William J. Ronan Passes at 101

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/18/nyreg ... egion&_r=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
On one occasion, he and some of the top brass of the LIRR were riding from Penn To Jamaica on a train I was a collector on.
They were in a 5 seater on an M-1, and as I collected, I got to them and just said, good morning Gentlemen, and kept collecting. I did not ask for their passes since I knew who they were.
Next day I got called upstairs by one of the LIRR Brass, and was instructed, next time you ask for the passes!
I was a new employee, and just turned 19, so my attitude at that Time was yes sir!
If it had happened a few years later I would have said, are you Kidding me?

You older guys must remember when the L2 C-420's came on board, they were referred to as "Ronan's Rockets".

RGlueck wrote:You older guys must remember when the L2 C-420's came on board, they were referred to as "Ronan's Rockets".

RG: Wait a minute-wasn't that the nickname given to the M1s - which were procured under Dr. Ronan's watch?

Doc and Everyone: If there is a obituary listed for Dr. Ronan please post it...

MACTRAXX

MACTRAXX wrote:

RGlueck wrote:You older guys must remember when the L2 C-420's came on board, they were referred to as "Ronan's Rockets".

RG: Wait a minute-wasn't that the nickname given to the M1s - which were procured under Dr. Ronan's watch?

Doc and Everyone: If there is a obituary listed for Dr. Ronan please post it...

MACTRAXX

My Dad was a Engineer on the LIRR, he called them "Ronan's Follies".

Sewell Chan penned an excellent obit that appeared in the NY Times of 10.17.2014. I found it quickly by going to nytimes.com and putting william ronan in the search box. I think Newsday carried one also, but their search engine is weak.

in my original post, I posted a link

Unca.. You have the best stories.. I never heard that one.. How are you doing Unka???
Ronans rockets.. I like that . I wonder what the C3's and DE and DM's would be called.. so and so's #^^%#@#%&&...

in my original post, I posted a link, here is another.. http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/news/ ... 101/nhmxm/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Doing ok unca chris..even better story, I let a nun ride because she forgot her ticket... she wrote a letter to the RR saying what a wonderful employee I was for letting her ride.... I got a repremand.. no joke... lol

Gotta love it Unka.. I used to let Diane and Flaky Ray(remeber him) ride to Jamaica.. What a wild and crazy ride!!!!!!! Hammertime!!!

Was ray the one that said HI Buddy to everyone? If he was, he told me once he could get me into the TV booth with Ralph Kiner, he and Ralph were friends. I was like yeah sure.. then one day I was at shea, and he said lets go see ralph. Was working a shea collectors job and had my uniform on.
This I gotta see... next thing I know Im in the TV booth with Kiner and Tim McCarver eating pizza, and being told we could stay if we were quiet.
Kiner talked to us during the Commercials, what a good guy he was, guess he felt sorry for him.

I have also heard the M-1's referred to as "Ronan's Rattletraps". I like that term better.
Noel Weaver

The M-1's had a lot of bugs to work out of them, and it took years. In the mid 70's it was nothing to be 45 minutes late getting into Penn in the Morning, due to the Jamaica bottleneck caused by equipment touble ahead. Then the air conditioners started breaking down, and they had to rehaul all the A/C systems around the time of Robin Wilsons term as President in the 80's. Took them a long time to get the bugs out of them.
The last 15 years or so they ran pretty well, perhaps because they were mixed with the m-3's.
Another Problem was snow blowing into the traction motors and burning them out. After some snowstorms there were hundreds of M-1's out of service. How are the M-7's holding up?

Hi Unka again.. Yes Ray was the one that said hey Buddy to everyone.. He used to hang out in the stationmasters office on weekend afternoons. Carol M could not stand him neither could Allison C. Remember them??? Him and Diane used to have a war who the conductors and asst conductors liked best.. Good Night UNKA ...

Official MTA obituary

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is saddened by the death of William J. Ronan, the MTA’s first chairman, who died Wednesday at the age of 101.

Ronan was appointed chairman of the agency – then known as the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority – in 1965 by New York Gov. Nelson Rockefeller. A well-known advocate of public transportation, Ronan was key to the expansion of transit options in the New York metropolitan area during his tenure at the MTA and his later work as head of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.