A FOOLISH METRO-NORTH CONDUCTOR
Author:
Randy Daryl McNair
In 1987, before the crash of Wall Street,
I was a professional bicycle messenger. I lived in Peekskill, New York, so I
commuted daily from Peekskill, New York to New York City. I traveled on the Metro-North
(Hudson Line) five days week on rush hour and non-rush hour commuter trains.
During the course the day, as I cruised through boroughs, avenues, and streets,
I picked up and delivered choice and important packages 8 hours a day. I made
good money, so I didn’t mind the challenge of traffic, pedestrians, and unusual
packages.
Being a professional messenger in New York
City, required a tremendous amount of skill and patience, However, for a
commuter to travel to Westchester County on the Metro-North on Friday Nights required
something called perception. For the most incredible journey of all week,
traveling on the evening trains that headed north on the Hudson Line was an
adventure. In this era, Metro-North permitted its passengers to smoke
cigarettes and drink liquor. Certain individuals could not handle their
drinking habits, some drinkers would become undesirable.
Some drinkers could not conduct themselves
in respectable manner on Metro-North, Friday nights. This certain Friday night
I was traveling home on the Hudson Line, after a long week and a very busy
Friday. I was tired and misty-eyed, but I was aware of the train’s environment.
There was a bunch of rowdy and intoxicated teenagers in the same train car, I
was in. It was about ten of them, loud, rowdy, and reckless. They started
picking and poking fun at other passengers. I knew there was going to be
trouble on this Metro-North train.
Therefore, trouble developed right away,
as these evil teenagers started throwing objects at a grown man, whom was
trying to read his evening paper. The conductor came through, heard the
nonsense and didn't say one word. Then, these foolish young people started
throwing objects and shouted obscenities at a woman and her young son. I began
to get angry at this point and time. I knew I could not take on all ten of them
without getting injured. So when the conductor came through, I said, Sir those
teenagers are annoying that woman and her child. The conductor did not respond.
The conductor walked right pass the noisy
teenagers that were annoying the woman and her child, and didn’t say one word
to them. I could not believe how cowardly this conductor was. I had to think of
something, or otherwise I would have gotten jumped by these teenagers, if I
challenged them. Here comes the conductor asking me for my train ticket, while
the teenagers are annoying the defenseless woman and her child. He said, “Your
Ticket?” I had to think fast and answered, No I do not have a ticket. What
happened next was incredible?
The foolish conductor called the
Metro-North Police on me. When the train approached the TarryTown Station,
several Metro-North police officers boarded the train and approached me. Two of
them said, “Sir we understand you don’t have a train ticket, you will have to
leave the train or we will be forced to arrest you”. What happen next was
history. I answered the police officers as I showed them my monthly commuter
ticket. Of course I have a train ticket. I had to think of something to make
that cowardly conductor to call the police on those evil group teenagers that
are harassing that poor woman and her son.
The police officers walked over to that
sad woman and child, not only did she tell the police officers same story I
told them, she wanted to press charges against those evil teenagers. There was
about 7 or 8 Metro-North police officers that came aboard the train. The
Metro-North police took all ten evil teenagers off of the train. Afterwards, every
passenger on the train was staring at me and the foolish conductor. The woman
and her son thanked me with their eyes. That foolish, cowardly, and nervous
conductor was ultimately embarrassed.
References
Photo of 1987 Metro North Train: Available at: http://www.androncc.com/portfolio/science_technology/metroNorth.html/
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