I just got off the phone with Mitch and he asked me to post the
following information:
His involvment was actually with the Metra uniforms. He jokes that
he was angry when he was in train service on the C&NW as the old
uniforms had been replaced with the new style ones (early 1970's).
He vowed that he would make the old uniforms return so when he
finally consulted with Metra concerning their uniforms, he basically
used the old C&NW specifications. While he was employed by the
Milwaukee Road he was the involved with the BN and Milwaukee Road
suburban uniforms and worked as a liasion between those carriers and
the Grand Uniform Company of New York City. This included bringing
back the three button coats instead of two button models. Mitch also
worked with Amtrak during the '80's to bring back a more traditional
uniform and it appears that his work finally saw the light of day.
Don Crimmin
--- In CBQ@yahoogroups.com, "milwaukeeroad261" <milwaukeeroad261@...>
wrote:
>
> The former Milwaukee Road conductor about whom you are speaking is
> Mitchell Markovitz. Mitch was always impeccably dressed and even
> wore detachable, heavily starched collars on his custom-made
uniform
> shirts. Mitch had started on the C&NW, did a stint on Amtrak as a
> reservation and ticket clerk and then moved on to the Milwaukee
> Road. He later worked for NICTD and served as a conductor and
> engineer on the South Shore. All the time Mitch has pursued his
art
> career and some of his work has appeared over the years in Trains
> Magazine. He has also done illustrations for many railroad books.
I
> count him as a personal friend and own several of his original
pieces
> of art work. He lives with his family in Knox, IN, and is an
expert
> and authority on railroad passenger uniforms.
>
> Don Crimmin
>
>
>
>
> --- In CBQ@yahoogroups.com, Jpslhedgpeth@ wrote:
> >
> >
> > Thanks Leo...BTW your mention of a former Milw brakeman reminds
me
> of something I observed back about 1974 or thereabouts...
> >
> >
> >
> > My dad passed away suddenly in the spring of 1973.?? It was
> sometime after that, possibly that winter of 73-74 my mother came
to
> Chicago to visit us.? I was meeting her at the CUS.
> >
> >
> >
> > While waiting I saw a Milwaukee brakeman, obviously from his
dress
> he was working as flagman on a passenger train.? He could have
posed
> for a photo as a trainman from the 1890's.? He was the neatest and
> most authentically attired trainman I have ever seen.? Dressed in
an
> immaculate uniform with stovepipe hat.? He sported an authentic
> 1890's style mustache carefully trimmed and manicured.? He was
> carrying his flagging kit and lanterns..? I, of course, didn't have
a
> camera with me, but I sure longed to photograph that guy.? Looked
> like he "stepped out of a bandbox"..
> >
> >
> >
> > It's too great a speculation to presume that he might be the guy
> who helped with the design of the "new look" for Amtrak.? BTW,
while
> I didn't get real close to the crew members, it appeared that in
> addition to the stovepipe hat that the cap badge looked like the
old
> style badges from the same era.
> >
> >
> >
> > Pete
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: qutlx1@
> > To: cbq@yahoogroups.com
> > Sent: Sun, 9 Sep 2007 3:55 pm
> > Subject: [CBQ] Amtrak
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > It's been at least a few years that Amtrak crews have reverted to
> the "stove
> > pipes". Not sure if this is totally correct but one BNSF Condr I
> know
> > attributes the change to a former Milw brkmn who ended up helping
> to design the
> > Amtrak uniforms. Believe his first name is Mitch. Keep in mind
the
> Milw kept the
> > stove pipes far longer than the Q. And,yes you are correct the Q
> went to
> > airline caps in the 60's as I have a matched set of Trainman and
> Condr. airline
> > caps.
> >
> > Leo
> >
> > ************************************** See what's new at
> http://www.aol.com
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
______________________________________________________________________
> __
> > Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL
> Mail! - http://mail.aol.com
> >
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
>
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