STORY BLOG: A FOOLISH METRO NORTH CONDUCTOR

                              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/