PORT JERVIS – Thirty-two local men gathered recently to share memories between them, of decades of experiences garnered while working on the rails.
Engineers, conductors, track foremen, chief caller, bridge inspectors, signalmen, equipment operators, transit supervisor, machine operators, truck drivers, block operators/towermen, B&B Department, electric welder, trackmen, and more, attended the annual railroaders’ breakfast.
They then took time to visit the Erie rail yard and turntable where many of those years of service were spent.
Bill Bogach, John Bogach, Jr. (Bogie), George Brennan, Tim Card, Ronnie Collins, Neal Daniels, Dan Dooley, Hank Dunn, Fred Eyer, Jeffrey J. Fleming, Chuck Gardner, Paul Gardner, Jim Garrity, Jim Guinn, Jerry Horner, Jeff Hulse, Chuck Hunt, Bill Keane, Al Lambert, Butch Lemon, Valance Miller, Ed Mosher, Larry Murray, Joe Norell, Ray Queipo, Steve Ribustello, Joe Robinson, John Rutkauskas, Stan Siegel, Wayne (Bones) Stevenson, Fred Stratton, and Howard Umnik were among those who attended this year’s breakfast.
Conversations revolved around the responsibilities and challenges, as well as fun and brotherhood, shared in keeping trains and crews operating daily, year-after-year, as employees of the railroad.
Many who attended follow long lines of family workers on the railroad, including Jim Garrity of Port Jervis, a welder and third generation railroader. He and many others followed their dads, granddads, siblings, and other relatives into railroading careers.
John Bogach, Jr., attended the breakfast with his father, William Bogach, a retired train engineer. Bogach’s grandfather, George Pepper, and other close relatives also spent years working for the railroad.
“I was 18 when my dad told me I had three choices – go to school, get a job on the railroad, or join the service. The railroad is part of my roots,” recalled Bogach. “When you talk about some of the biggest railroad hubs, Port Jervis was one of them. The beds are still there. Just imagine all of the tracks and cars that ran on them. It was enormous. Port Jervis is a railroad town, and I love the history.”
