After and as a result of the new yard " MacMillan Yard" opening in 1965 costing many millions of dollars, resulting in the draining of many good employee from downtown and Mimico, those areas were left short handed.


The employees working in these areas were able to work almost unlimited amounts of overtime, and in fact 48 hour shifts were worked as well as 40 hour, 32 hour and 24 hour shifts.

After so much overtime, over such an extended period of time I finally got sick of it and cried uncle, I said to myself, I'm not going in if the call me for the midnight shift.

The first call I got was about 6:30 PM and its RJ who says we need you for midnight, and I can tell from the slurred speech he is drunk, but I said no RJ I'm tired of it, I have to get some rest, say goodbye and hang up the phone.

The phone rings about 15 minutes later, and this time it's Aubrey R and by the sound of it he's been drinking to, he asks me to come in for the midnight shift, and I tell him no I'm to tired, and hang up the phone.

The phone rings a short time after that and this time it's Joe V. who I can tell is totally drunk, who wants me to come in for midnight, but this time I think their all drunk and if something happens down there there will be hell to pay so I better get in, and not midnight now, so off I go.

I get to work about twenty minutes later and all three of them are out of it totally drunk, and the Trianmaster, I can't remember his name is walking around like a caged lion, desperately wanting to fire someone, but logistically could not fire everyone, train Ad. 300 is on the High Line ready to go and there is Joe V., glassy eyed, looking at the teletype machine, and pecking away intermittently one finger at a time, and at that rate the train would have been there all night.

I get a quick line up from RJW the Chief Clerk at the time, of what is going on and tell him to get the hell out of there, which he does right away, without delay.

I go over to Joe V. on the teletype and tell him to go to the Yardman's lunch room and wait for me, until I could get things straightened away.

Joe lived in Parkdale near where I lived at the time so it wouldn't take me long to get him home and return.

I had to help Joe out of the chair, to the back door and watch him stumble to the Yardmen's Lunch Room, and went back to the teletype machine to get out the train.

Now the Trainmaster comes over to me and asks am I going to be OK, I say yes nothing to worry about we'll get everything out, no problem.

There was probably a few minutes delay but that was no big deal it could have happened anyway, due to late loads being backed on to the flat cars.

There were many other things to do beside train 300, so I set about, straightening things out, which took a while, and about 2 AM when things had settled down I went to the Lunch Room to take Joe home and when I got there I couldn't believe my eyes, I looked in disbelief.

Joe had puked, and there wasn't a flat surface in the lunchroom he had missed, he must have puked up his last three meals, I never believed that someone could possibly puke that much.

He had puked on the lockers her puked on the walls he puked on the benches, and he puked in the stalls, not to mention the bench he was laying on and the lunch table.

I thought, I hope he can walk, because I have to get him out of here before any one connects him to this mess, I take him to my car and throw an old blanket over the seat so as not to make a mess, but I couldn't do anything about the smell, and I take him home.

All night the Yardmen came into the Yard Office and had there lunches, and I was afraid to ask them why, and no one volunteered why, so I just exchanged pleasantries with them, and let it be.

At 6:AM was when the janitor Shorty J. started, and when he came into the Yard Office, he was loaded for Bear, screaming, did you guys see the mess in the lunch room, three guys must have puked in there, I can't believe it, how can I get that cleaned up, and asked me to go over and have a look.

I say if it is as bad as you say Shorty I'll likely puke myself and that would make it worse.

The only advise I can give you was given by Chairman Mao," a ten thousand mile journey, begins with a single step " so start walking.

It probably wasn't very nice, but someone had to do it and I was sure it wasn't me.

The next time I saw Joe I asked him what the hell happened.

He said for some reason or another they had all brought bottles in, mickys because they were easier to carry, and were pecking away at them through the evening, and he was halfway through his second when he offered RJ a drink, and RJ took a little more than Joe thought he should, so when RJ offered Joe a drink from his newly opened bottle, Joe drank the whole thing without taking it from his mouth.

Now it must be said that Joe was a big strong guy, but never drank that much generally, so it's not surprising how sick he got, but doing that I think, would have killed, or seriously injured a lesser man.