This is another thread and story I posted on another watch forum. I thought you may like reading it.

-o0o-

For me it began way back on October 8th, 1965. That was the day, right after my 15th birthday, that I announced my intentions of one day becoming a railroad conductor. After my parents recovered my grandmother gave me enough money to buy a railroad watch.

I knew railwaymen used pocket watches, and I knew the watches they used had to be other than just a normal pocket watch, so we went into the Loop (Downtown Chicago) to a jewelr my parents knew. I bought a Waltham rr watch with a Montgomery dial.

On the railroad I would ride into the Loop (The Illinois Central Electric Suburban Service) I would make a point of comparing watches with some of the trainmen. I noticed that almost all of the watches they had, had boxcar numbered dials, and not Montgomerys. About the same time an edition of railroad Magazine came out with an article on the wreck at Kipton, and the watches that came from it. Pictured were several men and their watches. Not a one were Montgomery dials.

I thought something must be wrong and that I didn't have a completely standard rr watch. So I went to the santa Fe time inspector (Sam Linzur of Central Time, 5 South Wabash) and bought a Hamilton Railway Special that was slightly "kitbashed." The dial was a #121 Heavy Gothic melamine dial, the main part of the case was a model 11, the bezel was curled from a bad extraction, and the back was from a model "A" case. What did I know at age 15?

Then I noticed that some of the watches I was now paying closer attention to had a shinier dial and the numerals were quite thick. As time went on I discovered an Illinois Bunn Special that I had to have. Then I discovered the magic of pawn shops. Then I noticed the variety of cases.

I ended up working for 3 railroads as a brakeman, conductor, and engineman before becoming a full time illustrator. But the watches I saw while in service were overwhelming. I bought, traded, cajoled, painted Spiro Agnew on a few dials, and otherwise ended up with a good collection.

In the same week that I bought my first railroad watch, I bought my first straight razor. It was the influence of our barber at that very formative year of my 15th birthday.

If that's what professionals use, that's what I want to use. Including time keeping. There used to be mural sized ads at Chicago's Midway Airport that touted the wonders of a Longines watch that airline pilots used. They never captivated me in the same way a Hamilton pocket watch did.

Old heads (senior men) on the railroad were a big influence on me. Those old I.C. guys would compare watches with me and then tell me off-color jokes or say something awful about a co-worker. But it was a senior conductor, and his brakeman I worked with once on a passenger job from Milwaukee to Minneapolis that taught me about wearing stiff, detachable shirt collars. By the way, the brakeman had a 992E moored to an elegant chain with his initials as part of the links. He wore it in that unusual arrangement of having one end of the chain in his upper vest pocket with the watch in the lower, opposite pocket in a diagonal, diplomatic sort of look.

So here it is in the year 2009 and I'm still wearing collars, shaving with a straight razor, and now, learning even more about the watches I've admired for so long. My mom said I should be my own grandfather.

What amazed me in railroading was the heavy durability of all the tools of the trade. Railroad uniforms were built to last as long as a Hamilton, or so you'd think. Out of the leather piped watch pockets would emerge this beautifully small, delicate machine to record the passage of time.

So my interest in railroading led me to watches. Having a watch led me to wanting a uniform. Having both along with my interest led me to working on trains. As a trainman I met the girl that would become my wife. Being influenced by Norman Rocwell early on led me to developing my painting style and it all led to this illustration that appeared several years ago on the cover of the NWACC Bulletin.

Here's more of the story:

My favorite watch, and the one I've had since 1966 is my 992B in the model 11 case depicted elswhere in the forum.

I wanted to be a trainman so badly that I started gearing up for the task when I was a high school sophomore. I was socialy ungainly and I knew if I became a trainman I would meet girls.*

That watch went through high school, art school, 3 railroads and a head on train wreck. When I look at it now I never really notice the time. I just like looking at it. It's the face of an old friend tucked into my pocket.

If you have a railroad watch of any sort think of the miles, the trains, the situations it was in. A lot of times we know nothing of the original purchaser. All our watches were new once. A guy hires out on the railroad and needs a standard watch. He steps into Bern's at Chicago's Union Station and states his wishes. The jeweler opens a drawer and there they are. A line-up of blue cardboard boxes that state "Hamilton.". He selects a few and puts them on the counter. He carefully lifts the box apart and removes the plastic case. The watch and blue lining is removed and before the ribbon is cut the jeweler seperates the 2 pieces of the lining and our hero sees the front of the watch. Our man states that he'll buy it on payroll deduction. The ribbon is cut and the jeweler winds it and checks it out. He sets it with the standard clock and presents it to the new trainman. Just look at that fresh, new porcelain dial, and the brushed back of the case. The jeweler suggests a chain but our man will settle for a leather pull for now. He ties it onto the belt loop of his uniform trousers and sets the watch into the leather piped watch pocket and off he goes.

The young trainman works passenger and freight jobs off the extra board. Sometimes he works 16 hours straight. Often times it's in the rain or snow...Or both. He holds a regular car in the freight pool. He then wins a passenger job at the next bid and works a night job. As time goes on the back of the watch becomes shiny. A clumsey jeweler at the away from home store takes a little chip out of the dial. A ding sets into the watch when our man makes a joint while picking up cars on a siding. He's promoted to conductor and finally buys a nice chain for when he catches a passenger job off the board.

Our watches could have been on the 20th Century Limited as the conductor was speaking with a movie star, or merely on a local freight.

Next thing you know it's the late fifties and no one wears vests any more. He starts wearing his watch in his shirt pocket and dings it again. Then railroad wrist watches come out. He trades his trusty Hamilton in on a Ball or Accutron. The once new pocket watch makes its way to another new hire who can't afford a new watch. Soon the watch is sold at a hock shop and one by one we start to collect those amazing miniature treasures.

* The 1970s were a paradise for young trainmen. Especially if you held a good passenger job. Girls always wanted to see our pocket watches and the watches became one of the greatest "ice breakers" one could have. Brakeman Dennis Valmar was removed from service for 30 days once when he improperly answered a young ladies question of, "What's on the end of your chain?"
My wife was a passenger and I can truthfully say that my family is a direct result of the railroad and my love of Hamilton pocket watches.

Mitch

My interest was also hinged on my interest in railroading, as most of my family had been railroaders on both sides of my family. My Dad's side had been on the N&W in the Portsmouth, Ohio yards until my Dad left in 1953 to take a job at Goodyear Atomic, and my Mom's side were more in the clerical end of things, my Great Aunt being assistant station master in Apex, NC on the old Durham and Southern back in the '50's.

Anyway, my first watch was an old Ingraham dollar watch I got for Christmas in the mid 60's. Shortly afterward I was given my Great Grandfathers 21j Elgin railroad watch. I wish I could relive those days, as I had NO clue there were different grades or types of watches. I just thought a 21j Elgin was a 21j Elgin. Unfortunately the watch was stolen when I left it in the care of my Dad when I moved to Florida, and the only number I had recorded was the case number. I still remember that case number to this very day....6099959. Model grade? no. Number? absolutely.

I hung around the old watch inspectors shop in New Boston during summer vacation (Jarvis Jewelers). Had I know then what I know now, it's hard to say WHAT they had tossed back in drawers on trade in's for their Ball railroad wrist watches, all lined up in a row in the front window. It never even crossed my mind at the time.

Anyway, the interest never left, and I've carried a pocket watch (usually a railroad standard) in my pocket ever since, and never looked back.

One of my more satisfying finds was a couple Christmas's ago when I was up visiting my Mom at home (my Dad passed away a few months prior). I found a 1927 21j BWR Elgin in an antique store on second street in Portsmouth. The shop owner said it had belonged to an N&W engineer who had passed away, and his son was selling off his Dad's stuff. Next to the watch was a Simmons vest chain. The watch was dirty with a yellowed plastic crystal. The dial was filthy, but was a perfect Montgomery Elgin dial. It was in a gold filled Keystone case with a locomotive engraved on the back. The son had marked everything down to clear his Dad's stuff out. The BWR and chain came home with me. After Chris Abell got done with it, it's been a regular vest watch, and when I look at it, I still feel a connection to the old railrod men I knew from the old N&W in Portsmouth, and I can't help but smile. I may have lost my Great Grandfathers N&W railroad Elgin through no fault of my own, but I saved another man's watch used in the same yard, and it pleases me.



Regard! Mark

Mark,

That's a great story. I know all too well what those old company jewelers' stores were like back then.

Could you post a picture of your Simmons watch chain? I boughtmine in 1966 from Bern's at Chicago Union Station. It had heavy links and a "Railroad" swivel.

I was wearing it on my uniform vest the day if that disAsterous train wreck. I went flying down the coach floor on my stomach. My watch was unharmed. All that was left of that heavy chain was the "T" bar. No one ever found any of the links.

That's me 3 days before the wreck.

I wish I could, Mitch, but my camera is 'on loan' to my eldest daughter.....out in Arizona!


That said, from the same N&W website, here's a 'blast from the past'!

http://www.sessions-station.co...tsmouth,%20Ohio.html

This shot was taken in the early '20's in Portsmouth. My Great Grandfather is standing just to the right of the first driver you can make out to the right of the turn table shack. It was a gritty time, wasn't it? He retired in 1957 as head engine inspector in the Portsmouth engine house, just before the last steam locomotive was scrapped in 'Starr yards' just outside Portsmouth in 1960-61. He swore to his dying day the N&W had run him off....even though he was in his 70's when they finally handed him his retirement papers...LONG after regular retirement was had by other workers in the shops.

Regards! Mark

Mark,

First...Wouldn't you like to see all their watches? And..Just think of the stories they all had to tell.

Well, from what I heard from every railroad man I knew from that day and yard, 9 out of 10 were Elgins of one type or another.

You're old railroad, so YOU know the old deal that the old men were as product proud as Ford vs Chevy owners. You were either an Elgin, Illinois or a Hamilton man. Waltham didn't even enter the conversation....and if you were N&W, more likely an Elgin man. I heard more arguments between old greybeards at the barbershop when I was a kid over which was better than I can recount!

Most of the men in that photo were either German or Welsh (my GGFather was 100% Welsh), and subborn to boot! Family stories I heard about him were he'd work 50+ hour weeks, get paid on Friday, go directly to town and pay his bills, go to a local bar, start a fight and in the process tearing up the bar, walked home, walked in the backdoor, kissed his wife, then walked out the front door where the police and paddy wagon was waiting for him. He'd spend the night in jail, pay the fine the next morning, go back to the bar to pay for all the damages and shake hands all way round, go home, rest on Sunday and family time, then back to work at the crack of dawn on Monday. Week in.....week out.

Regards! Mark

One thing I noticed in all my railroad experiences was that certain railroads leaned to a specific brand of certified watch evenb tho the many makes were all certifiable. I think that was the result of what wathc the comapny jeweler carried as influenced by whose salesman was the best.

The Illinois Central jeweler in Chicago, underneath the viaduct at Woodlawn Station sold Walthams. A number of other IC men had Hamiltons. I never saw an Elgin. The Santa Fe time inspector sold Hamiltons and that's what I saw a number of those men carry. A lot of the older, un-promoted passenger brakemen (professional door slammers) on the C&NW had Illinois, but younger guys had Hamiltons. The Milwaukee's 2 divisions, including the one that passed right by the Elgin factory in Elgin were serviced by Bern's at Union Station. Their's was a mixed bag of brands. I saw a number of Elgin wrist watches but not many pocket watches. I clearly remember their display of new Hamilton 992Bs in the display counter. I thought they'd carry those watches forever.

This column has conjured up many fond (and as few not-so-fond) memories for me. It is a perfect little capsule of the atmosphere of the railroad and the importance of watches in it all. Thanks so much, you guys!

Steve G.

Believe me, Steve, talking this kind of 'shop' is a TOTAL pleasure.

Mitch, that makes perfect sense. Unless a jeweler would 'push' a particular brand, how would a new railroad employee know one from another? The only place those watches were advertised were in railroad journals, and I'm sure though they'd read the ads, the average employee paid little attention to what his inspector pulled out of his case for recommendation. Like I said, in the Portsmouth yards, it was Elgin, and a smattering of Hamilton and Illinois.

Here is a film made in the 1950's at the very end of steam operation in my hometown and the Columbus mainline from Portsmouth to Columbus. THIS is the kind of railroading my town knew. The one scene shot of the Class A with freight train with the milk company in the background is crossing the Lincoln street crossing. More than likely I was playing in my backyard 4 blocks up the hill at the top of Lincoln when these scenes were shot. You can also see a turquise and white 1957 Plymouth sitting by the dairy garage. We had one in red and white color. Lots of personal memories in this film for me. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fx03UvpWOI


Regards! Mark

That's a good clip. Everything is good except that "Voice of Pentrex guy" is beginning to drive me nuts.

From an old C&NW engineer,"With steam it took you 5 minutes to figure out what was wrong and 5 days to fix it. With diesels it takes 5 days to figure out what's wrong and 5 minutes to fix it."

The South Shore Line was for a long time the land of hand-me-down watches. There were more pre-Elinvar Hamiltons there than at a bad flea market.

New hires would often buy the watch from a fellow that was just retiring. The whole place was a sea of uncles, nephews and in-laws for some time.

A favorite conductor of mine had inherited the Hamilton of a retiring engineman in 1961. the watch was purchased new in 1922. The conductor went on to relate the story of the beginning of the end of his first marriage. Our hero came home early one morning from a night freight job and left his watch anchored to his overalls when he changed for bed. His wife proceeded to launder said overalls. The conductor stated, "When I woke up there was my wife with the parts of a watch in her hand. She said, "You're not going to like me much anymore."

LOL!!!

Oh dear! Yep, I can see her thinking that.

One family story of my Great Grandfather was that he was walking down the ready track next to a Y6 (one of those huge 2-8-8-2's you see in the video above), and stopped when he heard an odd noise on the engineers side of the engine.

An engineer had just walked from the engine house too and was climbing into the cab. Pete (my GGF) told the engineer there was a problem with the engine, and they needed to red card it out of service and get another ready for his run. The engineer called Pete every name in the book, telling him he didn't have a clue what he was talking about, as he wasn't about to be late for a run on some yard man's say. It was clear the engineer was new had no clue that Pete was the head engine inspector of the roundhouse.

Pete, being a Welshman, was quick to come to a boil...but this time he seemed to immediately cool down. He pulled out his big Elgin (the one that had been given to me), pointed to the time, and said 'when you clear the yard limit, I'll give the engine 10 minutes pass the yard limit sign you've lose steam pressure and will have be hauled back here dead weight. Are you willing to sign off this engine as being ready, as I will not take the responsibility.'

The engineer climbed out of the cab, grabbed the clipboard from Pete's hand, signed his name, climbed BACK into the cab, whistled off and pulled out to pick up his string of coal cars.

Long story short, Pete was off by 1 minute. 11 minutes past the yard limit sign, a high pressure steam line broke in the high pressure cylinder on the engineers side, and the loss of that pressure caused the engine to lose over half of it's pulling power, as the exhausted steam from the high pressure cylinder powered the front low pressure cylinder. The train came to a stop, blocking the mainline, and required the yard to send out a replacement locomotive, and a switcher to pull the dead engine back to the shop. The big compound Y didn't even have enough steam to move under it's own power!

I don't think we need to go into the reception the engineer received when he got back to the yard from the yardmaster, dispatcher....and Pete. I'm amazed he kept his job, but this was during the war, and qualified engineers were hard to come by at that time!

From what I was told, every time Pete would see that engineer from that day on, all he'd do is pull out his Elgin and point at the watch. The engineer turned and walked the other way without saying a word.

Regards! Mark

Now we're railroadin'. All you have to do is one thing and from then on you have a nickname or a hand sign.

A trainman I worked with was working the baggage car one day on Amtrak no.9, The Hiawatha. The baggage car was riding quite rough and when the conductor stuck his head to the car he gave the baggageman a sign to tug the signal cord to tell the engineer to reduce speed. Misinterperting the sign the baggageman reached up and pulled the air.

From then on he was known as "Dynamite."*

*On The Milwaukee, and other railroads, when the air goes into emergency it's refered to as "dynamiting" the train.

Oh wow!

My Dad worked the east end time freight hump as a car walker from 1948 until 1952. His job was to walk the entire length of car strings and double check the outbound manifest list against what was assembled to see if they humped the cars in the right classification track. Once ok'd, they were cleared for the mainline.

He used to talk about a guy he worked with on night trick they all called 'Skunk', and no other name was ever mentioned. He always seemed to be the one who found the hotboxes in a car string check, and would come back to the east end tower reeking of the burned oily rags in the journals. After reading your post I can now kind of figure out why he got the name!

I'm starting to wonder if this thread needs moved to the 'Tales from the Rails' section now.

I also wanted to add, I appreciate being allowed to post these stories. I haven't thought about them for many years. I am the last living male member of the family now, as all the generation of Cross men are now dead and gone. These stories haven't been retold in many a year. I guess I'm the 'keeper of the flame', so to speak. It's good to tell them one more time. Thanks!

Regards! Mark

Here's some more great nicknames,

Rotten Socks
Smiley
Blinkey
Chisel chin
Dapper Dan
Iron Mike
Chipmunk
Ooo La La (He was from from Quebec)
Door lights
and the ever popular:
"No Pants" that includes a great story

One nick name that I recall that I ALWAYS liked was 'Alley Apple'. Do you recall that term?

An 'alley apple' was 1/2 a paving brick. Street paving bricks were made in Portsmouth up until 1917 at two brick yards...Star yards (the scrapper in later years), and Harbison-Walker (where my wife's late father and grandfather worked). A LOT of the streets in Portsmouth are still paved in those heavy bricks.

It was a favorite 'item' to carry in ones work jacket pocket if one felt the need for protection in the yard. If a bull or local policeman approach, it was easily disposed of. One fellow who always worked night trick with Dad was an old timer who ALWAYS carried one in his pocket or in a tote bag he wore on his work belt that held his carman's hammer. There were a LOT of hobos still hopping trains back in the early 50's, and they didn't mind smacking a carman or yardman up the side of the head if they thought they were about to be caught riding the rails.

Old man 'Alley Apple' was always ready should that ever occur, though my Dad said it never did while he worked there.....but apparently it did before the war, and this guy was caught unawares...once. Never again.

As point of history, it was an infamous 'alley apple' that was thrown through the cab window and hit a foremen in the jaw in the Portsmouth yard during the 1977 national railroad strike, and all but killed railroading in the Portsmouth area. It was the only incident of violence that occurred during that entire strike, and the N&W retaliated by closing the car shops and all freight and coal classification operations. Thousands were laid off, and Portsmouth became a whistle stop. It has only been in the last year the road has said they would reopen the shops again, as most of the old hotheads are either dead, or retired.....all for the use of the 'alley apple' in a union squabble.

Regards! Mark

Mark, I've been thinking the same thing that you mention a couple of posts back....

This probably should be moved to the 'Tales of the Rails' forum....and please, you two, Mark and Mitch keep this one going, you both are doing a fantastic job....

Regards,
Jerry

I've gotten in trouble for relaying stories I've heard from the old RR heads before, so I won't even attempt it again, but here is one thing that I witnessed myself.
Back in about 1972 a GM&O passenger train hit a gravel truck at Joliet. The whole train was towed back to Bloomington. Gravel had been forced up through the nose of the engine into the cab. It was a mess. It was a southbound train, so the engine was being toed forward heading south. Someone had wired the damaged pilot up to the knuckle pin. The switchmen were lining the switches back behind the engine as it was being towed so that they could shove back into the engine house. They went over a frog or something, and the pilot bounced up and threw the pin, opening the knuckle. The engine rolled free through the engine house, slamming into another engine and pushing it out into the parking lot.
Later, when they were towing the passenger cars back to the coach shops they somehow pushed them out into the pit between the coach shops and the power house. That train was bad luck.

Steve G.

I remember that whole wreck. A father of a friend of mine worked at the GM&O (Go More Often)roundhouse in Joliet as a hostler.

The engineer was interviewed on TV. The reporter asked the engineer what he did when he saw the gravel truck coming up onto the crossing. The reporter, thinking he would get this great statement was taken off guard when the engineer replied,"I set the brake. Whadya think I did."

The conductor was Johnny Hafer, himself a well known legend of grade crossing incidents on the GM&O. Once southbound with the Abe Lincoln, a farmeer was having his entire house moved from one end of his property to the other. The property was bisected by the railroad's right of way. Without contacting the railroad, the house moving contracter placed the 2-story frame house on a substantial trailer and started up the high mound that was the small farmer crossing of the line. They got stuck. In a few minutes they heard the whistle (air horns) of GM&O number 3 approaching. All the farmer and the contracto could do was stand there and wave, in vain, at the train. The engineer big-holed old Abe but they went straight through the dining room and kitchen of that once grand house. The trailer went east and took the front porch and lving room with it. Number 3 got stopped and Johnny went back to see what the aftermath was. The farmer came running up to him shouting, "Ya hit my house, ya hit my house!" Johnny's reply was, "Oh ya, look what you did to my train."

There were no fatalities.

Sometimes derailments are caused by people with the best intentions in mind.

During the blizzard of 1951, the Portsmouth yard was pretty well frozen in. They had an ice storm then an 8 inch snow fall on top of that. My Dad had to walk all the way to work, as no buses were running, and Dad couldn't get the car out of the garage. The wind chill was well below zero, but it was work as usual on the railroad that day.

The switch points were frozen coming to and off of the east end freight hump, and the engineer of the pusher Y6b had the brilliant idea that if he opened up the steam cocks on the front cylinders, he could just blow the ice out of the switch points and frogs with live steam. Guess he forgot....steam turns back to water...and water to ice. At the first switch, it worked just fine and his leading truck and first 8 drivers passed through the switch fine....but once the SECOND set of 8 drivers got to the switch, the points had frozen into a solid block of ice, and the back 'engine' climbed up the side of the rail and dropped onto the ties....effectively shuting down the hump and all classification operations for the day until they got the big hook out of the roundhouse to lift the locomotive back on the rails. Problem with THAT idea was, all the switches between the roundhouse and east end were frozen shut as well.

It was the only day in my Dad's memory, or any OTHER old Portsmouth railroader's memory, of the Norfolk and Western EVER shutting down all Portsmouth yard operations due to inclimate weather.

Regards! Mark

Seems our railroad men are on high pressure steam ?

Come on! We are listening!

Regards,
Gerald

I'll take the siding for now and let someone else hold the main for a while.

Regards! Mark

And now back to the nick names already in progress:

Back in the mid seventies on The Milwaukee Road train crew size was governed by a "Full Crew Law." As it applies to this story passenger trains over 7 cars in length were required to have a flagman (rear brakeman) as well as the regular brakeman and the conductor.

On the C&M Division (Chicago & Milwaukee) passenger trains operated every few hours between those 2 cities and were no more than 5 cars in length. Except for Amtrak numbers 7 & 8, The Empire Builder. Number 7 was the train that went all the way to Seattle and had a full consist of baggage cars, coaches, sleepers, a lounge and diner making it a 10 car train requireing a flagman. The conductor and brakeman had worked down to Chicago on a "short" train so their return trip had the flagman who was on his own assignment that worked up to Milwaukee and then waited for number 8 to return to Chicago later in the evening. Union rules called for the flagman to obtain a hotel room, at company expense, for the layover.

Our man, Chet Globnik, was the regular man on the turn and worked his job up arriving in Milwaukee at 4pm. He promptly walked over to the hotel, obtained his room, and then went to the bar for "refreshment and entertainment." It was there that the tale takes its turn of fate.

Two "ladies" approached him. They were dressed in what one could only discribe as "suggestive" attire. The evening wore on, and the beverages consumed. The "ladies" then suggested they go up to his room and continue the party, which Chet readily agreed to. They each took their drinks with them and went upstairs. Unbeknown to our man one of the ladies had placed a tablet in his drink.

When Chet awoke to the sound of the caller's phone call and discovered, to his horror, he had been loosley tied to his bed and his uniform trousers removed from him and the room. He accepted his call and had the caller summons the police as he advised, "I've run into a problem."

The police arrived at his room, took a statement, laughed, and then said there was nothing further they could do. They were prohibited from giving the lad a ride back to the depot, 4 wintery blocks away. Chet had no choice but to make the best. He had his shirt and tie, his uniform cap, and uniform coat. "That is all." He snuck down the hotel's back stairs and tip toed through the alleys to the depot. Now there was a sight. A guy in a railroad uniform minus the trousers.

Chet arrived at the back of the station at the baggage room door and began pounding. The huge door raised and the station baggageman got himself a good laugh. "Chet, You have "No Pants."

Chet was given a pair of depot coveralls to wear home, and a nick name that was indelable.

No Pants Chet carried a Ball wristwatch with dual hour hands in a stainless steel case. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

quote:

No Pants Chet carried a Ball wristwatch with dual hour hands in a stainless steel case. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

...meaning Chet was his real name...he was actually wearing an Elgin BWR instead of a Ball wristie.

Regards! Mark

Hey, Mark,

I thought you marked off the time being.

There was only one BW Raymond wrist watch I saw in service. It was carried by one of my favorite conductors, Bernie "The Baloon" Bolivar.

Sorry. I'll be in the shack drinking coffee with the switchman if you need me.

Regards! Mark

Hello Mitch here's a photo that will probably bring back memories to you.

From Don Ball Jr.'s book "Decade of the Trains the 1940s"

On door Chas H. Bern Watch Inspector C.M. ST. P.& P.R.R. (Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad) C.B. & Q.R.R. (Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad) C. & A.R.R. (Chicago and Alton Railroad)

Caption "The official watch inspector's office at the South end of Union Station" photographer Delano

Buchaneer

I've got that book and that picture has been begging me to make a painting of it for years.

That's a Milwaukee Road conductor. The time frame has to be after 1936 when the uniform cap trim changed and before 1950 when the cap badges changed from enamel to stamped metal. Good thing we didn't change to a melamine cap badge. I was able to get aholld of an enamel trainman and conductor badge to wear when I was in service there, 1972-1982.

When I went to Bern's they had moved to the north end of the depot on the Clinton Street side. Right next to the dentist office. But the place looked the same, but was a little larger. Same gold leaf lettering, the Chicago Union Station Company standard lettering style.

Charles Bern had a store at LaSalle Street Station (NYC-Rock Island-NKP) as well.

Mitchell, did you ever know an old brakeman named Hank Ramey? He retired a brakeman because he never wanted to be promoted. He was a little bald guy with a voice like, well, like nothing else I've ever heard-low and rattly. Most of the guys on the BM&O carried Hamiltons, and Hank was the first guy I met who had a Ball railroad watch. He also had a 23 jewel 60 hour Bunn Special, the first of those I had seen.

Corerection. It was the GM&O. Type-o.

Steve,

Where did he work out of and when? I reember riding the cabof Amtrak No 4 out of St Louis to Bloomington with an engineer by the name of Dean Elliot. He carried a Ball.

Did you know Harold Mcgraw, famed GM&O conductor out of Bloomington?

Old Hank worked out of Bloomington, too. Yes, Dean Elliott was one of those old heads that always wore bib overalls. Harold Mc Graw was a real celebrity around here. He worked until he was about 80 or so. One of his brothers was the lead ticket clerk, another was a shop foreman down in the yards, and another had been the mayor of Bloomington for many years. It was all a family affair.

Harold used to say he was "The Mayor of Minier, Illinois." There was no finer, gentler celebrity conductor than he. Harold did indeed work until he could no longer. He would never wear his Amtrak uniform (same with me) as he felt, correctly so that his GM&O uniform was the only proper attire for a conductor. He proudly wore 5 gold stars indicatin 50 years of service on his left uniform coat sleeve.

Dean Elliot indeed wore overalls where he fished his 999 out of that afternoon. I asked him if he was in the Engineers' Union or the UTU.

He replied, "I'm in The Engineers' and I vote Democratic."

I just don't remember Hank. Perhaps if I saw a picture of him.