BUD
HAYNES, VETERAN RAILROADER,
CELEBRATES 82ND BIRTHDAY
One of the well known residents of this county, Francis M.
Haynes of Doe Run, celebrated his 82nd birthday with a family reunion and dinner at his
home last Sunday. The dinner originally was scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 10, but inability
of several members of the family to be there on that date caused a week's postponement.
Haynes, known as "Bud" to St. Francois countians and
almost a legendary figure on the old Mississippi River and Bonne Terre Railroad, had
railroading in his blood since his father took him to north Missouri at Princeton, where
he saw his first railroad engine. He decided that day he would be an engineer and told his
father, "Some day I'll run one of those." He was five years old at the time.
In 39 [and] 1/2 years with the M.R. and B.T., before his
retirement in 1921, he progressed from work in the roundhouse in Bonne Terre to running
his own engine for the last 20 years of his service with the railroad, and lived to see
all five of his sons work at one time or another on the same railroad. The five sons are
B. L. "Red" Haynes of Doe Run, Willard of Willard, Ohio, Tom in a veteran's
hospital in North Little Rock, Ark., Clarence of East St. Louis, and John of Doe Run. Not
to be outdone, a nephew, Jesse Haynes, is continuing in the family line by operating the
St. Francois Co. R.R. car which runs from Farmington to Delassus. One son remains in the
path chosen by the father--John Haynes, the youngest son, still is with M.R. and B.T.
In August, 1901, "Bud" Haynes went to Flat River to
take over "Old 21" engine, known familiarly as "Old Mud Hen." He was
on switching duty then and it led to his first assignment on a passenger run, going from
Doe Run to Riverside. It wasn't long until everyone along the track knew when
"Bud" Haynes was on the engine. All the old-timers will remember his distinctive
railroad crossing whistle--not the customary toot of two longs and two shorts, but his own
two longs, one short and another long.
People in the railroad towns along the M.R. and B.T.
right-of-way knew of him, too. There weren't many among the railroad folk who hadn't heard
of his prowess at story telling. He not only had a complete stock of stories and was adept
at telling them, but it is said in case he ran out of good "yarns" he would make
up a "tall story" with the greatest of ease.
After little Francis Haynes saw his first engine, his dad
replied to the statement, "I'll run one of those," with "You might do it,
son." And in 1890, at the age of 26, he started to work for the railroad where he
worked in the roundhouse at Bonne Terre for 3 months.
From there he was promoted to fireman on the road, which
position he held for nine months. Then he was transferred to Doe Run where he was hustler
for about four years, most of which time he worked with the late C. P. Hill, who was coach
tender then.
It was during this period that "Bud" and
"C.P.", as everyone knew Mr. Hill, in addition to taking care of the engines and
coaches, helped reconvert some of the narrow guage cars that operated on part of the M.R.
and B.T. track, to standard guage of railroads today.
After hustling for some time, he asked Mr. Kerman, who was in
charge at Bonne Terre at the time, to put him back on as fireman, which request was
promptly refused. Kerman then offered Haynes an engine to run and that started his long
tenure as engineer. He ran a freight engine for four years and then a switch engine for a
while until getting the passenger run in 1901.
In addition to his long engineer run, "Bud" Haynes
was known locally as an expert in his hobby of making axe handles. For a good many years,
estimated by his sons to have been between 12 and 15, Haynes bought the St. Louis Sunday
newspapers at Riverside and brought them home to the residents of Doe Run and vicinity who
otherwise would not have had the opportunity to see the city papers.
He not only was [a] pioneer engineer of this section, but he
was and is a good citizen and nothing can illustrate this better than his interest in the
welfare of the children of the community at Doe Run. Many a young kid has been helped out
in going to school by clothing and books provided by Haynes, placing himself in debt
sometimes to help them.
In addition to his five sons, Haynes has two daughters
who were able to attend the four generation reunion. They are Marian (Mrs. Wm. Silvey of
Caledonia) and Wilma (Mrs. Everett Huff) of Elvins Route 1. He has eight grandchildren,
all living except one, and seven great grandchildren.
Published by THE LEAD BELT NEWS, Flat River, St. Francois Co. MO, Fri. Feb. 22, 1946.
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