From the Left Side of the Cab
by Jeremy Levish, NERR Engineer #9

Preservation 101...The Human Element

I think that it is only fair to warn you that you're about to read one of those "semi-editorial" pieces that I warned you about in my last article...

Have you ever read something that made you say "Wow!  They really hit that on the head!"? I had just such an experience a couple of weeks ago when I read an editorial in the magazine Classic Trains. The editorial was entitled "Left-hand men" and was written by the Classic Trains editor, Robert S. McGonigal.

In his editorial, Mr. McGonigal mentions that nearly all of the stories told from "The Days of Steam" by railroad men are most often told by firemen and not the engineers. To quote Mr. McGonigal, "As one still learning the ropes, the new fireman is somewhere between the elite fraternity he aspires to join and the rest of us who merely look up in wonder; he's thus in a good position to explain one world to the other. Also, whether they end in success or failure, a fireman's first trips are formative experiences seared into memory the way challenges in school, athletics, or war might be for other young men. By the time a man became an engineer, on the other hand, he'd 'been there, done that'". He mentions several other reasons as well...Everything from the "unique status of the fireman, particularly a young one paired with a veteran engineer" to "cold arithmetic" and the fact that most engineers tended to be "senior employees" who were in their 40's, 50's, and 60's...There just aren't that many of them around any more to tell their stories. However, it is the "cold arithmetic" that I'd like to address...

We, the railfans and "train enthusiasts", have a vast body of knowledge about "what" has happened in the railroad industry in the past 100 years or so. Indeed, some of the "what" and "how" has been documented very well by folks like the locomotive builders and the various railroads themselves. One of the bigger items that we lack is the "who". I mean, look at any railroad museum anywhere around the world, and you'll see locomotives and cars that are preserved in one state or another...Hopefully, at a minimum, the decay process has been arrested so that the various artefacts aren't lost ('cause once it's gone, it's gone forever). Sometimes, there are stories or narratives that go along with a particular piece of equipment that describe its function or purpose, and sometimes there are folks at these museums that can interpret the equipment, often telling stories that they may have heard or read. It is these stories that add "life" to an otherwise static piece of metal or wood.

One of the things that is often missing is the story of the people who actually worked with the equipment. As these folks grow older and eventually die, the stories that they often have to tell are lost with them. The same thing is true of our veterans of World War II (...and I believe that all of the various nationalities of the members of NERR have someone in their not-too-distant past who served in some capacity, even if it was "On The Home Front" during "The War"...). So, the question is really one of: "What can we do to preserve these stories?"

That's a very difficult question to answer, but there is some hope. There are quite a few stories from engineers and fireman, although not nearly enough. Such items as "stories from the road" and "the everyday life of an enginemen" do exist and as of late, there have been quite a few new books published that document some these things. Folks like Al Krug, and his "Tales from the Krug" website, document some of the things that are happening in this day and age, and some railroad museums have started "oral history" programs to document some of these stories. And these stories aren't limited to the engine crews alone. The museum that I regularly volunteer with, the California State Railroad Museum, has started a program of interviewing folks that worked at the Southern Pacific's Sacramento Shops complex...everyone from pipe fitters and boiler makers to carpenters and Maintenance of Way workers. In the grander scheme of things, these are all important additions that answer the "who" questions with regards to those folks who actually performed the work. When was the last time that you heard a story told by a mechanic or pipe fitter or carpenter, or how about a story from the guys that actually built the locomotives and cars? They are indeed starting to be collected and documented...

So, there's a question that I'd like all of you who are reading this to think about..."Is this important?" If you answered "No", then there is no need to read the rest of this paragraph. However, if you answered "Yes", then I have a small favor to ask of you. If you are not already a part of a railroad historical (and/or technical) society or a member of a railroad museum or preservation effort, then I'd like to humbly ask you to become a member of one (or more) of these organizations of your choosing. The cost of joining one of these organization varies. Some ask as little as twenty dollars a year...Other ask that you volunteer a small amount of your time (usually in the neighborhood of a couple of hours a month) in a given year. These organizations are attempting to save a "piece of history" to the best of their abilities and deserve your consideration. By the way, for those of you who do not live in the United States and may be thinking "Fat lot of good that does me living here in [-- country where you live --]", these types of organizations probably exist in your country as well to preserve your country's railroad heritage. Even the biggest of the big (or the best of the best) of these organizations cannot survive without your continued interest and support.

I sincerely hope that you'll consider this request for the new year. May you and your families have a very happy holiday season and a safe and happy new year!

From the left side of the cab,

Taz

The views expressed on this page do not necessarily reflect those of the NERR Administration. They are the views of the author of the particular news item.