Pardon the pun, but there was more than enough railroad news to keep “track” of during September 1960.
The month began with tense moments, as The Oneonta Star of Sept. 1 reported, “Delaware and Hudson officials and workers yesterday were preparing for the effects of a walkout on the Pennsylvania Railroad, which was expected to have a strong impact on the D&H traffic movement. The strike against the Pennsylvania began this morning.”
The effects were definitely felt here, as Star readers of Sept. 13 learned, “The 12-day-old Pennsylvania Railroad strike ended early Monday morning and operations of the Delaware & Hudson Railroad in Oneonta are expected to be accelerated.
“The Pennsy, the nation’s largest carrier, is a major interchange for the D&H and 60 per cent of the freight service between Oneonta and Wilkes Barre was curtailed when the strike was called.” The number of freight trains had been cut from 10 to four daily.
While Oneonta still had passenger service, the D&H depot on Market Street was vacant at the time, as tickets were purchased at the freight office next door.
That lack of occupancy was about to change, as The Star of Sept. 8 reported, “Otsego County Board of Supervisors, meeting yesterday at the County Courthouse in Cooperstown, authorized lease of the property formerly known as the Delaware and Hudson Train Station in Oneonta for occupancy by the branch offices of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Social Welfare, and the main office of the Veterans Service Agency.
“The building is owned by Dr. Alexander F. Carson, Oneonta and the rent for the building is $4,000 yearly, which includes light, heat and water.” The lease began November 1.
Veteran railroaders were saddened to read news in the Sept. 26 edition of The Star, “The sole surviving charter member of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen is dead.
“Elmer Wessell, who was one of eight men in a little red caboose in the D&H yards at Oneonta, Sept. 23, 1883, died Saturday in Jones Nursing Home, Oneonta. He was 95 years old.
“On his last birthday, Mr. Wessell was honored by a contingent of BRT members from the local lodge and they reminisced as they had in former years.
“Prior to the formation of the BRT, the average work day was 12 hours long. Pay for this was $40 a month.
“‘We knew the only way to solve the problem was to band together, to make demands on the railroads,’ Mr. Wessell had told many times.
“The first demands made by the small group were met, he said. Had they not been met, ‘Heaven knows if we could have gotten the men to walk out.’
“But the BRT demands were met, and other railroaders recognized its potential. They quickly joined the fold.
“‘More men had faith in our organization,’ said Mr. Wessell.
“The organization began to grow, spread by railroaders transferred from one yard to another. Organizers were sent out and Oneonta became host city to groups working on how to begin a union.”
William P. Kennedy was then president of the BRT and was in Oneonta for Mr. Wessell’s funeral. Kennedy spoke with a Star reporter for the Sept. 29 edition.
“‘The railroad business,’ says William P. Kennedy, ‘has a brighter past than future. Its prospects for employment are not good.’
“‘During the first World War railroads employed over 2 million. It is now less than 800,000. And I predict that when the consolidations are completed, we will lose another 100,000.’
“Mr. Kenndy’s answer to a question on whether he would advise a young friend to go into railroading today was ‘no.’
Kennedy cited several points on the plight of railroading in 1960. He said the government is spending billions for concrete highways, millions on air terminals, subsidizing waterways and permanent pipelines, and how the Interstate Commerce Commission had taken off many passenger trains.
Kennedy spoke about consolidations of weak lines and said when consolidation starts, the public stands to lose, with less competition.
This weekend, Milford Center drew a crowd in September 1925.