B&M RR research - Charles Sullivan, hoisting engineer

Hi,

My name is Jane; I live in Australia and I am searching for info on the above man. I posted my message here as I hope he may have workd on this line. He lived in Somerville in 1930; he married a Mary Cleary - I believe he was a 'hoisting engineer.' I am not familar with railroads, and do not know what this term means.

Would anyone know where I might look for employees of the local Somerville railways? What is a hoisting engineer? Is this the correct term?

I would really appreciate any help as I am trying to find his family.

Thanking you in advance for any help you might be able to offer.

Kindest Regards,

jane

Welcome to the forum, Jane.

The term "hoisting engineer" usually refers to a crane or derrick operator, as at a construction site, not a locomotive engineer. The job has no particular connection with railways, although I suppose the B&M might have employed a few in the old days.

Otherwise, I'm afraid that Sullivan is a very common name in the Boston area. I wish I knew of local genealological resources to point you towards, but perhaps someone else can help.

Hi Tom,

Thank you so much for your very prompt reply. I had another look at the 1930 censusI have and Charles Sullivan listed his occupation as hoisting engineer and workplace as steam railroad.

where in Somerville was the steam railroad? What is the history of the line through Somerville?
Would love to know a little bit more.

Thanks again.

Kind regards,


Jane

Jane - It was most likely the Boston and Maine RR. so you have found the right heading. I would suggest that if you or an agent could get to the Boston Public Library in Copley Square, that there is a wealth of information regarding the type of subject matter that you are looking for. Relatively speaking, the 1930's are not "ancient history" as far as they are concerned. I would expect that to get any significant information there, that you or somebody would have to be willing to donate a full days worth of document examination, inquiring with library personnel, going from one room or media to another, and just poking around in general. If this man was involved in something noteworthy (event, commendation, death, crime, innovation, accident) all the better, figuratively speaking. They're pretty helpful there, and I know from personal experience that all sorts of this type of info can be gotten, as I researched the history of a slain Boston Police Officer killed in the line of duty in the 1800's, and came away with a wealth of information for a San Francisco P.D. relative of the fallen officer. Good luck !
P.S. Any B&M buffs out there have a B&M map in the Boston area that you could post for her ? (He most likely worked outside of Somerville).

If Mr. Sullivan worked for a railroad in almost any capacity other than management, he probably was a member of an organized labor union. The unions kept/keep very detailed records to validate seniority and rate of pay in order to determine pension benefits. You might try googling for labor unions / railroads; whatever craft union he probably belonged to in the 1930s has probably been absorbed into a larger organization by now, such as the United Transportation Union (UTU).

PBM

Perhaps "hoisting" is a mis-spelling of "hostling", meaning an engineer who handled steam engines at a terminal. Did Somerville have a yard and/or engine faciltiy in the '30's?

Ron

sjl wrote:Perhaps "hoisting" is a mis-spelling of "hostling", meaning an engineer who handled steam engines at a terminal. Did Somerville have a yard and/or engine faciltiy in the '30's?

Yes, much of the B&M's large Boston freight terminal/coach yard/enginehouse complex was in Somerville (and the rest was in Cambridge and Charlestown, all of which come together at that point).

I think we're talking about HOSTLING or an engineer who was a HOSTLER (pronounced hoss-ler). The hostler was responsible for moving engines around the enginehouse area, getting them ready to head out on the next train. The hostler would move locomotives from an arrival track to get fueled, watered, sanded, then perhaps washed, turned around, and ready for its next trip. The origins come from the archaic word that meant a person who worked in the stables as a groomsman for horses. Since we're talking about "iron horses" it seems to apply as more or less the same meaning.

Otto Vondrak wrote:I think we're talking about HOSTLING or an engineer who was a HOSTLER (pronounced hoss-ler). The hostler was responsible for moving engines around the enginehouse area, getting them ready to head out on the next train. The hostler would move locomotives from an arrival track to get fueled, watered, sanded, then perhaps washed, turned around, and ready for its next trip. The origins come from the archaic word that meant a person who worked in the stables as a groomsman for horses. Since we're talking about "iron horses" it seems to apply as more or less the same meaning.

Otto,

"Hoisting" may be the correct term. Today, all our crane operators are required to have a Hoisting Engineers license. It is issued by the State of Massachusetts. So it is possible that the crane operators of that time were referred to as hoisting engineers. I'm sure the railroad had lots of wreck cranes, pile drivers, locomotive cranes, etc., etc.

DAW

Here's one right here. (far right of photo) It's a B&M RR crane picking up what remains of B&M Number 1174 at the Wachusett, Mass wreck of 7/5/05. Unfortunately, these types of scenes were too common in the early 20th century, and frequently required the crane.