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| Pete Conerty (right)
shakes hands with fellow U&D Engineer Frank Barton (left).
Pete has brought the train into Hunter for the final time and
has officially retired. #39 looms in the
background. | |
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From the Kingston Daily
Freeman, January 31, 1934
Peter
Conerty Makes His Last Trip Today
Engineer on Old U.
& D., Now Catskill Mountain Division, Since 1887, Retires
at 70 This Afternoon When He Brings in His
Train.
Peter H. Conerty makes his last trip
today. This afternoon at 5:25 o'clock Mr. Conerty, engineer,
is scheduled to bring his train into the West Shore station
from the last run he'll ever make on the Catskill Mountain
Division of the New York Central, and when a little later he
eases the locomotive into its berth at the Rondout roundhouse
he will be retired automatically. For Mr. Conerty is 70 years
old, and he began his service on the Stony Clove branch of the
Ulster and Delaware Railroad in 1887, 47 years ago.
Mr. Conerty's association with his
railroad buddies will not be abruptly terminated, however, by
efficent railroad timpieces, for on February 10 a joint
testimonial dinner will be tendered Mr. Conerty and Patrick N.
Phillips, recently retired conductor.
Mr. Conerty resides at 41 Livingston
street,
Kingston. | |
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Engineer
Pete Conerty (left) stands in front of his train, headed by
#2, at Hunter. | |
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Pete
Conerty | |
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From the Kingston Daily Freeman, February
12, 1934
Veteran Railroad
Men Guests of Honor
Patrick F.
Phillips and P.H. Conerty, veteran railroad men,
recently retired from active service, were the guests of
honor Saturday evening at a banquet held in the Elks
Club on Fair street, which was attended by about 100
friends. Both men had served for years on the former
Ulster & Delaware railroad, now the Catskill
Mountain Branch of the New York Central. Mr. Phillips as
a conductor and Mr. Conerty as an engineer.
Conductor
Phillips started railroading when a young boy and has
been in active service nearly 55 years. When he started
work on the railroad automatic coupling was not known
and links and pins were the only couplers in use. All
trains were equipped with hand brakes, as air brakes
were not in use in those early days.
Mr. Conerty
was also only a boy when he started out firing on the
Stony Clove and Hunter branch, and served but a short
time as a fireman when he was promoted to engineer. He
had served for nearly 48 years when he was retired
recently.
Following
the serving of a turkey dinner W.J. Lent, the last
trainmaster of the old U. & D. presided as
toastmaster, and read letters of regret from Edward
Coykendall and W.B. Ingalsbe, who, owing to illness,
were unable to attend, but sent greetings and best
wishes to the two guests of honor. Superintendent A.M.
Wright, of the New York Central, sent a telegram that
owing to operating conditions in New York harbor he was
unable to be present.
Among those
who were called upon by Trainmaster Lent and who
responded briefly D.R. Soper, O.N. Wood, Edward Snyder,
W. Elmandorf, Martin Cashin, John Kolts, P.C. Macdonald,
Otis Underwood, and C. Freer. Conductor J.W. Herdman
told a bear story and delighted the guests with a clog
danes. Lineman Matthew also gave a solo
dance.
E.E. Craw
another speaker of the evening, presented Mr. Phillips
with a traveling bag while J.E. Riley presented Mr.
Conerty with a traveling bag.
During the
evening the music and singing was led by John Erne and
his
orchestra.
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On break at
Kaaterskill Junction. L-R: C.E. Goodright, Kaaterskill Junction
Station Agent; Pete Conerty, engineer;
William F. Conerty, engineer; Frank Conerty, engineer;
and Bert Traphagen, brakeman. 6/1895. Frank Conerty is Pete's half-brother,
William F. Conerty is Frank's
son. Photo: Emery E.
Craw. |
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| Grave of Peter Conerty
and his wife, Eliza, at Sacred Heart Cemetery, Stamford,
NY. | |
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From the Kingston Daily
Freeman, December 4, 1939
Peter A. Conerty, 75, retired New York
Central Railroad engineer from Hunter died at his residence
there yesterday. A native of Jefferson, Schoharie county, he
served as a locomotive engineer for 47 years, retiring in
1934. Surviving are his wife, Eliza Scully, one daughter, Mrs.
Burton Jones of Maybrook, one granddaughter, Miss Elaine
Jones, a brother John Conerty of Colorado; three sisters, Mrs.
Frank Cronk of Grand Gorge, Mrs. Edward Utter of Lond Island
and Mrs. Elizabeth Champlin of Stamford. The Conertys
celebrated their golden wedding anniversary last year in
November. His funeral will be held from the Catholic Church in
Hunter, Saturday at 10 a.m. Burial will be in Stamford. Mr.
Conerty was a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers. | |
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