Football
- For up to fifteen years in the 1950s and 1960s, the railways carried football fans across Canada to the locations of the annual Grey Cup football games. These Grey Cup Specials created much stress for the crews because of there being so many drunk people aboard. The drunks did not know what they were doing, resulting in much breakage, including the ripping of blinds and other fixtures from the walls. Coaches were added to the regular consist for the fans. However, these people would go through the whole train. It was difficult for a crew to handle the drunks, who showed no responsibility or respect. All that the conductors could do was to threaten to disembark the unruly passengers.
On one occasion on a Saskatoon to Winnipeg run, about $3,000 worth of damage occurred. Railroad authorities decided to transport the rowdies the rest of the way to Toronto by air. Eventually, the railways decided to end the service as it cost more to maintain it than what they earned in fares. These people were also disturbing other paying passengers who were not aboard as Grey Cup fans.
Peter tried to miss these trains, although he did work on a few. Every six months crew members could bid on jobs, with seniority determining who had the best choices. Thus, those with high seniority could avoid them and those with lower seniority gained the experience of working on such excursions.
Hockey
- For many years, the railways carried hockey players between Montreal and Toronto, and as far as the US border for trips to Boston, New York, Detroit, and Chicago. Peter dealt mainly with Toronto Maple Leaf and Montreal Canadien players. He found that the players were quite well-behaved. He met a few coaches and found that they were fine people.
A few persons whom he particularly remembers are Jean Beliveau (quiet), Gump Worseley, Maurice Richard (who liked cigars), Toe Blake, Doug and Max Bentley (brothers who were smaller than most hockey players), Ted Kennedy, Frank Mahovlich (quiet), Dave Keon, Johnny Bower, Bernie Geoffrion, George Armstrong, and King Clancy (small in stature). Peter had a good word for all of them, saying that they were very friendly and polite. Peter worked part time in the Tops Restaurant, which used to be at Dundas and Yonge, in Toronto. He met players both there and on the train.
