TRAIN TALK: Jerome Pier of Carlisle tells us those “40&8’s”
from World War I were still in use in WWII:

“I, along with several hundred other replacements, rode in a
train of these small cars from LeHavre to the Replacement Depot
near Paris and later on into Germany to join I Company of the
319th, 80th Division, 3rd Army.

“Also rode them when I was heading home in 1945. The U.S. Army
loaded only 25 to the car rather than 40 so we had room to stretch
out our sleeping bags on the floor. The cars were single axle (as
opposed to the two-axle trucks coommon in the U.S.) and were a
rough ride.

“The motive power was a coal-fired steam locomotive so you
choked on smoke through any tunnels. There were many delays and the
‘K’ Rations we were issued at the beginning of the trip often ran
out before the destination was reached.

“None of these things bothered us much on the trip home.”

ON PATROL: Dave Petruzzi of Smethport writes about another
recent RTS subject:

“I was a patrol boy in Smethport in the late ’40s. At that time,
we had four patrol boys and two subs. We stood at the corners of
Fulton and Main and King streets, across from the Hamlin Bank on
Franklin and Main and King streets, across from the Catholic
church. We were appointed by our 5th- and 6th-grade teachers for
two years. A lot of kids didn’t want it because it meant getting to
school early and standing in all kinds of weather. Grade school
kids were instructed to cross only where there were patrols.

“At that time, all grade-school students were from Smethport
because Clermont, Farmers Valley, East Smethport, Cyclone and
Crosby still had their own schools. Students from those schools
didn’t come to Smethport until 7th or 9th grade.

“Anyone familiar with Smethport would realize how far some kids
walked. These students were from 1st grade on up. After the war,
most people had only one car. The old joke about walking through
two feet of snow to get to school was really no joke.

“I am quite sure the safety patrol was countywide sponsored by
AAA. When I went to Washington, D.C., there were kids from around
the surrounding area. Mr. Van Nette’s name sounds familiar.”