For a number of years I have been making a number of posts in this interesting discussion group with research data, experiences and trivia of interest to the narrow gauge fan. As you all have read, I posted under PRR and PRSL but few know who I was by real name. In some cases, I fully identified where my profile was printed, so that prompted some grand announcements when some of my detractor discovered it. In many cases that ended the distraction and the flames ended.
Recently one of the leading narrow gauge railroaders of brilliant knowledge continued to ridicule my suggestions once too many times. Most of my posts were with factual information of interest or some trivia, useful to some folks or just fun reading. But whenever I gave some of my feeling on image and likes, I have been run over the hot coals, and lied about. I offer information and receive gob of hatred in return and rarely questions to help one understand were I was coming from.
So as a test, I began a series of Professional Advice for suggestion where present operation are vulnerable for accidents, which can be reviewed and procedures changes to make a safer narrow gauge operation. Insurance cost is the enemy of the industry. The hatred from some, like the guy on the ex- Georgetown Loop (who thinks he is a NG GOD for example-Hey, tell us about your ejection from the D&S at Rockwood-the terminals are at Durango or Silverton!) is a fine example. Then there are the few who wanted to leave their name in dislike for me and what facts I was exposing. I warned that I was taking names and there were some that took the bate, just to be hateful.
A System Engineer of Track for a 19,073 -mile railroad hired me at age 23, and in the interview I showed him my drawing of Chama, NM yard and an engine profile of my fictional 2-8-8-0 class HC-1 combined with Lima’s future Bellaire boiler. I confirmed I was the draftsman and was hired to begin building a new railroad yard. I next became an Asst. Track Supervisor where we received 50,000 cars per day in my territory, so I had many derailments to learn from. We all discovered I didn’t have the best people-skills so my employer was very clever in promoting me to jobs where my skills would be less in contact with the front line troops. By retirement after 31 years, I had been promoted 17 times, all to higher paying jobs and had 19 different titles. At no time did my pay ever decrease, and because of the change of the RRR retirement date, I ever made more money for two years after being bought out.
Five years after being hired, I was for 14 months part of a team of three, which reported directly to the Director of Car Distribution, in the VP Transportation Office. I traveled the 19,073-mile system in study of the operations. In one terminal, the Terminal Superintendent said: “If you can do better, there is my hat and coat”. When the report was read back at the office, his hat and coat left with him never to be seen again. After those travels, I was able to direct a clerk, 700 miles away to go to a certain yard track and find that 6-month lost, 4-truck heavy duty flat in a line of stored bad order flat cars. “Sir, I found it but don’t know how you can succeed like that when I was looking for it for months”. Then I went back into front line supervision being Assistant TrainMaster and then TrainMaster at age 29, maybe the youngest on the System. Four years later, with major rebuilding of the system going on, I was promoted into new jobs in the Engineering Department that controlled the swift movement of giant volumes of material. I became a link between train movements, and the needs of the engineering crews. Now a Regional Officer, I developed methods on my 5,000-mile Regional territory, which were copied later into a System level department and expanded. I passed all my methods of car controls and knowledge to the new people. In these years I have been rolled over by many of the best. Since I did not have the best tack skills, I took more of the heat than most. It didn’t damage me then, so I really wonder what my detractors think they are going to succeed accomplishing with so much venom on the NGDG.
Here I am with the background of experience and the interest to help the narrow gauge and its history, and few take advantage. The two weeks I was asked to be in command of the 64 miles of C-NMRR Authority line was the best two weeks of my life, in Sept. 1970. We worked hard and got the job done. My advice is free to those that appreciate it. My contacts are many, so the detractors: Take note! Now the readers can compare the 19 decisions of the senior officers of a major railroad to promote me, or should you believe the guys like Steve Peck and the likes of him, who harp on my forgetting it was #40 I rode behind in my incident of emergency stop, rather than a Shay. I have ridden the Georgetown Loop line many times, with pleasure, as I had stated, mixed it up. I even remember a sour response to my post by the honorable Lin Moedinger, probably justified, but if his dad was alive and he knew who I was, it wouldn’t have happened. I was a friend of Bill, Jr. and was given a lifetime pass over the Strasburg R. R. Co. as being the connecting big brother to his line. What more background do you need to be accepted here?
I would sure like to meet the narrow gauge fan that has more knowledge, experience and interest in the safety methods and train operation procedures than me. Thanks for reading. PRSL
