I called the dispatcher and said, "I found it, 15 cars from the rear end there is a drawbar pulled out." This is major damage but when the leaving train could not move because we were tied on, it found the weakest link. He was delighted and said, "Yes, please do, that would be a big help." So I started walking and made a discovery. I called the dispatcher and said, "If you want me to I'll step out and see if I can see anything on the other train." (Our work rules clearly stated I didn't have to and the dispatcher could not force me to). We got the air pumped up on our train and tippy toed back about two hundred feet from rear of the train we hit. He called the dispatcher and reported that he would have to walk his train to fix the air leak. The jolt wasn't much but we did hear the other train go into "emergency" as he lost his air. There is nothing we can do but wait for the jolt from the other train leaving. In the mean time, I hear the other train get a high ball from his conductor. We cannot move our train at all until the engine pumps the air back up in our entire train. It puts the couplers in a stretched position. When they are stretched tight you cannot pull the pin to separate the two couplers. When this happens our train stops and the other train is shoved ahead a few feet. However, our engine coupled perfectly onto the last car in the other train. Luckily no cars derailed and there was no other damage. There was no caboose because we were using the flashing RED's or rear end devices back then. We hit the rear end of the train ahead at about 8 mph. My engineer hit the emergency valve but it was too late. Our train came around a curve and the last car of the train ahead was sitting right there. We were chatting and moving real slow so we weren't paying enough attention ahead. We had red blocks but by rule we can follow this train at "restricted speed," meaning that we operate at 15 mph or less and stop within half or our range of vision when we do see the train ahead. This story was related to me by a retired railroad conductor. We were following another train that was in the block ahead but because of track curvature we couldn't see his last car. You couldn't hear them but you knew phones were ringing somewhere and a trainmaster was hustled out to the bridge to sniff the operator to see if he was incapacitated in some manner. So, in effect, the bridge operator flagged engine 303 by radio off into the canal but the 303 didn't bite. Then after what seemed like an eternity but was less then a minute, a voice from engine 303 came on the radio and said, "WOULD IT BE BETTER IF THE BRIDGE WAS DOWN?" All the trainmasters and dispatchers are listening on the radio as well, so if this guy doesn't repeat the instructions he is in for a butt chewing. I'm listening for engine 303 to reply but he isn't saying anything. Engine 303 answered, "Ya, engine 303 is on the approach to the bridge and we have a red signal." The bridge operator replied, "Engine 303 come down to the red signal and stop, then give me a call." This is required by the rule book.Īfter arriving at the signal engine 303 called, "Bridge, this is engine 303, we are stopped at the red signal." The bridge operator then instructed, "Engine 303 you have permission passed the red absolute signal displaying stop, check the route as you go." At this point engine 303 is supposed to repeat these instructions so there can be no misunderstandings. "Engine 303 calling bridge 728, come in," the engineer called on the radio. "Bridge," replied the operator. I overheard this conversation between a local transfer engine talking to a bridge operator on a branch line very close by. I was bringing a train into the main yard about 2 am in the morning and the radio was unusually quiet. Please enjoy this collection of humorous moments on the railroad. You may think that you have the "lock" on weird coworkers where you work but take my word for it.you are not even close. I've worked a lot of different jobs over the years but I never worked with a more diverse group of characters than those that I worked with on the railroad. Most of you have never worked on a railroad but those of you that have will completely understand what I'm going to say.
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