The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1880-04-28


dirt road bed and no ballast no
time card and no train dispatcher.
All trains run wild and every en-
gineer makes bis own time, just
as he pleases. Smoke if you want
to 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 target lamp dead
out. Get on as you please and
get off when you want to. Don't
have to show your tickets, and
the conductor isn't expected to do
anything but amuse the passen-
gers. No, sir, l was offered a
pass, but I don't like the line.
| don't like to travel on a line
that has no terminus. DO you
know, sir, l asked q division su-
perintendent where that road ru IN
to, and he said he hoped to die if
he knew. Iasked him if the gen.
eral superintendent could tell me,
and be said be didn't believe they
had a generalsu uperintendent, land if
they had be didn't know any more
about the road than the passengers.
l asked him who he reported to,
and he said nobody | asked a
conductor who be got his orders
from, and be said he didn't take
orders from any living man or
dead ghost. And when asked
the engineer who he got bis or
ders from, he said he'd like to see
anybody give him orders, he'd
run that train to suit himself or
he'd run it into the ditch. Now
you see, sir, I'm a railroad man,
and | don't care to run on road
that makes no connections, runs
nowhere and has no superin
tendent. 1t may be al! right, but
I've railroaded too long to under
stand it,
Did you try the Methodist p l
asked.
Now you're shouting,' he said
with some enthusiasm. Nice
road, eh ? Fast time and plenty OF
passengers. Engines carry q pow
er of steam, and don't you forget
it ; steam gauge shows a hundred
and enough all the time. Lively
road ; when the conductor shouts
all aboard you can hear him to
the next station. Every train
lamp shines like a headlight. Stop
over checks given on all through
tickets; passengers drop off the
train as often as they like, do the
station two or three days and hop
on the next revival train that
comes laundering along. Good,
whole-souled, companionable con-
ductors amt a road in the coun-
try where the passengers feel
more at home. No passes every
passenger pays full traffic rates
for his ticket. Wesleyan house
air brakes on all trains, too. Pret-
ty safe road, butI didn't ride over
it yesterday
Maybe you went to the Congre-
gational church q | said.
Popular road said the brake
man, 'an old road, too; one Of the
very oldest in this country. Good
road-bed and comfortable cars.
Well-managed road, too ; directors
don't interfere with division su-
perintendents and train orders.
Roads mighty popular, but it's
pretty independent, too. See,
didn't one of the division superin-
tendents down East discontinue
one of the oldest stations on this
line two or three years ago? But
it's a mighty pleasant road to
travel on. Always has such a
pleasant class of passengers
Perhaps you tried the Baptist?
l guessed once more.
'Ah, ha!' said the brakeman,
she's a 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 side track from
the road-house TO the terminus.
Takes a heap Of water to run her
through ; double tanks at every
station, and there isn't an engine
in the shops that can pull a pound
or run a mile in less than two
gauges. But it runs through a
lovely country these river roads
always do; river on one side and
hills on the other, and it's a steady
olh -, ibo rroda all the w2v