Your seats, please!

Lance Neita, Contributor

The recent series of Gleaner articles on railway stations across Jamaica written by Mel Cooke gave us a nostalgic review of an important part of our history.

A generation of Jamaicans missed out on the thrill and adventures of the railway and the role that it played in the transportation system.

For example, the excitement and spookiness on approaching a railway tunnel for the first time as a child can never be forgotten. As the train swayed along the line there would be a sudden warning blast of the whistle, the coach lights would go on, and you would be plunged into what seemed like a dark hole outside the windows.

I was a member of that generation that grew up close to the line in my home village. Snippets of memories associated with the railway came to mind as I read the articles describing those familiar buildings.

The stations are amazingly similar and were all built between 1845 to 1896, with the architecture reflective of the Jamaican-Georgian style. Memories abound of stepping boldly unto the platform, buying a ticket, and sitting in the waiting room or, better still, running around the outdoor terrace waiting for the train.

Belligerent-looking face

The braver ones spotted the engine before it came in sight by putting an ear on the line to test for rocking and presence. Then around the corner first the smoke, then the huge, belligerent-looking face moving towards us and growing larger and larger until it crept past the station, coaches easing up slowly, steam wheezing out, conductors appearing, and passengers alighting.

For the boarding exercise, the conductors, stately in their black uniforms, would shout the traditional "All aboard", then "Your seats please", before signalling to the driver (hand signal during the day or lantern by night) that all is well for departure.

The stops along the way were well identified in our minds - Old Harbour fish and bammy, Balaclava - shrimps, Porus - oranges, Clarendon Park - cashew, Kendal - coconuts.

The train operations were much more complex than just the clipping of the tickets by the conductor or the sonorous "All aboard".

My elder brother Boyd joined the Jamaica Government Railway in 1950 as station clerk first at Four Paths and later May Pen which was the hub for a number of services.

He recounted how the busy May Pen centre operated under the pressure of a constant passage of traffic. There was the passenger train through Montego Bay to Kingston and return, and the cane trains from upper and south Clarendon.

There were special freight trains, agricultural produce trains, a market train that ran to and from upper Clarendon, the alumina train from Kirkvine en route to Port Esquivel, special Denbigh Show train days, and a regular Kalamazoo student service to Clarendon College in Chapleton.

Constant communication

May Pen was also the hub for service to the United States military base at Vernamfield. The station master and clerks were skilled in telegraph and Morse Code and there was constant communication along the line to coordinate timing, points of arrival and departure, and unscheduled changes. With more than 80 stations and halts, the routes were managed as tightly as an air traffic control system.

Of interest was that each clerk could be identified by the rhythm of his fingers as he tapped out his codes.

The story of the Jamaica Railway Corporation covers the period 1845 to 1992 when it closed as a public passenger service. The first locomotive engineer/driver was Isaac Taylor. He pulled out of Barry Street for the 11-mile trip to Angels on November 21, 1845, with Governor Lord Elgin on-board for the ceremonial ride.

As usual, the Jamaican pessimist was ever present. "They will never start her", one kept repeating in the crowd, shaking his head as the locomotive cranked up. When it pulled out of the station, he continued: "They will never stop her". They didn't, for 147 years.

Comments may be sent to columns@gleanerjm.com or lanceneita@hotmail.com