Road Engineers Seniority Roster - Laf South - 1975

[Ron Marquardt]

After hearing the news about Don Owens, I got out an old seniority roster to refresh my memory, and thought I'd share it with everyone.  Donnie was second behind me in seniority.  This is dated four years after the merger, and but for the bottom five men, it is almost identical to how it would have been at the time of the merger, except that I was still running an engine in 1971.  I wasn't promoted to Trainmaster until 1973.  / Ron

PS, I just did a quick count, and I believe that 21 or 22 of these men have already left us to ride the night train.  RIP old friends.  When I hired out I was 111 times from the top of the seniority roster, and when I retired almost 40 years later, I was second from the top.  I think that only 3 of those 110 men are still living.

[Rick Dreistadt]

Lot of memories on that seniority roster, Ron.  Thanks for posting it.
Rick

[Joe Land]

Was M.D. Johnson "Mick"? If so, we graduated high school in the same class.

[Ron Marquardt]

Yes Joe, that was Mick.  I believe he was killed in an auto accident a few years ago.  / Ron

[Joe Land]

I know Mick died in an accident, but do not know the details. Mick was a joker in high school, kept everyone entertained in a low keyed way....
One day in a class on the fourth floor of the old BHS building, he threw all of the books belonging to the smartest kid in class out of an open window. I sat between him and the window, and had to sit straight back so he could get a good throw at the window......
That was the Mick I remember.
Joe

[Joe Land]

Are the two Moores listed Donnie and Joe?

[Joe Land]

By The Way.... Mick Johnson's twin, Shannon, was a hell of a lot better looking than Mick....
[At least to my eyes, she was]

[Ron Marquardt]

Are the two Moores listed Donnie and Joe?

Donnie and Danny, not related.  This was an engineer's roster, and Joe was a brakeman and conductor until he quit and went into the hardware business.  Donnie, Joe's brother, stayed on for forty years or so.  I don't know if Danny's retired yet or not.  I think Danny was the last engineer to work at McDoel before they tore the tracks out.

Joe's and Donnie's father, Tommy Moore, was a switchman and long time yardmaster at McDoel, and a nice fellow.  I always enjoyed working with him.  I wish we had a picture of Tommy for the archives.  / Ron

[Joe Land]

OK... Just by the birthdays I doubted that one was Joe. I may be able to get in contact with Donnie on another forum and ask him to join MRHTS. Donnie is now retired, and still living in Bloomington. Joe still lives in the Bloomington area too.....

[Cully Kowal]

S. Cobb, number 18 on the list is Stanley Cobb.  He would let me ride along on the NW2 when he worked the second trick yard job at McDoel in the fall of 1964.  His regular Fireman was a fellow student of mine in the School of Business at IU who would go to class during the day and work for the Monon afternoons.  Sorry but I can't remember his name.  Very pleasant follow, however.  Cully Kowal

[Steve Cunningham]

Ron,

Regarding the Road Engineer List.  The first name on the list is EB Davis.  Is that Ed Davis? 

Steve

[Ken Weller]

Could be this guy:

Davis   Edgar   B   "B&O"   Engineer at Bloomington   12/24/46 - 6/30/76   b. 2/5/15   from L&N?

[Steve Cunningham]

Ken,

I am not sure.  I was a student athletic trainer at IU from 1965-1970.  Ed would routinely come out to football practice at the old practice field east of the stadium.  We met one day and talked about him being a Monon engineer.  He knew my grandfather, a Monon engineer.  We talked alot over the course of time but just lost track of him after college.

Steve

[Rick Dreistadt]

E.B. Davis(Ed) was a south end engineer.  He ran between McDoel and Youngtown.
Rick