The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-08-31

Oldest Engineer of All
BY s 5. ass;sr Experiences of Long Ago

Talks About Some

old wooden rails knock my hat off while
l was driving the engine, and l had a
fireman killed once by being struck by
the rail, while going at speedy
The oldest locomotive engineer in the
country, perhaps in the world, said that
to me the other day in the course of a
| conversation.
1t was Rufus H. Horton. Almost every
| old Raleighite knows him, and many OF
| the new ones, too He actually ran trains
! on the old wooden rails and still lives
to tell about it. His run was on the old
| Raleigh and CASTOR, now part of t.
Seaboard Air Line system.
They gave up the wooden rails, Mr..
| Horton says, inn 1851, so you see he is
| talking of way back, in the very baby
hood of railroading.
Lots of folks now don't know what
| those wooden rails were. They consist
cd of heavy wooden timbers laid paral-
| lei to form the track. On these timbers
| were spiked the fiat iron rails, called
| strap iron.
Naturally, as the track wore, the ten
dency was for the spikes to become loos-
ened and the ends Of the rails would
| warp up and be caught by the wheels OF
| the locomotive. Then they would either
| break off, be knocked to one side, or run
| { traight over the wheel into the engine
and cars.
i've been bruised up by them many
| time" said Mr.. Horton. Il have had
them to catch up a wheel and go clean
through a coach; but no passenger was
| over Killed ny one on q train l was run
ing.
"Nheu I first commenced running, the
| old track had been in use several years,
and it was somewhat worn. That was in
II. The track was relaid with U-iron
rails in 81 and they remained for TWEEN
| ty years, when they put down the Trails.
| There was a big dispute in those days as
to which was best, the Urails or the
| Trails. The U-rails had a grove down
the middle. That's why they call it the
U-rail.
"Ah! 1 tell you, railroading in those
days was not like what it is now" con-
| tinued the old gentleman, in a ruminat-
ing way.
1--WE had no headlights, no cabs to
protect the engineer. no seat for him to
sit on. 20 steam guage, no blower, no
| strainer to the feed pipe. I ran ten
years like that
when we filled the boiler we had to
keep running all the time, so
as to get pumping force. We couldn't
take water standing still like we dc now.
THE road was under the control of
the State then and it was governed by
politics. The president was changed with
the administration.
you've seen that mod of the old
Volcano at the companys shops in Ports
mouth, haven't you?'
I said that I had, and told the truth.
well, 1 used to run that old engine,
and~T've turned broadside with her more
than once too"
what aver became OF the original OF
that model asked.
30. she got broken all to pieces years
and years ago. There's nothing of her
left now. We only had five like that.
The other four were the Whirlwind. the
Tornado, the Tempest and the Spitfre.
THAT model in Portsmouth was sent to
The Atlanta Exposition. Albert Johnson
built it. He used to be my master me-
chanic."
The veteran engineer was rather 10th
TO talk about himself, but 1 asked him
lots of question, and he was too polite
to refuse to answer me.
He went into the service of the road
known as the Raleigh and CASTOR and
POW the Seaboard Air Line in 1916. He
was then only eighteen years old.
In November, 1S47, he was given
an engine and from that time he
ran as engineer continuously until the
last day of July year ago. with the
exception of a few years, after he grew
too Did to run an engine, when he was
hostlcr in the yard here.
He was in the service of the company
for fifty-six years and six months. For
thirty-five years he pulled passenger
trains between here and Portsmouth.
He never worked for any other road,
ami never lost any time from sickness or
injuries, save a few days orce or twice,
and 1evnr more than ten days.
He was never called to the office for an
explanation. He was never suspended. ,
No passenger was ever hurt on his train
Tell me something about some acct
dent or collision you have been in"
said.
81 was never in collision in my life
said the veteran Of the throttle. 81 have
run off the track several times, and
turned broadside; but I never ran into
any other train, or had one to run into
me-
"And I never jumped from my engine
in my life Never left an engine until she
was standing still"
What magnificent record for an en-
gineer! 1t looks as if Mr.. Horton was
not only the oldest living engineer, but
one of the best as well. He has rec
ord in more ways than one, truly.
"Have you not had some odd exper-
fences in your long career?" I asked, !
trying to draw the old veteran out. for
knew ne must have done things that
would be interesting, if he would only
talk about them.
Well" he said, 'ff you must have me
talk about myself, | once brought a mail |
train from Midileburg to Raleigh with !
IN engine that had no eccentric. Now.
there is not one railroad man in a hmm
bred that will believe that; but it is alb
true Albert Johnson knew of
it. and ne often told of it before he died. /
Yes. l moved the valve: | was the
myself for those fifty odd miles.
But I Lad different gearing from some
of the engines. / had the ordinary hook
motion, which gave me more power. /