General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhile Veterans Day is still in our minds I'd like to share both my parents fairly unique efforts...
during WWII (my mom even more than my dad).
First a Shout Out my Uncle George who was in,
and returned from The Battle of The Bulge.
So- my dad (Navy trained in Hawaii, ?Chicago, DC) ended up with some classification in radio. Still think I have his discharge paper.
He ended up (how many hundreds, maybe a few thousand workers did this in total across the country) working out of NJ maybe Sperry Rand. He was one of 3-4 people in a specialized work-eat-sleep train car that'd go out for ?2-4 days at a time to monitor the soundness, and safety of the rails within a certain radius of the NY, NJ, CN area, or NJ alone.
This was bc the rail lines were now obviously experiencing x-times more runs in quantity, as well as weight bearing loads. Metal faitgue of this kind as some of you know is not dectectable ftom the outside unless cracks are visible. This was not often so.
The car had Oscilloscopes that connected (educated guess eventually to rods with some kind of joins with flexibility) that finally (this I know) ended in a broad brush holder with metal brushes that contacted, and swept over the rail as the car road along. The faitgue which was a steady, invisible hollowing out from the inside of the rail would send a different electrical signal; which showed up in various abnormal patterns on the oscilloscope.
They'd get out of the car, and I think spray painted the rail(s) so that a repair car would go out afterwards. I can't remember whether he watched the scope, checked the brushes, maybe the crew did rotation idk. I remember, and I hope my sis still has it - he gave me an article from ? titled "The G Men of The Rails".
(you know I've never tried googling it. After soon to be dinner!) 👍
_________________________________________
Now my mom has even a more unique story. I could kick myself now as to not asking her how she ended up doing this particular job!
(she also did work down at the southern end of Mahattan along with many, many other volunteers in the tents pitched up helping the returning wounded soldiers)
She trained as a dressmaker, and seamstress previous to the war here in NYC. She however moved to California, and shared a house and a backyard (avocado trees!) with roommates.
She ended up at Hughes Aircraft as a draftswoman. I remember her telling me about doing the drafts for the ectrical box in the inside of the ship that led to the cables that connected to the double turret guns. The ones you see in films that go back, and forth - one pulled back while the other one is forward. Small but impresive detail, imho.
But wait... There's more, which I didn't know till a few decades afterwards...
She wasn't just a draftswoman:
she was The Head Draftsperson to a department of 70 - 100 drafrspeople (mostly men, I'm guessing). It was she who initialed, and signed off on everyone's work!
She ended up returning to NYC. There she probably got the initial offer to interview at (suddenly forgot the name) by her next younger brother.
There she also did drafting. She told me about drafting the scope/sights for some new at that point secret gun.
Then about ?10 years ago that same uncle who got her the interview said she not only did that but when they found out she was a serious dressmaker they (his mermory wasn't quite as sharp as it had been they might have asked her to help design some kind of flight suit.
I've tried to research both of these more through the last two decades off and on without any luck.
Finally sometime before she moved west, she was either an honorable mention, or third place winner in joint contact by ?3 major NYC papers at the time -
design practical, but nice clothes for the women war work force going into the farms, and factories.
My sis found the article about this going through her dress making stuff when she moved into the Nursing Home. She never told us about that (Although, she did make all of us clothes that looked like they came from Saks Fifth Ave in the quality of their construction!👍🧡 )
Thanks, in advance to anyone reading partly, or fully through this. 👍
lamp_shade
(14,828 posts)electric_blue68
(14,888 posts)Tanuki
(14,918 posts)questions and learned everything we could have from our parents and other older relatives. Thanks for sharing.
electric_blue68
(14,888 posts)Untill dad had depression issues... they were both interesting people. Luckily I shared a bunch of each of their interests, and some overlapped. 👍
blm
(113,050 posts)Reads like a short film.
You gots skillz. 😉
electric_blue68
(14,888 posts)DEbluedude
(816 posts)Before they were self-propelled we would pull them along at walking speed so the technicians could review the data on the scope. I worked out of North Jersey for years. River Line, Chemical Coast Secondary, Raritan Line, Lehigh Line and many more. Who knows, I may have pulled your dad one day. The train crews didn't really interact with the techs other than for them to tell us to slow down or speed up.
Good story about your dad.
BTW, Retired Locomotive Engineer
electric_blue68
(14,888 posts)I still have cousins living in northern NJ, and those who did live in Tenefly.
My sis and I still take the train (not since Covid) to Ramsey. Then we have only a 1/3+ walk to their house.
It sure seems that it would certainly be a Sperry Rand Rail car, seen they worked for Sperry Rand. 👍
Anyway so my dad when they (the Armed Forces, I think, unless the GI Bill) asked him what he wanted to be-
he said...
"An engineer.".
However he meant a train engineer! They thought a regular engineer. He ended up graduating as an electronic engineer.
But he loved trains. So we'd see trains on different vacations. Plus I loved looking at model train set ups he'd take me to for the train runs, and the scenery. I loved playing with wooden train tracks/trains. I also am an artist, and love landscapes so the scenery aspect also really appealed to me.
Thanks for sharing your story. 👍
hunter
(38,311 posts)... partly because he thought it would be a good way to pick up women, I'm sure.
Unfortunately he was too much of a klutz to fly a plane so they made him an engineer instead.
He met my grandma, the love of his life, while he was stationed in California, so it all turned out well for him.
My grandparents all worked in direct support of the war effort but they rarely talked about it, even when asked.
Wartime secrecy, "loose lips sink ships," had been hammered into them.
I enjoyed reading your family story.
lucca18
(1,241 posts)Thank you for sharing this remarkable life of your parents!
I love at the end when you mentioned your Mother making your clothes, and how they looked liked they came from Saks Fifth Ave!
😍❤️
electric_blue68
(14,888 posts)Awww!
When I started buying my own clothes she'd often complain, and show me how cheaply made they were! This was even before much of the manufacturing had moved our of the US.
Now as a teen it was like "Mommmm!!! (whine)" 😄
Yeah, I'm quite pround of them, a d wanted to share that part of their story.
dameatball
(7,397 posts)electric_blue68
(14,888 posts)Tetrachloride
(7,839 posts)electric_blue68
(14,888 posts)Tetrachloride
(7,839 posts)of his original home in a nearby town and visit the town.
electric_blue68
(14,888 posts)electric_blue68
(14,888 posts)Sometimes it's boring. Lots of times interesting.
Depends on what you're looking for, is there a deadline, a subject you have nooooo interest in but need the information. All that
Donkees
(31,392 posts)electric_blue68
(14,888 posts)He had like a shorter version in xerox form.
(little Happy tears) 👍
Donkees
(31,392 posts)This company was part of Sperry Products Company which was located in Hoboken. The service was based on work done by Dr. Elmer Sperry et al. The home base for this special railcar was the trainyard of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad in Hoboken. This type of inspection car became known as a "doodlebug."
https://hoboken.pastperfectonline.com/archive/EF755C11-1430-4DF1-A020-761030334582
electric_blue68
(14,888 posts)with a different meaning. 🤔🙂
Donkees
(31,392 posts)electric_blue68
(14,888 posts)1) A type of ant eating ?beetle that leaves a wiggly trail when it's a lavre.
2) An unscientific device for locating water, oil, minerals
Ie: a divining rod.
3) WW2 - a buzz bomb
4) a person who likes to doodle 👍
electric_blue68
(14,888 posts)🛤️ 👍
Donkees
(31,392 posts)electric_blue68
(14,888 posts)rather than screengrabs.
Will check. 👍
Donkees
(31,392 posts)It looks identical, (except for the blue format in the Hoboken copy). It's also possible to buy an old copy in case you are interested
Here's the cover: