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From: "Dad" wsmith5957 AT hotmail DOT com
Date: Sat, 28 Jan 2006 20:28:13 -0500
Subject: Syracuse Division engineer - Herb Onacki
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The attached foto is of Mr. Herb Onacki. He was an engineer who usually held down one of the 2 roundtrip freight jobs that ran between Syracuse, NY and Binghamton, NY. I'd work with him on & off and sometimes regularly when his regular fireman was on vacation & I'd bid the job as a temporary vacancy. After I'd worked with his crew for a week or so, I picked up on Herbs' nickname - "GET ME ONE".
I was curious about this & the old conductor told me that whenever they switched an industry where the crew might pick up a little 'gratuity', Herb'd say "Hey, get me one." There was a large florist south of the Syracuse city limits & they'd give you bunches of roses for your wife as well as potted plants. One morning, the head brakeman got several nice bouquets but wrapped a bunch of greasy waste from a journal box in a nice-looking white wrapper and gave it to Herb to take home as we were putting the power away at the roundhouse one stall of which can be seen to Herbs' right.....the turntable is to his left. I guess he took it home since I saw him put it in his car. I wonder what his wife said, but nothing was said the next day on the job.
On the Baldwinsville local we switched Crucible Steel Co. and would generally pick up a gondola full of stainless steel kitchen utensils which were rejects. Some of them were useless but others had minor flaws and after the car was moved out of sight of the factory the crew would swarm over the gon and pick out knives, forks, & spoons for wives and girlfriends. I imagine most of the women in Syracuse benefitted from the unknowing largesse of Crucible Steel Co.
There was a downside to this as one of the switchmen foundout when he was in a hurry and began sorting while we rolled back to the train. When Herb pu on the brakes, this poor man sat on a couple very sharp forks mixed in the load. They were rejects because the tines on the forks were like needles and could not be used for the family dinner. The conductor told me to be very careful if I decided to help myself to these things. Nobody minded, but the steel company also made surgical instruments like scalpels, etc.
Sitting on one of them could be a painful experience indeed.
I almost forgot about a food warehouse south of Syracuse........not sure if it was Grand Union or A&P or what, but they'd really fix the crew up on Thanksgiving & Christmas. I had moved back to Binghamton when this particular kindness came to an end thanks to good old Sammy Miller, RFE. I was told by one of the road crews that Sammy turned up at the warehouse and demanded they fillup his stationwagon with groceries. I can't prove this, but it sounds about right.
I miss the old Syracuse gang..they were a good bunch and knew their business.

Regards to all,
Walter E. Smith Employee #102156

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