Dickey Register Book

[Mike Trent]

A week or so ago, Norm Acker visited Dickey. In addition to wandering around the yard looking at things in person on his first visit, I showed him another artifact that I have here that popped up on eBay about three months ago. Believe it or not, it is a Conductor's Register Book from Dickey between about the 20th of November to the middle of December 1899. It contains signatures of Sam Speas, Tom St.John, Curley Collegian and many others. One of the most interesting entries to me is the appearance of Engine #7 on the Passenger Train in December 1899.

Norm took a picture of the cover of the book, and sent me a reduced to scale copy of the cover. This is great because shortly after I acquired the book, I added the register box mounted on the South end of the depot, where it was visible in many pictures prior to C&S days before 1899. So now, with Norm's help, I have the book resting on the box. Thanks, Norm!





 

[Jimmy Blouch]

The last entry on Nov 20 page shows an extra 37-70 west.
Is there an east move on the following day?

Jimmy

[Mike Trent]

Yes. Last entry on the 21st.
Note Tom St.John's unique signature on trains 71, 89 and 90. 89 and 90 are the train numbers over the Dickey and Keystone Subdivision.

[Jimmy Blouch]

Thank you.

I thought perhaps it ws a freight Dickey Dillon/Keystone turn.

Jimmy

[Jimmy Blouch]

Okay I'll that thought back.  
Might have been a main line movement.

On the Nov 21 page there is another double header west east urn.  Time wise that appears more
like a Dillon/Keystone turn.

Jimmy

[Tim Schreiner]

So now you have two copies of the same book!!!!

[Mike Trent]

Jimmy, it will probably be interesting to study the Dickey book over time given that during this early period it was a helper station and that both locomotives and crews were actually based there.

We know that all of the West End enginemen in later days with the exception of Charlie Williamson lived in Como with their families. We also know that Sam Speas lived in Como and that all of his sons were born there, yet he and his #40 appear in Dickey almost every day in this book. So, it seems likely that he and some others often resided in the Dickey Bunkhouse waiting for their next call. Collagen is another.

Also, improbable as it might seem to imagine, Tom St.John is already holding down his job as Passenger Conductor in 1899 and Curly Colligan is already a promoted Engineer. Both of them made their last runs in April, 1937 when the Mainline was abandoned.