--- 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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