Connecticut western news., 1908-07-09
AN OLD ENGINEERS
"REMINISCENCES
STORIES OF EARLY RAILR0ADING
In 1851 it Took Five Hours to Make
the Run From Bridgsport-Trains
Ran on Time and Engineers Were
Proud OF Their Engines.

In South Lee. Mass. il an old-tims
railroad engineer, whose railroading ex-
periences in Massachusetts in the days
when all the engines were wood burn
ers, when an engine did not weigh more
than 20 tons and the tracks were con-
structed of iron rails and the ties made
of small trees that had been cut to the
desired length and were not hewn. are
vastly interesting in these days of 49,
hour trains between New York and
Chicago.
Edward Morris, this veteran engineer,
was born IN Falls Village, Conn. He is
now in his S0th year, but he is strong
and hardy.
After some experience as n fireman
and then as engineer on the old Housa-
tonic railroad between Pittsfeld and
Bridgeport, he went to Fort Dearborn,
which is now Chicago.
The locomotives used at that time
were called John Bull" engines, and
were often delayed on the road during q
trip because the fuel supply had given
out, and the crew would have to stop
the train long enough to go into the
timber and chop enough to take the
train on to the next fuel station.
The speed of freight trains was
limited to 10 miles an hour and the
passenger trains to 25 miles an hour.
II fired the first woodworking loco
motive, Antelope, on the old Pittsfield
& Stockbridge railroad, which hauled
the first mail train from Bridgeport to
Pittsfield," said Mr.. Morris recently.
THAT was in 1851, and ii took five
hours to make the run from Bridgeport
to Pittsfeld New York connections
were made at Bridgeport from Berkshire
county, and the trip to New York was
nearly an all-day run, for our trains
were not always ON time and there were
vexatious delays all the time. Our train
left Pittsfeld for New York at o'clock
in the morning. The fare was SO TO
Bridgeport.
1T was hard work keeping up steam
in those wook- burners The road had
wood stations at Falls Village, Stock.
bridge and other places. and we took on
fuel VIII enever the tender woodbox was
getting low. We burned cord OF wood
on the run, usually. Firing with it was
much harder work than coal shoveling
and the fires had to be watched all the
time
Pat Tate of West Sto ckbridge, was
engineer of the Antelope. He was "a
West Stockbridge man, and moved to
Pittsfield when the road was opened,
He taught me all l ever knew about
running an engine"
81 came back to Berkshire county be-
fore the close of the war, and ran an
engine on the old Housatonic road which
acquired the Stockbridge and PittEfield
division, until became deaf, and was
retired.
THE road was not much like that of
today. We had light steel and light
cars, but considering the equipment /
think better time was made than today.
There was brave lot of boys handl-
ing the engines, and it was a source of
pride to bring in trains every day on
time, and they worked hard with the
light engines to do it. Every engine had
a different whistle, and each one was
known all along the line by its whistle.
I'm those days every engine was
known by its name, and engineers took
as much pride in keeping up the appear
ance of the engine as a man does his
today. Every bit Of brass or
nickel was kept shining, and the engine
was brushed and cleaned as carefully rs
a woman keeps her kitchen.