly. If a brakeman or AC screwed up, you should take the heat, and deal with him or her later (or do union rules forbid that?).

Ocala Mike wrote:In other words, if you want the privileges and the respect that goes with the rank, you also have to take the responsibility of dealing with your "customers" directly.

That's a fair point, the only thing I would say to the contrary is that in my experience, most passengers are not complaining about the actions of the crew or anything of the sort, but rather about things beyond the crews' control, like late trains and missed connections. However, you definitely have a good point in that with more power ought to come more responsibility.

Bodhisattva, that is quite a compliment you paid to our Conductors. Getting that badge is definately an indicator that the person passed some very tough testing and earned it. They go through a lot to get it.

It's like us when we get our license. It means that we earned it as well and nobody but our boss, the Road Foremen, can tell us how to do our job. I remember when I was first set up, it was a great feeling to be alone on an engine and it was like..the railroad gives you a locomotive to play with and it's yours and nobody can tell you what to do with it, except maybe a Road Foreman. It was a really good feeling and I miss loving the job that much.

Customers.....BLAHHH they are Passengers, it is a passenger train, not a customer train, they are passenger stations, not customer stations..geez 1984 has come true with "newspeak" BLAHHHHHHHH

And . . . as one retired trainman once told me, there was another trainman with whom he worked, who, when complained to by a female rider that the cars were absolutely filthy, responded:

"Well, lady, pig pens are clean before the pigs are put into them!"

Leaving the female rider standing speechless with her mouth open . . .

Ya gotta luv it!

Dave

P.S. You don't like it, take your car! DK