Tim Sposato Joins the Montour Railroad Family

“Hello” ……” Hello Tim, I hear you want to work on the Montour RR”
“Yes sir, I do”
“Well, you must be an important fellow for my boss to tell me to call you right now…on a Sunday morning, “Can you report to the P&LE Smithfield St. station tomorrow morning at 8 am?”
“Yes Sir, I will be there”
“Good, come to the Personnel Relations office”
“Yes Sir”

Tim at Jesell Siding, 1970

7:45 am:
I walk into the “Relations” office waiting room.
“Good morning, I trust you are Timothy Sposato?”
“Yes Sir”
“Good, have a seat and we’ll get started filling out these forms”

I carefully filled in the blanks, hardly believing this was happening. After finishing I received several forms including blank medical forms. Also answered a barrage of questions during all the writing.

“Go to the Mckee’s Rocks Shop and report in at the company Doctors office located in the office building just West of the Diesel shop” “When you finish up there return to me with the completed forms from the Doctor”

“Yes Sir”, then I was headed for the parking lot to get the car.

My excitement increased as I drove in next to the diesel shop and parked, walking past the steel doors, looking into some that were open, P&LE engines sitting over pits and between the elevated platforms as they received their inspections and repairs. The ready track was full of road engines and switchers being serviced  for their next runs. The wreck train sat on standby next to the service tracks ready for its call.

Stepping into the office building I looked at the sign board directing me to the right office. The Doctor, the typical company type, barked out his instructions. I weathered through the standard physical, all the while listening to the sound of the railroad dominating the background. Freight cars and diesel shops rumbled with activity. I managed to see a couple of thru freights pass the office windows all the while this collection of noises filtered in loudly.

“Ok son, you seem healthy enough, take these papers back to the office”
“Yes Sir!
After reporting back to the P&LE Station, I was told everything was in order. “You will get a call tomorrow afternoon from the Montour with your reporting instructions”

“Good luck to you”
“Thank you, Sir,” ….as I shook his hand.

I drove home, don’t remember the drive, shivering with excitement at the thoughts. “The Montour will call ME” ……………Big difference from all the calls I made to them.
 
I was still employed as an asst. manager on the night shift at Shop n Save Markets. That night I warned my boss that this might be my last shift to work, he wasn't happy. The next 24 hours was a long time to wait………

The morning found me rounding up my work boots, Lee bib overalls, Lee denim jacket and striped “Lee” cap. The well-worn Elgin pocket watch with its scuffed crystal and leather fob, carefully attached to the watch pocket slit of the overalls.

Then I sat by the telephone listening to the railroad scanner, Coal Run to Westland, a couple Coal Runs to #4 and the Fourth Coal Run to Snowden delivering 12 loads- 1 mty return to the B&O.

………......waiting for the phone to ring.....................

Approximately 3:00 PM it rings….
“Hello”
“Is this you Timmy”?
“Yes Sir”
“Timmy, this is Paul Muto”
I have known Paul for several years now, he was the Supervisor of Track, I had shown up at many derailments and work sites on the MRR, always watching and asking when the MRR would be hiring. Paul always tried to talk me out of it…. long hours, odd hours….hot summer, cold winters. He tried to deter my desires, telling me about all he had been through. It was no use. I wanted to make the Montour my career.

“Well Timmy you got your wish, are you ready to start tomorrow”?
“Yes Sir”
“Good, meet me at Montour Jct. at 7:30 AM, you will have some papers to fill out.
“Yes Sir”!!
After hanging up, I called the manager at Shop & Save Food market. “Manny, I’m quitting as of today” Needless to say he was very upset.

I arrived at Montour Junction at 6:30 AM.  I didn’t want to be late so early is better.  I stuck my head into the engine house to say hi to some of the fellows.  They joked with me when they heard I was the newest employee, tried to scare me with how awful railroading would be.  All that fell on my deaf ears, I envisioned the opposite, truly this is  a glorious job, as if I were in Heaven.

I walked up the wooden stairs of the brick office building, the hollow clumping and creaking of those stairs cannot be forgotten, halfway up, the stairs turned to the left for the final assault to the second-floor offices.  As one entered through the wooden door, the dispatcher office was on the left, with its small sliding glass door window, I glanced in and there sat the chief dispatcher Paul Luttenauer talking on the radio.

The office staff greeted me cheerily, I already knew all of them. They had me pass through the swinging half gate door and sat me down to fill out all the Montour Railroad and tax forms. The office staff chatted with me for a bit while I waited for Paul Muto to see me. I sat back enjoying a fresh cup of coffee, a trio of SW-9s throttled up out on the service track and riveting could be heard coming from the car shops. I was taking it all in at once and still maintained the conversation, the excitement growing.

Paul called me into his office, we chatted about me finally getting the RR job, reviewed the Employee Safety manual, Maintenance of Way Department guidelines all in short order.
 
Paul said he would assign me to Section Gang #2, since this would be closer to my home.  I was ecstatic, this meant that I would be working in my own neighborhood, Hills, Library, Snowden, Jewell, Brookside, Salida, everything east of Gilmore Jct.  I couldn’t believe my luck.

As we finished up, Fred C. Rauschart entered the office, he held his hand out and welcomed me to the railroad. Fred then introduced the new Superintendent John E. Schomaker. John mentioned he had heard a lot about me through Fred and many of the employees and wished me well in the start of a “good career” in his words.

Paul Muto said that he would accompany me to the Section Gang #2 and to follow him to where they were working that day, Cowden.  As we made the way back to the stairs, the Chief Dispatcher, Paul J. Luttenauer opened the door, stuck his hand out and spoke "Glad to see you're hired Timmy";.  I had called this gentleman numerous occasions over the years, asking about east bounds to Mifflin or other movements, questions that he answered with additional cautions of the dangers in railroading. I sat with him many times in my high school years, watching him dispatch, learning more and more of the Montour, its people and its intricate way of functioning.
 
We departed MRR Jct. around 8:30, I followed Paul Muto very close.  We stopped at a small coffee shop in Cuddy Pa. along Rt 50, he bought coffee and donuts as we chatted more about the Montour.

Shortly after we continued on to Cowden, the crew was gauging the main line curve just west of the tool house, cleaning out a clogged drainpipe and ditch as well.  They all stopped working when we pulled in, curious who the new guy might be. As I climbed out of the car and walked to them, the gang erupted in laughter when the recognized me, calling out friendly insults and jokes.  I shook hands with them, as Paul and Forman Schmidt  talked about the job at hand.  The gang all offered me their tools as they enjoyed the small break from the job.   Foreman Schmidt told me to grab a pick and help Pete Williams out on the drainage ditch problem first.  I used pick with gusto!

They all laughed and joked about how hard I was working all the rest of the day, even warned me not to work too hard that it will make them look bad, or the Foreman would think I was trying to get his job right off.

Around 12:30 pm a westbound Coal Run tooted for the warning flag. The #79 was headed westbound with a mixed load of #4 and #10 raw coal for Champion, with engines 79-84-78-75 and 44 loads in tow. They were drifting downgrade from the National Tunneland started blowing the whistle as they came out of the curve at the East Switch of Cowden Siding. I can’t recall the engineer, I think it may have been John Bartel, but I do remember Conductor G. Biearman was on the rear platform of the caboose hollering at us as he passed. We all returned with salutations and comments.

The day’s work saw the ditch & pipe cleaned and about 10 rail lengths of 90 lb rail gauged as well as a few joints raised, and bolts tightened. The gang was gracious enough to allow  me to do a larger portion of the work. They wanted to be sure I knew how to handle the different tools of the trade………. Nice guys!!

Time went by so quickly I hardly could believe it was quitting time. Foreman John Schmidt told me to report to the #4 Mine at the car cleaner’s shanty, in the morning where the gang met to load up in the hi-rail truck.
 
Now, I knew, I was officially part of Montour RR! I thought the next morning would never come!!

That night conductor Frank Girimontitook an  eastbound with locomotives 73-83-82 and 38 P&LE lake coal as well as 1 empty for Norfolk & Western Rwy and 1 empty for Union RR, to Salida & Mifflin. I heard it going east in the middle of the night, but was resting up for my second day's work, so I decided not to go see it, knowing I could ride anytime now that I was an employee. As I look back, I should have gone to see it.

I still did ride into Mifflin whenever I could the rest of the year, once it was announced that the coal would soon be routed via the P&LE. If I didn’t ride, I would at least try to see it pass someplace,if possible, just west of Jewell, so I could hear those SW9’s throaty exhaust coming up the hill. November of that year saw the last movement into Mifflin Jct.
 
1975…. Marked the end of one era, my early teen days of pestering MRR crews for rides, but also, the beginning of a new era that with God’s graces continues for me today, thanks to the Montour and its Great Employees.