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Re: (erielack) The Hayshaker
GEE, Tim & others.........
Dispatching sure has changed (at least on the CSX). When I went to
TRI_RAIL in 1988, the CSX did the dispatching on what had been the old
Seaboard Airline from West Palm Beach to Miami.
After getting qualified, I was running a morning train north with one of the
CSX officials riding the cabcar with me. I knew they had the big dispatching
center in Jacksonville. I also knew they had major troubles with trying to
dispatch the WHOLE road from there (Working for AMTRAK,I distinctly remember
being stuck South of Richmond, Va. when the whole thing broke down.....no
signals, no radio,had to send the conductor to a farmhouse to use the phone)
and began talking to him on how they got folks qualified to be a dispatcher
since many of them were 'newhires' and very young. He told me "We have them
look at videotapes of the railroad to learn the road". I didn't say
anymore.........I mean what was the point? I just became VERY careful
dealing with them. There were a few dispatchers who KNEW the road & knew
what they were doing, but as they left (retired) it became rather funny out
there. NOW, I hear HERZOG (the subcontractor at TRI-RAIL) will do it's own
dispatching. That really ought to be a hoot!
I remember working on the ERIE Mahoning Div'n as an operator and
asking a dispatcher (Ray Brody) how he managed to learn the road. I was
advised that he got a knapsack & left Kent & WALKED all the way to Meadville
(in 3 days). WHAT a difference!
>From: Timothy Costello <tgcostello2_@_cox.net>
>Reply-To: Timothy Costello <tgcostello2_@_cox.net>
>To: Richard Pennisi <eldispatcher72_@_yahoo.com>, erielack@lists.elhts.org
>Subject: Re: (erielack) The Hayshaker
>Date: Fri, 06 Oct 2006 21:17:22 -0700
>
>At 08:19 PM 10/6/2006, you wrote:
>>Fred and listers,
>>
>> The Hayshaker just ran as an extra train from Suffern back to Croxton.
>>An assumption on the name "hayshaker" is that it stopped so many places it
>>shook the hay getting cars out of each customer.
>>
>> I rode this job when I was learning the road to become a train
>>dispatcher in Hoboken. After we left Croxton, we stopped in Hackensack,
>>the crew tied down the train. Everyone headed back to the caboose as the
>>brakeman had cooked eggs, bacon, toast and coffee on the caboose stove.
>>It was great. About 1pm we were around Hillsdale and the brakeman got off
>>the train while we were switching and went to a market near by to get
>>groceries for dinner. About 5pm after we were heading west on the
>>Piermont Branch we tied the train down again out in the middle of no
>>where. The engineer said "come on kid, dinner is ready." We walked back
>>to the caboose and the brakeman had cooked a pot roast dinner for every
>>one. We had potatoes, vegetables, meat and dinner rolls and of course
>>coffee. We had pie for dessert What a meal it was. We then left and
>>headed to Suffern. I got off there and took a passenger train back to
>>Hoboken then took another train back to Dover where I lived.
>> The Hayshaker ran around their train and proceeded back to Croxton.
>>
>> It was a 17 hour day for me and I didn't get paid for it. On the EL if
>>you wanted to be a train dispatcher, you were issued a head end pass and
>>were told to go out and learn the road on your own. When you were ready,
>>you went into the dispatcher's office to break in on a job.
>>
>> Rich Pennisi
>
>Rich, and all:
>
>I grew up in Hillsdale, and was a frequent visitor to the station and
>environs from 1970-1974.
>
>Do any of your EL railroaders recall the station agent, John Shepard? John
>lived on Long Island and commuted to Hillsdale in a big Caprice. He was
>very kind and helpful to me. Do you guys remember "Zeke" the signal
>maintainer for that section of the NJ&NY. He was a colorful character.
>
>As I recall, the Hayshaker would frequently tie up in Hillsdale for lunch.
>Living in Hillsdale was great, as we had one of the run around sidings
>north of Hackensack. Work trains, inspection trains and other equipment
>would tie up in Hillsdale overnight.
>
>Best regards,
>Tim Costello
>
>
>
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