TIP #522 - THOSE GLORIOUS RAILROAD DAYS Last week I introduced you to the major railroad lines that ran through Kentucky. This week, I have a confession to make and a little deeper look at the glorious days of railroad travel. I am totally in love with the railroad. In the little town in which I grew up, there was a train, I believe it was the Illinois Central. I didn't pay any attention to it then; it was merely an inconvenience when the school bus or your car had to wait for the slow-moving train to pass. Or on the school bus route where the train bridge was next to the old car bridge which terrified us as children - merely a bridge with two large boards that the bus driver had to keep the tires on or drop down on the bottom of the bridge - and likely into the creek. But, like the engineer on the train, the bus driver zoomed across safely and many times, a train would be on the train bridge at the same time. I remember the steam engine whistles but the memory is fading as I get older. But a little later on in my life, I started missing those old trains and was introduced to model railroading by my husband. Sad to say, box after box of model railroad supplies now sit in boxes in my attic with no place to display them again. I was the building architect; he did the "rolling stock", I did the buildings. Starting with kits, I soon grew bored and built hundreds of buildings from "scratch", modeling them after Gorin, MO which was named for our family. The town was fashioned back to the 1880-1920 time frame when railroads ruled. What is it that still fascinates us today with the power and majesty of the iron horse? What made it so important in the development of our nation that even today we look back at pre-Amtrak days to the old logging trains, cattle trains, passengers cars, single gauge lines? I could never begin to explain it, but in the mid 70's, we were able to ride a steam engine drawn train from St Louis over into IL and I was never the same. Not strong enough to pull even a few cars over the bridge into IL, we had to have diesel help, but oh the wonder of sticking your head out the open windows and feeling the wind on your face, along with a lot of soot and ashes; having a box lunch in a park ground while the train turned around, listening to the haunting whistle of the old engine as it approached street crossings and watching the smoke billow into the deep blue sky. Railroads in the past did more than connect little village to larger towns and provide a slightly faster and slightly more comfortable mode of transportation, it provided many thousands of people with an income. Kentucky, like other states had been a primarily agricultural state. Most incomes were derived from farming, blacksmithing, millwrights, harness makers, teachers and the like. But, with the coming of the railroad, occupations expanded. The blacksmith and harness makers learned new trades in order to exist; much like today when the keypunch machine, typewriters (to a certain extent), and other occupations that were common when we were children, have now disappeared into the annals of time. There were many types of railroads back in those wonderful days; not all just served passengers. Freight lines carried produce from the little farms to the big markets at Louisville or Nashville or down to New Orleans. Passenger lines were filled to capacity with family going to visit family; some traveling great distances for the first time - not on foot! Other trains carried strictly livestock to the stockyards at Louisville or Cincinnati; or grain from the fields of hard working farmers to the coasts. Some railroads were known as short-lines, going just within a certain territory; some crossed state lines. The short-lines often transferred their goods to the larger railroad lines, acting just as a small charter planes of today. And when competition got going strong, the little lines were bought out by the larger ones and many old railroad lines are known only in the memories of the older generations. During the Civil War, the railroads transported our soldiers and carried the weaponry - many didn't survive to see another day because of enemy attacks. And then suddenly, without our really noticing it, the railroad disappeared into Amtrak for passenger service and many of the freight lines merged. If any of your family or ancestors worked for the railroad, it was a proud career. Many areas of research can open up to you to add flavor to your family tree if you take the time to learn more about the railroad. What did they do? Conductors The most familiar to the passengers, took the tickets and provided for passengers Engineers Ran that mighty train Firemen Stoked the furnace to keep it hot enough Gandy dancers Laid the tracks Lineman Installed telegraph poles and strung lines Loaders Loaded freight, animals and grain Maintenance Worked on the train to keep it running Policemen Patrolled the railroad yards Porters Helped the people on and off the train Stationmasters Managed the local railway station Telegraphers Trained in Morse code to send messages back and forth There were many colorful terms used by railroad employees such as: Alley Clear the track in the railroad yard Anchor them Set the hand brakes Ashcat Fireman on a locomotive Bail it in Feed the firebox Bake head Locomotive fireman - also known as the bell ringer Ball of fire Train is running fast Ballast scorcher Engineer who is really speeding Barn Roundhouse for the locomotive Beat her on the back Run the engine at full stoke Beehive Yard office Binders Hand brakes Bird cage Lantern carried by brakeman or switchman Black diamonds Company coal Black hole Tunnel Black snake Loaded coal cars Blanket stiff Hobo Bobtail Switch engine Boiler ascension Explosion of the boiler Boiler header A man riding in the engine Chicken/turkey dressing Ballast Cripple A crippled locomotive or car Going back to the farm Laid off Running barefoot A railroad car without brakes This is just a sampling of expressions; I have accumulated about 20 pages of railroading terms. And, I might add, a railroading job was an extremely dangerous job. Many of a good man has lost his life. Which railroad? You should determine also which railroad your ancestor worked for and try to learn a little about the routes such as those I covered last week. Here are some sources for you to investigate: Railroad Retirement Board has a Web page at www.rrb.gov/funfacts2.html The following is courtesy of George Morgan: Another excellent Web-based resource for researching railroad history is that of the University of Connecticut Libraries, located at Storr, CT. The Railroad History Collections Web page at www.lib.uconn.edu/DoddCenter/ASC/raillist.htm is the portal into their own collection of railroad materials. In addition, the library has compiled an exceptional compendium called "Sources for Railroad History Research in the United States" at www.lib.uconn.edu/DoddCenter/ASC/BLC/Railroadlinks.htm. Likewise, you can locate a multitude of railroad history sites on your own using your Web browser and a search engine such as Google (www.google.com). Railroad History page (members.nbci.com/generanch/rails/), and the Railroad History Links by State (www.trainweb.org/wyomingrails/rrhist.html), among others. According to George Morgan, you can find maps such as housed at: http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/reference/maps/main.asp). We need to ascertain also if any records even exist that can help trace our family member. This can be a long process - is the railroad an original company, or has it merged with another line. Who kept the personnel records or do they still exist? Could they have been donated to a historical society or a major library? Would someone know that is a member of a railroad hobby club? Looking for records after 1936? Check http://rrb.gov/geneal.html. This is the US Railroad Retirement Board which was started in the 1930's. They charge $27.00 for a look-up for anyone who worked for the railroads after 1937 and is deceased. After you've found out all you can about your ancestor's occupation, what line he worked for, the time frame, then you can start writing letters. You might come away with a heavy heart as many records just did not survive. Some railroads (including the L&N) have published histories that might give you some information. It might not have your ancestor's name, but will give you an awesome overview of the life they lives! For a fee, you might check the Railroad Genealogical Society at http://www.rrgs.org. This is a fairly new organization that is collecting American and Canadian railroad records. They are blessed with a goodly supply of records from the Missouri-Kansas-Texas and the L&N railroads. It costs currently $20 per search for non-members but for that price it will continue searching for your family member as they add new records. (c) Copyright 6 Jan 2005, Sandra K. Gorin. Colonel Sandi Gorin SCKY Links: http://www.public.asu.edu/~moore/Gorin.html Sandi's Puzzlers: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gensoup/gorin/puz.html Gorin Publishing: http://ggpublishing.tripod.com/