The Weedsport Cayuga Chief of July 5, 1909 reported that “the Italians employed by the I. M. Luddington & Son Construction Company, the contractors building the Rochester, Syracuse and Eastern Trolley in this area had decided to go on strike. The men had been receiving wages of $1.40 per 10-hour day and demanded an increase to $1.65. A compromise was reached at $1.50 per day and construction was resumed.

In the road's heyday, weekend travel was so heavy that a second car was often added, making a two-car train. The motorman controlled both cars from the front of the first car.

The conductor was typically in the second car. When he wished to communicate with the motorman, he used a signal cord that was strung overhead. Pulling the cord once signaled the motorman via a buzzer in his cab to stop. Two yanks on the cord was the signal that it was OK to go.

Another safety feature was a white light that showed at the edge of the front window of the first car indicating that all doors on the second car were closed securely.

Additionally, when a second car was added, a third man (actually in most cases a teenage boy) was added to the crew. His job was to stand on the rear platform, or vestibule, and limit the number of passengers to the capacity of the cars and to signal the motorman when that capacity was reached. A snappy uniform with a visored cap came with the job. The cap had “Bell Boy” lettered across the front. The bell boys were paid 20 cents an hour for a 12-hour day.

It was the bell boy's job to solicit the passengers as they got on to find out who was getting off where and to make a list in order of the stops so that he could signal the motorman when unscheduled stops were necessary to let a passenger disembark. Part of their job also included changing the trolley pole to reverse direction, throwing switches and other such work, however most of their time was spent on the rear vestibule.

R. A. Dyer, the general manager of the trolley company, would only hire big, tall men as motormen as he felt they inspired confidence in the public. Accordingly, he only hired small slight men as conductors as they could slip through crowded cars more easily in order to collect fares.

Local cars (cars that stopped at all stations and would stop at any intermediate stop when signaled) ran on the half hour while limited cars, which only stopped at major stations, ran on the hour. The last car of the day westbound left Weedsport at 11:30 p.m. and eastbound at 12:18 a.m. In December of 1909 the Cayuga Chief reported that including the trolley Weedsport now had 58 passenger trains every weekday and 52 on Sunday.

In the trolley's years of operation no passenger was ever killed, however accidents were common with horse and buggy and later automobiles. When approaching a grade crossing they sounded their gong and a substantial electric horn but still many people felt they could beat them to the crossing. Because the cars were so swift and silent, pedestrian accidents were also not rare. The Chief reported that on April 24, 1931, Mary Bates, 2-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Earl Bates wandered onto the tracks from her grandparents home on the Jordan Road a mile east of Weedsport. She was struck and killed instantly by a westbound car.

Another story is told of a local clothier named Abe Farber stalling his Model “T” Ford on the tracks near the Brutus and Willow Street stop. A young lad named Fred Carner was riding with him. They heard the trolley horn and jumped for their lives. The trolley hit the flivver at nearly full speed and witness Harold Whitman reported that the car went up into the air high above the trolley and came down a pile of junk. Abe's comment to Harold was “Dere she goes.”

We'll finish up with the trolley next month.

Denny Randall is president of the Old Brutus Historical Society in Weedsport.