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Reply to "NEw False Front Building **WOW**"

Way back when on the Pennsylvania RR just prior to the ill fated merger, I was working second trick at the Meadows ( S Kearney ) as a machinist welder in the old L-5 shop that became the diesel shop.  During this pre merger kick off period there were various inspections of both properties by officials of each roads. Unbeknow to most of these officials this was the setting sun on their positions with their respective roads.    One of these inspection trains was covering the PRR Truck Train Facility ( piggyback yard ) that was a big operation there, two E units powered the train, one unit had a crankcase explosion, rendering it inoperative.  During this time the officials were being bused to other local points of interest, being put up in Hotels in the city for the nights.

A relief E unit was pulled from the pool of New Jersey & Longbranch commuter service. A old E-7 , who had seen better days, during that day her sides & nose were repainted Tuscan and a solid stripe was added,this being done by the Carmen on the big RipTrack at Meadows in the old  erection  shop.  At this time the Greenville yard car shop was closed, all the shop personal either retiried or transferred or to meadows.

 Our gang was to stencile and paint Pennsylvania on her sides , the painter was also the pipe fitter of sorts , like I was a machinist/ welder.   His name I can remember but will not post ,he was a  immigrant from Poland I’d say in his fifty’s a very hard worker, our gang Forman gave him a helper , a laborer another immigrant from another the same area or that general area, as they spoke close to the same language.   I was doing a 30 day inspection on a ALCO RS-1 along with a Air Brake  machinist named Johansson, We were not paying any  attention to what the other guys were doing as we were involved with our own issues with the RS-1.  After taking the RS-1 out to load her up (test) towards the sanding & fuel area, under blue flag protection , we returned to the L-5 shop leaving the RS-1 idling, outside the shop, For the Hostler to pick her up.   There was a small group of workers over by the E unit as the pipe fitter and his helper was finishing up removing the stencils and masking tape.  

They did a excellent job, the road hostlers came in to take the E unit over to the Ramps, ( piggyback terminal)  and the inspection train to have everything ready for a early am departure,for points west. As with all railroaders there was several decisions about the upcoming merger , rumors and more rumors.   Just as the we fired up the unit to pull her out of the shop, Blue Flag area, for the Hostlers to take her ,  someone said how do you spell Pennsylvania????   Everybody started laughing, then myself and  Johansson  The air brake  machinist  Said almost at the same time , there are not 4 Ns in Pennsylvania, Dead  silence  Only a passing Erie Lackawanna MU train passing by the shop was heard.   OK a scramble of extreme language exchanges, a whole lot of extreme  cursing in broken English, admist a awful lot of laughter.   There was no time left in our shift to do any correction as it would be a disaster at best.   The only thing we could do and was agreed by all to protect the pipe fitter and his helper, and our gang Forman.  Who was at the GM plant in Linden with others from our Gang working on a Alco S-1 switcher that quit blocking spot cars for the next shift on the assembly line. All we could do was walk away.  Was this spelling mistake ever caught ??? As big as a E-7 is ??? on both sides ?? No one ever said , or no one cared as the Pennsylvania Railroad was on a fast track to a becoming a fallen flag in a vert short time.   

 About a week or so later while we all were having our dinner the pipefitter mentioned he almost question why he was sent four N stencils ??? for each side.

My point is we are all human and no one is perfect, in the heat of the moment  things will happen ,some go unnoticed , others stand out , so there is a word misspelled. The importance of this is like the importance of the county line, know one can pin point it and does anyone really give a damm ????

I for one see this as a unplanned way of bringing to bear the excellent workmanship and planning ,a true labor of love Harry put into this masterpiece 

well done 

Harry / Pipefitter????

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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