Just a little lite reading for you on a hot summer day.
Here is a clip from the story:
As recounted in Drowned Hopes, the arrest of the railroad bartender happened in the 1950s; though I found no record of any such event during that decade, I did turn up one from the 70s. On July 18, 1972, Amtrak’s Texas Chief train was boarded by state and local police when it pulled into Oklahoma City. Liquor was confiscated and the lounge car attendant was arrested, jailed overnight, and charged the next day under a law against operating an “open saloon” — i.e., selling alcohol for on-premises consumption.
While I never recall anyone being arrested. Back in the day, West Virginia (or at least the counties along the Potomac River) were Dry. B&O dining and club cars could not serve alcoholic beverages while in a Dry area, however, patrons were able to consume beverages that were served in the wet areas while passing through the dry areas. Car attendants were very cognizant of which state/county they were in as the Capitol Limited operated between Washington and Cumberland.
I lived in Tulsa between 1953 and 1957. Dad was in the Commercial Bakery Business (read Business entertaining). Moving from the Northeast, he was confronted with some of the most arcane liquor laws in the Country. Oklahoma ( and Kansas) were both ‘dry’. Missouri was not! Living in Oklahoma, if you enjoyed adult beverages, you were limited to 3.2 beer.(OR!) Liquor was available to many via bootleggers ( who not only delivered, but would put it away in your liquor closet.) It was a system that really worked for anyone with a thirst.
Famous Oklahoma humorist Will Rogers was often quoted saying, " The people of Oklahoma would continue to stagger to the polls, as long as there was liquor". It was a ringing endorsement of the effective and efficient bootlegger system of distribution. So when J. H. Edmondson ran for office[Gov.] he promised to stop the bootlegging (and won the anti drinking votes)
Those that consumed. viewed his policy as a wink and nod to the adults who consumers. There were roadblocks on highways coming in from the direction of Missouri, and they even had State Police at the airports checking incoming baggage ( Companies would send business men to ‘meetings’ with a suitcase full of contraband beverages to attend thoase meetings). When the supply was finally completely dried up. There was a special election (IIRC 1959) in which the state constitution was finally ammended to allow liquor sales (Okla. had never ratified the 21st Ammendment), and in 1984 more legislation was passed and they got liquor by the drink.
In my humble opinion, stunts of this type, meant for local consumption (pun intended), only serve to make Oklahoma and Oklahomans laughing stocks nationally for either tolerating or rewarding this sort of culture and response. Imagine, a state facing 21st century problems that thinks it’s still the 19th century. How unfortunate.
In 1970, about a year before Amtrak, I rode the Missouri Pacific Texas Eagle from San Antonio north to the town of Jewett (a flag stop), about 150 miles.
During the ride, I went to the diner and ordered a beer, but was told that I’d need to wait a little bit until we crossed a county line and were no longer in a dry territory. The attendant seemed to have known just where the right point was and, maybe ten minutes later, here he came with a beer. There were no public notices posted about such regulations, but the MoPac crew seemed to know just how the game was played there.
Canada had a variation of this problem. Alberta and several other Provinces had a ban on alcohol sales on Sundays. Also Provinces had different closing time laws.
This would complicate matters for staff on the trains when the train was running late, and service would have to stop before the normally scheduled station. I recall reading somewhere that they even had signals worked out on the signal line where the engineer would notify the crew when they would cross provincial boundaries.
Some of this stuff went on into the Eighties, I think.
Kansas City Southern had an especially difficult time with its passenger trains. Missouri and Louisiana were the only states that allowed liquor by the drink, and the low engineering standards employed by KCS’s builders meant that the main line crossed some state lines in unlikely spots.
Indiana and Ohio were both formerly dry on Sundays which would mean that you’d have to get your drinks quickly on eastbound trains out of Chicago.
In October of 1969, I rode the Pocohontas from Roanoke to Cincinnati. After eating dinner, I asked the waiter for wine; he wanted to be sure that we were stillin Virginia before he could sell it to me.
As to state liquor laws, Utah has long had extremely restrictive laws on the sale anything stronger than 3.2 beer. They are not as bad as they used to be, but they are still unique. SOme thirty years ago, when you went into a state store, you would look at a list of what was supposed,y avaialbe, write your choice on a slip of paper, wait in line until you reched the window, hand the slip to the clerk, and then wait until someone was able to bring it to you and take your cash. Now, you go in, walk around and take what you want off the shelf or rack, wait in line to pay and pay with cash credit card or debit card (I am not sure if checks are accepted).
In September 1970 I was a passenger aboard Santa Fe train no. 1, the SanFrancisco Chief. While the train was stopped in Kansas City for servicing, I wandered around the station platforms and snapped a few photos of anything that caught my interest.
After a few minutes of exploration I reboarded the train and retired to my roomette to wash-up and change clothes for dinner. After a few quick minutes, I made my way to the dining car and was quickly seated. Just as the train started to pull, the following conversation ensued.
I ordered a cocktail.
“Sorry sir,” said the waiter, “but we’re in Kansas now.”
Now I knew that Kansas had some bizarre liquor laws, but I was also a student of geography and knew that the state line was a few miles down the road.
“Kansas?” I inquired. “How is that possible? Why look outside this window, we haven’t even left the station platform.”
“My instructions are these,” the waiter firmly replied, “as soon as the train leaves Kansas City, the Santa Fe Railway says we’re in Kansas and that’s that. No alcohol service.”
Well I had my dinner and it was delicious, but I was a little ticked off by the whole episode - not at the waiter or the railroad, mind you, but at those ignorant clowns in the Topeka statehouse that made that prohibition possible.
Yes, Bob, this was done. I do not remember any reference to airline service. But I do remember that this was done for Amtrak.
Seven years ago, we were leaving Vancouver for Seattle, and we were told that there would be no alcoholic beverages sold on board until we had left the station. So, I ordered my dinner wine after we began to move (we had gone to the diner soon after boarding so that we would beat the rush).
As I mentioned in my post above, arbitrary stations were designated as start and stop points for liquor service. But Bob’s post reminded of a post I had made on this forum a year or so ago.
On the CPR mainline where it crosses the Alberta/Saskatchewan border there were no stops near the border to make it easy to know when to start and stop service. My Father had told me years ago that for company purposes, the switchstand at the west end of the siding at Cummings, SK was considered to be the border. Cummings as a station, siding and village no longer exists.
After I made that post, through the miracle of the internet, I took a look at this area on Google Maps and I found out that if you were going to pick an arbitrary point, the east switchstand of the siding at Walsh, AB would have been closer. Walsh being the next station west of Cummings. My Dad, who had been agent at Hatton, the next station east of Cummings would have loved the internet for finding out things like that, had he lived long enough to see it.
I mentioned in my post above that the engineer used to use the signal line to let the crew know when they crossed Provincial boundaries. I later remembered that the signal was the Morse Code signal for the letter “P”. “Railway” or “American Landline”, not “International” Morse of course.
Don’t know if it’s still the case, but Ontario used to have a law prohibiting the sale of alcohol on election days. I remember travelling by train from Montreal to Toronto on the day of the federal election in 1984, to catch the Canadian back home to the west coast. I went to the lounge car for a brew but “Sorry, no alcohol until the polls close.”
Back when I began learning about telegraphic and radio codes (about 1946), I learned that Morse Code was used for landline and International Code was used for radio communication. Has the designation for the code used in radio communication been changed to “International Morse Code?”
I just quickly scanned the Wikipedia article on Morse Code and they use “International Morse Code” and “International Code” in the same article. Guessing by its prominence in the article I’m thinking the three word tittle might be the official designation.
And I had a “Canadian/British Moment” when I used the term “Railway” above. I had meant to say “Railroad” in this context.
Also in KS during the 70’s former AG Vern Miller would board trains 3/4, 15/16 and be known for arresting lounge car attendents on serving alcohol. Legend goes once he nabbed a condr but that story was never confirmed. Vern is close to 80 and still lives in Wichita. His days as the state top law guys and also Sedgwick County sherriff were story filled days of KS law officers.