employee2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Two or three paid employees? Who were they,
> Russ? The only paid employee I knew of was
> Eddie Martinez the security guard. Although he
> did come out and help on most of the train oper-
> ations. Maybe they paid Ben Greathouse to get
> him to come out of retirement to teach us how to
> get steam trains safely over the mountains. But
> Sid McKinney wasn't paid, and he ran most of the
> trains all Fall. He spent so much time working for
> free that summer that he lost his bar, his liquor
> store, and almost his house in Amarillo.
>
> I don't mean to come down on you, Russ. I just
> think Sid McKinney gets too little recognition for
> his contribution to the effort. He is an all-too-
> seldom-sung hero of mine!
Well Eddie was Employee-1 and you are Employee-2, and I said two
-or- three, so I was sorta right, Rich -
Or weren't you being paid in the Fall of 1970, and only officially hired AFTER the big rush to move all the equipment over the pass?
Anyway, I do agree that Sid's contribution was enormous and that he should be given a lot more recognition — maybe the C&TS should name #483 in his honor when she is restored and put on display and there should be a plaque telling the story of what you guys accomplished those first couple of months. Terry Ross's book on the early days of the C&TS is focused mainly on the political and organizational side of the story, but there is a photo facing page one that shows Sid teaching the volunteers how to drive spikes. The short chapter that Ernie Robart contributed on operations (pp 62-73) mentions Sid a time or two, but is focused mainly on which equipment was moved on which days. SFAIK Terry's book wasn't widely distributed, and with Ernie's sudden and unexpected passing at the end of last year we have lost a good friend and probably our best window into the story of Sid's days with the C&TS – unless you have a tale or two you can share with us
. . .
-
Roosso
