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Re: Calling

To: BRHSlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: Calling
From: "liljop <wulrich@a...>" <wulrich@a...>
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 20:07:18 -0000
In-reply-to: <8.334a9a7a.2b64acf3@a...>
User-agent: eGroups-EW/0.82
--- In BRHSlist@yahoogroups.com, qutlx1@a... wrote:
> I recall being told by the "old heads" that as long as you lived 
w/in 1 mile 
> of the calling point you didnt have to have a phone and the Q had 
to send 
> someone to bang on your door to call you. Even in the 70s many 
trainman lived 
> w/in a mile of the Aurora depot. I dont recall any cases but it was 
said the 
> rr would send a cab driver to the door if the caller couldnt raise 
you and 
> you lived w/in a mile.
> 
<snip>
> Leo

this is why all the old heads lived close to the yards. they were in 
the 'call limits' and area where the 'call boys' would either walk or 
ride a bicycle to call the crews. you had to live in the call limits 
or have a phone, and years ago phones were very expensive. don't know 
about your division but don't remember the call limits only being a 
mile. certain streets were the borders of the call limits. dad used 
to tell me when we went for our sunday drive, me setting in the back 
seat of the desoto(enginemen on our division seemed to prefer 
desotos) where the old call limits were. don't know when the call 
boys were severed (for lack of a better word) but i remember in the 
50's that crews were called by the yard clerk or yard master if clerk 
was busy. asked one time why they got rid of the call boys and dad 
said that all the men now had phones. when i clerked you only called 
on phone, well went to enginemans bunkhouse to call away from home 
crews, if you couldn't get them to answer they 'lost out.' again 
never worked on your division. usually if you were having trouble 
getting ahold of someone, a brakeman for example you called the 
conductor or other brakeman back and asked him if he knew any reason 
why he wasn't answering. usually they said he would get him up or 
call him himself, most all worked to help each other. usually worked 
as only had trouble once. that was where the new son-in-law was 
staying at a conductors house, the son-in-law was switching at that 
time, he answered the phone and took the call but went back to sleep 
without waking his father-in-law, so needless to say the conductor 
got a short call when everyone else showed up but him. 3-4 o'clock 
always talked to the crews a little more to make sure they were 
awaked, only took 20-30 seconds more but bs'd them or said something 
funny to make sure they were awake. 

would be interesting if someone could talk junior into doing the same 
thing you are doing, only with the east & west ottumwa brt/orc files.

warren



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