Re: (erielack) Reflections of the death of Ray Ruff--the people side of railroading

[Pat_McKnight_@_nps.gov]

I have to echo Tim's emphasis on the "people" aspect of railroading.  While
the physical structures, rolling stock and geographical feats are
interesting, the tens of thousands of men (and women) that built,
maintained and ran the railroads is an amazing story.  Each individual has
their own story.  In processing the archives at Steamtown I am making every
attempt to cross-index the files on people, so when I get the "My grandpa
worked on the railroad, can you tell me anything?" question, I can actually
give an answer.

Right now at Steamtown I have the following folders indexed and searchable
for the DL&W mainly:

234 Death reports
4,223 Personnel files (including 150 Erie files which are listed at:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~sponholz/Steamtown.html )
474 Retirement claims
880 Personal injury, accident reports

We have hundreds of other boxes being processed, where I try to create a
cross-index of facilities, rolling stock and people.  This isn't an easy
task, and if it weren't for a growing group of volunteers, I'd be getting
nowhere.

Patrick McKnight
Historian/Archivist
Steamtown NHS
570-340-5193

We need history, not to tell us what happened or to explain the past, but
to make the past alive so that it can explain us and make a future
possible.-Alan Bloom


                                                                                                                                         
                      Tim                                                                                                                
                      <njmidland_@_peoplepc        To:       erielack@lists.railfan.net                                                    
                      .com>                      cc:       (bcc: Pat McKnight/STEA/NPS)                                                  
                      Sent by:                   Subject:  Re: (erielack) Reflections of the death of Ray Ruff                           
                      erielack-owner_@_list                                                                                                
                      s.elhts.org                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                         
                      02/21/2006 01:12 PM                                                                                                
                      EST                                                                                                                
                      Please respond to                                                                                                  
                      Tim                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                         




When I have walked inside of 741 or the City of Lima I always think of all
the people who were there before I was.  When we all eventually sit down at
a table in the diner will we think of everyone who sat at that very spot
over the years?  Who dined here before the Depression?  What soldiers had a
meal on their way to duty in WWII?  Which ones never returned?  How many
conductors had a cup of coffee with the dining car crew after the breakfast
rush was over?   The equipment is a link but it is always about the people.

As always I and the other officers of ELDCPS thank everyone who has donated
and/or purchased our reproduction items.

Tim Stuy

>
>So let us honor Ray Ruff and those like him that we all know or knew by
>keeping our organizations going and going. And we all ought to start
saving
>those nickels and dimes so the ELDCPS can pounce on one of those Phoebe
Snow
>tavern-lounges whenever Metro-North decides it is no longer needed.
>
>Joe Braun


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