Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1880-02-07
May be you joined the Free
ThinEors ~ I sold

no time card and no train dis
patcher. All trains run wild, and
every engineer makes his own
time, just as he pieases. Smoke If
you want 10; kind of go-as-you
please road. Too many side-tracKs,
and every switch wide open all
the time, with the switchman
sound asleep and the targei-lamp
dead out. Get on as you please,
and off when you want to. Don't
have to show your tickets, and the
conductor isn't expected TO do any
thing but amuse the passengers.
No, sir, / was off red pass, but /
don't like the line. / don't like TO
travel on the road that has no
terminus. DO you know, sir, l
asked division superintendent
where that road run TO, and he
said he hoped to die if he knew. l
asked him if the general superin-
tendent could tell me, and he said
he didn't believe they had gen.
eral uperintendent, and if they
had, he didn't know anything
more about the road than the pas
sengers. | asked him who he re-
ported to, and he said nobody /
asked conductor who he got or
ders from, and he said he didn't
take orders from any living man
or dead ghost. And when | asked
the engineer who he got his oruers
from, he said he' q like TO see any
body give him orders; he'd run
that train to suit himself, or he'd
run her in the ditch. Now, you
can see, sir, I'm railroad man,
and | don't care TO run on road
that has no time, or makes no
connections, runs nowhere and
has no superintendent. 1t may all
be right, but | have railroaded too
long TO understand it,
May be you went to the Con-
gregational Church ~ l said.
Popular road,n said the brake
man. IAN old road. too; directors
don't interfere with division super
intendents and train orders ROADS
mighty popular, but it's pretty IN
dependent, too. Yes, didn't one
of the division superintendent
down East discontinue one of the
Oldest stations on this road two or
three years ago: But it's mighty
pleasant road to travel on. AL
ways has such splendid class of
passengers
Ibid you try the Methodist ?" /
said:
NOW you're shouting" he said,
with some enthusiasm. "Nice
road, Ell Fast time and plenty
of passengers. Engines carry a
power of steam. and don't you for
get ii; steam-gauge shows hun
dred and enough all the time.
Lively road; when the conductor
shouts all aboard you can hear
him at the headlight Stop-over
checks given on all through trains;
passenger can drop off the train as
often as he likes, do the station
two or three times, and hop on
the next revival train that comes
laundering along. Good, whole
souled, companionable conductors,
amt road in the country where
the passengers feel more at home.
No passes; every passenger pays
full traffic rates tor his ticket.
Wesleyan air-brakes on all trains,
too; pretty safe road, but / didn't
ride over it yesterday
perhaps you tried the Baptist
l guessed once more.
"Ah, ha !" said the brakeman,
"she's daisy, isn't she? River
road, Beautiful curves; sweep
around anything TO keep close to
the river, but it's all steel rail and
rock ballast, single track all the
way, and not a single side track
from the round-house to the ter
minus. Takes heaps of water to
run ii through; double tanks at
every station, and there isn't an
engine in the shops that can pull a
pound or run a mile with less
than two guages. But it runs
through lovely country; these
river roads always do; river on
one side and hills on the other,
and it's a steady climb up the
grade all the way till the run ends
where the fountainhead OF the
river begins Yes, sir, I'll take
the river road every time for
lovely trip, sure connections and
good time, and no prairie dust
blowing in at the windows. And
yesterday, when the conductor
came around for the tickets with
little basket punch, / didn't ask
him to pass me, but / paid my
fare like little man, twenty-five
cents for an hours run and little
consent by the passengers throwed
in. / tell you, Pilgrim, you take
the river road when you want"
But just here the loud whistle
of the engine announced a station,