Try this on for Cy's

Boss: "Do you believe in life after death?"
Employee: "Yes, Sir."
Boss: "That's good, because after you left early yesterday to go to your grandmother's funeral, she stopped in to see you!"

"In this world, you can drive animals and you can lead men, but you have to be smart enough to know the difference. -- UP Conductor

E-mail from a railfan to railroaders:

... you folks have the type of job I had always wanted, but never had the opportunity to do. I suspect that the reality of being a locomotive engineer is not nearly as enjoyable as it seems to be on the outside and that is more dangerous than we generally appreciate (witness some of the events on your road in the past few months.)

Despite the occassional problems, the public should realize, and I suspect those of us who are frustrated would-be railroaders do realize, that you all do a very good job of moving people and freight safely and efficiently.

While the occasional problem gets noticed, the fact is, that you are generally unnoticed and unappreciated because you are doing things well. That is just an unfortunate aspect of human nature.

So, thank you for doing an important job.

Tom Zabel

PS: Please feel free to share this with your colleagues.

Artificial Intelligence usually beats real stupidity.

The Employee Web page now has the General Code of Operating Rules .

In 1824 Britain adopted the Imperial gallon which is equivalent to 277.42 cubic inches as opposed to the "Queen Anne" gallon used in the U.S. of 231 cubic inches. The difference is that the Queen Anne gallon is a based upon a unit of volume (a cylinder 7 inches in diameter and 6 inches deep) while the Imperial gallon is based upon weight (the volume equivalent to 10 pounds of water).

When I think about how many new hires are now on the property, I am reminded of what an old engineer told me, "No one was born with a throttle or a lantern in their hand -- take time to teach them, it could save their life, and yours too."

The Diesel Engine is called that because it was designed by a German scientist, Dr. Rudolf Diesel (1858-1913.) It was designed to burn powdered coal. He was blinded when one of his early experimental models exploded. He disappeared overboard mysteriously while on a trip to the United States before World War I.

Last July, the ASLEF & RMT (the British engineers and trainmen's unions) signed an agreement with English, Welsh and Scottish Railway.

In exchange for giving up most arbitraries, engineers will receive an annual salary of about US $36,000) for 1686 hours of work. Additional pay for working statutory holidays and Saturdays will continue.

EWSR is issuing engineers cellular phones to keep in contact with a central crew calling facility.

Engineers will be notified 12 hours before going on duty, and longer if nighttime rest would be disturbed by the call.

EWS employs 4,400 people, 2,600 of which are TE&Y people. They are based at 25 crew facilities in England, Scotland and Wales. They handle the freight traffic over the entire British rail network.

$36,000 a year seems comparable to North American rails if you remember they work a 38 hour week with two days off.

The Fort Wort "T" has hired Lee Lavell to supervise the restoration of the two Northern Texas Traction Company Interurban Cars. The cars are down under the passenger shed at the T&P Depot. Lee is the son of Blair Lavell, Shop Superintendent at Texas State Railroad.

Running gear, and all the electrical equipment has been located and arrangements have been made for their purchase.

Harold Wareham has completed the grant application for release fo funds for the project.

Andy Nold is restoring the Fort Worth Birney Safety Car which is also stored under the shed.

This is one of two cars found last year in Odessa. Tucson, Arizona purchased the other car.

The Birney Cars ran in Fort Worth Streets until they were phased out in the late 1930s. The last cars in Fort Worth ran on the Riverside Line until early in 1938. The line went from Commerce Street out East Third, south on Hampton to Fourth and out to Chandler where it turned north to terminate at Race Street.