" The Barclay Hotel"

Rule "G" was well known amongst railroad men as the rule that forbid the use of alcohol while on duty. It was also one of the most ignored rules in the On payday there was always someone around who was drunk, and usually more than one. Pay cheques weren't handed out until after 3PM on payday, and in those days the banks were all closed, and a cheque could not be cashed until the next day. You could tell the company where you wanted your cheque sent for pickup, and many men got their cheque at the Freight Shed on Front St.. Fortunately just across the street was the Barclay Hotel, and they were willing to cash your cheque if you let them keep the loose change part. For instance if the cheque was for $181.35 you got the $181.00 and they got the 35 cents.

So here was the scenario on pay day. There would be a big lineup of men stretching from the freight shed out onto Front St, as everyone tried to get their cheque. Then there would be a big lineup at the Barclay Hotel stretching out onto Front St. as everyone tried to cash their cheque, and of course once it was cashed everyone had to go in and have a few beers. It was a good deal for the Barclay all the way round.

But the one day that stands out in my mind at Bathurst St. was the afternoon the the Parkdale job pulled into the north side with a cut, and the foreman was telling the yardmaster in the tower what he had on his train via the talk back speakers. Hr rhymed off his list of cars saying .... and a car had to be taken back Barber-Greene. The Yardmaster said a car for where, the foreman repeated it again, and again the yardmaster says, a car for where, the helper F. was sitting on the bench outside the Northside shanty with his legs crossed, smoking a cigarette, and drunk as a skunk. When the Yardmaster to repeat it the third time , F pipes up and yells into the speaker , a car for Barber-Greene you stupid bastard. If you remember those speakers were very loud and this one was almost directly under the Bathurst St. bridge . Up on the bridge was a little old lady just about to get on a streetcar when the Yardmaster yells to F. "Why don't you take a long suck on this F." Well, the poor old lady's mouth dropped open and I thought she was going to fall of the bridge

When those guys got tanked up it was quite an education for a Young checker.

Gary M.

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Gary, as I remember it, and I cashed my check at the Barclay Hotel a few times myself, they used to charge a fixed rate, like 50 cents or 75 cents I forget how much, but it was Brink's Express, and a couple of our guys worked for them from time to time, Frank E. from Mimico, and Ken D. and William D. from Bathurst St. I am sure if someone reads this they will remind us
of the charge.

Also.. I was standing under Bathurst St. bridge with a few others, and we heard screams coming from up on the bridge right over us, and when we looked up, a guy had a woman over his head at arms length looking like he was going to throw her over the bridge, and then we started to scream at him to put her down, which he did, and they disappeared, I was never sure if he was going to do it, or if they were just putting us on, anyway he had her right at the edge.

Allan