(rshsdepot) Delaware & Hudson Rail Car Maintenance Shop - Oneonta, NY

[Firehair3_@_aol.com]

Good Morning, all, from too warn N.E. NC
 
I was born, raised, in Oneonta,    my Dad was with the D  & H, from 1940 
until his retirement.  Partly due to my age,   mainly thanks to  what has been 
termed an "unusually good memory"  I  remember an awful lot of things.
 
Before phone calls, the "caller"---named "Coley" when we lived in  Binghamton 
 temporarily--coming to the house to remind my Dad of his  shift.
 
By the time we were back in Oneonta, the phone was more generally used, I  
often answered:
 
J,W. Spencer?  yes---
 
11:59, Fonda Avenue.  "
 
Yes sir.
 
Or, whatever--my Dad worked a lot 11 to 7,  midnight to  8.  In the earlier 
years,  he rode the caboose---to Whitehall, or  to Wilkesbarre.
 
My cousins, actually, my Dad's 1st cousins,  and his uncles, all  worked for 
the D & H.  2 were engineers---my Uncle Will  used  their top floor as a 
boarding house/dorm, men stayed over whilst on the road and  in Oneonta.  
 
Waling Chestnut St,  a couple mile walk, to the movie,  a section  of it  was 
called "the Chinese Wall" in those days--- you could look  over,  down, see 
the roundhouse, the shops,   siding  tracks---  
 
I remember  in my childhood, no one wanted to live near the  tracks,  due to 
all the cinders.  
 
My Dad's 1st cousins were gandy dancers---odd how many folks don't know  what 
that is?
 
Several  years back, I was sitting  at a crossing in Raleigh--on  my way to 
the Archives,   watching a train pass.  2  diesels---suddenly--sparks flashing, 
on my side of the train.  Got to the  Archives, called the  main station,  
told them, they had a "hot box"  abt 87 cars  behind the diesel's.  they took my 
number, name.
 
Sure enough, got a call back later--question  - how did I know what it  was, 
and how come I was within 2 cars of where it was?  Had a nice  conversation,  
 
Hey, I'm a railroaders daughter, I listened, retained information---   as 
kids, we used to count cars---it becomes  subconscious, I guess--I still  count 
them when I have to wait.  Those  gears/boxes, became  sealed units ---guess 
that got rid of the  gandy dancers----but, they do freeze up, leak out oil, 
etc---so---there was that  one.  They pulled it from the train, I was told.
 
My Dad has died---I collected all his "stuff"---no one seemed to want  
anything not obviously of value.  
 
My 1st born/eldest,  son has his railroad watch.  My   2nd oldest has his  
Gt. Grandfather's.  I have my dad's BRT  pins,  booklets of laws, etc.,  a small 
stack of blank cards---they  used to keep track of cars and where they came 
from or switched onto,  by  hand.
 
I own a few linen table cloths with the D & H logo embroidered on  
them---from the nice dining cars.  While living in Kansas in the 80s,   had for 
neighbors, got to be friends with, Walter and Pat Coon, his Dad  was---Treasurer for 
the D & H.  Due to family problems,   the  usual acrimony---Walter had no 
memorabilia of his dad's tenure.   I  had them to dinner one day, presented him 
with one of the big banquet size D  & H cloths---it  was meant to be with him, in 
my mind.
 
My  aforementioned 1st born son rode on the last 1500 they took out of  the 
roundhouse.
 
Enuf rambling---just remember the old joke
 
"Head for the roundhouse, Nellie,  he can't corner you there"
 
<G>
 
Sheila Spencer Stover
 
***********************
 
 
In a message dated 1/7/2009 8:03:48 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
I95BERNIEW_@_aol.com writes:

The  Delaware & Hudson railroad was one of the oldest transportation   
companies in the country. It began in 1828 as a canal company operating  from 
 
Honesdale, PA to Kingston, NY. After constructing its first  railroad line in 
 1868, 
the D & H became known as "The Bridge  Line", linking central  Pennsylvania 
with 
Canada. As the railroad  grew, so did the need for centralized  maintenance 
facilities. Thus  in the 1870s, the company built the roundhouse and  shops 
in 
Oneonta.  The Delaware & Hudson Roundhouse was known to be the  largest in 
the  
world. Centralized maintenance facilities like the shops that   supported it 
kept 
D&H railroad cars running smoothly through the mid  1990's.  Today, the 
railroad is owned by Canadian Pacific and has  since closed down large  
facilities 
like this, opting instead for  new, consolidated shops in major  cities. 

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