We’ve all heard about “Brownie Points”.
How the benefit us at work, school, etc…
But here is the story of how they came about in the 1890s.
Mr. G. R. Brown, General Superintendent of the
Fall Brook Railway
(and later part of the New York Central System)
devised the management concept of “Discipline without suspension.” Automatic firing of an employee was replaced
by the employee receiving negative points on their record. Management observing the employee using safe,
positive behavior could add positive points to the employees’ record, and thus negate negative points.
Thus the points became known as “Brownie Points.”
And, the popular opinion/rumor that the Girl Scouts lay claim to this about 1930s is NOT true !
Of course, today in industry, one “Aw s**t” wipes out all your Brownie Points, and you must start over!
There was once a poor conductor. His job was to collect the fares from people riding
the train. This was many years ago and the fare was a nickel. And every day he would
walk the length of the train collecting the fares from the travelers.
He then met a beautiful woman that he wanted to marry. But he was a poor conductor
and really couldn’t afford a wife. As he thought about it he decided to pocket every
fifth nickel to help out. So it was that for a while he was taking every fifth nickel
to help pay for his home and food.
Now as things like this progress his wife became pregnant. This threw our poor conductor
into a tizzy. How could he afford to support a baby. His solution was to take an
additional nickel so that he was taking two nickels out of every five. Things went
along ok for a while but his wife became pregnant again. So our poor conductor decided
to follow his pattern and now he was taking three nickels from every five.
At this point someone in management noticed that the revenues from the run were going
down and after an investigation our poor conductor was arrested. He was tried in a court
of law and found guilty of grand theft from the railroad. Now this was many years ago
and the railroad held a great amount of power. They demanded his life for such an
affront and giving in to the political pressure the judge sentenced our poor conductor to death.
The day of the execution came and the prison staff strapped him into the electric chair.
At the appointed hour the warden give the order and the switch was thrown. Nothing happened.
The prison staff checked to make sure that the connections were correct and the warden again
give the order. The switch was thrown. Nothing happened. So a third time the staff checked
to make sure that even the connections to the power lines were correct. Sure that all was
in order the warden gave the order a third time. Again nothing happened. As the law at the
time demanded our poor conductor was released having survived three attempts at execution.
As he was leaving the prison the warden asked if he had any idea why he survived.
The answer was “I guess I am just a poor conductor.”
Chances are you know this guy, or someone like him, or someone who thinks
he's him. Even if you don't, you're sure to recognize at least a few of
these traits in some model railroader you know.
Jason Parham, Secretary of the Steel City Division of the Southeastern Region,
wrote what follows with some assistance from Bob Beaty. Enjoy!
• He once scratch-built a Big Boy . . .in 1:1 scale.
• He has been known to work a "Timesaver" switching layout in less than 10 seconds.
• Out of 125 possible points, his NMRA Model Contest entries routinely score well above 200.
• John Allen once thanked him for visiting his railroad.
• His trains of thought require real trains to pull into sidings.
• Miniature Wonderland is but one module from his home railroad.
• He has single-handedly pioneered the live steam hobby, in Z scale.
• Contest judges receive score sheets, from him!
• His operating sessions are so dose to the real thing that FRA inspectors have knocked on his door.
• He doesn't have to count rivets because he already knows how many there are.
• Model railroading magazines have been known to subscribe to him.
• There is a prototype for everything, but only because he said so.
• He is ... the most interesting model railroader in the world!
Funny, it doesn't mention anything about him being an MMR.
It's not just a day off and an opportunity to get together with friends and family.
The day has its roots in Chicago, with a strike at the Puilman Palace Car Company.
The Pullman Strike of 1894 turned deadly when thousands of U.S. marshals and U.S.
Army troops clashed with striking rail-car workers, angered by the loss of jobs and
a cutin wages. When the strike was settled, Congress passed legislation creating
a national Labor Day holiday.
In 2014, even after Labor Day has come and gone, there is reason to celebrate:
In August, the Park Service joined with the Illinois Historie Preservation Agency
to hold a public hearing on a proposal to establish the Pullman National Monument
as Chicago's first national park. NPCA wholeheartedly endorses the plan to designate
the site using the Antiquities Act, and staff in our Chicago offices have spent
the last two years leading efforts to make it happen.
The story begins with George M. Pullman, an American industrialist who founded the
Pullman Palace Car Company in 1867 to manufacture luxury passenger railcars.
In 1880, he developed the Town of Pullman in what is now the city of Chicago to
provide a place where his employees could work and live. But during the economic
panic of 1893, Puliman reduced wages without reducing rents. The famous strike
followed, disrupting freight and passenger rail service nationwide. In the 1920s,
Pullman employees created the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first
African-American union with colleetive bargaining rights, a group that was
instrumental in advancing the black middle dass.
The National Park System will always be a work in progress, but the designation
of sites like Pullman helps to ensure that our most important American stories
are captured for generations to come.
An episode of “This is Atlanta” produced by Alecia Steele aired on WPBA broadcast channel 30 in
mid-December 2013. It featured a model train segment with the NMRA Piedmont Division and
Chattahoochee Express Operating Group. Enjoy....
Click here to view a 30 second promo. Or you can
click here to watch the entire 9-minute segment.
Happy Holidays from Norfolk Southern !!!
Click for short holiday message.
This steamer through the city of Bogota, Colombia really struggles to start this train. An extra
water bottle (tender) and 14 lit passenger cars round out this mid-December Christmas 2013 excursion.
Click here to watch the action. - 2 minutes Enjoy!
Enjoy a look back at John Allen's fabulous layout, the G&D RR (Gorre & Daphetid). It was probably the
most realistic model railroad at its time (maybe even today!) John was a professional photographer
and initially delved into model railroading to create subjects for his well framed and lighted shots.
The G&D filled a whole basement in his last home. John passed away in January 1973. Unfortunately,
a tragic fire consumed John's home shortly after his death and only a few items were saved for posterity.
Enjoy a look back at John Allen's fabulous layout.
Click to watch the G&D revival - 10 minutes.
This is a first-person story of a cab ride in 1970 on a Pennsylvania GG-1 locomotive,
as told by GSoF member John Hollner, III.
My First Trip on a GG-1 ! (Requires Microsoft Word 97 or later.)
Wikipedia GG-1 info.
And a collection of some
GG-1 photos.
Excerpts from a variety of good old train movies with stars of the 20s, 30s and 40s and a lot of comedy to boot.
These are some of the wonderful slapstick movies I remember when I was a child. Teriffic entertainment.
Click here for 4 minute video !
Here is a clever Union Pacific '150-year timeline'. Wait for it to load, and then click on one of the black bars.
Click here to begin !
Quips and sayings:
"The real joy to be had from riding trains begins where their usefulness ends."
............. John Mason Brown.
"My heart is warm with the friends I make,
And better friends I'll not be knowing,
But there isn't a train I wouldn't take,
No matter where it's going."
............ Edna St.Vincent Millay
"No other machine, in its day, has been a more faithful
friend to mankind or has contributed more to the cause of
industrial prosperity. No other machine soehow is so human
and so gentle, yet, when unleashed is capable of such prodigies
of strength - nothing quite so graceful in action and nothing
quite so romantic. Those of us who have lived in the steam
age of railway will carry with us always the most nostalgic
memories."
......... R.F. Hanks, 1960.
Automobile trivia, with a rail twist !
1. When roads were not available, what paths did early cross-country motorists follow?
Railroad tracks served just fine, although the ride could get quite jolly!
2. When did the term automobile become popularized and where did the word originate?
Automobile is the French word for a motorized car. It was first introduced into the US in
published reference to motor vehicles in 1897.
3. Where do we get the word station wagon?
In the 1800s most of the larger cities had
depot wagons which carried people to the local railroad station. The term station wagon
became synonymous with depot wagon.
4. In 1902, T.H. Shevlin, a native of Minneapolis, had the distinction of being issued the first
speeding ticket. How fast was he going and how much was he fined?
Shevlin was fined $10
for driving over 10 mph.
In December of 2005, the Bennett Levins arranged for disabled veterans to
be taken to Philadelphia for the Army-Navy football game. Read more at:
The Liberty Limited
And just to verify, read:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/train.asp
The 2nd Saturday of every July, in Laguna Niguel California, people line
up along the Amtrak right-of-way and "moon" passing trains. Read more at:
http://www.moonamtrak.org/
In 2008 it got a bit our of hand; in 2009 the city promised to tame it down.
There have been reports that this activity also exists on the Amtrak ride from
Denver to Salt Lake City. Some rafters mooned the train right next to the Colorado
River. It must be some sort of thing to do. Some of the train riders knew about
it and were expecting it...
Regarding the origins of the "Standard Gauge" of 56-1/2", it is said thought to have originated
from the Roman chariot ruts in 2000 year-old city stone roads. Also, the perpetrated story
that the Space Shuttle rocket dimensions are based on this dimension, or the "width of a horses ass..."
is true or false? Is it ?
See Snopes.com railroad gauge discussion at:
www.snopes.com/history/american/gauge.htm
Fierce-throated beauty !
Roll through my chant with all thy lawless music'
thy swinging lamps at night'
Thy madly-whistled laughter, echoing, rumbling
like an earthquake, rousing all.
--- Walt Whitman, "To A Locomotive In Winter"
"Travel"
The railroad track is miles away,
And the day is loud with voices speaking,
Yet there isn't a train that goes by all day
But I hear its whistle shrieking.
All night there isn't a train goes by,
Though the night is still for sleep and dreaming,
But I see its cinders red on the sky,
And hear its engine steaming.
My heart is warm with the friends I make,
And better friends I'll not be knowing,
Yet there isn't a train I wouldn't take,
No matter where it's going.
--- Edna St. Vincent Millay
A mother and her young son were riding the B&O Railroad from Baltimore to Chicago .. The little boy, who had been looking out the window, turned to his mother and asked, 'If big dogs have baby dogs and big cats have baby cats, why don't big trains have baby trains?' The mother, who couldn't think of an answer, told her son to ask the conductor. So the boy went down the aisle and asked the conductor, 'If big dogs have baby dogs and big cats have baby cats, why don't big trains have baby trains?' The busy conductor smiled and said, 'Did your mother tell you to ask me?' The boy said, 'Yes, she did.' Well then, you go and tell your mother that there are no baby trains because the Capitol Limited always pulls out on time. Ask her to explain that to you.
