CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF RAILROADING - Thomas A. Dwyer, assistant general yardmaster at the DeWitt Yards, marked a half century of working there the other day. He started with the New York Central System age the age of 13 1/2 as a messenger.
Syracusan Marks 50th Anniversary
As Employee of New York Central Railroad
EAST SYRACUSE - Thomas A. Dwyer of 140 Homecroft Road, Syracuse, is observing his 50th anniversary with the New York Central. Mr. Dwyer, now assistant general yardmaster at the DeWitt Yards, began work there when he was 13 1/2 years of age, and never took a job elsewhere since the day he was hired, April 4, 1905.
Now 63, Mr. Dwyer plans on remaining on the job another two years. He works the 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift, and during that time has charge of movements of trains in and out of the yards, one of the largest in the world operated by a single railroad.
From 800 to 850 cars go out of the yards eastbound during during his shift "on a good day" and as many go westward.
Fascinating Work
Mr. Dwyer said he has found his work with the New York Central "fascinating - interesting." He was presented with an electric shaver by Division 42, Railroad Yardmasters of North America, last week, along with flowers and other tokens of his long service with the New York Central.
Many changes have taken place at the DeWitt Yards during the past half century, according to Mr. Dwyer. Notable was the change, about 1929, from the use of the "hump riders" to the electric retarders as a means of slowing own cars going over the hump to be made up into trains.
Formerly Used Brakes
Prior to the use of the retarders, men were employed to ride cars over the hump and slow them down by the use of hand bakes. It was a dangerous job.
The retarder system was invented in German, and the DeWitt Yards was one of the first of the train makeup points to install them. They operated by "squeezing" the wheels of freight cars as they roll downgrade and thus slow the car down as they are switched to various tracks. They are controlled by an operator, who controls the pressure in accordance with the weight of the cargo in the cars.
Second big change took place in recent years. It was the replacement of steam locomotives with diesels. Now the yard is completely dieselized.
Other Changes Likely
The new management of the New York Central is expected to make further changes in the fields of efficiency and economy. Surveys are being made throughout the New York Central Systems toward these ends. Elimination of trackage will be a major change, it is expected. In the Syracuse area, the New York Central pays about $500,000 annually in taxes, and the new management plans on reducing its realty taxes by elimination of facilities through use of new devices, it was reported.
Mr. Dwyer's first job was that of messenger in the yards. Next, he became a number taker, marking down the numbers of the cars. He was made chief caller, summoning crews for different trains. Next. he became a car tracer, hunting down those that became displaced. After that, he moved up to yard brakeman and conductor, his next advancement being to his present post of assistant general yardmaster.
Yards 7 Miles Long
The DeWitt Yards are seven miles long, being a maze of tracks that have only the meaning of danger to a non-railroader, but to Mr. Dwyer, they are avenues to everywhere.
His office is in the brick building known as the Hump Office, opened in 1946. Among his friends there is Bessie, a dog that moved in the day the building was opened for service. She has remained since. One of Bessie's abilities consists of being able to foretell the approach of thunderstorms. She signals the approaching storm by a series of nervous antics. She's a real railroader and is safety-conscious at all times.
