I am hesitant to relate the following little story, but it came up in an email conversation with other old heads who are now mostly retired. I was a young and dumb just-turned-24-year-old Engineer back then, having been an Engineer about three years. The names were changed to protect the innocent . . . or I guess, the guilty. To us THEN, just another day at the railroad, getting the job done, one way or another: Dutch-Dropping 25 loaded cars, Uphill at Kopperl -- 1981 I remember that Conductor Notacareintheworld asked me if I thought we could do it. We couldnt get to the east end of the siding (the siding was being lengthened by about a mile and CTC installed in place of the ABS) because of the gangs and we wanted to get around the cars and go home, I think. It was uphill, but I remembered if you werent ready to stop there on a heavy freight train, things seemed like they would just keep rolling. I told him that I thought we could (I was a dumb as they came, too, and game for just about anything . . . ONCE). He told me to back down however far I thought I needed to go and do it. Brakeman Grumpy rode the brakes, and I guess Brakeman Barelyknewem got the pin and Conductor was at the switch. I backed off way down there, probably a couple of thousand feet or so and got a run at it -- seems like about 30 MPH or so, got the slack and then hauled ass to the west switch. I remember the Conductor having trouble throwing the newly installed dual control switch (I dont think we had even tested it) and I thought my biggest problem was getting STOPPED. Boy, was I wrong! I got stopped, but it seemed like the unit was taking forever to load up after I reversed it. As it was, I was committed to clearing in the siding AGAINST the movement as there was no way I was going to out run Brakeman Grumpy and the cars uphill -- they WERE MOVING ON, BROTHER! Finally, the engine moved and I was heading in, the whole time watching Brakeman Grumpy, riding the leading end of the leading car heading right at me, destined for a head on collision. I remember seeing his eyes and I knew that he knew that it wouldnt do to much good to try and stop that string of cars with one handbrake. We were committed!!! I dont remember just how close it was, but I was sweating bullets. If there was any doubt that those cars would make it by us, there shouldnt have been -- I think they damned near went halfway up that hill before Grumpy got them stopped and secured from rolling back down on us! LOL. I vowed to never do that shit again! Oddly enough, I dont think it was too much later that another Engineer got sideswiped in Belton at Charter Oak spur, trying to Dutch-drop some cars over there. I didnt say an effn derogatory thing to him or rib him, knowing how close we had all come to disaster that day at Kopperl ourselves. Ive forgotten a lot of things, but I probably will never forget that day! I did a few crazy things after that, but I kept my vow, sort of, because I never did THAT EXACT SAME THING. --RJ--
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 17:46:16 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015