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(erielack) Re: Know These Guys?

Yes,

The Kunkle family had been around for a while serving the DL&W & EL. I'm not 
sure if it was Lynn or his brother who married a girl whose brother had a 
big contracting business. That would have fixed him for life, but he still 
liked the railroad and stayed on - BUT- he got a pilot's license and bought 
an airplane in which he flew around & indeed flew to Florida for an extended 
vacation. This really got to Sammy Miller, RFE (he not being able to afford 
such frivolities). The icing on the cake came when he bought a helicopter, 
got a licence for it, and wrote a letter to the superintendent's office in 
Scranton requesting permission to land it in the large flat area near the 
old roundhouse in Conklin yard.
   This prompted a phone call to Sammy Miller, RFE in which the 
Superintendent allegedly said "What the Hell are you paying these guys that 
they can buy helicopters and even I can't afford one??".
One or both of the Kunkles would go to Syracuse (as I did) to work up there 
when Miller would go on one of his vindictive rampages and stay up there 
until things cooled off in Binghamton. A lot of the men were stuck in 
Binghamton since they worked 5-day week yard jobs and wanted to be home 
every night with their families. Syracuse, on the other hand was almost ALL 
road jobs with a few yard jobs in the city of Syracuse. For us younger guys, 
it was more money & an escape from Sammy's torture chamber. STALAG 
BINGHAMTON.




>From: William Shultz <wshultz1_@_twcny.rr.com>
>To: Walter Smith <wsmith5957_@_hotmail.com>
>Subject: Re: Know These Guys?
>Date: Fri, 08 Sep 2006 14:46:49 -0400
>
>Walter,
>
>I should have clarified it a bit since they ran the Syracuse side but were 
>based out of Binghamton. The guy on the left is Lynne Knunkle, who started 
>as a fireman and later became an engineer. I do believe you are correct, it 
>is Norm in the center. I haven't a clue who the guy on the right is, but he 
>is probably the head brakeman.
>
>Lynne's dad also worked on the Lackawanna out of Binghamton, he made it 
>into the EL but would have retired in the 1960's
>
>Regards,
>
>Will
>
>Walter Smith wrote:
>>Will,
>>
>>I don't know any of these guys (I don't think). I DO know the 
>>engine...........run the 1284 a few times. The guy on the left looks 
>>familiar & for a minute I thought the older man in the center was Norm 
>>Orcutt - binghamton engineer - but you say they're all Syracuse side guys. 
>>It's been a long time.
>>
>>Regards,
>>
>>Walter Smith
>>
>>
>

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