Got a Christmas card from Jivy. There was a picture of him and his bike. Looks like Jivy is doing okay for his age. He has been clean & sober for 32 years. He was a great engineer and as a conductor, he got you over the road. Just my opinion. I worked with him an the assigned ECP & WCP for about a month. On the ECP, he would have "Sweet Pea" drive him ahead in her Porsh to get the paper work, lace up and knock brakes off. You would get to the pick up, pull it and double over to the train. Air test and go.

There were only two guys that I knew of that could make a pick up at the east end of Soledad in record time. One was Jivy, the other was "Fast Eddy". (usually #13 was catching you and you wanted to make Salinas (start of CTC) ahead of him so the dispatch could take you to the Jct.

What you would do is stop back of the east switch to hold one or or two, what ever you were picking up. (you held onto the mty car you were spotting) You would pull the loaded car out to the main and kick it down the main. Jivy would be riding it. Then you would drop the car to be spotted into the loading track, off the siding. Then go back to the train, and pull down the main and be ready to stop if Jivy had trouble. Never did happen with me. What he would do is ride the car to the house track switch, run ahead and line the car into the hse line up behind and catch the car. He would ride it down to the west hse trk switch. By this time we would be coming to a stop on the main. The head man would cut me off and Jivy took care of the main line switch. We would go in, pick up the car and double out to our train. The head man would do the air and Jivy was on the point so he could finish the paper work. I don't think we were there over 20 minutes. Other conductors would pull into the clear, run around the train, grab an mty with the caboose, pull the load,spot the mty, put the train back together, run back around the train with the power and they would be ready to go. Of course all that extra time it took, they would wait until #13 went by and you lost over an hour and 15 minutes. If #13 was late, you had to sit some more. With Jivy's way, we would be tied up at the Jct when #13 went by.

Everyone has a bad day once and awhile. When push came to shove, I would take a SLO Conductor, Brakeman and engine men every time.

I was called one night for the beets out of Wat. Jct. I was pulling Scotty Kacasy and had Swartz as my fireman. Well, the head man that will remain nameless, took the rear seat on the firemans side. I told him he would have to sit in the front because I needed to keep an eye on the fireman and watch what he was doing. (he didn't have much of pool freight under his belt and the beets were something you had to learn by doing.) Well, he said he wasn't going to do that. I suggested he go back to the second unit and he could sit any where he wanted. Well, he started back to meet the rear man for the air test. After the set & release he didn't come back to the head end. Scotty called from the caboose and said he was ready to go. I told him I was waiting for the head man. About 10" later, Wat. Jct. called me on the radio and said they needed to see me in the office.

Well I walked down and the clerk handed me the phone. It was Blinkie, the Asst.TM. He asked me if I had been drinking. I said no. He said he received a call from my head man saying I was drunk. I set the receiver down and asked the 3 clerks and the telegrapher if they thought I had been drinking or smelled booze on my breath. They told Blink that I was fine and no booze smell. Blink said to me, "I didn't think so, go get on your power and leave."I told Blink what had happened on the engine and he said to send the head man back and have the rear man come up.

Now people will do funny things on the railroad but trying to get someone fired for Rule G over some where to sit, goes beyond reason.

I got back on the power and told the head man to get his stuff and get off my engines. I called Scotty and told him to start the rear man up, the head man will be waiting with his grip to get on the caboose. I would explain later. Scotty came up at San Ardo to help with the work and asked me what happened. I told him and he shook his head.

A few trips later, I caught this brakeman for a west trip out of SLO. I told him he was not working the head end. Well, here comes SOB and tells me I have to take him. I told Bill he had a choice. Send this guy to the rear end or I feel a case of stomach flu coming on and he will have to call another engineer.

The head man went to the caboose. After word got around about this guy, I never had to work with him again. That is about the lowest type of person I ran into in my years on the SP.


Nudge