Tom Almost Missed a Car Race in Lake Balaton

After he graduated from the Technical University of Budapest in 1954, Tom got a job with Ganz Wagon Works. He worked there until he fled the country after the Hungarian Revolution in 1956.

After I verified the train was assembled according to the engineering plans, there came the trial runs and testing by the (usually foreign) inspector who either gave his stamp of approval or handed me a list of required corrections. These were elegantly streamlined trains with top speeds of 80 mph – lot of fun to ride on.

One of the highlights was a three-week test run when we actually lived on the train and carried out pre-planned tests on all parts of the power, control, brake, and suspension systems. It was a well-coordinated activity run by the manager of the test group, one of the brightest engineers in the country.

One Sunday morning on this three-week test run, we woke up to the rumble of the running train. We wondered who in the world got the train going. It was supposed to be a day of rest.

Clad in pajamas, we appeared in the driver’s compartment, still rubbing our eyes. One of the engineers was there in the “cockpit.” He smiled innocently, saying that he could not bear the thought of all of us missing a car race that was scheduled that day at Lake Balaton, about 150 miles away.

We were touched by his not-totally-unselfish thoughtfulness. We enjoyed the car race. Even his boss forgave his well-intentioned mischief.