A Grandfather Story

Awesome story rat.

My grandfathers loved to tell me stories too.  One of them was a life-long RR man and the other worked in a RR roundhouse for awhile.  I can't tell you how much I now regret not taking the time to learn "the rest of the story" from both of them.

If you still have grandparents, spend some quality time with them while you still can and take notes.

Art 

Great story.  My grandfather died when I was a teen.  I wanted to hear his days with the railroad  but he didn't enjoy story telling.  Best I can piece together is he started in the early 20s with Southern as a fireman, based out of Chattanooga.  Mom said he did spend some time on the Southern Crescent, but most of it was on the CNO&TP.

He left the railroad on the 30s to work for a company that built large bridges.  Spent the war replacing wooden railroad bridges with steel bridges, necessary because of the increased tonnage. 

Went  back to Southern in the early 60s to earn his pension.  Ran a switcher in Chattanooga for awhile and finished off his career as an engineer on the CNO&TP. 

I would love to know more about his two interesting careers. 

My grand parents would go out side in the afternoon.Along with other family and would tell stories.You see my grand mother was 12 years old when world 2 was going down.She would tell me about it was like over night.The railroad when from runing small trains to big doubleheader freight and troupe trains.My grand dad and it was just this railroads across country.Use to go to town and see the freight yard was really jumping.And he saw some pretty long freight trains.He said the world had changed after ww2.He from then on trains were not that sort anymore.They got long and stayed long.I miss my grand parents.

I've lucked out. The grandfather who I've been close to is still alive, and he loves to share his history. He grew up across the street from the Lehigh Valley mainline, just south of Lehigh Gap, so he saw some great steam back in the 30's-40's.

He also used to load ammonia tankers for the New Jersey Zinc Company, so he was around trains for many years.

Great story Rat! My great grandfather on my mom's side worked for B&O railroad and i think where got liking trains from him. 

It's so nice to listen to elders talk about their past.  

Great story!

-Greg

The only things I know about my grandfathers is that one escaped Germany during the war and the other was an engineer for Singer Sewing Machines in Chicago. Not much.

However today with the internet and social media, all my "future" grandchildren would need to do is look me up on-line. They would find many Forum posts!

My grandfather told me stories all the time. I found out a few of them were actually true. Don

Mine took lots of AMC cars apart, and ran an old Marx set and a 2201WS together in the 1950's. That's all I know.

     Ratpack that was a good story I wish for your sake you knew the missing parts also. I know when I was growing up I was told don't ask any questions keep your mouth shut sit on the floor until I tell you to get up and it's time to go home. That's how it was when I grew up my dad would always say you have no reason to bother an adult with anything you have to say. Any place we would go to everyone would say how well behaved the children were and he would call me over to him and say to me he knows better than to misbehave and he would punch me in the head. The only thing I know about my family is what I have been told by my mother and father. Most of the questions I would ask about the family my dad would say that is none of your business and that was that. I know that Ratpack you don't have the whole story but at least you some of it. Choo Choo Kenny