Hello I have not been here in a while. I have been resreaching my family history for the last for years. And I found a few modelrailroader’s and a few that worked for the real RR. The modelrairoader’s I know by there obiturries and the one’s that worked there by the U.S. cenus. I know one worked for the NYC and one for PRR both bye or in Toledo Ohio. And few that just list ther job but not where. one has Fireman steam Porter.
I am trying to find out were some worked and what other did there. Is there a way to find old employee list’s for these RR.
Has anyone else done this? What kind of railroad history do you have?
Going back three genertions ago my family actually maintained railroad equipment for the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus. My grandfather was the last family member to work for RBBB, but he was not involved with the railroad or the performances.
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I never met any of the family members who worked on the circus trains, so they had no influence on my hobby.
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The Circus World Museum in Baraboo, Wisconsin has all the information on my family and all the roles they held in the circus. I doubt that is a resource that will help very many people.
Kevin, we are taking the grandson up there this summer. If you would like, I can find out about your family members. If your interested, send me a pm.
I have no family members that had anything to do with railroads, and I’m the only family member that is in to model railroading, and rail fanning, besides my wife. She’s from Montana, and her grandfather work on the track crew for the NP and the GN.
My father loved trains all his life. As a boy in the 1930s, he would go down to the railroad station in Opelousas, Louisiana and watch Missouri Pacific ten-wheelers arrive with their passenger trains. But it was my mother, not my father, that worked for the railroad.
During World War II, while my father was away serving in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific, my mother and her sister took jobs with the Illinois Central Railroad in New Orleans. I’m not sure what my aunt did, but my mom’s job with the I.C.R.R. was to type up the waybills which were then stapled to the tack boards on the freights which came through.
One night, a special train was being made up. As usual, mom typed up the waybills and handed them to a young man who worked at the office with her. He would then get on his bicycle, ride out to the train and tack them on the cars. All of a sudden, he burst back into the office. “I’m not going NEAR that train!” He exclaimed. “There’s soldiers all around that train with MACHINE GUNS!!” “Oh, for goodness sakes…”, my mom replied, “give me those bills”.
Mom went out to the train and discovered that it was full of German POWs, on their way to an internment farm.
“Rosies on the railroad” My mom (R) and her sister returning home from working the night shift on the Illinois Central Railroad, New Orleans, Louisiana. Circa 1944.
“Shovel all the coal in, gotta keep 'em rolling…” John.
My grandfather is the gentleman standing in the middle of the track with a pick on his shoulder. Sorry the photo isn’t better, but it was nearly destroyed over the years.
No, I didn’t know he was a railroader until years after his death.
My Dad’s father was a UP switcher engineer in Sidney NE, I’d guess driving an 0-6-0 in the 1910s - 1940s or so. My Dad’s mother’s Dad was a UP crew supervisor on the construction of the parallel transcontinental trackage, but I don’t know the time frame.
My Mom’s dad worked in the Philly Baldwin locomotive works, where he unfortunately died in an accident in the shop around 1926. My grandson and I took a train oriented trip a few years ago, including Baltimore, Scranton and Strasburg, where we saw some Baldwin steamers. I had him reach out and touch those of that vintage, as his great-great-grandfather might have helped build it.
My father grew up in Milwaukee but he was born in North Dakota while his father, the son of an Irish immigrant, worked for the Northern Pacific. I don’t know too much beyond that as far as what he did or how long he worked there. My father was born in 1919.
The latest issue of Trains magazine has a great article by former editor Kevin Keefe on just this very topic. Check it out.
The Chicago and North Western Historical Society is one of the many rail historical societies which has spent quite a bit of time and resources on geneology issues – those are among the most common inquiries to their archives and there is a sort of unwritten expectation that a modest donation is made if they can be of help. So in the bigger picture it is actually a money maker for the Society, or at least provides a source of liquid cash from time to time. For those interested in pursuing that, see here
There are US census records from the past online and often they list the occupation of a breadwinner. And old city directories (the kind that instead of going alphabetically by last name, go number by number down street names) often listed occupation. All of those can be of use to someone trying to trace relatives and what they might have done for a living.
By the way those old city directories also often show where railroad crossings were. They can be a helpful resource for the prototype modeler.
Back when the railroads had millions of employees and were often the largest single employer in large cities and towns, if you didn’t have a relative who was a railroader who might at least have had family friends who were. In my home town the local station agent was also the treasurer of my folks’ church and my dad would often go visit the depot on church business. Of course I “reluctantly” (ha) tagged along. I thought he was the nicest man and he gave me some rail related stuff. When he died his widow gave me even more stuff. I thought he was a nice and friendly man who would show us around the depot interior – but other railfans in town thought he was mean a
My dad told me one of his uncles worked on the B&O but doesn’t remember his name.
My uncle Lance had a train set than my parents were growing up but no longer exists. 20 years later (never saw again) I saw a few boxes in the basement closest when my grandpa opened it showing I think HO.
I’m the most current model railroader and railfan. I’m not giving up my hobby or interest.
My wife’s dad was an engineer on Maine Central, I have seen a photo of him in the cab of an F3. Later he worked a safety related job for the RR. She talks about him taking her to visit the Bangor, ME roundhouse
Bmmecnyc I check out the RRB and they might be able to help with a couple guy’s because they have unusual last name’s. If I had there ss# then they could.
Dave I will look for a copy of that Trains mag, city directories I used a lot in my searching some are a big help some are not. I will also look in to the CNW archive’s.
John,Rodger,Southpenn Great photo’s I would love to find a something like those.
Kevin I have always like the the old time circus trains and to have family to have been there. It make’s one look at history a bit different.
Well this is what I have found so far that I know where they worked This is on my dad’s side and are his step dad,uncle’s and cousins.
Step dad ststionary steam engineer Interlake Iron, uncle conductor PRR, uncle ststionary steam engineer Nickel Plate, uncle engineer Wheeling & Lake Erie, cousin maintence Nickel Plate, cousin dock engineer Chesapeake & Ohio. I still have 4 more that just list there job but not where.
I was only able to find two on my mom’s side they would be cousins and they worked at Norfolk & western Railway maintence of way.
Thanks for the help and sharing some of your history. Have a nice day Frank
Thanks for the offer, but I visited there about twenty years ao and copied everything they had. They even had an envelope of counterfeit coins that were received at one of my family’s concession stands. An amazing collection of artifacts is kept there, but 99% of it is in archives out of public view.
No RR workers in the family that I know of. One of Mother’s first jobs involved riding around the country on trains, from what I can tell she loved it. Took a friend of mine and I on a regularly scheduled steam passenger train, as she knew they were going out. Always enjoyed excursion trips, especially if they were steam powered. When Lionel came out with their pastel train, she said, “I don’t want one of those, steam engines are BLACK!” I think now that if I had done much layout building, she would have been a great help. She liked arts & crafts and would be great help today, now that I am really doing some scenicking. Dad evidently liked my first model train, as Mom said he’d get upset with me, he wanted to lay in bed and watch the train go round and round. I kept stopping it and backing it up."
Do have one step-nephew, that since his retirement, has gotten into model railroading. Not sure if it is based on the barely scenicked Lionel layout I had while I was in HS, out in a back building or not. Belongs to a club and is building a module now.
My great-grandfather came over from Ireland and worked on a railroad on the east coast for awhile. He later moved to the Twin Cities and worked in the Omaha Shops. I believe this was for the Minneapolis, St. Louis Railway or something like that. Don’t have the exact name in front of me. He lost his eye from a spark while on the job. Was some sort of welder/repairman on the steam engines. My mom has all the information on him. Doubt he had any impact on my interest in trains, but hopefully I can find some items from the railroad.
This has been quite interesting, all the various roads that some of us have a connection though distant , to.
I had a Uncle and two of his sons working for the CPR at one time. The Uncle was a Station Agent at several placesin Alberta and one in Saskatchewan. One of his sone was a Station agent for awhile as well. The other son was a Fireman for them until he passed early in a car accident.
Another Uncle had been a Carman for the CN out of Winnipeg early in his career.
My Dad and I, and one of my sons have been bus people in our careers. My Dad and I drove for Greyhound, 21 years for him and 34 years for me. My son is 17 years into his driving Career with a provincial carrier.
