eS
1d
1-
to
ic
d
0
d
e
< .
J < 0
SI Sf wr.
vy. hw
tN RAT
SUS
Q
Vol. 77 No. 2 January 12, 1977
THE SHIFTER:
Don’t ask for one
in Lancaster City
Many residents of Mari-
etta and Columbia told us
the same embarrassing
story.
“I got a pretty strange
look,’” said John Hinkle.
“They didn’t know what
I was talking about,” said
Bob Spangler.
“They acted like I was
off my rocker,”” someone
else admitted.
That’s what will happe:
if you try to order a shifter
in Lancaster City restau-
rants. The shifter sandwich
is a distinctively local food,
although its popularity is
spreading.
According to legend, the
shifter was created in
Columbia back in the hey-
day of the railroad busi-
ness. The big ‘‘shifting
yards’’ in Columbia were
full of freight cars waiting
to be arranged into separ-
ate trains. A small locomo-
tive called a ‘‘shifter’’ was
used to move the cars from
one train to another.
When the men who ran
the shifter engines got
hungry, they ordered sand-
wiches from the bars and
restaurants on Locust
Street. The railroad men
worked hard, and they
wanted a big sandwich:
something with lots of
ham, cheese, lettuce,
mayonnaise, sweet pickles,
tomatoes, and sliced onion.
Since the men who
ordered the sandwich work-
ed on the shifters, every-
one began calling the
things ‘‘shifter ° sand-
wiches.”’
Where is it safe
to order a shifter?
The Susquehanna Times
editor decided to investi-
gate the geography and
history of the shifter. He
cornered an unlucky cub
reporter, and ordered the
young wretch to start
calling restaurants.
The reporter decided to
get the worst part over
with first. He dialed a
Lancaster restaurant.
‘““Hello,”” a woman’s
voice purred. ‘‘May we
help you?"
The reporter said, ‘“‘Do
you sell shifters?”’
The voice on the phone
stopped purring. “This is a
restaurant, not a hardware
store,” she said. ‘“You've
got the wrong number.”’
The man at another Lan-
caster restaurant was more
helpful. “Oh, that’s an old
sandwich,’ he said.
‘““There’s a place on North
Queen Street, sold them
years ago, but nobody
makes them any more.”’
At the Lancaster County
Farm Restaurant in Eliza-
bethtown, the lady who
answered the phone had
never heard of a shifter.
“In fact,”’ she said,
‘‘there’s quite a few people
here that never heard of
them.”
You can order a shifter
at Mount Joy's Lincoln
Restaurant, although no-
body in that establishment
can tell you the history of
the sandwich.
Surprisingly, shifters are
also sold in Millersville at
both the Sugar Bowl and
the Barn Door. It was intro-
duced there by students,
professors and chefs from
the Columbia area.
In Columbia or Marietta,
nobody will ever act sur-
prised if you order a
shifter. The proprietors of
the restaurants usually
know the story about how
the sandwich got its name
from the shifting yards at
Columbia.
Origins of the shifter
According to most ex-
perts, the late T. W. Olena
created the first shifter in
his Locust Street restau-
rant. We were unable to
contact any of Mr. Olena’s
relatives for confirmation.
The restaurant is now
managed by Jane Kreider,
who calls the place Janie’s
Restaurant. Jane didn’t
realize that the legendary
avent may have occured
(continued on Page 14)
L
)
\Q
Susquehanna Times & The Mount Joy Bulletin
MARIETTA & MOUNT JOY, PA.
Susquehanna Times staffers Pat (left) and Jody (right)
2 PA
.
eo
Mout!
UEHANNA
\ ” ] 592
JOY?
T'TMES
FIFTEEN CENTS
attack a pair of shifters. Don’t try to order one in
Lancaster City.
The late Tuffield W. ‘‘Tuffie’’ Olena, the man credited
with creating the first shifter sandwich, sits in his
restaurant at 400 Locust Street in this photograph from
the 1930's. His wife, the late Mary J. Olena, stands at
far left.
photo courtesy of Dick Geesey of Columbia. Our thanks
to Joe Balt and Tom King for helping to locate the photo.