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On
the Right track! - Margit Felder
Getting
through life is
often a question of making the most of things as they are. And, when
times are hard, every job is as good as the next. One has to take
what one finds. No job is too low. And, this was Margit Felder's
story.
It
was just after the war.
Margit Felder was hungry and looking for work. Vienna was
rebuilding, and, public transport was at the top of the list.
And
- there were the jobs.
Margit
Felder
became
a tram conductress. The
money was OK, and there was a smart dark blue uniform, too! But,
Margit Felder soon discovered the very hard truth. There was more to
being a conductress than just selling tickets and smiling. There
were other sides, too.
And,
two things that still
stand-out in Margit Felder's mind. The first, and perhaps the
hardest, was the coupling, uncoupling and re-coupling
of the rear carriages at
the beginning and end of each journey. This wasn’t so bad in the
summer; but, the winter, with its icy temperatures and early
afternoon darkness, was
differrent. The lifting of heavy and dirty and often freezing cold
hooks and chains was something that nobody envied. But that was life
and part of the job.
The
second thing Margit Felder looks back on are the moments of fun. Late
Saturday nights were the best. Margit Felder's route, the line 43,
connected the outlying wine district of Neuwaldegg with the centre of
town. Many of the passengers - if not most - were still over-merry
and over-happy as they boarded the tram for a late-night-ride-home of
laughing, joking and very loud singing; and, more often than not,
Margit Felder broke all the rules and joined in with the fun!
And,
fun was how Margit's life was.
She could write volumes of things she's experienced. Margit Felder
was always herself. And, her track was always the right track.
So,
lets go out for a glass of fine wine. Viennese white wines are the
best in the world. And, whilst riding home on the 43 tram we'll be
thinking of Margit. She'd have been singing and laughing with us.
Margit
Felder. She lived in a time when people took what they could and
got-on with the job. Margit Felder was a tram conductress, and on
Saturday nights she conducted the singing. Life on the tracks was
smiling as well.
On
the Right track! - Margit Felder
