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| Re: MTA Uniforms (1260266) | |||
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Re: MTA Uniforms |
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Posted by Randyo on Sun Nov 24 19:58:05 2013, in response to MTA Uniforms, posted by BusRider on Sun Nov 24 13:46:10 2013. Prior to 1966, the TA required employees to purchase their uniforms at employee expense. Bus operators wore a sort of arm olive drab uniform. C/Rs wore dark blue with either a matching dress jacket or Eisenhower jacket and a cap virtually identical to a police officer's cap. M/M were required to wear pinstripe or hickory stripe overalls with a matching jumper and either a RR style matching cap or a black silk cap which was slightly similar to the US Navy uniform cap. C/Rs and M/M were also required to have the appropriate badge attached to the cap although in practice, BMT M/M usually declined to wear the badge and that part of the uniform requirement wasn't enforced. The original badges for both the M/M and C/Rs were simple oblong aluminum with the title on the top line, the number on the second line and the division in small letters at the very bottom although many of the IND badges lacked the division designation and when I started in 1966 the badges had no division designation at all. Also the badge numbers which were 5 digits were coded by division with the IND numbers beginning with the number 1, BMT beginning with the number 3 and IRT beginning with the number 6. By the time I started, however, the coding began to disappear and although I was a BMT C/R, my badge number began with a number 1 and my 1968 M/M's badge began with a number 7. The C/R badges that the TA issued in late 1966, were a lot more attractive and substantial and their numbers began with a number 8. Also, the new caps were a sort of stovepipe design similar to the mainline RR C/R's caps. A problem came in when C/Rs operating from cabs instead of between cars started losing their caps as the pulled their heads inside the cars after closing the doors or having caps fall off wile sticking their heads out the window. The TA then modified the rules so thatC/Rs in train service were no longer required to wear their caps when opening and closing doors although they were required to have their caps with them at all times. What sort of system the MTA uses, I really don't know and AFAIK even though theT/Os have uniforms, I don't believe they are issued badges.The pinstripe pattern which was a finer stripe than the hickory stripe was the preferred uniform although the broader and more familiar RR style hickory stripe was allowed. Although hickory stripe overalls and jumpers are still readily available, I haven't seen any pinstripe overalls available in years. In any event, when the TA began to supply uniforms in 1966, for some reason, no arrangements were initially made for any sort of uniform for the M/M until some time in the 1980s probably with the Kiley/Gunn administration. The first M/M uniforms issued were the traditional pinstripe but at some point were changed to the current dark blue with pinstripe shirts although I'm not sure exactly when that change took place. |
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