Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-02-24
OLD 1875 RUN.
A Good Story Of RaiIroading and the Los
Contract.

"When ! first started in on this pike
back in the eighties. said the gray
haired chairman Of the engineers stove
committee. 1T was only pin-fcat her.
ana didn't have hardly any freight trat
lie to speak Of It was only little
branch connection between the L. 4 IL.
ana r. Il T.. roads. was put on nrln%
for Bill Kennedy. on old No ~ ! hadn I
been firing here very long when the Il. q
II. ana X. x l.. people hit upon a scheme
to try and use our line for a short cut
for pcrishahlc stuff from one line ~ tine
other instead Of taking II down to Bur
lngton. few miles further south. wht Re-
these roads had junction. and sending
it back again. Accordingly. they decided
tp give Us one train for trial trip. We
were to see how fast time we could make
with this freight. and if it very material
ly lcsscncd the time of the old route our
people We're to get permanent contract
which would mean considerable money in
their rockets. There was quite a little
excitement among the engineers as to
who would be the lucky man to make
the trial trip. as it would he quite i
feather in the successful ones cap. L
fell to Bill Kennedy. with No. 10, to make
the trip. and he and | were considerably
elated and determined to do our best.
The night for the fly run was very dark.
but there was a good rail. and conditions
We're all favorable for quick time. Bill
wasn't used to night running, in fact, no
one was, as ii was very seldom necessary
for night crew to be out on our ROAD.
For that reason there We're no night tel
egraph offices open to keep tab on the
train: but the train dispatcher at this
till We arrived at Rutland Junction, which
was the other end Of our line then.
When Bill and | got around we found
that we were to have company on the en-
Sine. Mr.. West. the super. wanted to
go along to see how we Jared. This put
us more on our mettle, and tell YOU We
were the real thing when We backed over
to the r. < L. siding TO wait for the
special.
About O'Clock she rumbed in and
YOU bet il didn't take Bill long to get No
~ around and hooked onto her. Every
thing was ready and we Were soon hum
ming along toward the b. x II. junction
point at record-breaking speed. Bill was
Just aching to make a star run. and go
ing up Cheechunk Hill about fifteen miles
out he gave her couple of more nOtches
on the throttle and we fairly seemed TO
jump forward.
You're doing excellently, Kennedy.
said West. looking at his watch; we've
made the first fifteen miles in about for
ty-tive minutes. which is excellent with
thirty cars
Bill never eased off on her at all ana
at 1O.45 we were whistling for the juno
ton, having made the run of forty-tivc
miles in an hour and forty-five minutes
which was about the top notch with a
train Of thirty cars for those days. and
Bills head was nearly busted with pride
when West said to him:
" Mr.. Kennedy, you made an excellent
run
las we stopped at the tank, the b. &,
II. operator came running up breathlessly
and said to Bill: Here's a message from
Smith, your conductor. You left him be
hind at Cheechunk.
bill looked dazed and read the mes
sage slowly while Mr.. West held Ian
tern. 1t ran:
= Bill Kennedy and Superintendent
West:
"A good soldier never looks behind
You left the caboose. seven cars. myself
and the crew behind al foot of Chez
chunk Hill. ! had to walk four miles to
get the agent to send this message.
Please come back after us
The message was dated from Chez
chunk. In pulling her out going up the
hill Bill had broken a coupling pin and
left the tail end there. You never saw
any one fall flatter than Kennedy ana
the super did. Bill never said a darn
word but give the twenty-three cars We
had to a yard crew of the +. & H., and
lit out backward for Cheechunk thirty
miles TO the rear. 1t was o'clock when
we got the tail end to the junction and
our road didn't get the contract that
year.
IF you want to cause a small riot YOU
just ask Bill Kennedy the next time YOU
meet him about the record run he made
with the special perishable goods train
but don't tell him told you.f