Railroad Tales

Railroad Tales

Why in the hell can't we make our set off, Old Man?

Bruce was the 2nd trick operator at Bostic Yard, in the early sixty's.
At this time on the Clinchfield we had switched over from the
telegraph key, to army surplus teletype machines. The telegraph keys
were still in the yard offices up and down the line, and the old heads still used them to keep in practice and talk with each other.

All the trains we received from the Seaboard at Bostic, had to be booked into the yard, writing the full waybill information. This was done, on a form, for this purpose and we used it to check car initial and numbers sometimes weeks later.

When the time freight trains were switched up and in train order we cut a (ticker) tape on the teletype while the train was en-route to Erwin. The average running time to Erwin at this time was four to five hours.

When we cut a tape on a train we would let the tape fall into a waste basket. sometimes these tapes would be 15 to 20 feet long. When we got through we would reverse the tape into another waste basket or box.

When we were ready to send the tape, we would key the IBM department and the Erwin yard office on. We could sound a bell to let them know we had something for them. They would type ok Erw and ok IBM indicating they were ready.

They had to set the paper in their teletypes at the top of the page so the print out would page correctly. The IBM department guy had to also turn on his tape cutter, so he could get a tape of the train also.

As I said before, the yard office at Bostic was a cinder block building. It had crank out windows, with a wooden door and also a storm screen door. There was no air conditioner. The floor had vent holes cut along the sides of the walls. We had a oil heater in the basement and the heat came up through the vents.

In the middle of the summer, I have seen, the temperature inside the yard office at over 100 degrees. The cinder blocks would hold the heat from the day and it would take a long time to cool off at night. We only had a couple of fans inside the office.

One late afternoon on a hot summer day, a Spartanburg coal train arrived at Bostic yard with a set off. The head end pulled by the south switch and stopped at the office.

Bruce was the operator on duty, he told Earl the head brakeman, they would have to wait a while because a Seaboard crew was switching on the yard. He indicated that the Seaboard crew would clear up as soon as they could and let them set off and leave.

Earl went outside and sat down on the bench to wait their turn.

Pete was the flagman, and he walked the train bringing with him the waybills for the Bostic cut of cars. He stopped and asked Earl why in the hell they could not set off and leave?

Earl replied that it was the usual situation at Bostic Yard, too many trains at the same time. Pete said to Earl, "I'll go in there and get this straightened out right now!"

If you remember Jimmy Dean's hit song "Big John", Pete would be the person your imagination would picture for this coal miner. The first thing Pete said was "Why in the hell can't we make our set off, Old Man?"

Bruce was cutting a tape on the teletype into a waste basket, it was hotter than blue blazes. He had a floor fan running to try and get a breeze. About the time Pete said Old Man, he turned the waste basket over with his foot, and the tape started coming out of the waste basket. The fan caught the tape and cut it into many pieces.

Bruce got up from the teletype, walked over to the agents desk where his lunch bucket was, he opened up his lunch bucket and came out with a pistol. He turned to Pete and said "you son of a bitch, that door had better slam when you go out." Earl had been looking through the window and saw it all. He said when Pete came tearing by him all he said was "what is wrong with that man, he's crazier than hell!"

Pete never stopped until he got back to the cab.

Ah Man the good old days!

Article Submitted By:
George Glawson, Clinchfield / CSX
copyright material 2007 HGG Group


Railroad Tales

Railroad Tales

Railroad Tales

Pride of The Clinchfield:

When I hired out on the Clinchfield Railroad in 1960, Ted was already in his early to mid forty's. He retired from the railroad I think in 1983. Ted is now in his early to mid ninety's, and now lives with one of his sons in Erwin TN.


Ted was and still is one of those persons who never change, one who is always the same anytime you meet them. If he ever felt bad, and there some times I knew he did, he never let it show. He was full of mischief any time you came in contact with him.

Train crews during his career consisted of 5 members. Conductor, Flagman, Engineer, Fireman and Head Brakeman. The fireman job was abolished and I think at the time he retired they still had 4 crew members. Train crews today consist of a Engineer and Conductor. Both of these are qualified on each of the 2 positions.

When I came to work, Ted was a South End Pool Crew Conductor. South end pool crews ran from Erwin, TN to Bostic Yard, NC and Erwin to Spartanburg, SC. Erwin to Bostic was a 110 mile run, and Erwin to Spartanburg was a 141 mile run.


Each conductor on assigned trains, were also assigned a caboose (cab). I think Ted's cab was CRR 1070. Wherever the crew tied up away from Erwin they would stay on the cabs. They would sleep and eat on them until they went back on duty. Sometimes they would pool their money and get a taxi to take them to a restaurant. Later the company started putting the crews up in motels, or hotels.


At one time Ted started referring to himself as the pride of the Clinchfield. I guess you know this went over real well. You should have heard some for the cat calls and railroad talk this would bring about. He also referred to his cab as the knowledge box, and some times as the brain box. The other crews had a field day with this one.

As the old saying says goes "all good things must come to an end", and so did this. Every now and then the company would crack down on radio procedures, and you guessed it Ted's favorite sayings had to fall by the wayside. But the crews that were going to be arriving in Spartanburg after sundown would still place their favorite drink orders over the radios (In Code You Know) when they got to the top of the mountain with the operator at the Spartanburg Yard Office who would notify the motel or Blanko.

Blanko was a colored man who lived across the tracks from the Spartanburg yard office. He also had a little store in one of the rooms of his house, where he keep his bootleg spirits. Crews coming or going anytime of the day or night could get their refreshments. Drinking on the railroads during this time was more or less the norm. This is now a thing of the past, with the crack down by theFRA and the railroads. Random drug testing and checking for alcohol has put a stop to this.

For most of my 39 years of service, I worked 2nd trick at Bostic Yard NC. The yard office consisted of a cinder block building about 40 feet long with a basement. Later they added a canteen and trainmen's room which was another 40 or 50 feet. At each end of the buildings was a steep bank dropping off from the main line.

From the front door of the yard office to the main line was about 20 feet. About 300 yards north of the yard office was the switch for the south end of the passing track. About 150 to 200 yards south of the office was the south crossover switch from the main line back into the ladder track.

Those of us who worked in the yard office were suppose to watch passing trains, looking for anything that may be unsafe. Such as sticking brakes, sliding wheels, dragging equipment, and hobos. The speed limit through Bostic Yard is 40 MPH.

Do you want to know something scary? Try standing there watching a loaded coal train going South or a train going North at 40 MPH with no where for you to go if you had to.

We had a time freight from Erwin to Spartanburg, with a Bostic set off. The train set off the cars for Bostic, coupled back up to his train on the main line and started going south to Spartanburg. He derailed leaving Bostic and 2 tank cars landed up against the trainmen's room. Probably had got his speed up to 10 MPH.

Now back to the pride of the Clinchfield!

Some time in the early eighties before Ted retired he took it upon himself to try and wet me any way he could. He knew I was hemmed in with no where to go so he would throw water at me as he would go by. As I said before Ted liked to talk on the radio to other crews he meet at different sidings, so I knew when he was coming South long before he arrived.

One day he was on Number 22 and had a Bostic set off. When the rear end of the train came by He was on the 3rd coal car from his cab laying spread eagle, and tried to wet me. He came by a yard light just before getting to me and I happened to see him and dodged the water.

One day I had eaten my sandwich, and I put enough water in the sandwich baggie to make it about the size of a tennis ball I tied it off with a rubber band. Ted was on 22 straight to Spartanburg.

They came through Bostic doing 40 MPH and Ted was standing on the front of his cab with water. I threw that bag of water at him and missed. It hit the glass in the cab door and it shattered like it had been hit with a rock. If it had hit him it would have killed him. (My guarding angel was looking after me again that time). After he got his composure back he yelled over the radio what he could write up that broken door glass to? I shot back slack action!

One Sunday evening he was coming North out of Spartanburg on train number 97. When they got on the approach to Bostic he had his flagman Leo to call me on the radio and say he had a piece of mail to throw off as they went by. When the cab got in sight there was Leo waving a envelope up and down. Ted was on the front of the cab and had a dishpan full of water to throw at me.

What did I say the speed limit was through Bostic? That's Right 40 MPH. Ted threw the water and it came out and was caught by the draft of the train. I think every drop caught poor old Leo from the Chin to the knees. He was literally wet from head to toe. Leo never was the mailman for Ted again!

Here's to you Teddy Bear!
You're Still "The Pride Of The Clinchfield,"

Article Submitted By:
George Glawson, Clinchfield/CSX
copyright material 2007 HGG Group

Railroad Tales