Re: D&RGW 340

In the late 80's every morning we would use Rally car wax to wax the jacket and then polish all that brass with Brite Boy polish. Degrease all the machinery and then wipe it all down. Cab, tender,and other sheet metal got cleaned and polished with Behold spray wax. Smoke box got touched up about once a week with aluminum or graphite and linseed oil, same for backhead. Rarely were any repairs needed noted from closing crew.

We started at 0500 and called them "hostle shifts" . Light the fire, inspect locomotive, make any repairs and start cleaning. Around 0700 Buchanan would pick us up for breakfast at the Crews Nest. Grease, with a little bit of bacon,eggs, and potatoes sprinkled in. After breakfast take fuel, blowdown boiler, make a couple of test runs and hand it over to 1st shift. Then came the best part, in the roundhouse ,trying not to get underfoot of Buchanan who Im sure thought we were all morons and rightfully so. But if you wanted to, you could learn from him and Sapp too. Good times.

Bill