Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1889-01-03

Caru ana no lTaln ulspdtCueT. All
trains run wild, and every engineer
makes his 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 ont. Get on
as you please and off when you want to.
Don't have to show your tickets, and
the conductor ism expected to do any.
thing but amuse the passengers. No,
sir, was offered pass, but don't like
the line. l don't like to travel on q
road that has no terminus. Do you
know, sir, | asked a division snperin-
tendent where that road run to, aud he
SAID hoped to die if he knew. l asked
him if the genera superintendent could
tell me, and he sait he didn't believe
they had general superintendent, and
if they had, he didn know anything
more about the roai than the passen-
gers. l asked him who he reported to
and he said Nobody / asked con-
ductor who he got his orders from, and
he said he didn't take orders from any
living man or dead ghost and when l
asked the engineer who he got his or
ders from he said he'd 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 see, sir, I'm a
railroad man. and I don't care 10 run
on road that has no time, or makes
no connections, runs nowhere, and has
no superintendent. 1t NAV be all right
but I've railroaded too long not to un.
deritand it.
Maybe yoa went TO the Congrega-
,lonal church o said.
Popular roal' said the brakeman,
AN old road, too, one of the very old
est in this country. Good road-bed
and comfortable cars. Well managed
road. too, directors don't interfere with
division superintendent and train or.
ders. Roads mighty popular, but it's
pretty independent, too. Yes. didn't
ore Of the divisions superintendent
down East discontinue one of the oldest
stations on this line two or three years
ago? But it's mighty pleasant road
travel on. Always has such a splendid
class Of passengers.
Did you try the Methodist p l
said,
Now you're shouting he said with
some enthusiasm. Nice road, eh p
Fast time and plenty Of passengers.
Engines carry power 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 here him to the
next station. Every train light shows
like headlight. Stop ever checks are
given on all through tickets, passengers
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, ain t
Il road in the country where the pas
sengers feel more at home. No passes,
every passenger pays tull traffic rates
for his ticket. Wesleyan airbrakes on
all trains, too, pretty safe road, but |
didn't ride oyer it yesterday.
perhaps you tried the Baptist?' l
guess once more.
"Ah, ah" said the brakeman, "she's'
daisy, amt she ? River road beauti
full curves sweeps 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
round house to the terminus. 1t takes
heap of water to ran it through !;
double tanks at every station, and there
isn't an engine in the shops that can
pull pound or run mile with less
than two gauges. But it runs through
lovely country. these river roads al
ways do river on one side and hills on
the other and it's steady climb up
the grade all the way till the run ends
where the mountainhead of the river
begins. Yes, sir, I'll take the river
70 d every time for lovely trip, sure
connections and good time, and no
prairie dust blowing at the window.
And Yesterday, when the conductor
came around for the tickets with lit.
tie basket punch, didn't ask him to
pass me but paid my fare like little
man twenty five cents for an hour 8
run and little concert by the pasSen-
gers assembled. I tell you, Pilgrim,
YOU take the river and when you want
-
d. :-I l,.., tbo lou1 w hiet Ia from