Railfans are an interesting bunch – found within the group of us are all different types. Some like to ride trains and collect “rare mileage.” Others eschew riding the trains altogether so they can get that perfect photo of it. Some build their old memories in models, and others do the same in vast collections of ephemera and artifacts. It is fairly obvious that I am one of those folks that loves taking photos of trains, but I am also a serious collector of timetables (public – not employee, though I do have a few of those) and other paper items from the New York Central (generally with a focus on the Harlem Division, as you’d probably guess). Over the years, a fraction of my collection has made it online. I started SmartCat as an archive to it, but like the site, updates were hardly frequent.

One of my goals for the year is to scan a lot of my collection, and share it with you – on Sundays. The items I upload here will eventually be archived in SmartCat as well, hence the name, SmartCat Sundays. Hopefully a lot of the items I have you will find as interesting as I do! Today’s example is a short booklet printed by the New York Central for employees on how to have proper manners and be courteous. As a graphic designer, I found the illustrations sort of comical. But the piece also shows a little bit of the mindset of the company before its downfall. But perhaps, it was a foreshadowing of that which was to come

In the long run, it is the traveling and shipping public that writes our pay checks and provides us with the opportunity to win security and advancement. That is why building good public relations is a job for us all. It’s the best insurance for our jobs!