I am asking what are the different titles or names given to the workers on a train, primarily the old (classic) passenger trains.
Well, first you have to define “classic passenger train.”
Sleeping Car Porter; Coach Porter; 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Cook in the kitchen; Dining Car Waiters; Dining Car Stewards; Conductor; Engineer; Rear Brakeman. Depending on the train in question, there were no doubt more, sometimes less if there was no dining car on the train.
The California Zephyr had attendants known as Zephyrettes in each coach.
The railroad in question and the distance traveled had a lot to do with how many employees were aboard.
In my response to the question as posted on the Classic Trains Forum, I forgot to mention that some trains also had a registered nurse on board. And, some trains also had a Passenger Service Representative.
Johnny
Marvelous! Thanks
A
A Zephyrette and a coach attendant in each coach? I don’t think so. A Zephyrette per train, yes; but, not one in each coach.
Just about any train worthy of a name also carried a lounge car staffed by a bartender and one or more lounge car attendants. Trains like the Broadway Limited and the Twentieth Century Limited each had more than one car devoted to serving “adult libations.”
Often the rear brakeman was called a flagman. At one time California state law required that whenever a train stopped, a flagman would have to go back sufficient distance to stop an approaching train, moving in the same direction, at restricted speed. This was somewhat ludicrous in block signal territory because the definition of “restricted speed” requires that a movement be able to stop within half the sight distance. A responsible engineer would be approaching a train stopped ahead at little more than a slow crawl.
Some trains also included a baggageman who kept track of checked baggage and also handled company mail between stations. He might also work in tandem with an Railway Express Agency “messenger” and/or a “banana messenger.”
I’m pretty sure too that some of the more heavily patronized pre-Amtrak passenger trains also carried an assistant conductor out of the train’s originating terminal. Like the regularly assigned conductor, the assistant conductor would “lift transportation,” a fancy term for collecting and selling tickets. After working through the assigned cars, the asst. conductor probably would turn over his
[quote user=“Deggesty”]
Welcome to the forums.[#welcome]Feel free to participate with information as well as questions. If you have access to the Trains magazine forums, feel free to drop in on the Flatwheel Cafe and the Trackside lounge (these two are moved to new threads every month since there are so many posts).
As to the operation of the train and engine themselves, the train crew consisted of a conductor and two brakemen, with the conductor in charge of the operation of the train and engine, and the engine crew consisted of an engineer and fireman. One brakeman, who rode near the rear of the train, lined switches when necessary, and was also called “flagman,” since he, when necessary, would go back and be prepared to stop any following train. The other brakeman, who rode at the front of the train, lined switches when necessary, and often took care of the checked baggage (some trains had a separate baggageman). The conductor (at times assisted by one or more brakemen) collected the passengers’ tickets (lifted transportation). The engineer ran the engine, starting and stopping at the conductor’s direction, and the fireman made certain that the engine could run by keeping fuel in the firebox and water in the boiler of a steam engine or watching over the operation of a diesel engine.
What is now called the “onboard service crew” consisted of porters, diner crew, and lounge car attendants. The porters assisted passengers in boarding and detraining, saw to the comfort of the passengers, and were responsible for the cleanliness of their cars, often being responsible for two cars. The dining car crews were composed of a steward (subject to the conductor’s authority), who was in charge, a chef, cooks (some had little more responsibility than that of washing dishes), and waiters. The lounge car attendant saw to it that food, beverages, and various items were available for sale to the passengers, and saw to the cleanliness of the car.
Thank you, Mike, for your kind words–and for copying, to this thread, my post from the thread on the Classic Trains Forum.
In the short time that I have been participating in these forums, I have been glad to share such information that I have garnered through personal experience and through reading about railroading in the past sixty-some odd years. I appreciate the posts of others who also were closely acquainted with this wonderful means of transportation over the span of years. I have been shot down a few times because I had a faulty memory, but I am always glad to be corrected.
Johnny