Hello to all of my new Frisco friends, I was a carman welder/car inspector at the Springfield car shops with the Frisco from June 1971 until the merger with the BN in November 1980, where I was still a carman until I was laid off in December of 1985. In April of 1988 I transfered to the Signal Department and retired as a shop signalman in January of 2010. I have worked on all of the sub divisions that made up the old Frisco once I became a signalman and was on a signal constuction gang. No place is hotter in the summer or colder in the winter than the railroad, from derailments to down in a ditch or up a pole I had a very interesting career with the SLSF, BN and BNSF. That's my brief introduction, Paul Hawkins
Paul: First and foremost, welcome to the forum. By your work experience it sounds like you could be provide a unique insight and perspective to some very interesting facets of the railroad and I for one urge you to do so. Feel free to jump in with facts, opinions, insight, etc. as you see fit. Also, the railroad lives on in the form of some magnificent model railroads that the owners strive to replicate the prototype as closely as possible. Hopefully you are open to invites to participate.
Welcome Paul, Always glad to see another retire, I got another 9 or so years to go for BNSF, but they are going by quicker than I want them to now.
