Re: [CBQ] R.L. Moore Sr. ?

["Don Brown dbrown02@rochester.rr.com [CBQ]" <CBQ@yahoogroups.com>]

I second what Jan said.  Don't delay.  Many years ago when I was new to the neighborhood we would often see an elderly man sitting on a porch a few houses down, who lived with his adult daughter and her family.  We'd wave as we walked by and he'd call hello.  When we didn't see him for a  while we asked the daughter who said he was in a nursing home.  She mentioned "railroad", and come to find out he was retired from a long career as an agent/operator on the Lehigh Valley.  She said he loved railroading, had a sharp memory, and would talk for hours about all his experiences.

So I set it up to go visit him the following week.  I had a tape recorder, notebook, and a few old LV items to jog his memory.  His daughter said he was very much looking forward to that evening.  The morning of the big day, my phone rang and it was the daughter.  She said he just passed away during the night.  I missed out by less than 24 hours!

Obviously the point applies to any road, CB&Q, Lehigh Valley, or any other pike you name.  If you know someone who has info, get it while you can.  If you are an old timer yourself (and it's funny to some day realize "hey, I guess I'm an old timer myself!") write down - on paper, computer, whatever - any memories you may have.  Whether you make a book, or just pass them along to a group such as this, SOMEBODY will treasure reading them.

Someone once asked me if I have any regrets about my career.  I said that when I hired out on the NYC in 1967, there were old guys  who had 40, 45, even 50 years on the railroad.  I interacted with these men every day, but as a teenager it never crossed my mind to ask any of them during a slow moment, just what their story was.  What a resource I wasted!

I'm sorry if this was a bit lengthy but if it helps someone to preserve just one piece of history, hopefully it's worth it.

Don

On 6/20/2017 6:34 AM, JK public@redtower.net [CBQ] wrote:

 

Leo, if you get a chance to visit him, don't delay.  Make it over the next few weeks...time slips and we forget, and then the moment is gone.

As well, bring something to record (even your cellphone will do in a pinch).  You can never write fast enough to remember everything.  Just speaking from experience of having helped preserve some memories from my grandfather & mother-in-law.

Cheers!

Jan Kohl

www.castlegraphics.com

On 6/15/2017 2:49 PM, qutlx1@aol.com [CBQ] wrote:

 

To give one small snippet Ray shared the night of the Aurora presentation. 

He was working at the Aurora Roundhouse when the war broke out and like many men he quickly volunteered. Upon returning after the war he could see those new shiny diesels coming into service and foresaw what that meant for the Roundhouse employees.

So despite friends saying he was foolish, he became a loco. Fireman and started over at the bottom of the seniority list. He added that ten years later he was working and all

Those old roundhouse co-workers were gone.

Leo

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Posted by: Don Brown <dbrown02@rochester.rr.com>

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