(erielack) Morris County (NJ) Daily Record - Madison engineer takes his last ride

["Gary R. Kazin" <gkazin_@_yahoo.com>]

01/04/02 - Posted 12:06:43 AM from the Daily Record newsroom 
Madison engineer takes his last ride
By Rob Jennings, Daily Record

NJ Transit train No. 429 will arrive in Gladstone from Hoboken at about
6:30 p.m. today.  For Bill Davidson, 74, the train’s engineer, it
literally will be his last stop.  Davidson, a 55-year railroad employee
and the last active steam engineer, is retiring after today’s shift.  The
Madison resident is one of the longest-serving railroad engineers still on
the job, according to NJ Transit officials.  He started on Nov. 25, 1946,
after a one-year stint in the Navy.

At his retirement party in South Orange on Thursday afternoon, Davidson
said he was wistful about retiring.  "I just decided it was time,"
Davidson said. "Being 74 is one of the reasons."  About 40 current and
former co-workers, laughing and swapping stories, joined him for lunch at
the Reservoir Restaurant.  "There’s about 700 years of railroad history in
this room," said Pat Lederer of Roxbury, a 28-year-old conductor who
organized the gathering and considers Davidson his role model.  Lederer
presented Davidson with a scrapbook of testimonials from colleagues.  A
plaque was inscribed to "the last DL and W (Delaware, Lackawanna and
Western Railroad) man of steam and a very special person."

Paul Bohrer of Roxbury, an engineer who retired in 1994, described his
former colleague as a "very quiet guy … He was a gentleman through and
through."

Davidson said his passion for trains developed as a boy. His father, who
worked as a pipe fitter, often took him for rides on Sunday afternoons.
Davidson also collected the Lionel toy train cars that now are considered
classics.  "It’s one of those things that kids grow out of, but I never
did," Davidson said. 

Davidson explained that being a railroad engineer has "always been not
really a job, but something I like to do." He lives with his wife, Mary
Ann.  The couple have five children.

He has experienced a good chunk of the railroad’s storied history.  When
he was hired, it was known as the Lackawanna Railroad.  NJ Transit took
over in 1983.  Davidson was working on June 5, 1953, when the line’s final
steam locomotive traveled from Hoboken to Dover.  Trains now operate on
diesel and electric engines.  "He’s just seen so much more than I," said
Tom Donovan of Independence, a 27-year engineering veteran. "Most of us
never worked with steam engines."

Davidson was often assigned to the Phoebe Snow, a diesel train that ran
from Hoboken to Buffalo from 1949 until 1966.  It was considered one of
the finest passenger trains of its day, with custom-made china for its
dining rooms.  He said that his most memorable day on the job was July 4,
1976, when bicentennial celebrations led to trains being more crowded than
he could ever recall.

Lederer said he doubted that many others would match Davidson’s longevity.
  "When he started, it was common to go 50 years. Now, they go 35 or 40
years," Lederer said.  "For the newer people, it’s a job, but for him,
it’s a way of life." 

Renessa Green of Piscataway, a conductor on the Gladstone line, gave him a
hug as she left the luncheon.  "He just has a beautiful personality. He’s
a beautiful person.  He’s very respectful and does a fine job," Green
said. 

In discussing the mechanics of his job, Davidson noted that one doesn’t
"drive" a train — the correct phrase is "run it."   "It’s not like driving
a car.  You’re planning much more ahead.  You have to know what’s ahead of
you, even if it’s around a curve or down a hill," Davidson said.  "I don’t
find it stressful.  Some people do, but I really never did.  Relaxing
would be the wrong word."

Rob Jennings can be reached at rjenning_@_morristo.gannett.com or (973)
989-0652.

http://www.dailyrecord.com/news/02/01/04/news1-trainman.htm

=====
Gary R. Kazin
DL&W Milepost R35.7
Rockaway, New Jersey

http://www.geocities.com/gkazin/index.html

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