Cape Breton's Magazine

16. Engineer on No. 7 train one morning. An oil truck full of gasoline crossed in front of me and stalled on the track, at Sydney River. I stopped the train just in time by using the Emergency Brake, and saved a bad accident. 17. Engineer on 601 Railiner going to Has? tings Junction one winter morning in 1962. A section man came out of van and jtimped into the snow in front of the railiner, and he got stuck there. I stopped the train just in time to get him clear. Acci? dent averted. 18. Engineer on Railiner 601 one morning after leaving King's Road crossing, trans? portation truck backed right in front of me. I had to put on the Emergency Brake to stop. Accident averted. 19. Coming down on Second 7 as Engineer in 1943, I had a very important parcel for the hospital at North Sydney. I had a Freight Engine No. 3214 and made it in two hours flat, faster than they expected me. 20. Engineer on 602 one year, 1961 Christ? mas Night. There was a man very sick in the hospital waiting for medicine. I had two diesels and made the Railiner time 30 minutes faster than they expected me. Get? ting the medicine there in time to save the man's life. I'll tell you--she'll tell you about me. I never missed one trip. Tell him about the time I went out and I slipped. (Margaret Bulley: We had two big trees in the front here. A gale took them down. Now they're not there. But he was going to work and he had his lunchbox, and he got out there and slipped and fell against a tree and put his arm out of place. And he came in--I was going to call a doctor. "Don't call a doctor," he said, "I'll be all right." He said, "Give me a drink of water." And I did. Gave him a glass of water. And whatev? er he did--he went like that with his arm, put it back in place, took his lunchbox, and went.) I'll tell you this one, too, you know, not bragging about myself. But I was a pretty hard man in my days. I took up wrestling, I took up boxing, and I was in good shape. Sometime around Christmas time, there'd be those fellows drinking. Anyhow, we left this Christmas time. So the conductor came up to me where I was. He seemed kind of nervous. I said, "What's wrong?" "Fellow back there gave me a lot of trouble." I said, "Is he drinking?" "No, he's not drinking. He's cursing and swearing--inter? rupting the passengers." I said, "Why didn't you put him off at Hawkesbury, where the cops were?" "Well, he promised to be quiet." So anyhow, we stopped there, I went back, anyhow--this other fellow with me, too, I said, "Listen, you're ty? ing up the railiner here. What are you go? ing to do, behave yourself or what? If you don't behave yourself, you're going off. And I'm the man that will put you off." He looked at me. I turned my back. He started. He went off like a paper bag. I was sorry to leave my job in a way, but I was happy with the experience I had, that nothing happened. I was happy. And I didn't have a bad record. I was happy that everything went good for me, and I got a- long with them all. I never had any demer? it marks, see, no demerit marks. I had won? derful luck on the railroad. Sure, wonder? ful luck, couldn't be any better. Harry A. Bulley: They put the telephone in, the last run, for me. In the cab where I was And I got more calls and congratulations o- ver that telephone. At last, the brakeman or the conductor had to come out answering my calls o My mind would have to be on my work., He'd talk to me, and I'd tell him what to say. But I'd leave him there and go on my ma? chinery- -I'd watch that. Margaret Bulley: They have telephones on the trains now. But see, that was the first time they were on the train, his last run. (26)