Raymond C. Bottles

As a young student brakeman I worked with Ray one day out of Airline Yard to Cleveland with a "hot shot" van train. Ray refused to allow the train to move until a full water bottle was brought on board. We had the east main tied up for over an hour and the dispatcher was furious. Ray was a man of principals and a rule was a rule. Ray said it was the railroad, after all, who wrote the rules. Everyone respected him.

I was in the Mechanical Dept and the cabooses had to be in tip top shape or else the train wouldnt move Ray had a lot of clout!!!