The railway and nicknames

Lance Neita, Contributor

The readers who responded to last week's column on the Jamaica railway had one thing in common. They all shared the same deep rooted and nostalgic memories from past association with a railroad that had become a special part of their lives. People from all across the world had a personal anecdote or request for further information on chapters from bygone days when they grew up on the lines in Jamaica.

The railway has played a significant role in our history. It was opened in 1845, only 15 years after the first railway system was inaugurated in England, and was the first one in the world built outside of England and North America.

The initial leg from Kingston to Spanish Town was constructed to improve the transportation efficiency of the sugar industry following Emancipation.

The line was then extended to Old Harbour, after which two lines were opened up to Porus and Ewarton in 1885.

The trains finally reached Montego Bay in 1895, and began steaming through the banana, cocoa, citrus, and coconuts districts of St Catherine, St Mary and Portland in 1896.

Between 1900 and 1950, extensions were constructed branching from Montego Bay in the west and from May Pen's central hub to the sugar and citrus areas of Clarendon.

Subject of many enquiries

Among its many services was a Kalamazoo train carrying students from May Pen and Frankfield to Clarendon College in the 1940s to the 1960s. The Kalamazoo was the subject of many enquiries from last week's article - it was a large trolley pulled by an engine and able to carry some 30 to 40 students.

Bauxite lines were added in the 1950s and by 1975 there were 230 miles carrying 1.2 million passengers per year and transporting 900 million tons of goods including bauxite and alumina. The passenger public service closed down in 1992, besieged by operational deficits as well as substantial damage received from Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.

The first engineer driver Isaac Taylor took the double locomotives Patriot and Patriot up to speeds of 30 miles per hour on that first ride on November 21, 1845. Believe it or not, he was fined two pounds for speeding, a signal that safety was to be sacrosanct on the railroad. However, there were two outstanding and disastrous incidents, one at Balaclava on July 30 when a derailment took 32 lives, and the famous Kendal crash in Man-chester on September 1, 1957 which took 188 lives.

Isaac was the first in a long line of legendary drivers, with Joe Waugh in the 140s and '5's perhaps the most outstanding as a revered adviser, philosopher, and example to the younger operators, and Kaiser Bauxite's Simeon Lowe who piloted the St Elizabeth and St Ann private bauxite lines in the 1950s and '60s with famous and consummate skill.

Famous stories

The railway of course has its famous stories and legends. As children, we were in fear of a mysterious gatekeeper at a halt near May Pen who was known only as 'Old Fowl.' Truck back passengers from all across Jamaica on approaching the crossing would be warned to duck as the bolder ones yelled "Old Fowl". This would be followed by a retaliatory fusillade of stones kept nearby for that purpose.

On return, we were warned to keep quiet in case Old Fowl recorded the licence number, but by late evening he himself would be off duty and well stoned and the trucks able to pass without incident.

That famous character reminds of the ingenuity of nicknames in Jamaica, most of them hilarious, and which have brought different responses depending on the nature of the name.

Nicknames are usually acquired first day in school if you had any kind of funny disposition, looks, clothes, or expression. 'Crampy', 'Teet', 'Peel Head', 'Dog Ears', 'Pick de Bulla Cake', 'Sheggup', 'Rat Bat', and 'Labba Labba' were among my early favourites.

Teachers also got their fair share, 'Toby Jug', 'Guinea Pig', 'Mother Wasp', and most appropriate for a favourite chemistry teacher, 'Stalagmite' or 'Staggy 'of Munro fame.

As for my name, it's buried in my computer password, so only my computer server knows for sure. What's yours?

Lance Neita is a public relations and communications consultant. Comments may be sent to columns@gleanerjm.com or lanceneita@hotmail.com.

Neita