Leo et al
That's a bit different from the way I remember it working in the 1950's on
the Lincoln Division
I had two different situations, where I was deadheaded from Lincoln to
Hastings to protect (where did that term come from???? it was always used)
the head brakeman's job on the Hastings-Huntley Local..This was a five day
job with Saturday and Sunday rest days....The man I was relieving was on
vacation so I stayed there for two weeks....I went back to Lincoln for the
weekend and "protected" the job for the next 5 day (Monday-Friday) period...
On the second Monday I asked the old head conductor on the job if I had to
actually lose the two days pay for the weekend...He said no that we would
submit timeslips for those two days based on what the Lincoln extra board was
making...He said you are entitiled to go back to Lincoln and go to
work...Well the upshot of the matter was that I happened to encounter the
Trainmaster at the depot a week or so later and he told me that those two
timeslips were going to be declined, because "you accept the conditions of
the job"....not wanting to become known as a "timeslip artist", during my
first two weeks of employment I just let it go and didn't get the extra pay.
There was another situation where the Ravenna (Nebraska) switch engine
(11;00pm-7:00am) was crewed by Trainmen...It was a six day job, but was
supposed to only be 5 days...This was handled by the regular guys working
five weeks at 6 days then taking 5 days off... Thus there was a five day
vacancy for each man on the crew, necessitating an extra man being on the job
for three weeks...one week for each man off. There was an extra board
maintained at Aurora (Nebraska), which normally had no one on it...When it
was time for the three week cycle to begin, the youngest man on the Lincoln
Extra board was "forced" to the Aurora board..thence to the Ravenna switcher
for three weeks...
It was essentially a minimum day job with all night hours..hence the
forcing...the old heads on the crew lived at Ravenna, and apparently liked
the conditions...I being a college student, trying to make every penny I
could during my summer tenures hated that arrangement. I got stuck on it
two different times...You couldn't get off the job until you had completed
your three weeks of relieveing the regular crew...Hence again "accepting the
conditions of the job"...
All of that to ask why "Boo Boo" would have been entitled to away from home
expenses and meals....Perhaps my time was before such "benefits" were
applicable...There was no meal allowance or hotel allowance for outlying jobs
during my days...They had just started pooling the waycars at Hastings, but
not Ravenna and hence you stayed at the designated Hotel in Hastings, but
waycars were changed at Ravenna....I have alittle story about that, but this
one is long enough, so you'll have to wait for that one.
Pete
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