ONLINE VERSION	VOLUME 106 - NUMBER 8 - SEPTEMBER 1997

Working On The Railroad

From Tap Dancer . . . to Gandy Dancer Veronica Lynn Churchill The BMWE reporter visited with Veronica Churchill and her family several months ago. Before a story was written for the Journal, Veronica made the front page of her local newspaper, the Allied News, Grove City, Pennsylvania. The article by Erin Behan was so good, we decided to reprint it here instead of one of our own. For Veronica Churchill, the railroad is a "family thing." Churchill--a petite, 5-foot-2 19 year-old from Liberty Township--is the first female ever to work "the line" for the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad, helping tackle the strenuous job of replacing old ties and repairing the track. She is not, however, the first family member to work on a railroad. Not by a long shot. In fact, with her new summer job, Churchill--a student at Lock Haven University the rest of the year--has started the fourth generation of railroad workers in her family. Her great-grandfather worked on the railroad, "my grandpa and his five brothers all worked on the railroad," Churchill said. "I've always wanted to work on the railroad. I guess we're just a big railroad family." Churchill said the biggest reason is her father, Jim, a foreman for B&LE. "Ever since I was little, he's always been working on it, coming home and talking about his day on the railroad. He's the one who told me about the job." Churchill said when she found out that she met the criteria for the summer job, she decided to go ahead and apply. Jim Churchill, a 30-year railroad veteran, said he remembers his daughter voicing an interest during a "take your daughters to work day" campaign when she was 15 or 16. "She wanted to go to work with her dad to see what he did, but the railroad said the liability part was a little shaky, so she never got to go," he said. "But she always wanted to find out what it was all about." For now, Churchill is operating a hydraulic spike driver, which drives new spikes into the rails once the old ties are removed and replaced with new ones. "You press a button, and it loads a spike, and then from there you align it on a plate in a square hold, and drive it into the tie," she said, explaining the process. "If you mess up, you have to get out and fix it, usually by hand." Later she will do all the other jobs associated with rail repair: changing ties by hand, digging in the mud, hand spiking, carrying materials to and from the job sites, lining and raising track, and operating the heavy machinery. It's demanding, heavy, physical work, and her dad admitted that he was a bit surprised when he realized she was serious about taking the job. He got used to it, though, and now I think it's kind of neat, the idea that my daughter is working on the railroad," he said. Although she does not work directly under her dad, Churchill does come in contact with him and his crew. "It's something new with a female," he said. "Everything changes on the railroad--some of the restrooms had the doors repaired, and locks were installed on all the restrooms. "You have to find out where the young lady is before you do certain things, and of course the language--shop talk has to be a little more careful. It's definitely different." September through May, Churchill spends her time studying Spanish education, but she said she doesn't mind sweating it out June through August with the boys. Churchill said safety on the railroad has always been a priority, and she has never worried about using heavy machinery. "The people in charge of stuff always look out for you. There's always someone else watching your back." One of the things Churchill likes best about the job is the people she works with. "It's just me and the guys," she said. "They make it enjoyable." The worst, she said, is the heat. "It's really hot," she said with a laugh, "and the days, they can be long." Despite the heat and long days, Churchill said she would not trade her job for the typical summer job of check-out clerk or lifeguard. "When you work with the people I do, you get some really interesting things going on. There isn't really much of a dull moment on the railroad. The only time it gets boring is when a machine breaks down," she said. "But the other guys make it pretty lively, and they look after me and protect me. They're good guys." She also likes the set schedule, the security and the fact that it provides good money for college. "I plan on doing this until I'm out of school," she said. Besides taking dance for 10 years, Veronica also has played soccer since she was four years old. She played on the boys' team in high school and she's also played on two girls club teams from Grove City and Slippery Rock. Veronica has also played on a premier girl's team from Western Pennsylvania before playing on a women's team at Lock Haven University. Father Jim says that when "V" applied for the job, everyone assumed it was for a secretarial position. He also tells a funny story about V's first day on the job. "She was handling spikes all day and would be pushing up her glasses and brushing her hair back. Her face was completely black by the end of the day." Jim Churchill has held several lodge offices and for 21 years has served as General Chairman of the Bessemer & Lake Erie System Division. He's always "liked the union because of the seniority principle and if you stick together, you can do things." Linda Churchill, who's been married to Jim almost 27 years, used to be a sewer for Bobbi Brooks and also served as General Chairman of the Garment Workers' Union (now UNITE).