Retirees take to trams with gusto
Husband and wife Dan and Rose Filbey take a moment to say hello as their respective trains pass each other on the Ocean City Boardwalk. / THOMAS MELVILLE/WORCESTER COUNTY TIMES
OCEAN CITY -- For years, Dan Filbey would sit on the balcony of the condo he used to own that overlooked the Boardwalk and watch the trams go by.
He often told his wife that if he ever decided to retire from his full-time job in Baltimore, he'd like to work as a driver during the summer season. Three years ago, he made good on his pledge, and has been piloting a tram up and down the planks ever since.
During his first summer on the job, his wife, Rose Filbey, would watch from that same balcony, and see her husband clearly enjoying himself as he drove by.
He looked like he was having way too much fun, she said, so the next summer she decided to get in on the action as well. She took up a part-time career as a conductor -- the people who sit in the back of the tram, giving direction and collecting cash from customers before they board.
Both enjoy the job, and Dan Filbey says he'll do it until it isn't fun anymore, a time he says he can't really imagine just yet.
"As far as working goes -- what better office can you have?" he said.
The Filbeys have since relocated to a year-round home in Fenwick Island and come into town together five days a week or so. They always work the same shift, but typically don't work on the same tram, a kind of unwritten tram operator policy that helps avoid backseat driver syndrome.
Their favorite shift is the late one, 5 p.m-1 a.m., because it's a period of high activity and low sun on the boards. They see each other every now and then when the trams pass each other.
"I get to say, 'Hi, babe,' as he goes by," Rose Filbey said. Sometimes, she'll tell passengers they're about to cross paths with her husband. Everyone on the tram will greet him in unison.
The Filbeys relish their constant interaction with riders, most of whom are on vacation and "happy about it," Rose Filbey said. They serve as makeshift tour guides for those who have just come to the resort for the first time, but they're always careful not to show bias toward certain restaurants or events, according to Dan Filbey. They just suggest "a lot of good places," he said.
"Wherever you go, the tram is a good place to start off a date," Rose Filbey said, citing a couple who had ridden recently on their 50th wedding anniversary. They'd come to Ocean City for their honeymoon, and decided to come back after half a century for another celebration. "It's great getting to meet people like that."
The Filbeys also find amusement in the excitement many younger children seem to have regarding the tram. They have two grandchildren who are in awe of their position as tram operators, they said.
"Whenever Danny started driving, you would have thought he was some kind of superstar," Rose Filbey said.
smuska@dmg.gannett.com
410-213-9442, ext. 14
He often told his wife that if he ever decided to retire from his full-time job in Baltimore, he'd like to work as a driver during the summer season. Three years ago, he made good on his pledge, and has been piloting a tram up and down the planks ever since.
During his first summer on the job, his wife, Rose Filbey, would watch from that same balcony, and see her husband clearly enjoying himself as he drove by.
He looked like he was having way too much fun, she said, so the next summer she decided to get in on the action as well. She took up a part-time career as a conductor -- the people who sit in the back of the tram, giving direction and collecting cash from customers before they board.
Both enjoy the job, and Dan Filbey says he'll do it until it isn't fun anymore, a time he says he can't really imagine just yet.
"As far as working goes -- what better office can you have?" he said.
The Filbeys have since relocated to a year-round home in Fenwick Island and come into town together five days a week or so. They always work the same shift, but typically don't work on the same tram, a kind of unwritten tram operator policy that helps avoid backseat driver syndrome.
Their favorite shift is the late one, 5 p.m-1 a.m., because it's a period of high activity and low sun on the boards. They see each other every now and then when the trams pass each other.
"I get to say, 'Hi, babe,' as he goes by," Rose Filbey said. Sometimes, she'll tell passengers they're about to cross paths with her husband. Everyone on the tram will greet him in unison.
The Filbeys relish their constant interaction with riders, most of whom are on vacation and "happy about it," Rose Filbey said. They serve as makeshift tour guides for those who have just come to the resort for the first time, but they're always careful not to show bias toward certain restaurants or events, according to Dan Filbey. They just suggest "a lot of good places," he said.
"Wherever you go, the tram is a good place to start off a date," Rose Filbey said, citing a couple who had ridden recently on their 50th wedding anniversary. They'd come to Ocean City for their honeymoon, and decided to come back after half a century for another celebration. "It's great getting to meet people like that."
The Filbeys also find amusement in the excitement many younger children seem to have regarding the tram. They have two grandchildren who are in awe of their position as tram operators, they said.
"Whenever Danny started driving, you would have thought he was some kind of superstar," Rose Filbey said.
smuska@dmg.gannett.com
410-213-9442, ext. 14
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