Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1898-08-12
LOCOMOTIVE WHIMS.
AN OLD ENGINEERS STORY OF
ERRATlC MACHINES.
The Case of Josh Martin and Cad
Lyman, Two of the Early Ensi-
neers on the Erie Road, and
Their Experience With Engines
Nos. II and 100.

H~SAo VII thS LIN NOsiN, Stuu
Their Experience With Engines
Nos. II and 100.
at sounds queer to Say that loco
motives have their likes and dislikes," !"
said veteran engineer, ."but it ac-
tually does seem sometimes as if they
had, and all the old-time engineers be-
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. You might
say it was the fault of the engineer
that such engines did not make their
time, but l have known as good engi-
neers rs ever mounted footboard who
have been transferred from locomo-
tives placed in their hands to run be-
cause the locomotives would not make
their time, but which under the
hands of another engineer neither as
skillful nor as experienced would
never run behind.
Take the case of Josh Martin and
Cad Lyman, two of the early engi-
neers on the Erie railroad, and neither
OF them with a superior in his
craft at that day. One time new
locomotive was turned out of Pater-
son shop for the Erie, and Josh Mar
tin 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, be-
tween Port Jervis and Piermont, and
so he he put her in charge OF Cad Ly-
man. Cad ran her, or rather he tried
to run her, but she had made up her
mind about something, and she
wouldn't make any kind of time for
Cad. She would stall without provo
cation and acted contrary generally.
Cad tried her for IL week and then re-
ported 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 Super
tendent 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-hying. He
begged to have the engine, for he
liked her, and said he was sure she
would do all right with him. The
Superintendent yielded to Joshs ap-
peal and told him to take the loco
motive and give it a trial. Josh did
so. He mounted the cab at Piermont
and whan he opened her up she went
like bird. She made the trip to
Port Jervis quicker than any locomo-
tive had ever made it before, and Josh
Martin ran her for years on the Della.
ware division after that, and always on
time as easy as could be. That loco.
motive was the old II, and she is re-
membered yet by all the old engineers
and is we'll known to the younger
ones by the tradition of the road.
"When Cad Lyman gave up that
locomotive because she wouldn't work
under him, he was put in charge of
another new locomotive. This loco
motive was favorite of President
Loder of the Erie. She behaved the
best kind, and Cad was tickled all but
to death with her. When the date
came round for opening the railroad
through to Dunkirke, Cad and his
locomotive were chosen for the dis
tinction of pulling 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. l don't know why. Neither
did Cad. She did, though, and acted
up so outrageous that she was an
hour behind schedule time when she
logged into Port Jervis with the train
only 20 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 on to the train with old II loco
motive that Cad had turned in as no
good. Josh and old II yanked the
old train through with bells on.
"And what do you think Cad Ly-
mans feelings must have been when
he hooked on to another train to run
back to Piermont to find the engine
that had baked and sulked SO out
rageously with him on what ought to
have been the greatest trip on record
lust turn in and let herself out so
cheerful and lively on the way back
that it was all Cad could do to hold
her in? Now, how do you account
for that? Is it true, and a matter of
record. Cad was SO cut up by this
conduct of the locomotive that he ap-
piled 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