Sundays and holidays

Sun Nov 26 20:04:44 EST 2023

Thanks Ed.

You are correct, that was fat-finger typing and not going back to re-read what I had said.

Actually, it was supposed to be 1955, not 1954 or 1944. His time book, actually a ledger, began in January 1955, he used the smaller standard time books from his hire date in January 1947 and switched to this style book. Those smaller ones are still here as well, but I’ve not scanned them yet, so I use the ledger because it is handy and in electronic form.

Indeed, the railroad worked 24/7. I’ll add a bit more here. I want back in the time book, and did some further checking. I cannot say if they tried to shut down in December 1971, as he had taken time to fly his family to California to surprise his mother for Christmas, as it had been discovered she had cancer the previous spring. It would be her last Christmas. So he was off from December 21-30, but back to work on New Year’s Eve.

In 1972, on December 24th, he had been called out he had been called out as Conductor at 3:00 pm for RB-3, arriving Bristol at 9:50 pm. Their power was 852, 877, 358, 945 and 887. Four Geeps and an RS11. They immediately cut the units and caboose off, and turned  the crew around, and ran them back to Roanoke as BR-2 lite with the only the same units and caboose, arriving in Roanoke on Christmas morning at 1:50 am. He did not get called out until the 27th at 2:00 am to deadhead back and back out at 6:00 pm with an extra train. 

In 1973, once again, they deadheaded home, this time on 86, leaving Bluefield at 11:25 am and arriving Roanoke at 2:45 pm. He was not called out again until 8:00 pm on the 27th to deadhead to Whitethorne to relieve a crew there.

In 1974, he was called out for an extra hopper train at 11:30 am with 141 cars arriving Bluefield at 4:25 pm. The railroad sent them back at 2:30 in the morning of the 25th with another coal train of 113 cars arriving at Roanoke at 7:05 am. He did not get called out again until the 29th at 1:00 am.

I hope this shows Mike how the life of a railroader was and in many ways, still is.

Best
Ken Miller

> On Nov 26, 2023, at 6:37 PM, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
> 
> Ken, Pardon the correction, but don't you mean Thanksgiving of 1954, in your first entry from your Dad's timebook? The S1s were still a few years away in '44. -Ed Burnett, Lynchburg
> 
> 
>> On 11/22/2023 12:50 PM EST NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> Mike
>> 
>> That truly depends on the time you consider “the glory days.”
>> 
>> I can tell you in the days prior to the end of passenger service, not really. Passenger trains continued to run 24/7/365.
>> 
>> In looking at my father’s time book for Thanksgiving 1944, November 24, that he was called for the Salem Shifter at 6:30 am, and they were off at 2:30 pm, with S1 No. 278.
>> 
>> For December the shifter worked Christmas Eve, called at 8:00 am, back in at 12:20 pm with the 278 again. But that was a Saturday, the Shifter did not normally work on Sundays. The job was laid in on Monday the 26th.
>> 
>> For 1956, Thanksgiving was November 22, the Shifter was called at 7:15 am, and was back in at 1:30 pm, once again with 278.
>> 
>> For Christmas 1956, they worked Christmas Eve, called at 6:45 am, back in at 4:00 pm, this time with 277.
>> 
>> They were not called out on Christmas Day, which was a Tuesday.
>> 
>> On Thanksgiving day, 1957, November 28, he was called out as Conductor on a work train out of Roanoke at 5:30 am and back at 5:30 pm this time with 2149.
>> 
>> I’ll skip ahead to 1977, they still worked Thanksgiving. He noted in his time book that the railroad shut down for holiday, making a trip east with No. 86 on the 23rd, and not going back out until the 27th at 4:30 in the morning.
>> 
>> I could go on, but this gives you a good idea.
>> 
>> It was really not until the 1970s that the railroad shut down for Christmas, but I did not know them to shut down for Thanksgiving.
>> 
>> Usually at that point, they tried to get crews home working normal jobs on Christmas Eve, but on occasion had to deadhead crews home from Bluefield.
>> 
>> This is just my memories and his time book, which i am thankful he kept such detailed notes.
>> 
>> Best
>> Ken Miller
>> 
>>> On Nov 22, 2023, at 12:08 PM, NW Mailing List via NW-Mailing-List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Were there any days when trains didn’t run in the glory days of the N&W?
>>> 
>>> Mike Shockley 
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