[1] When the blacksmithing apprenticeship didn't work out, Bernet learned telegraphy and was hired in 1889 on the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway.

[2] By the time he left the Nickel Plate, the railroad had grown considerably thanks to Bernet's work at upgrading the system.

He is credited with doubling the railroad's total freight tonnage and average speeds systemwide while cutting fuel consumption in half.

[6][7] The Van Sweringen brothers had gained control of the C&O and its then subsidiary Pere Marquette Railroad in the 1920s, so Bernet was already familiar to the rest of the management team there.

[9] He was greatly admired by his peers for his business acumen and after his death a privately printed biography, with an Appreciation by the Van Sweringens, was brought out.