BROTHERHOOD OF RAILROAD TRAINMEN DOCUMENTARY "RAILROAD MAN" 71012
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- Опубликовано: 23 фев 2015
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Created in the late 1960s by the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen and the United Transportation Union under the leadership of Charles Luna, "Railroad Man" is a portrait of the ordinary men who perform the extraordinary job of keeping the nation's freight and passenger trains moving. Directed by Jeri Sopanen the film's story is told by the men themselves, who speak from their own hard experience working and riding on steel rails. The film is a time capsule of American railroads in the late 1960s and 70s, with passenger service in steep decline and many railroad facilities being abandoned and downsized, and the major railroads deciding to get out of passenger service altogether.
Charles Luna (1906 - 1 October 1992) was president of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen (BRT) from 1963 until 1969. He became the first president of the United Transportation Union, when that organization was formed by merging the BRT and three other railroad unions in 1969.
Luna became president of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen in 1963. On 1 January 1969 the BRT merged with three other unions to form the United Transportation Union. Luna became president of the combined union, with 230,000 members.In 1969 Luna was elected chairman of the Congress of Railway Unions.
In 1971 the UTU Insurance Association assumed the insurance and welfare plans of the brotherhoods who had formed the UTU. The UTU held its first national convention in August 1971 in Miami Beach. Al Chesser, National Legislative Director of the UTU, was elected to succeed Luna, who was retiring.
In 1970 Luna was chosen by President Richard Nixon to help form the National Railroad Passenger Corporation. This set up the Amtrak inter-city passenger service. Luna served as an Amtrak director for twenty years.
Amtrak’s highest safety honor is the Charles Luna Memorial Safety award, which has been presented annually since 1990.
Jeri Sopanen (14 August 1929 - 21 September 2008) was a Finnish-born American filmmaker who created movies, television series and commercials. He was five times nominated for an Emmy Award Prize and received the award once, a children's program called "The Rotten Truth".
Sopanen graduated from high school in Helsinki, studied composition at the Sibelius Academy in 1951 and received a Fulbright scholarship to the University of Lawrence United States. There he was inspired by the film and the film began studies at UCLA in Los Angeles.
Sopanen worked on "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau" and made "Gardens of the World" with Audrey Hepburn.. He also served as cameraman for the Louis Malle film "My Dinner with Andre."
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2K. For more information visit www.PeriscopeFilm.com
At a hotel in the middle of nowhere, can’t sleep cuz my circadian rhythm is dead, watching this and proud to know I share the same experience as these guys yrs later. Proud American railroader!
Same here, 40 year's worth.
MY DAD WORKED ON THE RAILROAD FOR 11 YEARS AND HE HAD CATASTROPHIC MEDICAL INSURANCE FOR ME THAT INSURANCE PAID FOR ALL OF MY CANCER CARE I NEEDED WHEN I WANTED TO WATCH THESE VIDEOS I HAVE TO WATCH THESE VIDEOS I WANT TO HANG ON TO THE MEMORIES OF MY DAD THANK YOU FOR THE BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES
My late grandfather was a B&O trainman and conductor from 1943 to 1975. He was a member of the BofRT, ORC, and finally the merged UTU. One thing he told me that irritated him was those "injunctions". He railroaded in coal country, and the United Mine Workers could go out on strike for weeks or months at a time. Although he said he was never once furloughed (he had enough seniority on the division roster), he did get stuck on some pretty crappy turns or yard jobs during those downturns. Yet, if the railroaders called a strike, it never lasted more than an hour or two before a court ordered them back to work. On a humorous note, he kept a set of horseshoes on his caboose. If the train was to switch out a mine or factory on strike, supervisors came out and did the actual work while he and his crewmates played horseshoes. It always took the supervisors a long time to get the work done, so they frequently made overtime waiting to get their train back. He passed in 1999 at age 84 and I remember these stories like he told me last week.
Well, I don't care about all the politics but, it was great to see my grandfather again. He was in this film and I had no ideal. It's been 37 years since I've heard him talk :-) Brought back good memories!
+Daryl Hatheway Very cool!
Which part of the film is he in?
14:55 to about 17:00
If it weren't for this video, I'd never have heard Grandpa's voice. I'm so glad Betty's kids found it for us!
A caboose this is really old lol
As a former Railroad Conductor for 25 years I found this film remarkable! The one man stated that if you don’t provide good service, regarding passenger service, you won’t keep your customers! That applies to freight too! Thanks for preserving this piece of history!1
Great...glad you got to see it and appreciate it.
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I was a switchman at Southern Railroad starting in the late ' 70 ' s .
Preface : On the midnight shift we would sometimes get our tasks done about and hour early and a lot of times we would head the engine towards the shop ( which takes us right by the yard office ) . Sometimes we would stop there and sometimes we would ease on to the shop and then go home . However, sometimes as we were approaching the yard office and the lead to the engine shop, we would get a call on the radio from the yardmaster ... ( and of course that would mean he had another task for us to do ... )
In the early ' 80 ' s, I used a cassette tape recorder to record the yardmaster calling our conductor . One morning at about 6 AM, we were pulling some cars into the yard and I dropped off the engine so I could line the switch for the engine to pull the cars into a yard track and then line the switch back after the cars cleared the straight track . I went to my truck and got the cassette tape recorder and as the engine came back up towards the yard office, I played the tape over the radio " Southern Simpson Yard Yardmaster Sloan calling job 41 Conductor Black over " . Well, the conductor was a nervous and anxious type of person and he was already on the back of the engine anticipating being able to drop off and go ( as usual ) . He answered rapidly " This is Conductor Black over " . Then I played it again " Southern Simpson Yard Yardmaster Sloan calling job 41 Conductor Black over " . At this point the engine was near the yard office and Conductor Black bounded off the engine and was headed into the yard office . At the same time, I went into the side door of the clerk's office which adjoined the yard office and as I arrived in the presence of the yard master and Mr. Black, I played the tape for them . Pretty funny stuff .
Also, about that time was when we first started getting computer printouts for our switch lists . ( Previously EVERYTHING was hand written ) . That was the same time when I had a Radio Shack Color Computer and I learned BASIC computer language .
I then made a program that created a random switch list that looked identical to the ones we would get from the clerks or from the remote printers that were out near the tracks in little air conditioned housings .
So, one day I had my 3 fake switch lists, hidden in my overalls, and when the time came to get a new switch list, I volunteered to go get it . When I walked up to my two crewmen, I handed them the fake lists . They looked at it for a minute and were totally dumbfounded as the list looked genuine but had no correlating information that related to what we had in the yard ...
( back then all dot matrix printer output looked the same lol )
man those are some funny stories... the one with the tape recording cracked me up
@@25mfd
glad you enjoyed it . Here is another short one - well how about two short ones
One night we were in the yard on the mainline and we went into a short side track to pick up an empty tank car at a business - on the way out - we remembered to put the derailer on but we forgot to line the switch back on the mainline . We went north to do something ( don't remember ) then on the way back south, we were shoving a dozen or so cars and I was on the lead car ( the empty tank car ) . It was too dark for me to see the misaligned switch ( or most likely I assumed it was lined correctly and didn't double check it ) and the first indication that I got of something wrong was the tank car I was riding on was turning to the right - back in toward the business . We were going pretty slow - I called on the radio - ' that's good Rufus ' - then louder ' that's good Rufus ' - then ' shoot 'em Rufus ' . It was a little too late as the leading truck of the tank car went over the derailer and went off the track . It took us a few hours to get a crew there to put it back on . The good thing is that it wasn't loaded and no damage done ...
Another time - we were at a paper mill - and I spotted a corn snake and captured it . Since I knew that the engineer was afraid of snakes - I went to the engine and when I opened the door the engineer saw it he climbed up backwards - standing on his seat with his back against the glass ...
@@kablammy7 those are some great stories... "shoot 'em Rufus"... 🤣🤣... and that poor engr, i bet he sh*t himself LOL... i was a switchman for the chicago and northwestern/U.P. for 10 years, hired on in 93... we had guys do the opposite of what you did... they would line the switch back for the main BUT sometimes forget to put the derail back on... the derail was tied to the signals so with it off, there goes some approaches and red signals at the two control points in the area of the derail... i learned the hard way early in my rail career to keep your head in the game, or else
@@25mfd
In 1978, I was a switchman for Southern Railway - became Norfolk Southern . We used to put our lunch / dinner in the engine compartment to warm it up before time to eat . I don't know how it is now - but we only got 20 minutes for meals - that is 20 minutes exactly from the time we stepped away until the time we stepped back .
For many years, I wondered why the locomotives used electric traction motors . I finally looked it up, several years ago, and learned that it is because the engine RPM range is too low to achieve the speeds required without having around 30 or more gears in a transmission; which would be unworkable due to power losses / maintenance etc . The answer is electricity .
Now days they wear ear and eye protection .
When I was there - we did not use either .
I remember when I first started - just the sound of the radio on the engine was super loud and annoying . And the rushing air sound of the bakes releasing on the engine was super loud . And the sound of the engine was really loud when it was a higher RPMs . And the sound of the horns was tremendously loud .
After a couple of years, I could stand on the front of the engine ( this was the nose end, most of the time, in those days ), with the horns directly above me, and not even be bothered in the least by their sounds ...
What about the squeal and screeching of the wheels around corners ? ? ? That became tolerable as long as you were not too close . If you were too close like hanging off the side or riding on the back of a car that was squealing then it was very annoying .
Next is the big BANG that happens when a car is kicked down the track and it slams into another car next to you ... difficult to get used to that
I also used to listen to southern rock music at high volumes .
So far, by the grace of God, I have not had any hearing difficulties except I have lost a little bit of high frequency hearing in one ear ...
@@25mfd
I have a tri-fold leather wallet that I bought at a local flea market in 1980 . The inside shows some wear, however, it all is fully functional with no rips or tears .
The outside is still glossy with the embossed black steam locomotive, with coal car, outline visible, but quite flattened and a little bit faded .
At one point, about 25 years ago, I had the nylon ( I think ) lacing redone because it broke at the creases .
Then about 3 years ago, the middle section of the bottom back panel tore completely loose from the lacing at the bottom .
I put some cardboard inside where the folding money would be to keep the panel from being glued closed too far up from the bottom . Otherwise the length of the section would be too short for folding money to fit . I put some gorilla glue on the inside bottom edge and clamped it down all along the bottom .
Now it looks almost like it was never torn . The only way you can tell is that the break point of some of the laces don't line up with the corresponding point across a small gap .
Yes, the lacing on both bottom folding points are broken, but they are still intact and not raveling loose or failing to stay bound . The top lacing is fully intact .
If you want a wallet that will last you for the rest of your life - get one made with 100 percent genuine cow leather .
I’m an engineer and these old timers are exactly right! It’s a mans job and a hell of a lifestyle
NS,UP,BNSF or CSX?
You are right, it is a man's job although the companies try to show how "diverse" they are today by hiring women.
Years ago when a brakeman out of Hamilton was retiring on his last aboard rd sw 559 all the ladies ior the evening came out to wave to hin since the track run up the middle of the street
I'm an Employee Relations Manager for a non-union company who was raised in a railroading family. My heart goes out for the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. I support railroad employees; they built America.
And we still are.
Composite Mechanic for TXNW.
People don’t understand what it is we do so we go by our doctorate. Feroequineologist.
As a fellow railroader this video is amazing to see the men who worked the same job I am working in the present day. Amazing history it is, proud to be a railroader!
At 13:26
There is also a rule for almost EVERY single move you make on the railroad because when people get injured - they make a rule to try to stop it from happening .
The man put the wrong foot down first and released the wrong hand first . He should have kept both hands on the ladder railing until he is dropping down . In the case of his direction of travel - he should put his right foot down while releasing his left hand . That will pivot him toward the direction of travel . Then he should release his right hand as his left foot goes down in front of him .
The rules specifically state which foot and which hand to move when and where . Dismounting in that incorrect fashion is against the rules because it is dangerous .
I know from experience .
In order to dismount in that improper manner, you must swing yourself out and away from the travel of the train to reduce the relative ground speed differential to your impacting first step . The faster you are going, the faster you have to make the swing . Watch the video - when he hits the ground with the first foot - he is facing directly toward his line of travel . At a higher the speed there would be far greater tendency for that left foot to move swiftly to his rear, relative to his right foot still on the train . Which means a fast pivot of his body to the left . That could easily cause twisted ankles or a fall . Or worse a pivot and out of balance fall back towards the moving train . Another factor to consider is that almost all the time, you are stepping on loose rocks . That means that the faster the speed, the more likely that your first step might want to slide rather than plant . There is also a rule for what is the top speed that you are allowed to mount and dismount . I have had that happen one time when we were going too fast and I dismounted PROPERLY. I leaned way down towards the direction of travel so that the angle of my leg, to the ground, was too low, causing my foot to slide and I hit the ground .
Now for the experience of dismounting improperly .
One time I was riding on the side of a TTX flat car and we were moving a bit fast . It was fast enough that I had to make quite a fast improper swing in the same manner that the man in the video made . I guess I would have been ok if it were not for the top of the long lever hand brake which was only a few inches from the TTX hand rail . The direction of travel was to the left ( just as in the video ) . When I made my big swing - releasing my left hand and foot - pivoting quickly back away from the direction of travel - as I released my right hand from the ladder and wanting to drop my right foot off the foot stirrup - I suddenly was being dragged through the air by the brake lever which caught my right leg behind the knee . Fortunately it slung me around in a circle; my leg was released and I dropped down on the tracks on my hands and knees . That was over 40 years ago and I remember it just like it was yesterday . My leg could have easily gotten wedged behind that lever and I would have been dragged down the track with my head hitting the ground etc ...
My grandpa was a yard master for the Louisville & Nashville Railroad in Chattanooga, Tennessee. A job on the railroad truly is a man's job and a work of art, especially the jobs of the railroaders in the steam era.
Another observation. Pay attention to the opening of the video. During the 1940s & 50s, railroad related documentaries often opened with conductors, engineers, and/or brakemen smiling, active, and seemingly enjoying their work. The crew on this video look serious, non-chalant, and a bit tired. This first time I saw this, I immediately knew that it had to be the mid 1960s, when the railroading scene was suffering from increasingly negative perceptions from the public, sad to say. I had a relative that worked for a railroad back then who eventually left.
I like when he said you'd come to work, do your job without anyone breathing down your neck., then go home. That's the first thing that stood out to me when I was a young rail. Unfortunately, it it no longer like that. Everyone wants to tell us how to do our job with their harebrained ideas.
This is a nice 'slice of life' doc. about railroad work. Its shows exactly as my friends and I from California (and everywhere else!) found our jobs on the Canadian National Railway to be in Jasper, Alberta in 1972-1973. Its still a dangerous job but this reminded me of the progress safety has made the last 50 years...it also reminded me of the 20+ friends and acquaintances we had who never made it to the end of the line.
It wasn't the railroads that decided there was no money in hauling passengers, it was the passengers
Neat seeing this again as I received this film on DVD as a gift years ago. One thing that some here are not noticing is HOW MUCH American railroading's image had changed from the 1950s to the 60s. Up until the mid 50s, railroading was looked at as a very highly honored profession. Engineers and conductors were often "heroes" in the eyes of kids. Even though downgraded slowly, passenger trains were still an important part of American transportation. But due to the building of the interstate highway system and the rapid development of the aviation industry, the railroads were suddenly getting slammed with hard competition left and right and their profits were dwindling. By the late 60s, many once premium, fast rail lines were in deteriorated condition, relations between unions and management were at an all time low, corruption was normal, and many in the public looked at railroaders as "featherbedders" and guys that collected a paycheck for little work. Very saddening; especially with the Penn Central railroad, which was a disaster. There were a few "bright spots" in the picture,such as the Seaboard Cost Line RR, The Southern Railway, and the Santa Fe RR that were adjusting and surviving the tough changes of that time. So glad that we've come a long way from those days although, unfortunately, many good rail routes were eliminated, due to industrial customers moving away. NOW those same routes would have been very viable and useful today. It does bother me, though, that corporate heads on a number of railroads have cut down locomotive crews to two and are now trying to push for having just an engineer onboard, due to advances in technology. That's insanity but we are living in crazy times now.
Only an engineer on board????? That's like breaching a dam. "CSX Crazy 8's" incidences would become the norm!!
It is crazy. According to reports the Class 1 railroads feel that the new Positive Train Control Systems that are being implemented make train operations much safer and eliminate the need for two people in the cab on branch routes or lightly traveled lines. It seems so insane that the corporate heads are trying to save money while they continue racking up bonuses and six figure salaries.
just like they did in the uk in the 1980-90s i can recommend a doc if you like :)
A former co-worker of mine showed me a bunch of pictures his grandfather took during his time as a steam locomotive engineer for the New Haven R.R. In some of the pics he is standing with some fellow co-workers next to his 3200 series L-1 engine ( 2-10-2 Santa Fe type) . He worked often on the Maybrook line between the classification yard at Maybrook New York and the Cedar Hill classification yard in New Haven Ct. Many of the pics showed odd specialty equipment, derailments, friends, snowstorm aftermath and one pic was of a guy standing up a broken wood pole that splintered while being used to push a car. Another showed someone sliding in the snow down the side of the hump at Maybrook. Those pictures were great and they gave me a good look into the kind of job his grandfather did.
20:09 what a cute little dog!! 🐾
I always enjoy to listen to the old timers with the knowledge and experience that they have to offer and hare about all the different stories
I work in a drug and alcohol rehab, and we work mostly with railroaders. Many of them tell me their unions are worthless because they work excessively long and dangerous hours, and it is no wonder why they use stimulants to have the drive to do the job. I ask the railroaders, why their unions aren't doing anything to stop working their employees like this, and they say unions are "buddy buddy" with the railroads.
They explain everything in there, it is up to the workers to take back the unions. After all they are supposed to be democratic.
Very few railroad employees use stimulates. Alcohol is more common but drug use is just about zero. Too much to risk with the drug testing these days.
Seniority and union rules also play a role
I'm a new hire. I've been furloughed going on a year. Railroad don't care about a man trying to make a living. UP Conductor Colton, CA.
We use to say "it's your best part time job". Not no more.
BNSF conductor here. Same story. Furloughed straight out of conductor class, not even one marked up trip. Hang in there, brother!
Ral Val That's awful, still furloughed?
docaholic How about you? Still furloughed? I heard a CSX conductor who recently got hired, they had someone come in during classroom work one day so he could let the class know they'd be furloughed.
Ugh, can you imagine having to study and pass the knowledge checks? It's hard enough but try doing it with your mind worrying about what you're going to do for money, knowing you won't be working after going through all this, etc. would be crushing.
I've been called back, went through return to work class. Been working steady on the extra board thank God. UP is hiring now so I'm hoping those boys will be a buffer when the furloughs roll back around. I know some guys of been furloughed longer uphill both ways in the snow to school I get it lol
It's amazing how much the technology has changed, but how little the grievances of TE&Y crews have not.
They use us, then abuse us.
R Johnson I survived a major head on crash that wasn't my fault- company didn't want to pay me anything - so glad for FELA
Stopping cars without a brake stick!
@@ArtStoneUS you don't use brake clubs on the one hand power brake if the chain breaks you're going to fall on the tracks if the catch let's go and the wheel spins backwards and the club will beat you senseless! that's why they don't use them anymore.
I hired on in 1978 as a carman apprentice this was a great job till 79 when Rail business crashed and we all got laid off. Through the years I worked in several crafts just to have a Rail job. My career ended as a brakeman when I was hit by the yard crew at tacoma yard when I was picking up my train on the main, I was wisked off the switch down the track 20yards through the air.
Nice film! I Railroaded for 37 years and retired. I am a Legislative Representative for Unit 66 of The National Asso of Retired & Veteran Railway Employees. If you are currently working or retired, you can belong to the National Asso of Retired & Veteran Railway employees. It is the only Federally Chartered organization who's purpose is the protection of the railroad Retirement Act. Just put NARVRE into your Web Browser!!
+Don Lynch Thanks for mentioning NARVRE. I'm a new BNSF conductor, and the retirement is one of the main reasons I hired out. Currently have an email out to them to see if there is any way to join without having to print and send it via snail mail as I don't have easy access to a printer and detest snail mail and paper checks/money orders.
+docaholic I thought that if you put NARVRE into the search engine it would come up an app you could fill out online. It is really worth joining NARVRE as it will allow you so much access to everything you thought you couldn't get access to. The privacy Act doesn't allow information to all Rail workers and the Railroad Retirement Board is doing the workers and Retirees an injustice by not telling them that there is an organization for them to join like NARVRE. Many times we get people joining NARVRE say"I never knew there was an organization like this"!! I found out about it when I retired and I worked with people who were members and didn't tell me about it. If you were close by, I would like to have you in our Unit 66 in Wildwood, FL.
There is only an application to print and fill out, not an actual online application to fill out on the computer.
I don't doubt it's worth joining, especially for a younger guy like me who's got at least 30 years until he can even think about retiring. A LOT can change in 30 years. I've heard through various online means that the feds would like to roll the RRB into the Social Security Administration, and this is something I am ABSOLUTELY opposed to since railroaders and our carriers contribute much more to the RRB than folks who contribute to the Social Security Administration, so we'd wind up getting screwed over bigtime based on what we've already put in, not to mention Social Security isn't a retirement at all. Also, it's not exactly a state secret that the feds love to raid the Social Security Trust Fund.
I'm nowhere near Florida, I'm in North Dakota. But I was a political science major in college and I've done legislative advocacy before so I would be interested in getting involved there once I'm a member!
+docaholic Call the National Sect/Treas at 1-800-551-2588 and see if she can help you tell her to put an app on the Website. Tell her i sent you. She can tell you if there is a local unit in your area you can join.
+docaholic So glad you are interested in Legislation as that is one of our major endeavors. You can retire on the railroad at 30 years service and age 60. Many guys work longer as they stand for better jobs the older they get. When I was Railroading, we didn't have cell phones but were just getting into computers. Big changes in railroading now as when I was working. Get into a 401K plan if your company has one. I maxed out on mine after 8 months. It was just getting started when I was working.
In 1978, I was a switchman for Southern Railway - became Norfolk Southern . We used to put our lunch / dinner in the engine compartment to warm it up before time to eat . I don't know how it is now - but we only got 20 minutes for meals - that is 20 minutes exactly from the time we stepped away until the time we stepped back .
For many years, I wondered why the locomotives used electric traction motors . I finally looked it up, several years ago, and learned that it is because the engine RPM range is too low to achieve the speeds required without having around 30 or more gears in a transmission; which would be unworkable due to power losses / maintenance etc . The answer is electricity .
Now days they wear ear and eye protection .
When I was there - we did not use either .
I remember when I first started - just the sound of the radio on the engine was super loud and annoying . And the rushing air sound of the bakes releasing on the engine was super loud . And the sound of the engine was really loud when it was a higher RPMs . And the sound of the horns was tremendously loud .
After a couple of years, I could stand on the front of the engine ( this was the nose end, most of the time, in those days ), with the horns directly above me, and not even be bothered in the least by their sounds ...
What about the squeal and screeching of the wheels around corners ? ? ? That became tolerable as long as you were not too close . If you were too close like hanging off the side or riding on the back of a car that was squealing then it was very annoying .
Next is the big BANG that happens when a car is kicked down the track and it slams into another car next to you ... difficult to get used to that
I also used to listen to southern rock music at high volumes .
So far, by the grace of God, I have not had any hearing difficulties except I have lost a little bit of high frequency hearing in one ear ...
My dear old dad started off as a fireman then engineer for the Belt Railway of Chicago from 1950 to 1984. I tried getting on in the early 80's but they were laying off, so I became a trucker.
Those were the days, been doing that since 1969 and still involved, 4th Gen RR'r and as long as I can walk I will be doing it.
I love being a railroader
Freight has always been more Important to railroads than passenger service
Thanks for these. A forgotten era, the film used lends a dead pan, muted quality that doesn't grab attention.
Thank you to all the RR workers and respect to all whom have injured or been killed. It's a mans world out there boys.
I blame the downfall on Eisenhower's Interstate Highway System. Federal subsidy to the trucking industry that also ruined the cities to create suburbia.
Interesting take on it that I can't necessarily disagree with. Although the highways are used by more than just the trucking industry. I will say that it is unfair that the Railroad industry quite a bit of its infrastructure using Private dollars whereas the trucking industry built it's off the back of the Interstate System
And after suburbia was created, my kind invaded it
BN/BSNF 1978-2010. Alot of truth here. Was enjoyable to see getting on and off on the move.
Real American men. What we should still be.
Bubba they stumble across the border and get everything and anything for free now days. Live better than we do.
Just fantastic!
The Katy Railroad served Kansas well for many decades!
Looks like it might be an old Lackawanna Electric at 7:05. Happy memories.
nice shots of conway yard in this vid, that is 4 hump in the vid which ns closed about 4 yrs ago, also that big interlocking machine seen is the 1 we had at pittsburgh next to the station, that is gone too.
Thanks for putting this up.
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Hired out in 1972 and lived this.
I come from a RR family and chose a different path after growing up with my Dad (and Uncle and Grandfather) either on temporary layoff or strike. Never get ahead that way. There were times we shared a can of corn for dinner.
I'm a union heavy equipment operator. In demand. Six figure income and now close to retirement. NEVER been laid off, never on strike. Low paid truckers have mostly taken over transportation. Trucks are flexible, trains are not. In this day and age of 2 day delivery and less need for coal, trains will become even less relevant.
At 12:28 - it looks like the trainman is stepping / standing on the knuckle or the drawbar ? ? He has to be because he turned 90 degrees to the left . His left foot cannot be on the right step board .
Oh wait, I think I see that he is standing on the engine step board and is about to reach over the coupler . That's pretty dangerous also .
A man I worked with, around 1980 at Simpson Yard, got his foot crushed from having his foot on the drawbar when the car moved because of an engine or kicked cars coupling at one end .
There is a rule in the rule book :
Expect movement on any track at any time .
Also, there is a rule against stepping on the knuckle or the drawbar .
It looks like the only way would be to go up the ladder on the engine to get to the other side to cut in the air ... which is what he was wanting to do . The air cut in / out valve is on the other side of the boxcar .
I have a tri-fold leather wallet that I bought at a local flea market in 1980 . The inside shows some wear, however, it all is fully functional with no rips or tears .
The outside is still glossy with the embossed black steam locomotive, with coal car, outline visible, but quite flattened and a little bit faded .
At one point, about 25 years ago, I had the nylon ( I think ) lacing redone because it broke at the creases .
Then about 3 years ago, the middle section of the bottom back panel tore completely loose from the lacing at the bottom .
I put some cardboard inside where the folding money would be to keep the panel from being glued closed too far up from the bottom . Otherwise the length of the section would be too short for folding money to fit . I put some gorilla glue on the inside bottom edge and clamped it down all along the bottom .
Now it looks almost like it was never torn . The only way you can tell is that the break point of some of the laces don't line up with the corresponding point across a small gap .
Yes, the lacing on both bottom folding points are broken, but they are still intact and not raveling loose or failing to stay bound . The top lacing is fully intact .
If you want a wallet that will last you for the rest of your life - get one made with 100 percent genuine cow leather .
It gets in your blood thats for sure. My dad was a brakeman, belonged to BRT. Grandad was a railroader, and my brother and i both spent some time working for the railroad. This film was made in some dark times for the operating unions though. Passenger service was going to hell, as was the general safety and working conditions, through out the industry for anybody. The mindset of railroad management seemed to be public be damned, as far as the employee on the local level was concerned.
Unbelievable how the union and the higher ups didn't care about their employees. It's no different from the Post office the union is on the management side making horrible decisions but want to preach about safety
Wait!! At the 12:24 the conductor/foreman didn’t even ask for red zone protection!!???? 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱
13:13 Looks like the Lewis and Clark Bridge in Longview, Washington in the background there.
That was a Lackawanna MU at 7:05. Looks like Barney Campbell punching tickets. I started with the ELRR in 1969 and retired from NJ Transit in 2013. Those MU's lasted until the 80's. Lines were upgraded from 3000 volt DC to 25,000 volt AC.
Barney really knew how to punch a ticket!
Good film. @ about the 10:45 mark...They spoke about how the railroads appeared to have abandoned the idea of passenger service. But that's not true. They were turned off by passenger service because there was no money in it. We have to remember that businesses exist to make money in exchange for providing a service or producing a good. And what happens if the demand for that good or service drops dramatically? The company moves on. Moves on to position themselves where they can provide a service that is in demand. And in turn, generate a profit. This is what the railroads did. And to be totally honest, the people abandoned the railroads. Not the other way around. The people abandoned the railroads when they chose to use other modes of transportation. Air, car and bus.
25mfd you are right on target with your analysis of those times. The fickle public was lured away from rail travel by the newness, speed, and convenience of the airlines and the Interstate system. To this day, people are obsessed with their cars and have come to know no other way of getting around. They are completely spoiled by the convenience of on-demand point-to-point transportation, and aren't aware of the tremendous cost to society. Consider how much graft and corruption is generated by the building and maintenance of the highways with public money. It's a monopoly with no competition. Highways are continually being “upgraded” to handle ever more traffic, ease congestion, etc. A self-serving hierarchy has emerged consisting of contractors, politicians, and developers (and car makers) who feed on this public money stream and perpetuate it for their financial gain. Our cities were once beautiful, but now are despoiled with thousands of acres of ugly asphalt and gigantic interchanges within them and on their perimeters that consume vast amounts of valuable urban real estate. And people aren't aware of the human cost of automobile travel. When driving you have to be constantly alert and never relax or you may cause an accident with terrible consequences. You are constantly swathed in exhaust gasses as you travel. Etc., etc. In conclusion, it's just another illustration of man's consistent tendency throughout history to screw things up!
You ever think people wanted independence didn’t want to be subjected to poor service !
Shit your living in the past like the 1940s if you think people are giving up their cars for the railroad lol
I love working for the rr but the hours do suck, when you tell a non rr person that you have to go to work at times at any time they don,t believe you, they think all jobs are like 9-5 swing shifts, had a cop pull me over at 4 am and he asked were i was going and i said to work, he did not believe me and followed me all the way to the rail yard. he he i corked his bs.
One night we were in the yard on the mainline and we went into a short side track to pick up an empty tank car at a business - on the way out - we remembered to put the derailer on but we forgot to line the switch back on the mainline . We went north to do something ( don't remember ) then on the way back south, we were shoving a dozen or so cars and I was on the lead car ( the empty tank car ) . It was too dark for me to see the misaligned switch ( or most likely I assumed it was lined correctly and didn't double check it ) and the first indication that I got of something wrong was the tank car I was riding on was turning to the right - back in toward the business . We were going pretty slow - I called on the radio - ' that's good Rufus ' - then louder ' that's good Rufus ' - then ' shoot 'em Rufus ' . It was a little too late as the leading truck of the tank car went over the derailer and went off the track . It took us a few hours to get a crew there to put it back on . The good thing is that it wasn't loaded and no damage done ...
Another time - we were at a paper mill - and I spotted a corn snake and captured it . Since I knew that the engineer was afraid of snakes - I went to the engine and when I opened the door the engineer saw it he climbed up backwards - standing on his seat with his back against the glass ...
cool vid
lol that union meeting’s rocking some deep masonic vibes man
What is that device at 11:03 ? The pressure sensing units ?
Does that automatically switch the track back to the straight track after the car goes by ?
Or I guess most probably it is just a sensor to indicate to the operator in the control room when the car is clear of the straight track .
We didn't have any of those at Simpson Yard back in 1978 .
It's called a retarder. It is basically a heavy-duty, pneumatic brake that pinches the outside of the wheel rims and the inside wheel flanges. They slow the cars rolling off the hump to a reasonable speed so that when they go into the classification tracks, they couple at a safe speed that won't cause damage to the lading or cause the equipment to derail due to a heavy impact.
@@GenXRailMedia
Ok, thanks - I worked switchman for almost 10 years - back in the late ' 70 ' s to early 80 ' s - Never been to a hump yard - our yard was flat . I will have to watch the video again . I guess I missed seeing the hump ... Ok, I see that they are rolling downhill even though I don't see the hump .
15,542 cigarettes,cigars,pipes were used in the making of this film….thank you for smoking.
what i found amazing is the guys waking on the top of cars, that is a big rule violation today and i can see why.
At the 12:14 mark that would get you ran off the property nowadays riding a car to a joint 😂
at 10:30
50 percent of adults and a fair percentage of kids today would not be able to sit in any of those seats ...
Its to bad todays railroad unions are like they were back in the day. Now days there's too much infighting while the railroads basicly are running their employees out the door mostly via unfair treatments and unnessary terminations
Hire to fire just like in the trucking industry.
divide and conquer
all i can say is these guys are telling the truth 100%.
12:37 rings true to this day.
Great video. Great job. But boring job. Great guys.
27:04 UAC Turbotrain.
LOL, the guy at 25:29, I'm assuming a local chairman representing his local, who is either kind of dumb, or just arguing to prove some sort of point. I understood what President Luna was trying to tell him. ("Now, can you hear it any plainer?")
If they want you to work short handed, you can refuse, end up on the street for insubordination, and then get your job right back. Well, in this day and age with the way the carriers and the unions are now, I'd be a little hesitant to try it.
The Turbo Train Saved the RR.
When did they realize handbrakes would be better operated at ground level..?
When their brake sticks issued, you wouldn't reach that high and now the handbrake is low they still want you to use that brakestrike When we took trains out of Bisson Yard we were CN crews I wondered why a brakeman was carrying I thought was flag pole
I do not agree with what the SMART(formerly UTU) union is doing today. I'm BLET and do not have any use for the SMART union. They are not the same union depicted in this video anymore. When they added that clause to lets the top officers make the decision no matter what the members want, I lost anything for them.
Andrew Armstrong are you an engineer? If not you’re giving your money to a union that does nothing for your job. They are concerned with engineers only.
Sounds like Railroading isn't worth it anymore.
Lose the bugs and the counter and I might watch your channel
LOl everyone smoked back then.
Don’t see any no smoking signs lol
This gotta be the 1970s!
The irony of this film (I recall when it was current) is that unionism had a lot to do with the decline of railroading in the USA.
Railroads "I want two guys to do the work of five and pay half the rate of one man"
Unions "Hell no, see you in arbitration".
the decline of railroading, from a worker aspect, begins and ends with TECHNOLOGY/AUTOMATION replacing HUMANS
It was funny to see that the unions didn't do much for the dues paying members.
When my dad got into the oil drilling business in N.E. Oklahoma around 1950, there was a strong arm guy trying to start an oilfield workers union. Dad said the union guy tried to intimidate him, and said that he was starting a union and there wasn't a damn thing he could do to stop it.
My dad pulled a pistol out of his desk, and told the union guy to beat it, and if he came back, he'd be leaving in a pine box.
To this day there is no oilfield workers union....and the union guy never came back! LOL
Dad was in business for 51 years and had 3 generations of the same family members working for him and guys that worked for us for 20-40 years and no serious accidents or deaths.
Well maybe if you knew the atrocious history of railroaders getting maimed and killed, you would have a little respect for our unions rather than thinking it's funny that they're essentially useless now.
@@livefree223 I made $112,245.45 last year on a switch job. Nothing "useless" to me about them.
Yep the terrible unions , I'm in one with a half million retirement . The non union guys not going to get a cupcake or a cup of soda , poor bastards.
hey ,if anyone else needs to find out about how do i get a job on the railway try Sovallo Rapid Rail Fixer (Have a quick look on google cant remember the place now ) ? Ive heard some amazing things about it and my neighbor got
what killed rr psg trains was the new invention, the automobile.
i worked for conrail a few yrs ago 30 yrs and i came real close 3 times to getting killed on the property.