The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-04-27
MISCELLANY.
Whims OF Locomotives.

lieve it. I've seen locomotives when
they acted as if they were human be-
ings. They get the sulks and have
balky streaks, and when they're in such
moods you can't make time with them,
do what you may. Then, again, they'll
be as clipper and willing as trotting
horse, and you actually have to hold
em in to keep 'em from running into
stopping places ahead of time. There
isn't an engineer of any experience at
all who can't tell you of instances by
the dozen of engines that positively
would not make time with some en-
gineers, but which would get there
every time when in charge of some
other engineer. You might say it was
the fault of the engineer that such en-
gines did not make their time, but /
have known as good engineers as ever
mounted a footboard who have been
transferred from locomotives placed in
their hands to run because the locomo-
tives would not make their time, but
which, under the hands of another en-
gineer, neither as skilful nor expert
enced, would never run behind.
"Take the case of Josh Martin and
Cad Lyman, two of the early engineers
on the Erie railroad, and neither of
them without superior in his craft at
that day. One time a new locomotive
was turned out of the Paterson shop
for the Erie and Josh Martin wanted
her the worst way. He ran on the
Delaware division, from Port Jervis to
Susquehanna. The superintendent,
though, wanted the locomotive for the
Eastern division, between Port Jervis
and Piermont, and 80 he put her in
charge of Cad Lyman. Cad ran her,
or rather he tried to run her, but she
had made up her mind about some-
thing and she wouldn't make any kind
of time for Cad She would stall with
out provocation and acted contrary gen.
orally. Cad tried her for week and
then reported the locomotive No good
and she was condemned to run the
gravel train. She worked as balky and
sulky as ever, though, and at last the
superintendent ordered her to the scrap
heap.
"Josh Martin heard of the fate the
locomotive had been sentenced to, and
he came down the road a-fying. He
begged to have the engine, for he liked
her and said he was sure she would do
all right with him. The superinten-
dent yielded to Josh's appeal, and told
him to take the locomotive and give it
q trial. Josh did 30. He mounted the
cab at Piermont and when he opened
her up she went like bird. She made
the trip to Port Jervis quicker than any
locomotive had ever made it before,
and Josh Martin ran her for years on
the Delaware division after that, and
always on time as easy as could be.
That locomotive was the old II, and
she is remembered yet by all the old
engineers, and is well.known to the
younger ones by the tradition of the
road.
"When Cad Lyman gave up that To-
connective because she wouldn't work
under him, he was put in charge of
another new locomotive. This locOmo-
tive was favorite of President Loder
of the Erie. She behaved the best
death with her. When the date came
round for opening the railroad through
to Dunkirk Cad and his locomotive
were chosen for the distinction of pull
ing the first through train from the
Hudson to Lake Erie. The occasion
was to be historic one, and Cad was
proud. But what did that locomotive
do but just get the sulks. 1 don't
know why. Neither did Cad. She
did, though, and acted up 30 outrage
GUS that she was an hour behind sched-
ule time when she logged into Port Jer-
Wis with the train only seventy miles
from the start. Cad Lyman was the
worst feeling man, s'pose, that ever
had locomotive kick with him, and he
felt worse yet when he was ordered to
take his balky engine off and saw Josh
Martin hook onto the train with old II
locomotive that Cad had turned in as
no good. Josh and old II yanked the
train through with bells on.
"And what do you think Cad Ly-
mans feelings must have been when he
hooked onto another train to run back
to Piermont to find the engine that had
baked and sulked 30 outrageously with
him on what ought to have been the
greatest trip on record, just turn in and
let herself ont 80 cheerful and lively on
the way back that It was all Cad could
do to hold her inl Now, how do you
account for that? 1t is true, and a
matter of record. Cad was 30 cut up
by this conduct of the locomotive that
he applied to have her exchanged for
some other one, although she worked
like thoroughbred ever since the day
she refused to pull the great pioneer
through special. The company could
not make the change that Cad wanted,
and he refused to run that locomotive
any longer and quit the road. This To-
connective was the 100. When Cad gave
her up she was placed in charge of
Bill Lyman, Gad's brother. There
wasn't better engineer on the road
than Bill, and he knew that make of
locomotives particularly, for he had
worked in the shops and helped make
'em. But what did this ADVANTAGEOUS
locomotive 100 do? She sulked with
Bill from the time he took her. Some
times she'd squirt little, but if she did
she made up for it by tagging worse
than ever. Bill worried along with
her for nearly year, but she wouldn't
work under him at all. One day in the
spring of 1852 she baked for certain at
Chester station, just as she was pulling
out with train. Bill pounded her for
he was mad, but it seemed as if she
actually shook her head like an ugly