The job of porter was interesting; but the hours were long sometimes, eighteen hours a day leaving little time for rest. He slept in an upper bunk since he was at the bottom of seniority for about six months. After that time, there may be a posted job opening, on which he could bid. If he had the proper seniority, he could move up.
Peter was happy that he did not work in what was known as the mule car sixteen beds, upper and lower. During the day, the passengers would sit on seats. In the morning, all the beds were stripped down to make the seats. In the evening, the opposite procedure took place. The tourist cars created a little less work, also having uppers and lowers. At the end of the car was a little kitchen for the passengers where they could enjoy a snack. Since all the beds were usually sold out, the porter would sleep on a bench.
There was a special box in the sleepers where the passengers placed their shoes when they went to bed. During the night, the porter had to polish the shoes. This service is no longer available on trains. One night, someone came to Peter’s room at 4:00 a.m. and knocked on the door. He said that one pair of shoes was missed. Peter agreed to go to take a look. When he saw a pair of suede shoes, he told the passenger not to wake him again at that time. He never did and the two became good friends.
It is proper to give a porter a good tip at the end of a train journey. He does work hard and depends on tips as part of his livelihood.
There were two departments: sleeping and dining. Since many of the porters were African-American, they could not enter the diner. Likewise, the dining car staff could not enter the sleeping compartment. Later, African-Americans were able to apply for any position, if they had the required qualifications.
