Mike Bednar and Jerry Hoare Oral History

Two lifelong railroaders chat about life on the railroad and the good and bad aspects of the job.

[@jamesferrell3328]

As a retired engineer on the NYSW. Everything these two men said was absolutly spot on. True stories are the best. Thanks guys

[@TonyFleetwood]

this video could have been 4 hours and i would have kept watching

[@nityking1]

Mike Bednar is brilliant and his stories are absolutely fantastic.

[@petemarlin889]

0

[@nityking1]

@@petemarlin889 yes

[@Captionmarvelous]

That was a good show! Hopefully these two men are still enjoying there retirement and living a good life..

[@captainmorgan757]

I couldn't help but to laugh when both of these gentlemen said that their favorite locomotive was the SD40-2. My brother would always tell me the same thing!!

[@yrunaked4]

Mike is a national treasure. I will buy any DVD he narrates on, I have many so far

[@samuelbrown9363]

I learned more about trains from this 50 minute video than I learned in the 50 years I've been alive...and it was so interesting! Thanks guys! Simply awesome...

[@dantar6423]

i live in washington nj when jerry & dan where on the local h65 they where the best two guys you could railfan with pleasure knowing you two

[@jerryhoare8198]

Dan, thanks a million for that heartwarming post.I remember you and I am so happy that you thought well of Dan and I. Dan was one of the best conductors and friends I ever had. Sad to say he passed away some years ago from cancer. I retired in 2007 and enjoying my retirement. I hope you are still taking photos. Keep shooting ! Jerry

[@EmpireBeltRR]

@@jerryhoare8198 This is why they called you Mister Class!

[@kennybroomfield4205]

WOW I hung on every single word. What an awesome thing. I could have listened another 2 hours plus.

[@redthepost]

The Bednar and company chat is a true gem. A genuine treasure of Americana. A sense history that must be preserved. Go Mike.

[@tallmike6598]

I could listen to these two gentlemen for hours. By the sounds of it there are so many parallels between railroad work and what I do as a long haul trucker of just over 30 years.

[@bendover9411]

Seen many vids, but never saw the man who's voice I love!

[@bobbender2922]

These two gentlemen are Class Act

[@gliderydin2911]

I could listen to these guys all day. Speaking the truth about how far industry has fallen over the decades from what it once was to what it is now

[@uhlijohn]

Yes, I met Jerry once at his shop in Jim Thorpe nearly 10 years ago and I still remember him. I met his wife at her shop and she directed me to his shop and I bought an old 8 x 10 photo of the train station and an engine parked nearby. I thought Jerry looked familiar. I am a retired engineer on the UPRR in Chicago. I met Jerry in June 2013 I think.....on my way to Florida. Always loved Jim Thorpe....what a charming town it is. Wish I had a summer home there.

[@tylersebring8045]

Is the shop still around

[@jerryhoare8198]

@@tylersebring8045 I closed the shop a couple of years ago due to health problems.

[@troymcmahon488]

I think this type of friendship with people you work with is one of the big thing's that is missing in today's society.

[@chuckabbate5924]

Mike and Jerry,thanks so much.

[@ployshihashick8240]

And I thought the "Railfanning With The Bednars" vids were great. This is the best railroading vid I have ever seen, and with no rolling equipment! Imagine that. Kudos, fellas, and God bless.

[@edlrailfanproductions3984]

I have seen this before I’ve ever seen it on KZbin. I was just a young boy around 8 or 9 when walking through a local historic town that Jerry owned a shop in. He had a cool model train in the window which drew my attention as I loved trains. I begged my dad to step inside and me and Jerry had a very interesting conversation and ended with him giving me this on DVD! It was great being able to meet him! Great guy as well as Mike although never met Mike my grandfather used to know him as a kid and I’ve heard some good stories! Also love all the old films he’s narrated!

[@Bonzo_B]

The look on Mikes face at 45:20 where he is talking about laying in bed with the wife hearing 12T go by... He's feedin the fuel to em and they sound real good, and he says to his wife, gee I'd like to be there feedin them the fuel ...... You can tell he truly loved doing his job! I know it has its downsides but that has to be a heck of a good feeling notching up and really giving them the oil!!! Thanks for posting this, I could listen to Mike and Jerry talk trains all day!!!!

[@25mfd]

good comment... but it's the exact opposite of what a old head road engr told me... in complaining about the night hours he said,"... only 3 types of people are awake after midnight, thieves, whores and taxicab drivers, everybody else should be in the bed"

[@eddieweigel9490]

Very informative I can watch this forever you old timers a great I love listening to you guys

[@richarddarcy6945]

Good job Brother. You made it to retirement and lived to tell about it. You make us proud. BLE373

[@timtraver7152]

So much knowledge and wisdom that would have been lost if this had not been recorded.

[@patricknoveski6409]

Its amazing to hear the other side of the way it was. Wow. Dont fall asleep !? Geez.

[@josephgartler447]

man you bring back the old time you guys got it together ride the rais brother

[@happycommentator6773]

What a fantastic video. Stories from two ole railroaders. 👍🇺🇸

[@stephenhenion8304]

Really good stuff here. I couldn't stop watching it!!

[@rossrossier935]

Great stories Mike & Jerry! Like Mike I started hanging around the rails when I was a teen,l was hooked!

[@THOMAS81Z]

love mike bednar videos

[@miniaturefarmer464]

Two legends.

[@Shadowfax-1980]

In many ways, my job is much more comfortable than what these guys had to deal with, but I’ll never have the fascinating stories these over my career.

[@popps2502]

In joyed Watching and Listening. Thanks.

[@way75mit9]

Wow , growing up in the northeast, (Philly) and watching Reading, B&O and the Penn Central trains run through North Philly station , I like all boys dreamed of riding the cabs of those big locomotives, Now listening to these old guys talk about how it was, really makes you think about the good old days, GOD BLESS to all who run the rails, then & now !!!!

[@cvrnut09]

I have to offer my thanks to both these guys for telling their stories. If it weren't for the stories individuals like these two, I would never have gone railroading or have had such the interest in the industry that I have

[@brice3011]

What an amazing video!!! I am so lucky to have found this thoroughly enjoyable, heartwarming, enriching, fantastic interview with two great and larger than life characters... And I am at the same time so sad of having learnt yesterday of the passing away of Mike last November... My thoughts are with everyone close to Mike.

[@nedfellers489]

The importance of collecting, not only railroading narrative, but other types of historical memories is extremely important by means of well planned "oral histories"

[@chuckabbate5924]

Amen.

[@michaeleggleston6873]

Wonderful oral history. I've known Mike Bednar as a railfan and a darned nice guy, and as we both worked for the railroad (myself as a clerk, Mike as towerman-dispatcher-locomotive engineer) we both share the memories of the people we worked with and all the ups and downs of the railroad life. I am a third generation railroader with 41 years, my Dad clerked for the D&H for 42 years before his early death at 60, and my paternal grandfather was a carman on the NY Central in Schenectady, got laid off in the Shopmen's strike of 1922 and went over to the D&H. Iwas around railroads since I was a kid, My dad once said to me, "If you ever apply for work at the railroad, I'll kick your ass up over your shoulderblades", but it was Dad who got me hired in 1968. I've had some regrets, but it was a good job and good money.

[@andreialexiev7858]

I'd like to meet Mike and shake his hand one of these days.

[@rongeorge2179]

very nice story and details, RIP Mike

[@nfs2851]

Great interview, just fascinating, thank you very much!

[@indyjones4740]

Thanks for these, great videos on the real history of the railroad..

[@bobsnyder3309]

My grandfather was an engineer on the LV he retired in 1972. I got to take one Apollo 1 trip to Lehighton and several switching jobs in Jersey

[@wlalevee]

Just a great commentary by two incredible men with a ton of history!

[@stevenfd123]

Great video. I have read all Mike's stories in TRP magazine and it is nice seeing him telling them. In fact his latest story in 2015 is about the Lehigh Gorge. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I could listen and read about them forever.

[@Mercatoyd]

I came across your channel today viewing some of John Pechulis' videos..I like Mike Bednar's narration..so, I clicked on to this video.. halfway through this excellent recount of history..I subbed to your channel.. really great conversation of "the life"..in this video.. Thanks for offering these. Tom

[@gusfring9895]

After purchasing many JP Media videos, it was nice to get to know a little about Mike and where he came from; no longer will he be a disembodied voice. I love the way he pronounces "Beth-Lem".

[@oldpeterbiltdriver]

Mike Bednar spoke of a guy that he worked with at Croxton and Reading Northern, his name was Stu, well he looks like Stu Miller that I when through junior high in Sayreville, NJ with! If it's him then, Hi Stu, Kenny Roberts saying hello! Yes still a rail fan pal!

[@emeraldsoundproductions]

Great insight even though I never worked on the railroad I enjoyed the stories.

[@Zagathon7]

This is a great video!

[@chuckabbate5924]

Hugh Kiley. Lunatic. He was the super on commuter up here in Boston....Bizzare. Egomaniac.

[@jerryhoare8198]

Hugh Kiley was not a lunatic. That was his manner, his macho way of relating to employees.

[@chuckabbate5924]

@@jerryhoare8198 well he was odd duck in Boston

[@lorettacaputo6997]

Great stories. I appreciated the real power behind what made the railroads run from listening to these guys. I could relate to some of their stories from my lifetime in the healthcare system. I have nightmares about working in a large hospital in the off hours. I can also relate to shift work with the 50 yard stare. Many times I would leave work at 6am and would stop at green traffic lights. Sleep deprivation is a dangerous thing.

[@happycommentator6773]

It is definitely a thing in the trucking/parcel delivery world. Highway hypnosis is definitely real.

[@anthonywillis6332]

Great video! Put in 39 years with NS.

[@aliensojourner]

True that about the SD 40-2's--and the way the GE's loaded. Love listening to these guys...

[@georgemurphy2579]

I don't know if he is still with us, but these stories can only come from real railroad men! A generation that's all gone now.

[@leadslinger49]

Good stories and memories good video. I hired out on the EJ&E as a brakeman in Jan. of 1968, Right out of High School and retired in June of 2000. I had a few good laughs because their stories were so much like ours. There was a lot of drinking. Conductors on regular runs would hide half pints at switch stands they new they would be using. Some guys would come to work sober and get off duty drunk. We lived in our assigned cabooses and some conductors were really good cooks. Gave up the assigned cabooses in in late 80's I think, for motel rooms.

[@jacks4733]

Being an airline pilot isn't much different. But the chief of crew scheduling always said: "It's leeegal!"

[@centraljerseyconrailinnsca5676]

I love, these guy are great!

[@ruhlfamilyfarm8047]

This was fantastic! Thank you Mike and Jerry! My good friend from my teenage years hired out in 1976 with Penn Central (Selkirk NY Yard) just before Conrail and just finished his career (after several lay-offs) two years ago with CSX. I have heard ALL these same stories from him! He had the good fortune to learn from the NYC old timers just like Mike. One of my wife's relatives is now a CSX conductor (for about five years). He relates the same current issues that Mike and Jerry spoke about, a very stressful job for sure. Thanks for posting this!

[@kevineich5029]

What an awesome video. Is there a sequel? If not, there should be!

[@b3j8]

Listening to these guys and other veteran railroaders, part of me wishes I would have hired on. But then again, knowing how much railroading has changed over the yrs, I'm glad I never did.

[@jonnybeck6723]

The voice that knows every tie under the rails and who/what grew it (!)

[@rickenbacker315]

I hired in 98 for CSX, then went to CN in 2004. Retired from CN in 2020. I spent 20 years as an engineer, and I enjoyed most of it. Of course things have changed over the years, but I worked with good people..

[@TheRrxing]

Very interesting video. Wish it was longer. On a side note. Mike Bednar could do a voice over for the actor that played the garage owner in the movie Christine! Sounds just like him.

[@williammeszaros1671]

Nice hearing from these guys i always wanted to work on the road but never had but I fulfilled my desire from volunteering interesting hearing from them wonderful video Bill

[@uhlijohn]

I was a brand new brakeman on the CNW in 1974 going to Milwaukee and the conductor Mike Newberg was riding the head end and he called the signal and the engineer Bobo Olson called it but a short while later he asked the conductor, "What was that last signal we passed?" I will never forget that. It was hard to understand what Bobo said half the time since he was always mumbling. Funny how you remember names when you only worked with them once!

[@terryhunt3299]

I agree with them that the EMD SD-40-2 was an excellent locomotive. Their comments on GE's is pot on.

[@happycommentator6773]

The best looking 40 dash 2's were painted in Chessie Systems paint scheme. 😉👍🇺🇸

[@danieltemple5545]

Fascinating !

[@richarddrum9970]

what a great testimony to a bygone era of railroaders who served our country in a way that few people can appreciate or ever imagine. I lived near that Potters Crossing in NJ and still remember seeing the Snowbirds flying through those crossings at track speed or trudging up the grades near New haven, PA, what wonderful memories that are now captured in my basement in HO scale. Thanks to both of you for the remembrances.

[@uhlijohn]

I had can insurance for years and in 1999 I and 4 or 5 other engineers were dismissed for submitting penalty claims for no meal periods. The UP inherited an agreement the CNW had in the Chicago Terminal where the CNW would pay us 30 min. O.T. in the yard if you did not get a meal period and 45 min. O.T. in transfer service. UP did not like this and wanted to end it. So they dismissed us hoping employees would stop submitting penalty claims for no meal. I was off for two years and for one year my can insurance company, BR&CF out of Harrisburg paid me. My case was heard by the NLRB referee two years later and she ordered that the UP put me back to work immediately with full back pay! That was the most pleasant two years I ever had! It was like a two year vacation. Fortunately I had enough savings to see me through the 2nd year of being out of service, but I got all of my money!

[@wurlitzer1538]

The amount of stories between these two guys is astounding. Loved listening to this

[@40093jjmia]

I'm so glad I changed my degree and away from becoming an engineer my dream was to do what u guys did but since u can't do it now its a lost privilege.

[@johnruskin4330]

Great stories and as a retired engineer having worked both in New Zealand on passenger also freight an then in Australia on the coal trains electric an diesel, both aDc an Ac Traction, the life they related on video is world wide, Thank you for sharing

[@timtraver7152]

A life I'll never know, hard but rewarding!!

[@charleskesner1302]

Great to hear their history. Priceless!

[@CharlieRicker24]

This was fantastic......thanks very much for sharing it.

[@Duececoupe]

Love the stories....👍👌👏 Many thanks for sharing!

[@nickltrains6952]

Nice story of two men life working on a railroad.

[@trussell8510]

You guys are great wish i could talk with you both.

[@johnhemple7459]

I love the all the stories . you worked the best times in railroading

[@1940limited]

Listening to all the challenges these guys had operating trains in the diesel era I can only imagine what it must have been like in the days of all steam and no dynamic braking.

[@TheRrxing]

Such a very interesting, candid, and informative video!!

[@janisjade1]

Fascinating stuff. Loved it.

[@rossborge9102]

Really interesting insights. Ya!...a lot of history. Good video.

[@rickporvaznik5030]

Great stories guys.

[@randallbyrd1973]

Thank you for sharing

[@paulbislin8471]

Great video!

[@25mfd]

from the engr aspect it's ALWAYS a plus to have a ground guy who knows the work and that the engr doesn't have to babysit... we had a yard job on the CNW (the A&P job...YBU65) that for a stretch in time, always got newbie extraboard guys on it... the engr was a super seniority oldhead who was FRUSTRATED that he kept getting guys on the job that he constantly had to monitor/babysit from beginning to end of shift... he was not happy

[@lawrencegolba2244]

It is great to hear your stories. Grew up near Buffalo, NY and loved trains as a kid. Buffalo had 26 railroads at one point. At age 38 I did a 4 month stint as a clerk/caller on the Genesee & Wyoming in Rochester as my 130 lb frame was too small to be a conductor. The Buffalo and Pittsburgh (former Pennsylvania) runs by the end of my street. I really give all of the train crews a lot of credit for the long hard hours and putting up with sleep deprivation. Just working the office on rotation was hard enough to stay awake, then drive 1.5 hours home. Just turned 60 and I understand what you guys say about the lack of brotherhood nowadays. Corporate greed, in all industries, prevents this, and also like you said, affects training. I believe that the minimization of crews is actually a safety hazard and leaves no buffer when

[@UptownGuy4]

Everything they’re discussing represents my own conundrum: Do I return to the railroad or leave it? When I hired out at CP in 2011, it was still the DM&E. It was as old-school as you’d get in the 21st Century. But by 2014 it was just as stupid as anywhere else. I quickly realized that I was born in the wrong generation. I still love the work and my engineers trusted me (well, most of them). But I also hate working stupid. I hate being a robot and I hate being a pin-monkey. Railroads don’t want conductors - they want pin-monkeys. Screw the money if there’s no dignity or enjoyment. It’s the industry’s loss if they chase away experienced men and replace them with dangerous greenhorns all over again. It’s a tough thing to feel.

[@DocLaw172]

Is Mike Bednar still around, and do you have information on how to contact him?

[@jamesmark782]

on-cal Great stories!! I didn't know things were that way under Conrail and NS. Wonder if those guys ran any freight on the NEC , Trenton Cutoff and Keystone Corridor.

[@uhlijohn]

Test, test, test....we had an engineer on the CNW nicknamed Idaho and his wife used to run the engine...better than he did, I was told!

[@PowerTrain611]

Running the engine at 13... times were so different! Nowadays it's impossible to get hired unless you know someone. I agree with the comments about GE's. I hear tell that in a GE you're still loading up two miles down the line from when you notch it up. The "whisker" sounds like a literal take on the old adage about railroading (...and other things!)... you do it so much you can "do it in your sleep"!

[@vicodumb]

Good stuff!

[@markrunyon5524]

5 day"s off for excessive absentism,that"s the logic of today"s world.I worked for the largest utility in NJ.When I retired it was really getting nuts.My buddy told them,"why don"t you stick an attane up my ass and steer me around with a joy stick!Best comment I ever heard!Wish there was more video"s like this.

[@georgemurphy2579]

Dynamic is not really used these days. Everything is about knowing how to follow the air. The automatic brake valve is the difference between a good engineer and one who is not. My grandfather always used to say, "If it doesn't go that's one thing, but if it doesn't stop that's another story!"

[@travelingman484]

I would love to know if Mike and Jerry are on Facebook. I’m a newcomer to Pennsylvania but as a truck driver of 30 years I know Pennsylvania very well. Railroading has been in my family since Italy and Argentina. There’s so much I want to know about the railroads that once ran up and down my beloved Pennsylvania. My name is Danny Soldano I’m on Facebook I belong to several railroad groups on Facebook and I welcome any railroader that has any input especially these two gentlemen of the railroad. I now work for New York city transit I’m a New York City transit bus operator and a lot of terminologies used in this video are currently used at transit. Thank you for this great video and all the great railroad videos. Mike reach out to me!!

[@jerryhoare8198]

I am not on Facebook any longer. I am still enjoying retirement although I closed my shop due to health problems. It is very gratifying to see how many people enjoyed this video. The videographer, PeterinPA, deserves the credit for putting this project together and doing all the grunt work. Regards to all, Jerry.

[@travelingman484]

@@jerryhoare8198 thanks for responding Mr, class You and Mike are a connection to our great past in industry. Tell me is Mike still with us??

[@uhlijohn]

Railroading was a great job. We had fun in the early years. I worked with a bunch of characters, mostly old engineers that I fired for when I was set back, like Big Al Tropinski and Jimmy Meine. But things got worse after the big recession of 1980 to 1982 and when the UP took over the CNW in 1996 it got even worse! The UP is a joke! It is run by a bunch of knuckleheads. The UP thought it was going to be calling the shots in Chicago rail industry but they found out different! I will always look fondly back on my career as a locomotive engineer despite the bad parts like being on 24 hour call for so many years. It was good pay, a pretty good retirement plan. At least the carriers cannot decide to fund or not fund Railroad Retirement like so many other companies and local and state governments. Every two weeks money pours into the RRB Trust fund and the carriers cannot withhold a penny.

[@uhlijohn]

Here is a playlist of my RR videos. Several of them were not shot by me but other RR fans, like the first one of me and my conductor spotting the Chicago Tribune's Freedom Printing Plant located between Grand Ave. and Chicago Ave. and the Chicago Riverkzbin.info/www/bejne/noTMpH6cnZ2Zes0. It is located on the former CNW's Grand Ave. freight yard and part of it is on the old Erie St. coach yard. The old roundhouse used to be located where Chicago Ave. and the Chicago River intersect. All of the Wisconsin Div. passenger trains started and ended work at the Erie St. Yard. The Geneva Sub. West Line passenger trains started and ended work at the California Ave. coach yard and the Streamliner Ramp just west of where the M19-A Diesel Shop is now located near Keeler St. which is now an employee stop only. When I hostled engines there is was referred to "the old ramp".

[@nsmapaul]

You’d be surprised who is left here, Jerry. Most of us are looking for an out. Should’ve went to Amtrak when Butz went. They have gotten way worse with ridiculous discipline over the last three years.

[@alco251b9]

I enjoy bednars TRP articles

[@eddie_wolf_]

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