IT'S A BIG JOB

[Music] bill west that's transit operator some guys cause transit pilots mother's old bill Shakespeare said what's in a name it's the job to come and how do you like the job and the way you do me I like this job if I didn't I never would have taken kind of funny means that in here as natural as a rabbit hole over punjah four months ago I didn't know yes sir just four months ago that was when I walked to the employment office and asked for an application black it was easy enough to fill in where you were born are you a citizen I wait age you know the usual questions never had an interview with a personnel counselor he told me of the medical and insurance benefits pay on vacations explained - I had to buy a cap right away the uniform in three months also that I had to have a good dependable watch from there it was the doctor's office but I was in good shape my heart was pumping according to regulations and I could read all the letters on the site chart even if I couldn't pronounce the sentence not into the preliminaries the following day found me in a classroom where the chief instructor told a group of us a little of the history of the company and answered the questions we had on our minds I'll never forget the introduction to my cap with the first try came a laugh but with a second a feeling of confidence operator bill Weston at the end of the class we were assigned to the different divisions where we were to start our rough edge training this training started in the division classroom first I was placed in front of dummy controls to become familiar with a deus under operating conditions then with another trainee we met our rough edge instructor and the h4 model car like this big 4 motor job rough edge is basic instruction in actual car operation we started right in the control handle door lever the reverse lever the Gaul the air gauges the sander the air brakes the emergency brakes deadman control it wasn't long before I was doing problems but that was all new the beginning we had to learn about switches car lights headlights what to look for when something goes wrong with the car then we were outside learning how to handle the trolley catcher what to do if the trolley got off the overhead by the end of the day this h4 and i were really acquainted my head was buzzing like a bean spring time while I slept that night my dreams took over [Music] [Music] wait wait a minute what a night but the next morning and the next and the next I was back at it again when we knew the each for pretty well we were briefed on the streamliners the newest and smoothest thing on Rails the control is a little different than those on the h4 and your feet play a more important part of car operation during rough edge training there was plenty of opportunity to handle the controls while operating on practice runs safety was one of the most important lessons a street car isn't an automobile it can't swerve and it takes much more space to come to a smooth stop accidents are dangerous expensive and even fatal you gotta use your head your eyes and your hands and take it for granted every truck and automobile on the road is driven by a blind man carelessness on your part can cost you your job also on the practice runs I learned how to throw an electric switch how to use a crossover what to do with railroad crossings now to make a turn without taking along a few cars [Applause] and the careful observation of traffic signals during those four days I worked hard running safe car operation with my rough edge is knocked off I went back to the classroom for a concentrated course and reports and handling of money first we were taught the operation of the fare box when to use an outbound transfer inbound transfer which transfers are acceptable in the inner and the outer zones the price of tokens weekly passes time scheduled and how to read them how to fill out trip sheets at the end of the day avoidance of unnecessary conversation when it's permissible to pass up passengers how to place an emergency call to the dispatcher's office when we were in trouble the importance of safety courtesy and service in all our dealings with our passengers then another instructor took over to explain safety factors to us how to recognize accident traps how to avoid accidents and how to fill out accident forms if you did get into trouble a motion picture was shown to Killa straight accident traps here's one of the more common threats as the street car approaches an intersection and audial speeds up alongside of the speed car and without warning it cuts across in front of the car whether this accident was the operators fault or not he must have the names of his passengers he hands out courtesy cars to the passengers and to any other witnesses available gets the driver's name dress license number and immediately calls the dispatcher's office and then picks up the sign cards when he returns to Division Headquarters he gets impact to the report fills it out and files it with the clerk's office remember always safety is of utmost importance to your passengers your company and your job transfers trip sheets accident traps safety more and more I was beginning to realize that it's a big job yes it's a big job and it requires lots of support I got some idea of this support when taken on a tour of inspection we get it all the way down the line from the men who keep the engines in shape to electricians upholsterers body repairman painters maintenance crews track men clerks dispatchers who receive emergency calls 24 hours a day roving supervisors who go out on those calls loners who make loading operations be here at busy corners and the line supervisors who help keep the entire system moving all of them playing important parts in backing me up it came to me then that they were depending on the man who accepts the dimes [Music] the man who meets the public the man who is actually the company's ambassador in many ways the most important man in the organization is the operator after I've learned something of the size of the organization in back of me I was assigned to a line instructor to learn the routes in that division one at a time while on regular ah sometimes I handle the controls while the instructor to prepare other times the instructor took the controls while I fumbled my way through pairs I got a lot of practice in loading passengers learning transfer points and time points crossovers [Music] police station and call boxes after a few days on this line a division instructor came aboard and checked me out on what I'd learned I had a similar examination from the division instructor on every line in the division at the end of my training period I returned to Division Headquarters for a comprehensive examination of all I had learned since I started training I passed and now I was really on the team I looked on the schedule for the next day's assignment and found I was to start my solo run at 6 o'clock the next morning of course I was there in plenty of time nervous is a bubble dancer in a shooting gallery I checked out my transfers and the car number copy down what time scheduled and headed for my car I was proud as a peacock as I got ready for my solo run skipper bill Weston takes over smart answer I'll never forget that first day without a line instructor I felt like a naked orphan in a snowstorm when those first passengers came aboard it was like standing on a Niagara Falls with a leaky umbrella they all seem to have $10 bills they all wanted information and transfers I had to take care of them and still keep the car on schedule it was that way all day for a while I was so wrong every set of passengers seemed the same and right there I decided yes sure have to like people to make a success of this job some of them are late for work or appointments some are hungry some have tired feet Eddie's back aches or they've guessed wrong on the races but the minute you snapped back at them you're sunk you got to keep smiling give everybody a chance to get on don't make them feel like criminals if their transfers aren't good along with everything else you got to be a diplomat it's no spot for a guy who was easily upset for anybody who doesn't want to do more than his share to get along with people by now I'd fallen behind on my time schedule and supervisor here's where I get it but good but I found the supervisor was only there to help me it seems we all have our troubles the first two days he told me not to take chances and trying to make up time to do my best to stay on schedule but to remember that safety is even more important here was a swell guy to work with later I found all the supervisors with that way at the end of the day I made out my trip sheet [Music] then turn the money into the cashiers office and checked on the extra board to find my next day's run we knew man we're on the extra runs at first that sometimes meant split shifts because traffic is heaviest in the early morning hours and in the early evening sometimes I had to report at 4:00 in the morning but there were compensations too I always get a big kick out of the dawn patrol just when the town's beginning to wake up by the end of the week things were going in here I was keeping on schedule and the tension was eating up after you've been with a company while you get a chance to bid on a regular run it's all determined by seniority a few weeks after operating the streetcars I was sent to a bus division for Coach instruction the basic things are pretty much the same transfers farebox schedules trip sheets tokens naturally there are certain differences in the controls you've got a steering wheel instead of a control handle while power and brakes are handle with these pedals but the major difference is with cars it's steel on steel and with coaches it's rubber on pavement that means a coach has more freedom of movement and it stops much faster and you've got to watch how you apply those brakes but you're still operating on the basis of safety courtesy and service also I was given line instruction on trolley coaches here again the basic principles of schedules pairs transfers and reports were the same the controls are pretty much like the motor coaches the biggest difference is that you have a double trolley line overhead which allows an operational lead way of 14 feet on either side and to turn corners you must slow down to 5 miles an hour your trolley will leave the wires for months I've learned a lot from that time it hasn't been easy but it has been interesting that is interesting for a man who likes working with people all kinds of people it's a big job and it's an important job did you ever stop to think how necessary transportation is to a big town yes lack of transportation can just about stop a town dead in its tracks I'm really up pretty important time what do I get out of it 21st security good times are bad transportation is needed so I know I've got a steady job with a definite future a better than average living wage paid vacations after one year low cost life insurance sickness and accident insurance prizes for safe operation on the job extra recognition for each year of safe operation recreation with my buddies there's plenty of opportunity in this company for a guy who wants to make a real career out of it I know I'm going up from here now fast I go depends pretty much on me yes it really is a big job all right folks all aboard [Music] [Music]