Material Type

Recording

Date Range

1994

Physical Condition

Excellent

Acquisition Source

Sir Alexander Galt Museum

Scope and Content

1 cassette tape. Length: 50 minutes.interviewee: william robulak.interviewer: lori jarokosky, museum program leader.date: 28 April 1994. Side A. Approx 40 minutes. - Lived in an Ukrainian family and neighborhood. When he started school at age 6 he did not speak English, but said he picked it up quickly. His father worked in the mines in Lethbridge, later bought a farm near Retlaw, but lost it. He went back to work in the mine in 1925 and in 1928 bought 80 acres of 13th Street N. - Every Saturday William got a $0.25 allowance. He would go to the show and then to the New England Cafe. - He was 12 when his dad purchased the 80 acres near 13th Street N. and he did a lot of the chores because he father still worked in the mines. - When William married he went to work for the CP Rail because the farm was not big enough to support two families. He started as a fireman and was later promoted to engineer. He went back to being fireman when deisels replaced the steam engines and the crews were cut and men laid off. - He worked for the CP for 35 years, retiring when he was 60. - Describes the duties of a fireman. In the steam engines, a run between Lethbridge and the Crowsnest would use between 16-18 tonnes of coal. Describes the run - they would stop at Monarch for water, Fort Macleod for coal, Lundbreck for water, and Frank for caol. The average train length for a steam engine was 50 cars. Diesels can pull 150-175 cars. - Talks about the braking system of the newer engines. - Talks about the speeds the trains travel. - Names the runs from Lethbridge and comments how it can take years to learn the grades on the runs. - Talks about the CP as an employer - the rules, shifts, number of employees. Mentions that employees were paid on a mileage system and that an 8 hour day was considered 100 miles. He started with them in 1942. - Relates a typical run to Shaunavon, Sask. - Relates a story about a derailment he was involved in on a run from Manyberries to Lethbridge. Talks about how his supervisor and other CP officials treated them during the inquest into the accident - you were considered guilty until you proved yourself innocent. - Talks about the air braking system on a train. Side B. Approximately 10 minutes. - Relates another incident that occurred on a return run from the Crowsnest Pass. Around Kipp the brakes went into emergency mode and the train stopped. They walked the length of the train and found it had broken apart. They hooked it back together and finished the run to Lethbridge. The following day they received a call from a fanner in the Kipp area who said he had a box car in his field. Aparently when the train broke apart, the car jumped the tracks. - To become a fireman you have to pass a written and verbal exam with at least an 85%. You get 2-3 chances to pass. A fireman can work his way up to an engineer, and a brakeman can work his way up to a conductor. - Describes the duties of various positions - shop staff, fireman. - The engineer is the highest paid of the crew.

Access Restrictions

Public Access

Accession No.

19971068013

Collection

Archive

Less detail