The trail of the swinging lanterns

Chapter 7: KNIGHTS OF THE SWINGING LANTERN

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About This Book

A collection of pen sketches and essays that examine railway transportation from practical, historical and personal perspectives. It blends technical descriptions of lines and engineering challenges with short biographies of railway personnel, anecdotal episodes, company rivalries and celebratory events, interspersed with occasional verse and informal chronologies. The pieces emphasize operations, methods and daily life on the rails, the camaraderie among workers and the evolution of systems and equipment, offering both reminiscence and reportage aimed at preserving memories and practical details of an era in transport.

KNIGHTS OF THE SWINGING LANTERN

“GRAND TRUNK” CONDUCTORS

David J. Dinan; Hugh O’Donnell; Alexander Muir; Allan Eby; William Frost; James Guthrie; Welland Strong

O we are merry men from Mars,

An active squad of light hussars,

Schooled in tact and the three big R’s

And how to steer by moon and stars.

Some think we haunt the gay bazaars,

And likewise smoke long black cigars,

But in our brood no Lochinvars

Toast yonder moon and strum guitars.

Our task is a life of jolts and jars

And each one bears his grist of scars—

The brand of couplings, beams and bars.

Knights of the punch—our home the cars,

We know the brig from the keel to spars,

And there we reign like blooming Czars.

Pilots, moguls, airship tars,

We guide you safely to planet Mars

O’er the trail of the swinging lanterns.