Item AAAB3679 - B.A. "Spike" Carson interview : [Turner, 1979]

CALL NUMBER: T3355:0001 RECORDED: Ladysmith (B.C.), 1979-01-16 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Spike Carson discusses his background and how he got into railroading: born in Port Alberni in 1913; quit school at 14; worked as a carpenter's helper, then at a sawmill, learned to drive a truck; 1930 he began working for E&N Railway; worked all over the Island for E&N; at first, he was just a 'wiper'; first fast ride on a locomotive; went to APL to do braking in 1938- then 'firing', then running; stories about his running days (running engines); biggest train he ever handled; working on spurs; describes the locomotives; story about Hap Murray; anecdote about meeting someone who had never seen a locomotive before; oil vs. coal in the running of locomotives; log dump for the APL line. TRACK 2: Spike Carson: night shift and day shift tasks; further description of engines; Pacific Coast shay; after Port Alberni was finished he decided to drive trucks; driving trucks down by Franklin River; hurting his leg and having to stop work; helping with a steam engine up in Nanaimo; more on grades of lines; anecdotes about running a train in the mid-twentieth century.

CALL NUMBER: T3355:0002 RECORDED: Ladysmith (B.C.), 1979-01-16 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Spike Carson discusses: bridging loads of lumber out of the mill; machinery used in railroading at this time; many scares when he was firing; handling trains on slippery grades; used to hills because of his work in coastal B.C. [TRACK 2: blank; end of interview.]