Excerpts from interviews by Monika Ghattas, © 2002.
Antonio Montoya
Machinist: A Job in
the AT&SF Backshops
By Monika Ghattas
Excerpts from an oral interview with Antonio Montoya , Jul. 1999
When Antonio Montoya graduated from Albuquerque High School in
1936, he decided to take a job as a weaver with the Salas
family, who had come from Mexico and had set up a weaving shop
in the back of his home. But two years later he applied for a
job in the Albuquerque railroad yard; working for the railroad
was not only more lucrative, but this was where most of his
family was employed. His father, Jose Andres Montoya, had
started as a clerk there and later became a welder. And it is
quite possible that his maternal grandfather, Luis Sanchez, was
one of the first blacksmiths hired by the railroad in the 1880s.
Like many other railroad veterans, Antonio Montoya remembers the
exact date when he started with the railroad--October 9,
1939--and also his first wages-- sixty-two cents an hour. For
the first two years he was a machinist helper and then he was
promoted to machinist apprentice. He still speaks fondly of his
boss, Mr. Lapin, who taught him how to work with valves and
connect throttles on steam engines. He also helped in the
machine shop where they 'pressed wheels' to fit into the axles
of the steam engines. There he learned how to run the lathes and
milling machines and worked on compressors and big bolt
machines. Much of this was precision work and involved
considerable calculations with calipers and micrometers. Montoya
worked on many of the 2900 series of steam engines, including
Engine #2926, when the main wheels on those engines were
converted to roller bearing. (Engine #2926, part of the Wheels
Museum, is an Albuquerque landmark that stood in Coronado Park
for many years until it was moved back on the tracks in 2001 for
its eventual relocation to the museum site.)
Working with brass materials, such as shoes, bushings on rods,
and sidings, was something Montoya especially liked. This was
clean work that required considerable precision and fine
tooling. For example, the clearance for the brass sidings on
steam locomotives was only 1/64th of an inch.
Although his brothers all joined the service during World War II
and did not return to the railroad after the war, Montoya stayed
on and worked side by side with the many soldiers who were
assigned to the back shops during the war. Often these men were
trained machinists who had enlisted, but the government needed
them to keep the railroads operating efficiently during the busy
war years. They were housed in special barracks close to the
tracks and also ran the firehouse. Montoya wistfully recalls
that they collected two paychecks and could afford to frequent
the many bars on Second Street.
Eventually, Montoya was selected to attend the machinist school
for three years-two hours twice a week without pay. But as a
machinist, he received a substantial pay raise and was eligible
for more promotions. His workload also became lighter, because
diesel engines required much less maintenance. Many of his later
years were spent running the work equipment center. He retired
with a disability in 1974. Wearing a hard hat had irritated his
spine and he developed back problems.
The years working in the Albuquerque railroad yards were good
for Montoya. He belonged to the railroad bowling league and
traveled to competions all over the country, all the way to New
York one year. He also traveled to the West Coast and other
places for vacations and family visits. On weekends, he and his
wife frequently socialized with neighbors and friends, who
worked with him in the yards. Dancing at neighborhood centers
and at the Elks was probably their favorite activity for many
years.
