> T.J.
> Please sit down with this gentleman and do
> an oral history of his experiences. We are
> losing people with very important
> remembrances like his everyday. The odds of
> the equipment outliving the people that
> worked on it is great but without the human
> element, the equipment not nearly as
> interesting. PM #11 will be around for a
> long time but it can only tell a small
> fraction of it's own history. Orville must
> tell the story of the SW1's triumphs and
> failures.
> Don C.

Don C.-

Consider it done. I began interviewing Orville when I was still in high school. In fact, he was one of the major reasons I went into history as a profession. He was very supportive of what I was doing, and has always been willing talk, even on more personal issues when yours truly ran into life's little road blocks (initial inability to find a job within the field; inability to find a position with a livable wage, etc.) In fact, my conversations with Orv led to my Master's Thesis on different railroad's inter-realtionship with communities in the Thumb of Michigan; no small wonder that the work is dedicated to him.

In addition, Orv has been helpful in breaking down barriers with other railroad retirees, to the tune of 20-30 or so, ranging from engineers and fireman to station agents. With Orv alone, we have probably better than 3 1/2- 4 hours of video tape; the same number of audio as well, thanks in no small part to another rail historian in this thread, Fritz Milhaupt. Throw into this that we probably have better than 25-30 hours of audio/ video footage of other railroad retirees, many of them who have passed away in the past 10 years, and you understand why I consider this man almost like another grandfather.

Having said this, I am always seeming to lose someone before I have the chance to do an interview. Sad as it is to say, its the guys who I'd figure I'd have time to interview (those in their late 50's and early 60's) that have passed first, and guys like Orv (now almost 80) who are still alive and kicking. I just wish I could convince others to do the same with other railroad retirees; any information or insight they can give into everyday railroading is invaluable, no matter how mundane it may seem at the time. Its a real cliché, but its true; you only realize how valuable that insight is after their gone.
Oh yeah; and he's probably the only railroader I've met to date who actually liked the C&O's BL-2's. "Most room of any diesel I ever worked on!"
Every engineer I talked (mostly thanks to his going to bat for me) hated them.

TJG

Port Huron Museum
tjgaffney@phmuseum.org

> Don C.-

> Consider it done. I began interviewing
> Orville when I was still in high school. In
> fact, he was one of the major reasons I went
> into history as a profession. He was very
> supportive of what I was doing, and has
> always been willing talk, even on more
> personal issues when yours truly ran into
> life's little road blocks (initial inability
> to find a job within the field; inability to
> find a position with a livable wage, etc.)
> In fact, my conversations with Orv led to my
> Master's Thesis on different railroad's
> inter-realtionship with communities in the
> Thumb of Michigan; no small wonder that the
> work is dedicated to him.

> In addition, Orv has been helpful in
> breaking down barriers with other railroad
> retirees, to the tune of 20-30 or so,
> ranging from engineers and fireman to
> station agents. With Orv alone, we have
> probably better than 3 1/2- 4 hours of video
> tape; the same number of audio as well,
> thanks in no small part to another rail
> historian in this thread, Fritz Milhaupt.
> Throw into this that we probably have better
> than 25-30 hours of audio/ video footage of
> other railroad retirees, many of them who
> have passed away in the past 10 years, and
> you understand why I consider this man
> almost like another grandfather.

> Having said this, I am always seeming to
> lose someone before I have the chance to do
> an interview. Sad as it is to say, its the
> guys who I'd figure I'd have time to
> interview (those in their late 50's and
> early 60's) that have passed first, and guys
> like Orv (now almost 80) who are still alive
> and kicking. I just wish I could convince
> others to do the same with other railroad
> retirees; any information or insight they
> can give into everyday railroading is
> invaluable, no matter how mundane it may
> seem at the time. Its a real cliché, but its
> true; you only realize how valuable that
> insight is after their gone.
> Oh yeah; and he's probably the only
> railroader I've met to date who actually
> liked the C&O's BL-2's. "Most room
> of any diesel I ever worked on!"
> Every engineer I talked (mostly thanks to
> his going to bat for me) hated them.

> TJG

T.J.
Wonderful news concerning the interviews and video tape. Obviously Orv is a wonderful inspiration for you and he should be allowed to be one for other interested individuals. In eight more years you can interview me.....I'll be old enough to retire and have 39 years on the railroad. Thanks for caring enough to do something about retaining the memories and knowledge of these interesting people. They hold so much of an era gone-by and that we'll never see again.
Don C.

milw261@comcast.net