Ceres: What would say to a woman who would want to be a conductor?
David: I’d tell them to apply. I have done it already, and one of the persons has been hired. It is a good career move, not easy but fulfilling once you’ve learned it, and you get compensated well. If you can handle it, t’s a good career to go in.
Ceres: Any stories you would want to share?
David: I was working on this train, and there was a car stuck on the tracks. We had just left Buena Park, and gone as far as one signal out, and we had to stop. So, I made the announcement that a car was stuck on the tracks, and that we might be here for a long time. Then, someone came running from the back of the train saying that somebody was having a seizure. I said, “Really?” I couldn’t believe it.
So, I went over there, and there was somebody on the floor, having a seizure. They said they had called 911, and the paramedics were going to wait at Norwalk. But we were stuck, and we
couldn’t get to Norwalk. So, I called in to ask what to do. Then, I said to the engineer, “Let’s go back to Buena Park, and let’s get that person some medical attention.”
So, we did. A medical team was there, waiting. They worked on the man on the ground, he got better, and they took him in an ambulance. That’s what I mean by multi-tasking; you have to think fast, and you can’t freeze up. You’ve got to have a solution to the problem.
Ceres: I remember that one. I was on that train. Didn't we get stuck again after we departed Buena Park for the second time?
David: Yes, that's right. The car was still on the tracks.
Ceres: Any last thoughts?
David: I’m glad that we integrated more women in the railroad. It’s a good thing. Women can do the job. If a man can do it, a woman can do it!
Al Mohymont for Ceres Magazine
"I’m glad that we integrated more women in the railroad. It’s a good thing..."
68 - Ceres Magazine - Winter 2016
David Cameron -- Metrolink Conductor. Photo by Lands of Void.