Meet your neighbor, James Dunbar

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February 21, 2009

James Dunbar, 95, retired after 38 years of working on the railroad. "I haven't done a half a day’s work since," he says.

By Vanessa Fultz, Democrat Reporter The Suwannee Democrat Sat Feb 21, 2009, 10:04 AM EST

James Dunbar has seen a lot in his 95 years.

Dunbar grew up on a farm in Wellborn with his grandparents Grant and Bessie Williams. He was plowing with a mule by age 15 and he was grown before his uncle bought a tractor to work his grandparents' farm. The Williams family grew watermelons, corn and peanuts and raised hogs.

Dunbar enjoyed a 38-year career with the railroad. He got a job with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, now CSX Transportation, at age 25. His first job was to unload the mail from incoming trains into the depot in Live Oak. Back in those days, the railroad transported the mail and the post office picked it up from the train station. After 26 years, the position was done away with when trucks began carrying the mail.

Dunbar then became a brakeman. As part of that job he was required to operate a track lever, which allowed trains to switch tracks.

In those days, Dunbar said the train operator would be notified to switch tracks by attendants at train stations at various spots along the way. The attendants received word by telephone from train dispatchers, headquartered in Jacksonville, who monitored rail traffic. With the advent of automatic traffic control, the tracks are controlled electronically by dispatchers.

Dunbar considers himself blessed to have gotten the job since he was hired near the end of the Great Depression.

"Jobs were scarce. You didn't get jobs back then," he said.

Dunbar started out making $2.76 per hour, a nice sum in those days. He described the job as "good paying and easy."

Dunbar retired from the railroad 32 years ago.

"I haven't done a half a day’s work since," he said.

Dunbar met his wife of 64 years, the late Corine Dunbar, at a local church gathering. The couple raised two children and have four grandchildren.