Leo
Didn't the Polar Bear Club have an outing which always got a little publicity
in the Tribune on New Years Day???
What you've said about Train Baggagemen sounds right.. All I remember is that
the old trainmen's board, which was maintained right outside the
Trainmaster's office on the second floor of the Lincoln Depot had a separate
category headed TRAIN BAGGGEMEN..I can't rememeber how many guys were on
there, but it was a relatively few...Something like 5-6....
BTW this board is the only one I ever saw on theQ, but it consisted of a
glass doored cabinet with verticle rows of metal racks of slots, each of
which would hold a card (about the size of a business card) with the
conductor and/or brakeman's name typed on it with his seniority date(s).
Each pool turn showed as well as the passenger pools. The extra board was
carried as a separate item.
You could go up and check as to "how you stood" at any time....Of course it
was easier to do it by phone, but sometimes the call boys...or girl...we had
one of the opposite sex who always identified herself when answering the
phone as "callgirl"..wouldn't the feminists have a good time with that one
now....would get irritated (especially with young brakemen) if you called too
often.
There were no cell phones or pagers in those days...When I was working the
extra board, I was always terrified of missing a call, and even when going to
a movie and being assured that I was 8 times or 10 times out would run back
and call in every hour or so. I'm told that at Alliance they had an
arrangement with the movie theatre to flash a trainman's name on the screen
when he was called...
Pete
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