Photo from Philip R. Hastings
Westbound time freight No. 9 for Norwood, N.Y. and the
New York Central with 2-8-0 No. 19 and 2-8-2 No 38 storms
up the grade. The location was about four miles west of Rouses
Point, N.Y. on the Ogdensburg & Lake Champlain Subdivision.
Rutland Reminiscences
by Steve Mumley
INTRODUCTION
The following articles originally appeared in the Champlain
Valley Chapter’s publication, the Shortline. All concerning
the Rutland Railway, they are the work of Chapter member Steve
Mumley and most record the reminiscences of Steve’s
father George C. "Bud" Mumley, who was a former
Rutland brakeman and who later worked for the Central Vermont
after service on the Rutland was abandoned. Sadly, while this
article was being prepared, the Bulletin staff learned of
the passing of Bud Mumley on April 18, 2004 at the age of
87. The Bulletin staff expresses its condolences to Steve
Mumley and his family on their (and our) loss, and is grateful
to the Shortline for permission to make these articles available
to all members.
A Cold Night in Norwood
It’s the late 1930’s, and Norwood, N.Y. had just
been hit with a two-day snow storm that halted service on
the Northern Division for one day. George Mumley, a young
brakeman on the spare list, has been called to work east on
train No. 10, left over from two days ago, which is now drifted
in with snow. The temperature is now 20 degrees below zero,
and the wind is drifting and packing the snow under the 80
or more cars that the New York Central had delivered to the
Rutland before the storm. After the engines were on the train
and the air test made, it was discovered that the train wasn’t
going anyplace. After talking it over for a few minutes, it
was decided that the only way that they could get things going
was to take the cars one at a time and run the cars up the
line to warm up the journals enough to get things rolling
freely.
The crew started with one car at a time, and then they were
able to get it up to 2 or 3 cars per cut, running them up
to Knapps, about 3 miles east of Norwood. After a few hours
of running back and forth, the train was finally ready, but
the fun was only to begin. Since the temperature hadn’t
gone up at all, all the journals were still turning hard,
and as the train moved east hot boxes started to show up,
one after another. It was a busy day, or night by this time,
because the crew spent most of the time packing the hot boxes
with journal box dope. It was one flare-up after another all
the way to Malone, 36 miles away, which took 16 hours! The
crew was outlawed, and the train put on the cripple track
for new brass. Dad said that was railroading in the old days
in northern New York.
A Railroad Story on the Ogdensburg & Lake Champlain
Train No. 10 was the Rutland’s through freight from
the New York Central connection at Norwood, N.Y. to Alburgh,
Vt. At Alburgh it became No. 20 to Rutland after being switched
by the Alburgh yard switcher.
Train No. 10 schedule:
Lv. Norwood 6:30 p.m.
Malone Yard 8:21
Malone 8:40
Malone Junction 8:50
Arr. Alburgh 11:55 p.m.
No. 10 was always issued train orders at Norwood that would
run the job to Morton Siding (Malone Junction). At Malone,
after setting out and picking up cars, they would get a run
order from Malone to Alburgh. I was brakeman today so I went
to see the agent at the downtown station in Malone, Bob Fowler,
to get orders to go to Alburgh. From the rear of the train
it was about a mile walk. Bob gave me a clearance card (form
"A") with a clear block to Morton Siding. I looked
at Bob and asked if there were any more orders. Bob said,
"No, that’s all." So we ran the train to Morton
Siding and then I walked up to Malone Junction, a few hundred
feet, where the joint NYC/Rutland agent was on duty. Walking
up to the window the agent said, "Can I help you?"
I said, "We are No. 10 and need a run order to Alburgh.
All we have is a clearance form A to Morton Siding."
The NYC agent called the Rutland train dispatcher and the
dispatcher said he’s got his orders to just give him
a clear block and let him go. I looked at the agent and said
"All I got is a clearance from Malone." The agent
told this to the dispatcher who proceeded to "go nuts",
jumping up and down and screaming. He had issued orders at
Malone for No. 10 to run to Alburgh with two meets along the
way. The dispatcher told me to keep the clearance card from
Malone and also the engine crew’s copy and turn them
in at Alburgh to send to Rutland. The dispatcher cancelled
the old orders at Malone and issued new ones at Malone Junction,
getting No. 10 on its way. As a result of this, Bob Fowler
was relieved from duty.
Station Meet at Altona:
Altona, N.Y. is located on the Northern New York Division
(O&LC) between Ellenburgh and Mooers. Around 1953-54 the
Rutland closed the station, due to lack of business with passenger
service discontinued. Agent McAllister was transferred to
another station. He was also a contractor, when not working
for the Rutland, and decided to buy the closed station and
move it to another location for use as a home or shop.
Mr. McAllister waited for train No. 9, the big freight, to
pass Altona before moving his station across the tracks to
its new location. Because trains Nos. 9 and 10 were scheduled
trains, he knew he had all kinds of time to make the move.
What he didn’t know was that the New York Central had
a derailment on their line, and hence there would be no cars
for No. 10 at Norwood. The dispatcher cancelled the normal
time of No. 10. The extra had a couple of 200 class diesels,
a couple of local cars and the buggy. As they came around
the curve at Altona, the crew had the surprise of their lives,
as the station was sitting right in the middle of the tracks.
Because the light train was moving right along, and the crew
had no warning, they ran the engines in the front door and
out the back, smashing the station all to pieces. Boards from
the station siding smashed through the engine windows and
into the cab, just missing the crew; they had enough time
to get down on the floor in order to avoid the flying materials.
Roy Poquette, who was the conductor, noticed the station telephone
lying on the ground, and picked it up for a young man in Alburgh.
I have this phone on my desk today, and think of the station
meet at Altona each time I look at it. But it was hard to
believe that, after all the years Agent McAllister worked
for the Rutland, he didn’t call the dispatcher to see
if any extras were due!
A Wild Boxcar Ride
My Dad, George Mumley, tells this about what was almost his
last boxcar ride – he thought he was going to the big
boxcar in the sky.
He was working the night yard job in Malone, N.Y. A load of
new automobiles in a NYC boxcar had arrived, and as usual,
the crew had spotted the car at the freight platform, just
off the freight house; they would usually drop the car off
the engine, and a brakeman would ride and spot it at the platform.
One night, Bob Dragon did this, with no problems; the next
night it was empty, so the crew picked it up and headed over
to Malone Junction before the arrival of JX-2. It was the
only car they had, and rather than run the engine the whole
length of the NYC yard, Dad decided they could drop it off
and he would ride it into the NYC yard and he would brake
it, because they were short of time; the JX-2 was due, and
they had a whole night of switching. The engine was one of
the 400-class diesels, so they had plenty of power for a flying
run, to drop the car with Dad at the brake.
Just as the car passed the yard office, Dad started to pull
the brake, but nothing happened. First he thought was something
was wrong, because it worked all right the night before. He
pulled for all he was worth on the brake wheel, and then the
rod and chain but no luck. By this time the crew on the switcher
was wondering what he was up to. No time to take a joy ride!
So they started into the NYC yard, and then could see George
waving for all he had. They pulled up alongside him on the
next track, and then could see he was in trouble, as he was
going 35 to 40 mph, and hanging on to the top, totally exhausted
and about ready to pass out. It was now up to the engine crew
to do something fast. At first they thought they could run
ahead, and side-swipe the car where the track turned in –
but the car was going too fast. The yard was a mile long,
so they had a bit of time left; also, there was a crossover
in the middle, so they decided to run through it and try to
catch up to the car. Not a good idea – but all they
had left. Luck was with them, for they managed to cross over,
catch up to the car, and couple to it on the first shot. Dad
was pretty happy to hear it!
The crew: Engineer Delore Secore, Fireman Early King, Conductor
Harold Dishaw and Brakemen Bob Dragon and George Mumley.
Plow Meet at Mooers, N.Y.
In February 1946, a heavy snow storm had hit the New York
State north country and the O&LC – the northern
New York subdivision of the Rutland Railway. A plow extra
was called out of Alburgh with engineer Ackerman and conductor
Ray Poquette on plow X101 (engine unknown). Since it was late
afternoon, it meant that they would have to meet mail train
No. 6 at Mooers around 7:18 p.m. The Alburgh to Malone way
freight, AM-1, was already out of Alburgh and working its
way north (railroad west) and would have to take the siding
at Champlain to allow the plow extra to pass. Andy Claymore,
section foreman at Mooers, had been called to assist in running
the snow plow through his section of track. Andy and his son,
also a member of his section, traveled to Champlain to wait
for the plow. With the wayfreight in Champlain Andy and his
son waited in the caboose, having a little supper with caboose
cook and brakeman George Mumley. The plow extra soon arrived
at Champlain. Andy and his men boarded and proceeded to work
the plow and flanger blades through their section and on to
Mooers to meet mail train No. 6. The train orders read that
train No. 6, with engine No. 53, was to hold the mainline
and for the plow extra to take the siding just in front of
the station. As the plow extra approached the station the
engine crew on No. 6 could see that the extra wasn’t
slowing. Realizing it was too late to do anything they prepared
for the impact. The plow hit engine No. 53 head on, climbing
right up the front of the engine. In plow No. 6, Andy Claymore
could also see what was going to happen so he called to his
son and the rest of the crew to lie on the floor of the plow
as he knew from years of experience what would happen if they
were in a collision. Andy didn’t have time to get down
before the main center beam of the plow pushed through, killing
him. Other members of the crew indeed took Andy’s advice
and hit the floor therefore saving their lives. One of the
crew members was Wilford Mayo from the Alburgh section. The
wayfreight was still waiting at Champlain for train orders
when the sad news of the accident arrived. George Mumley turned
to the agent and said, "It’s hard to believe that
20 minutes ago I had supper with Andy…but that’s
railroading."
The wrecker was dispatched out of Alburgh with relief power
for the mail train. After rerailing the plow and changing
the engines on the mail train things were quickly back to
normal. The wrecked engine and plow were taken back to Alburgh.
Both received a considerable amount of damage and were shopped
in Rutland, eventually returning to service. Plow X101 served
many more years on the Rutland and later the Vermont Railway.
Presently it is part of the Steamtown collection. Engine No.
53 lived on for a few more years until it was scrapped in
November 1951.
Photo from Portland Division, RRE..
Pacific 4-6-2 No. 82 (Alco, 1925) is showing her stuff with
heavy head-end traffic on the Green Mountain Flyer as she approaches
Rutland.
