Hard Times and the Bay Christmas Choir

In 1960 I was living with my parents in a third floor suite of a house on Maryland Street. It was what we could afford. My mom and dad had just moved into Winnipeg after the fall harvest. My dad, with his limited school education but with a vast knowledge of many skills that he had picked up as a farmer and in many other jobs, was looking for a job. Jobs were hard to come by in this year of a recession.
I worked one or two shifts a week with my CNR jobs off the spare board and we scraped by with what little money I made and with the proceeds from the farm auction sale that my parents had when they finally decided that running a small mixed farm at their age - they were both in their fifties - was not going to get them anywhere. Both sons lived in Winnipeg and that is where they moved. My brother spent very little time in Winnipeg as his government job as an engineer took him out of own most of the time.
Entertainment was a black and white TV with the one Winnipeg channel we could get. We made do with visits with a few friends of my mother from the old country who lived in the "NORTH END". One of them owned a restaurant and my mom picked up an occasional shift as a line cook in the kitchen of the cafe which specialized heavily in Ukrainian foods.
One bright light for me in this time just before Christmas was discovering that the Hudson's Bay Department store on Portage Avenue had a choir formed from the ranks of its store employees. Every morning from Monday to Friday, you could go into the store before opening time and listen to them perform for a half hour. The choir seemed to number about 50 voices and the selection of carols they sang was varied and the carols were sung with love and enthusiasm. The choir director seemed to bring out the best in the choir.
I would make a point of stopping in to hear them if I happened to be coming home after a midnight shift. Or if I was at home I would walk the kilometre to the Bay and enjoy the choir's selection of carols and then I would browse through the store and look at all the wonderful things on display which I couldn't afford to buy. Then I would walk back home and wait by the phone for a call to work which didn't come as often as I wished it did that first year for me on the spare board of the CNR.
Some mornings if the weather was snowy or if there was a strong wind blowing, I would stay home and listen to the choir on the radio. A local radio station - I believe it was CJOB with Red Alix - would air each performance. The program ran from 8:30 to 9:00 a.m. At the end of the half-hour, the choir would disperse back to their various work stations through out the store to carry on the day's business.
I loved these few weeks leading up to Christmas because of the festive mood the choir awoke in me. To this day the image of them aligned on the large staircase between the first and second floors and the beautiful strains of music always bring a smile to my face and a warmth to my heart!

New Year's Eve at the Fort Rouge Yard

It is just past 11:00 p.m. I get off the Stafford Street trolley bus where the run terminates and where it turns around at Pembina Highway. I walk past Bobby Jo's Motel, the Salisbury House where I eat when I can afford it on my meagre salary, and past the A and W Drive-In.

I walk up the steps and into the large old two-story building which serves as the official yard office for the Fort Rouge CNR yard. It is the nerve centre of the yard. It is from here that all instructions and outdoor workers are dispersed, work asignments are made, and crews for trains are called. Trains are assembled from cars lining the 45 parallel sets of tracks running alongside the two main lines which are just outside the south wall of the building. These yard tracks  vary in length from the mile long B1 track to the shortest D15 track of about 100 metres. Cars on these tracks are kept track of inside by means of waybills for each individual car. Checkers go out and record the numbers of each car on each track. Switchmen then use these checks to switch out particular cars and then assemble them in a particular order that will form a freight train heading out of the yard at a designated time for a designated destination. Clerks inside the office and at the loading yards at the Main Depot will have typed up the waybills describing the contents of each car. The yardmaster, armed with instructions from the general yardmaster, will relay instructions to the switching teams in the yard working with each particular switching engine. To an outsider it looks like mass confusion but everything is synchronized as all the working parts work to put the train together.

I am about 45 minutes early for my shift. I had taken the trolley bus early because the next regular one would have delivered me to Pembina and Stafford after midnight and that would have made me late for work. The person I am replacing is very happy to see me because with my consent and the chief clerk's approval, he can now leave early to get to his New Year's Eve party.

So why am I working here tonight! I could be at a party with my friends as I would not have been called for this shift in the first place. But I am here because another checker desperately wanted the night off as he had a very heavy date he could not pass up on. He asked me to take his shift which meant that I would be working on New Year's Day ( the 12 -8 shift ) and which also meant I would receive double pay for working the shift. The CNR paid its employees double wages for working on statutory holidays. I would also be working the afternoon shift which meant another shift at double pay. For a person off the spare board who had only been averaging one or two shifts a week this is a big boost for the pay check.

There are no trains leaving before the 4:00 a.m. grain train for Rainy River which will be made up of about 70 cars full of grain headed for the terminals at Ft. William/Port Arthur (now known as Thunder Bay) on Lake Superior. It will be a straight forward checking assignment which means at about 2:00 a.m. I shall have to go out into the night and check the cars on the train which is being assembled on B1. I will bring in the check. A clerk will pull the waybills and another one will put them in the order that they are on the train. At 3:00 the conductor and his crew will check into the yard office and go over the bills carefully.

At 3:15 the engine crew will report to the front end of the grain train where the engines, usually three in number, are idling. They have been brought in from the roundhouse by a hostler crew.They will tie on to the train and start building up the air pressure in the lines through the train.
Previously a group of "car knockers" from the car shop also located in the yard will have checked each journal box on each wheel on each car on the train to make sure the required felt packing was up to quality and they would add oil to each wheel so that the wheels would be well lubricated to handle the many tons of grain in the boxcar above the wheels. They also will have checked each wheel for any cracks which could lead to a wheel breaking apart under weight while traveling at a high rate of speed and thus cause a derailment and subsequent train wreck.They will also have connected the air hoses on each car to the car in front and to the one behind. Then when the air pressure is up to the required pressure, they will walk the length of the train once more to make sure all the couples are securely snug. No pressure in the air-brakes would mean the three diesels would have to start stopping the train many many miles before their destination because a train moving 90 kmph builds up a lot of mass from the thousands of tons of grain.

I am the junior checker in seniority so I will catch all the jobs, if there are any more than . But for now it looks like it will be a quiet night with only the grain train on the out-board and no trains coming in on the in-board. As the afternoon crew leaves and the midnight crew takes over there are many wishes for a happy and prosperous new year between the two groups. It will be a quiet night but a long and, for some, a lonely night. This is a night that should have been spent celebrating with family and friends.

I know some of the staff may have sneaked in some mickeys which they will share surreptitiously with friends in the lunchroom or on the sly in the toilet area. As long as they don't over-imbibe and as long as they aren't obvious, the chief clerk will say nothing. But if the general yardmaster should suddenly show up, all bets are off, and anyone caught drinking would be sent home and then have brownie points or demerits assessed against their record. A certain number of those assessed would get you fired!

At about 7:45 a.m. in the morning, the day staff start showing up. Again greetings and well-wishes are exchanged. Some of the staff are obviously hung-over and it will be a long day for them because there will probably be only one or two freight trains scheduled. I head to the bus loop after my relief shows up. I will sleep on the 20 minute ride home and then when I get home, I will wish my mom and dad a Happy New Year and head for bed. My parents and I have pooled our rent money and we share a two bedroom suite on the third flooor of a house on Maryland Street near the Misericordia Hospital. My mom will wake me at 2:00p.m. and I will get ready for the afternoon shift which starts at 4:00p.m. It will be much busier at work as the railway starts to normalize its daily operations.

And thus the start of a New Year in Winnipeg, one year removed from the farm!

Teachers' College and Pogo

In 1963 , the Manitoba Teachers College was still open and running a one year teacher training program. While teacher education in the Province of Manitoba dates back to 1882, it was only in 1935 that the Faculty of Education was created to offer programs leading to secondary teaching certificates and to M. Ed. degrees.  It was not until 1965 that the elementary school certification program and the staff of the Manitoba Teachers’ College were integrated into the University of Manitoba. As I was interested in becoming an elementary teacher, I left my  job at the CN Railway after much persuasion from my older colleagues, who did not want me to be trapped in what they felt was a dead-end albeit a well-paid career.

I started classes that fall and reported to my first class on the day following Labor Day. The main building of the College was a long, narrow stone structure. Inside the front door were the main office area on the left and the auditorium or chapel on the right. Four classrooms lined the left side on two floors along the hallway. At the opposite end to the right were staff offices and the library. On the left were more staff offices and the science room. Above this room on the second floor was the art room. From there to the hallway were more staff offices. Above the library and on the third floor at this end, I believe, were female student quarters. Above the front entrance was another classroom, known as the Quiet Room. Through this room were entrances to the projector room and the balcony of the auditorium. Above the main offices were other rooms not used for classes.

Outside the back door was a former Air Force building that was being used as the canteen and a gathering place for students when they weren't in class. Just beyond that was another large stone building. This housed a large dining-hall for the students, a smaller room for staff members, a much smaller room where the students dining-hall workers ate, and a large food preparation area.
Beyond the back of the dining-hall were three long Air Force buildings which housed the boarding students. A little distance to the north of the canteen building was the large drill hall. This is where physical education classes were taught and where indoor sports were played. To the left on the way to the drill hall was an outdoor skating rink and the infirmary.

We were about 500 students in number and between 17 and 20 years old with about 20 or so students including me who were older than that. Our numbers were to be divided into about a dozen groups of about 30 - 35 students in each class. I was assigned to Class B which consisted entirely of students who, along with English,  spoke another language. Over half of our class had students who had French as their first language. Included in that group were about 8 nuns who at that time still wore the traditional habits.

We had classes in social studies, which was divided into two separate classes of history and geography, science, primary methods, library/literature, English, English grammar, art, health, music, phys-ed, child psychology, and of course, classroom management. Some of the teachers were interesting and instructive but just as many were just playing out the string to retirement and were in my opinion simply extremely poor teachers. Into this category fell a certain teacher of classroom management who with his facial features and diminutive stature resembled a cartoon character from the funny pages of the time by the name of Pogo. This was how he was known by his students although formally he was Mr. Stewart. To his colleagues and friends and family  he was probably an "okay guy". But my perception of him, and this was shared by many other students, was that Pogo was a petty and a mean man who abused his powers as a "professor" of ours. This is a strong perception on my part, but I really felt it!

He lectured us and didn't allow for any discussion. His communication with us was to ask a question of a particular student and wait for an answer which usually did not meet up to his standard of requirement. He was very strict and brooked no movement or whispers or any laughter. Any such transgressions he seemed to take as personal affronts. He had little understanding of the workings of the young post teenage mind. Everything was by the book and by rote.

All these negatives! I tried to think of some positives...he dressed neatly; he always had his hair cut short; he was always clean-shaven; he was prompt; his hands were always perfectly manicured; he spoke in a loud clear voice; he attempted some humor but unfortunately his humor always fell flat.

We soon realized that he actually had no classroom management skills but rather kept discipline with coercive methods and threats of office discipline. He did keep us in line this way because no one wanted to fail in this class. A failing grade in any class would mean there would be no teaching certificate at the end of the year!

We learned that Pogo picked out a student in each class who became his "whipping boy".  He selected me in his first class because in addition to being a poor teacher, I suspected (strong emphasis on the 'I suspected') he might have also been a racist. Even though most of us in his class were of different ethnic backgrounds, that is non-WASP, he seemed to home in on my Polish/Ukrainian background and my ability to speak, read, and write in Ukrainian. He sometimes prefaced his remarks to me by saying this was how things were done in English.

He also was "cutting edge" in his assignment marking. I use "cutting edge" sarcastically. We had to hand in our notebooks at least once a week to the professors and they would grade us on the quality of our note taking and to also weed out any slackers. At the end of the notes they would assign a letter grade of A,B,C,D, or F. An F resulted in an immediate meeting with the teacher. Pogo, being "cutting edge" used X,Y, and Z, with X as top rank.

Because he was targeting me, I made doubly sure that in his classes I kept neat copious notes. Many students copied my notes word for word because they recognized that I did take good notes. When our books came back to us from Pogo after he marked them each week, my notes always rated a Y. He never gave me a Z because I believe he was afraid of meeting with me in a one on one meeting knowing fully well that what he was doing was not right. I knew my notes were not of Y level because the students who had copied my notes word for word always got X's.
It was a tough time for me in his class but I "sucked it up" and made it to the end of the year. It helped that my classmates were behind me and encouraged me.

Why did I not complain about Pogo to his superiors? In that time (era) this was just not done because the student was always wrong and I did not want to be kicked out of the College. So I doubled and tripled down and I was really prepared for the final exam in Classroom Management. When I walked out of the gym the morning of the exam,  I knew I had aced the test questions. But it was no surprise to me that my mark came back as a 51% and my grade as a D. But I did get  my certificate for teaching elementary education. I also left with a firm conviction in mind that I would never become a Pogo in my classroom with any of my students and I strongly felt that most often the best classroom management was to do the opposite of what Pogo had tried to inculcate us with in his class.

Several years later I attended a junior football game. It was being played in the old velodrome on a regulation-sized grass field located inside the bicycle track which ringed it. Located just off Empress Street near Polo Park in Winnipeg, the velodrome had been built for the 1967 Pan-Am games. It has since been torn down to make way for a shopping centre.

Under the stands which were located on the west side of the velodrome nearest to Empress Street was the concession stand. Further in under the stands was large tunnel-like path to access the washrooms.  At half-time I went to use the washroom facilities. Because the game had only a few die-hard fans in attendance, I was quite surprised to see approaching me in the tunnel my old nemesis from Teachers' College. He had his head down and was hurrying back to the concession stand or to his seat.

As he neared me I took a quick step to my left which put me directly in his path. He looked up as he nearly walked into me. I had stopped right in his path. He took a step to the side to go around me. I stepped to the side in the same direction and I was again in front of him blocking his progress.

Many thoughts ran through my mind of what I could say or do to him to give me some satisfaction for the mental abuse I had suffered at his hands! But I silently stood there as he focused on my face. At first there was no recognition showing on his face. Then slowly as he realized who I was, his face transformed into one of almost abject terror. His mouth was open, his eyes were fully rounded as he cast his gaze from side to side looking for an escape. The sheer look of horror on his face as he realized he was trapped in the tunnel with no savior or safety in sight caused a change in me.

I realized that in front of me was a terrified "old" man who probably lived in constant fear when he ventured outside the safe confines of his home that he would run into a student he had picked on. It was now happening to him! In that instant I also realized he was not a man I should spend my time on in seeking some form of vengeance. Rather here was a man who should be pitied for the life that lay before him. He lived in constant fear of a chance meeting with  a former student whom he had treated as he had treated me. Perhaps someone else somewhere else already had laid into him either verbally or physically!

No, I, in that short encounter, let go the ghosts of Classroom Management Past. No more would I seek revenge on Pogo in my mind. Nothing I could inflict on him would match what he faced daily in his life.

I said, "Maybe you didn't recognize me but it it's good to see you again, Mr. Stewart!"  I stepped to one side and he quickly he scurried out of the tunnel and into the night. I returned to my seat free of the baggage I had carried for several years. I really enjoyed the game that night!

Walking After Midnight

Walking After Midnight!

Recently on nostalgia radio, I heard the late Patsy Cline's rendition of Walkin' after Midnight. It triggered memories of some of my walks in Winnipeg after midnight.

I worked as a member of the CNR spare-board in Winnipeg from 1960 until 1963. In all that time I never got to work a steady job with the exception of a one or two T.V 's or temporary vacancies, which meant filling in for someone on a short vacation. I was always called to work a matter of a few hours before the shift would start. In the days before cell phones, I had to be near a phone waiting for a call to work from the crew office. This meant being available to answer the phone between 5 in the morning until 6 in the morning for the rare day shift as these mostly went to people with more seniority than I had. Then I had to be available between one p.m and two p.m for afternoon shifts and from nine p.m. to ten p.m. for midnight shift calls.

Because of my being so low in seniority, the majority of my shifts occurred in the four to midnight shift. But also because I was a quick learner and had learned the ins and outs of all the jobs available to me, I often superseded some workers who, while having more seniority than I did, could not handle the job. Thus I worked jobs as a call-boy/messenger-boy, car-checker, yard clerk, IBM machine operator, scale-man, mail-room clerk, passenger train baggage car supplier, chauffeur, the bill rack, crew calling, and on one occasion as chief clerk when none of the guys on the shift wanted to do it because of the position's many responsibilities.

I started working in September of 1960 at the tender age of 17. Initially because work was scarce for me on the spare-board, I would be lucky to get one or two shifts a week and an occasional third one if I was very lucky By November of 1961, I was working either 4 or 5 shifts a week, and the pay was generally good except for the wages of a call boy/messenger boy. I was scoring so many shifts because I could successfully work all the jobs and because I had the reputation of being a very reliable worker.

My shifts took me to the Fort Rouge yards, the CNR depot, the East Yard where the Forks is now located, Transcona, and the old Paddington yards which then in 1962 became the present Symington Marshaling Yard. I had no car so I had to rely on buses to get me to from work. Buses were more frequent back then. However because I most often worked the afternoon shift and didn't leave my place of work until midnight, buses were often not running some of the routes or came only once an hour.

My worst places of getting home from were Symington and Transcona.  Transcona was still a city apart from Winnipeg and there was a private bus line providing the transportation between it and Winnipeg. The last bus left Transcona for Winnipeg at midnight and if the chief clerk didn't release me about fifteen minutes early, I would miss the last bus because of the distance to walk/run to the little terminal from the yard office where I worked.I have described elsewhere in my blog what happened when I missed the last bus. The same applied for Symington.

Catching the last bus would mean I would get to the drop off at Portage and Main point well past midnight. If I was fortunate I might catch one of the last Portage Avenue buses heading west. Most of the time I wasn't lucky. So rather than waiting for another hour for the next one which would be the last bus running until the work bus which usually made its run between three and four in the morning, I would start hoofing it.

I usually walked on the south side of Portage as I headed west for Maryland Street. There were few people out at that time of night. Some were like me, simply trying to get home after a hard day's work. There were others who were more "interesting". Some were people reeling along after an evening of drinking. These I learned to avoid because, while many were happy in their current state, others could be surly and very edgy.

There were some transvestites and some gays who often traveled in small packs for protection. There were the occasional beat cops who in winter wore their massive buffalo coats and who carried long large 4-cell flashlights. These soon learned which of us were just workers and not someone out looking for mischief or trouble. There was the occasional homeless person. I was often approached by them because they knew I would be good for a quarter, enough to buy them some coffee and a doughnut at a Sal's House, basically the only places which were open 24 hours a day. I knew what it was like to be cold and hungry!

I also preferred the south side because this was where most of the store fronts with display windows were. My walk was often interspersed with looking at the window displays. Eaton's and The Bay were my favorite stores because they had elaborate displays. Kresge's, the Metropolitan, Woolworth's, and Dayton's were also interesting. I would also stop to admire the large posters highlighting current and coming movies. the Lyceum, the Capitol, the Dominion, and the Gaiety always had colorful and intriguing posters.

Near Maryland Street and on would be a few car dealerships where I could admire the new unaffordable cars (unaffordable for me) and some of the tempting used cars on the outside lot.

As well, if I got cold or felt hungry and I could afford a "nip", the word in Winnipeg for a Salisbury House hamburger, I would cross the street near United College, now the University of Winnipeg, and I would go to the Sal's House at Portage and Spence near the CBC building. There were always interesting characters hanging out here after midnight.

From there it was about another 10 blocks and I would be home in my 3rd floor rented suite which I shared with my parents who had recently located to Winnipeg from their small farm in Saskatchewan.

With apologies to Patsy Cline:

"I go out walkin' after midnight

Out in the moonlight"