I grew up in a time/locale/economic class where these sorts of jobs were not a part of my consciousness except for appearing in films, where I just sort of filed them away as 'random service industry person.'
Reading this, I feel like I've missed out on an amazing chunk of history. I will be very surprised if I don't track down a copy of Rising From The Rails in the next few months.
and the sons of Pullman porters/ and the sons of engineers/ ride their fathers' magic carpets made of steel/ mothers with their babes asleep/ rockin' to the gentle beat/ and the rhythm of the rails is all they feel
On the Lakeshore Limited to Chicago one time, I got talking with a porter. He told me a story: he'd been working that long route from LA to Florida. Had a passenger who was a mom traveling alone with a babe in diapers and two toddlers, so he helped her out all along that endless trip across the Southwest to Texas. Held the baby, entertained the kids, got her stuff from the club car.
She told him that the family was moving from CA to Texas to follow her husband's job. Her husband had flown ahead and was meeting them at the train station.
*gives husband the stinkeye*
So he helps her off the train when they reach their destination. Baby's crying, kids are tired and cranky, Mom hasn't slept in a day at least. Standing on the platform with them, the porter sees a businessman in a lovely suit (he mentioned the shiny shiny Italian shoes) coming towards them.
"Honey!!" says Bizman, holding his arms out. Mom turns to porter, places crying baby in his arms, walks calmly up to husband and clocks him square in the jaw, knocking him off his feet.
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Date: 2009-04-03 03:51 pm (UTC)I grew up in a time/locale/economic class where these sorts of jobs were not a part of my consciousness except for appearing in films, where I just sort of filed them away as 'random service industry person.'
Reading this, I feel like I've missed out on an amazing chunk of history. I will be very surprised if I don't track down a copy of Rising From The Rails in the next few months.
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Date: 2009-04-03 04:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-03 04:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-04-03 06:34 pm (UTC)Ekatarina
no subject
Date: 2009-04-04 11:07 pm (UTC)and the sons of engineers/
ride their fathers' magic carpets made of steel/
mothers with their babes asleep/
rockin' to the gentle beat/
and the rhythm of the rails is all they feel
On the Lakeshore Limited to Chicago one time, I got talking with a porter. He told me a story: he'd been working that long route from LA to Florida. Had a passenger who was a mom traveling alone with a babe in diapers and two toddlers, so he helped her out all along that endless trip across the Southwest to Texas. Held the baby, entertained the kids, got her stuff from the club car.
She told him that the family was moving from CA to Texas to follow her husband's job. Her husband had flown ahead and was meeting them at the train station.
*gives husband the stinkeye*
So he helps her off the train when they reach their destination. Baby's crying, kids are tired and cranky, Mom hasn't slept in a day at least. Standing on the platform with them, the porter sees a businessman in a lovely suit (he mentioned the shiny shiny Italian shoes) coming towards them.
"Honey!!" says Bizman, holding his arms out. Mom turns to porter, places crying baby in his arms, walks calmly up to husband and clocks him square in the jaw, knocking him off his feet.
Hee!
no subject
Date: 2009-04-10 10:47 am (UTC)