Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-01-26
jim WOODS FAMOUS BELL.
It's Tones known All Along the Mnir
Line of the New York Central,

It's Tones Known All Along the Mnir
Line of the New York Central.
Hear that bell ringingY That's Jim
Woods engine coming"
Hundreds of railroad men and hundreds
of other people living along the main line
Of tho New York Central and the various
branches over which Jim Wood ran his
engine have made tho above remark, for
Jim and his engine became celebrities
on account OF tho bell.
Twenty years or moro ago the bell was
made. At the same timo n new engine
was built especially for Engineer Wood
In those days the new engine ranked as one
of the highest class on the road. A feature
Of the engine was the bell. When it was
displaced on u new engine it was discover
ed that there was a flaw in 1t and it was
sent to the foundry and trimmed down,
rendering it thinner than the usual run of
locomotive bells. The result was that the
new bell gave out u peculiarly sweet tone
Indeed, it's clangings as 1t went by cross
ings and pulled into stations were fun of
the sweetest music and 1t was not long be
fore Jim's engine became known by the
sweet music its bell pcaled forth, and peo-
pie could distinguish it among all the 9th
err engines on the line and would say
Jim Wood 4 engine is coming. Hear
the bcll2"
Wonderful improvements have wrought
wondrous changes in the equipment of
modern railroads, but none of them ever
replaced this famous bell, which Is known
by its sweet sound to every railroad man
connected with the New York Central. -
When a few years ago Jim's engine
was taken of the passenger service and re
placed by tho first class engines of the pres
ent time, IL was used around the yards at
the Central station doing shifting and
pushing work, and not long ago was seut
to Buffalo to do the same iii Of work
there. There was an effort made by come
of the engineers to p~crpctuatc the bell by
securing it for one of the high class en-
gines, and this was accomplished n few
weeks ago. The holl now rings out IT,
merry chimes from engine 9ss, which ruUs
the limited" east and the fast mail
west between Buffalo and Syracuse.
After serving many years as engineer oi
tho New York Central, Engineer Woo
was ~superannuatcd and is now living h
retirement in this city But like all o.,
railroad men there Is a fascination aboG
the yards of a great railroad system thai
is Irresistible, and Mr.. Wood can be FIRE
quCntly seen down At the Central station
exchanging greetings md recalling old
times with the railroad men there. Over
a month ago n little incident occurred u
Illustrative of the innate love the engine
has for tho great iron rnchincs that hc
come things Of life under his skillfu'
manipulations.
Mr.. Wood was standing in the station
talking to some old friends when the mer
~, silvcry tones of the dear old bell rang
out. The men instantly stopped talking
and listened. Then they simultaneously
made a rush for the siding where the
sound appeared to proceed from There
standing on the track, IVES old 10. the Ell
ginc Jim had piloted for SO many years
II Ginning with the old timo wontet
sweetness was the same old bell. In sont
way or other the old engine had been sent
along from Buffalo with n load Of cars
The sight of the old engine ard the sound
of the bell brought tears to Jim's eyes
Rochester Herald.