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What happened to conductors with courage?
Author: SP8253
Date: 07-12-2013 - 04:10
What happened to the oldhead conductors who ran their trains with an iron fist?
It wasn't that long ago OBS crews performed their duties as prescribed because they feared the wrath of certain conductors. There was zero tolerance for laziness or failure to perform duties.
One such conductor (now retired) told me he ejected 21 OBS employees and 8 brakemen/engineers/firemen over the course of his career working Amtrak trains, mostly for insubordination but also for theft, disorderly conduct, and obvious Rule G violations. You'd think such a guy would be an egomaniac but he wasn't anything close to that. He was well respected by his peers and most of the time by management because they didn't have the courage (or the competency) to properly discipline anyone.
OBS employees naturally avoided him because they hated being held accountable. The best story he tells is about an OBS crew known for being complete @#$%&. Three of them hid inside an unoccupied Deluxe Room to avoid doing their jobs one day. He stopped the train at the next grade crossing and called for the sheriff. Since they were not qualified to occupy revenue space in a sleeper, except to perform their duties, he told the deputies they were stealing and provided a copy of the manifest to support the ejection. Then he escorted the deputies upstairs and banged on the door. Thinking it was only the conductor standing there, one of the OBS employees yells back, "I'm getting ready to F you up" as he opened the door. By the time the curtains were pulled back, the OBS clowns had a pair of .40 cal pistols pointed right at their heads.
Oh well, at least the affirmative action quota was met in hiring those idiots.
It wasn't that long ago OBS crews performed their duties as prescribed because they feared the wrath of certain conductors. There was zero tolerance for laziness or failure to perform duties.
One such conductor (now retired) told me he ejected 21 OBS employees and 8 brakemen/engineers/firemen over the course of his career working Amtrak trains, mostly for insubordination but also for theft, disorderly conduct, and obvious Rule G violations. You'd think such a guy would be an egomaniac but he wasn't anything close to that. He was well respected by his peers and most of the time by management because they didn't have the courage (or the competency) to properly discipline anyone.
OBS employees naturally avoided him because they hated being held accountable. The best story he tells is about an OBS crew known for being complete @#$%&. Three of them hid inside an unoccupied Deluxe Room to avoid doing their jobs one day. He stopped the train at the next grade crossing and called for the sheriff. Since they were not qualified to occupy revenue space in a sleeper, except to perform their duties, he told the deputies they were stealing and provided a copy of the manifest to support the ejection. Then he escorted the deputies upstairs and banged on the door. Thinking it was only the conductor standing there, one of the OBS employees yells back, "I'm getting ready to F you up" as he opened the door. By the time the curtains were pulled back, the OBS clowns had a pair of .40 cal pistols pointed right at their heads.
Oh well, at least the affirmative action quota was met in hiring those idiots.
