Carl Senftleben Presentation
B&MRRHS director and program co-chairman Mal Sockol (left) introduces retired B&M and Amtrak dispatcher Carl Senftleben to the members at Rogers Hall on January 14, 2017. (Rick Nowell photo)
Lowell, Mass. -- At the membership meeting held at Rogers Hall on January 14, 2017, retired B&M and Amtrak dispatcher and Superintendent of Train Operations (Boston) Carl Senftleben kept an audience of nearly 50 B&MRRHS members enthralled with a program that recounted his progress up the ladder in railroading. Carl began his career as a yard clerk in Fitchburg and he described the operating layout and train movements there. Yard clerks duties included marking cars in the yard with chalk to indicate destination and checking the temperature of ice reefers and bunker reefers (heated). Carl described sleeping accommodations for crews in cabooses, bunk houses, and rooming houses such as "Scooter's" in Mechanicville.
From yard clerk Carl became a leverman-operator at BX tower in Fitchburg. This location housed one of the first CTC machines (B&M was a leader in signaling progress). Carl noted as leverman he would respond to switchers calling in for a route through the yard area. He also manned towers at East Deerfield, Mechanicville, Springfield, and White River Junction. After service in the Vietnam War Carl applied for a job on the east end (Boston Division at the time) and worked at Winchester, Tower H, Tower C, Mystic Jct., Manchester, and Lowell.
Carl was then promoted to Train Dispatcher in Boston (150 Causeway Street). Carl noted that as a dispatcher working with the long, yellow dispatcher sheets, you sense that you are actually out on the road with the crews. Among the many anecdotes adding humor and interest to the talk was the fact that night dispatchers worked daytime jobs at the Boston Stock Exchange where their telegraphy skills were in demand. Carl also described a humorous incident in which an unlucky yard man (skateman) at the Boston hump yard was doused with the contents of a gondola full of pickled hides.
The talk was well received by the large crowd present.
