Maybe you think the conductor of a passenger train is only the man who
takes tickets and says “All Aboard.” But he really is the boss of the
whole train. Even the engineer must follow his signals. That’s why they
call the conductor the Captain.
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The brakeman is the conductor’s helper. Together they collect tickets or
fares and help passengers on and off at stations.
On the slick, fast trains called streamliners the conductor has quite a
job to do. Many of the passengers are making long trips, so they have
complicated tickets that allow them to stop at several places and then
come home again. The conductor has to check the tickets and make sure
they are right.
For short trips, conductors and brakemen take care of everything. But a
streamliner needs a lot of other people who do special jobs.
The first one you’re likely to meet is the stewardess. She makes
passengers comfortable. She answers questions and points out things that
are particularly interesting to look at through the window.
At night the stewardess brings pillows to coach passengers and helps
them tilt their seats back. In some cars, each seat has a leg-rest that
pulls out, making a sort of couch for anyone who wants a nap.
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The stewardess usually gives extra attention to children. She may read
them stories in the playroom at the end of one car, or give them crayons
and coloring books, or play records for them. She even has a supply of
diapers for small babies and a refrigerator to keep their milk cool.
A streamliner is really a sort of hotel on wheels. The observation car
is like a lobby, with big soft chairs and sofas, tables full of
magazines, a radio and desks for writing letters. At one end is a
telephone booth where you can call up anyone you want to. This telephone
works by radio. The radio operator on the train connects you with a
regular telephone operator who completes the call over ordinary phone
wires.
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If you need a haircut, you can visit a barbershop on the train. Porters
will press your clothes and shine your shoes for you. You can buy ice
cream sodas at the snack bar. A businessman who wants to do some work
can ask the train’s stenographer to type out letters for him. And no
matter how disagreeable the weather is outside, a streamliner is
comfortable for it is air-conditioned.
Most fun of all are the streamliners that have double-decker cars called
Vista-Domes and Astra-Domes. The dome sticks up above the car like an
oversized caboose cupola. Like the freight brakeman, you can sit in the
upper deck, look out through the windows in the dome and see everything
around you. Daytimes there may be mountains. At night, you can lean back
in the adjustable seat and watch the stars.
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Streamliners go very fast, but not too fast for safety. Beside the track
are signs that tell the engineer what the speed limits are. For extra
safety, the locomotive may have a powerful headlight that sends out its
beam like a searchlight. The beam travels across the sky in a
figure-eight movement far ahead. People on highways see it and are
warned to stop at grade crossings in plenty of time.
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