It's Conductor's Charm School at the Training Car - South Station Boston - 1983


Here's a cast of characters if you ever saw one. Up in the top row, far left you'll find Conductor Tom Casagrande. Tom was major league baseball's very first "bonus baby," signing with the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League. Below him is Carmine "Zip" Zippoli who worked out of New York Penn. He was the railroad's answer to the "Godfather." He ended up losing his house in a law suit which was brought against him by a passenger he clocked..
In the front row, left to right, you'll find Caeser Stolazi, Norm Lust, Leroy Smith and John Wasko.

Another group of New Haven's finest. Third from the left is the legendary Sal Alfone. Third from the right standing in front is my good ol' friend Stanley Bishop. Stanley was a wonderful guy who served in the Queen's Army and he enjoyed his "tea." Just to the left of him is another true legend of railroading, our very own leprechaun Terry Boylan. I'll never forget the day he was the Conductor on some disaster of a train that left New York with about 300 standees and about an hour and a half late. Some wise ass loud mouth punk decided to attempt to lock horns with Terry in the cafe car and made this profound statement...."My grandfather was a conductor on the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railway and if he ran a train like this he would have been fired." Terry's response in his Irish brogue..."The should have fired him." The whole place erupted.

Some times block operators had a little extra time on their hands and to make time pass by, they'd find creative ways to make the day (or night) go by a little quicker. Operator Livingston, stationed at the Wood River (MP150) temporary block station used his artistic abilities to issue FORM A's in calligraphic style.