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Kindnesses on the Omaha Road
Yes, Railroaders were a class unto themselves. Out of the many, many that I got to interact with over the years, I encountered just one conductor whose disdain for rail fans was all too obvious. All the others were kind, gracious, patient men who encouraged my interest and welcomed me into their world.
Many of my dear friends from the Lehigh Valley, Jersey Central, Pennsylvania and Staten Island Rapid Transit who made Perth Amboy, NJ such a wonderful place to grow up are long gone, but none of them are forgotten by the now 80 year old who was 14 when they befriended a boy who had lost his Dad. I tell my grandchildren about them, so they’ll not easily be forgotten.
This article harkens to fond memories of many railroaders I crossed paths during my youth in the 50’s and 60’ in Illinois.
My father was a manager for IBM in central Illinois so I was able to “ride along” on his client calls during the summer and spend my time at stations while dad made his client meetings.
One specific time, mom came along with us to Quincy, Illinois. That day, the CB&Q was dedicating a steam locomotive,so mom and I went to the ceremony. We met one of the PR officers for the railroad who took an interest in me and made sure I had the opportunity to meet H.C. Murphy, the President, after the ceremony.
Afterwards, I was asked for my name and address in the event they would use it in CB&Q’s internal news magazine. Of course, mom knew provided it all.
Within two weeks after the event, a package came to the house. Inside was a box with the newspaper article and pictures of the dedication ceremony, an HO model of the new Chinese Red boxcars that were rolling out on the CB&Q, a white engineers cap, and a personal letter from Mr. Murphy thanking me for attending and getting to meet me.
To this day, all are treasured items to me and as I grew through the executive ranks of a multi-national corporation, I never forgot about the executive that took time to ensure that a 12 year old boy was treated like a key client.