Material Type

Recording

Date Range

1994

Physical Condition

Excellent

Acquisition Source

Sir Alexander Galt Museum

Scope and Content

1 cassette tape. Length: 60 minutes.interviewee: lloyd roadhouse.interviewer: lori jarokosky, museum program leader.date: 29 April 1994. Side A - He started with the railroad 22 June 1922 as a wiper in the shop. In Sept 1922 he was promoted to fireman and in 1945 to engineer. He retired in July 1971, his final run was bringing the last dayliner from Calgary to Lethbridge. - Talks about the AR & I Co. and the narrow guage lines. - Talks about some of the positions and duties of the positions when he started. Shop positions worked 8 hour days and the other positions worked 12 hour shifts. - Talks about the CP bunkhouses that personnel slept in when they were on over night runs. - Talks about passenger trains - usually 4-5 passenger cars, a baggage car, and mail car. Main line passenger runs generally had more passenger cars. - He started with the CP when he was 15 and talks about how he got the job. - Describes the steam and diesel engines. The steam engines were more of a challenge to the railroaders. - Describes the depression years when the unemployed rode the rods. He said a lot of young women would hop the trains to get to BC to pick fruit or hops. He said the police would turn a blind eye to the riders, but would patrol and enforce separate cars for men and women. The railroaders never called the females hoboes. The riders didn't cause problems and often he shared his food with them. Mentioned that winters were really hard on the riders and often they got so cold they had to be assisted off the train. - In 1956 diesels replaced the steam engines. - Talks about a wreck he was in in 1928 when the train hit a rock slide and went off the track. SideB - Relates a story about an accident involving a transport truck loaded with flour exploding after bitting the train and the flour mixed with the wet snow created a doughy mess. - Relates other incidents that occurred when he operated the dayliners - transporting pets, an accident with a truck, teenagers who played chicken with the train.

Access Restrictions

Public Access

Accession No.

19971068011

Collection

Archive

Less detail