Storytime with Charlie

Charlie Mar 31, 2007

  1. Mr. Train

    Mr. Train TrainBoard Member

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    Biggest hill?

    I once heard of a train that had trouble making it up the hill going east out of Savanna. Is the Oregon hill steeper or is the speed thing make it seem like a bigger hill?

    Thanks for the cornfield story I seen that other post also. :worried:
     
  2. Charlie

    Charlie TrainBoard Member

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    that might be going uphill to Burke. Oregon is a beast going east(downhill).

    CT
     
  3. Mr. Train

    Mr. Train TrainBoard Member

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    Yes it is Burke. I have seen the siding(photo below) but there are very few roads in the area to see the hill.

    [​IMG]
     
  4. Mr. Train

    Mr. Train TrainBoard Member

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    How about a story

    O Charlie :eek:mg:how about a story about one train following another? I seen one going west and then passed another going west 4miles behind the first. It was 4am in the dark
    Normal spacing?
     
  5. Charlie

    Charlie TrainBoard Member

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    That would require defining "normal"!

    It pretty much depends on business, track availability, crew availability,
    motive power availibility, a whole buncha things.

    Normal? yes and no.

    Unusual? definitely not.

    Working either direction on the C & I and the Minnesota Sub,but mostly
    WB, it is not unusual to be running on approach or approach medium indication. Not exactly the most ideal of conditions and it requires razor-sharp awareness and alertness. Some of the blocks on those Subs are
    "short blocks" and you want to have a good hold on your train "just in case". A number of hoggers have been caught by the short blocks up near Portage and have gotten by a red board. Fortunately without incident. My mentor was one of them and he got caught by a red board
    on the west edge of Aurora(Terry Ave), going east.
    Sometimes there are signal problems(telegraphing the aspects, false indication etc.) which may result in a board dropping in one's face.
    It happened to me a couple of times. Once I got the nose of the engine just past the signal mast, it was just outside my window.
    Nothing happened, the dispatcher knew there was a signal problem.
    Still, that doesn't excuse one from proper train handling.

    I mentioned a few months back about seeing a situation on the BRC
    main just west of Midway airport that reminded me on just how
    unpredictable railroad moves can be and how important it is to follow
    rules to the letter and maintain control of your train. It was at night
    and I was crossing the BRC(Clearing Yard is near my home as are the
    several mains). There was a train heading (geographic)west on the Bedford Park main(to the west end of Clearing yard). It was stopped just on the other side of a red board. The signal showing approach is
    less than 1/2 mile away and around a 90degree curve. If the train is operating faster than the allowable track speed there is nowayinhell
    it could be stopped before that red board. You gotta know where you
    are and how to handle your train at ALL times. A mistake can be fatal.

    As I mentioned earlier, if I was running on approach medium, following
    another train, I would personally treat it more like an approach signal.
    Maybe not exactly the way the railroad wants it, but I am empowered
    to take the safe course. Who knows, maybe I can "drag the anchor"
    enough to catch a clear indication and then pick up the pace to authorized track speed. Heck, on those pool trains, I got paid the same
    $$ no matter if I got the train to LaCrosse in 6 1/2 hours or 12 hours.

    This is giving me a segue to some other things about road trains.
    We'll save it for later.

    Charlie
     
  6. Mr. Train

    Mr. Train TrainBoard Member

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    Is it later yet?
    Take your time its summer with out side things to do. Just wanted to make sure you know I enjoy your stories.:shade:
     
  7. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Indeed, must hear more! Great stuff, CT! :):D
    That approach/approach medium sounds like no matter if you have a big, heavy train, or a short, light one, you still have to be able to stop before the next signal, if it is unfavorable.
    Also sounds like slower is better here, even if the max authorized speed is 40-50 MPH, you may well need to go 25 in order to be able to stop when required.
    That last signal you mentioned with a 90* curve sounds like a really tricky one to handle a quick stop...
     
  8. Charlie

    Charlie TrainBoard Member

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    It is, and you have to see the track layout as it actually is topographically. That particular main has a junction approximatetly at
    54th st. One set is the Clearing main, going straight south and entering the east end of the yard and there is a wye there. The BRC dispatcher
    will sometimes ask if you need or want to wye your power and then
    you tell him whether you want the 67th or 68th st leg of the wye otherwise you normally enter via 67th st. If you have a coal train you will probably be heading on the 68th leg to "Commercial".

    The main to Bedford Park is the one which you will also use if taking(or picking up) a stack train at the CSX Bedford Park facility. but it is also
    used if your train is to be humped from the West Yard. If you dont already know it, the BRC has a double hump yard. One yard West and one East. The main line diverging from the Clearing main takes a 90 degree turn and heads west for just over a mile until it passes Midway
    Airport and then takes another 90 degree turn south until approximately
    56th st and then makes another 90 degree turn west. The "approach"
    signal I mentioned is just south of 55th st.,before the 90 degree turn to the west.

    Fortunately the authorized track speed on the BRC (IIRC) is 35mph. I dont have my C.O.R.A. book here to verify that. It may or may not have
    changed. Seldom does one ever get to operate a train at track speed,
    but I have seen some "throttle artists" pushing, if not exceeding, the speed limits. And they are/were BRC hoggers!

    The BRC has spent a lot of money in recent years in upgrading their
    infrastucture and R.O.W. Ever since they almost went "belly up" in 1990 or thereabouts, they have really plowed a lot of capital back into the
    R.R. That was quite a sight to see! I travel Pulaski Rd. and Cicero Ave.
    quite often. Both of those roads overpass Clearing Yard. It was a frightening sight(at least for me)to see that huge yard almost 100%
    EMPTY! The BRC had a company "morale booster" poster on their bulletin boards for promoting work safety and work efficiently. All it was
    was a photo of the yard, empty, and the caption "Remember 1990"(or whatever the year was).

    I can tell a few stories about the BRC too!

    Charlie
     
  9. doofus

    doofus TrainBoard Supporter

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    Do tell................................
     
  10. Charlie

    Charlie TrainBoard Member

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    Pool Train memories...

    I was still doing engineer student trips and caught a late evening stack
    train to La Crosse. This was the train that I wrote about on an earlier
    post, the one that picked up auto racks at Eola Yard. My engineer mentor had laid off that particular turn,so I was working with an extra board engineer. No problem. I knew the engineer and consider him a
    friend. He did not take students and asked if I would mind that he run at least the portion of the trip through the C & I. I didn't mind at all and anyway, I was required to make the student trips even if my mentor didn't. I had no choice in the matter.
    At any rate, we had some problems getting out of Cicero yard, the switch engine had to dig out a "bad order" car. Then we had to wait for
    another job coming in with a "hot car" for our train. This took a bit more than three hours off our time and we still had work to do enroute
    at Eola. That would require some time, probably close to two hours with the moves and the air test. At any rate when we finally pulled from
    Cicero we were getting close to the "magical" 6 hour mark and we would most certainly reach that plateau when we did that work at Eola.
    Now let me explain...
    I mentioned earlier that on the pool trains we were paid the same rate
    no matter whether we reached LaCrosse in 6 1/2 hour(the optimum time) or 12 hours. The only overtime we could make would be on "frozen" arbitraries eg. Initial Terminal Delay, Tow In time, etc.
    However, the company was on an economy kick and didn't want the
    crews dying enroute and incuring high Tow In pay and high transportation costs and "Dogcatch Crew" costs. It would be cheaper for them to "kill" the job close-in and call a new crew from the extra board. Now Jack(the extra board hogger)and I knew this and so did the
    conductor. The conductor was also a guy who knew how to "drag the
    anchor"(that is the clean version of what I wanted to say)BUT he was
    also a guy who knew how to work the board and had a couple of ladyfriends at the crew desk in Topeka who would sometimes put a good job in their pocket for him if his number was due soon. However
    while I was there, he was never caught doing anything wrong, but everbody knew the game he was playing and it made for some bad feelings in the register rooms. At any rate, we(Jack & I) talked about the pending situation while the conductor was away from the loco getting new paperwork. What we were wanting to happen was to get the job "killed" at Eola. This would mean that Jack would get round trip
    pay for the turn and give him a good spot on the extra board. He was excited about the prospect. So was I, it meant I would get a good nights sleep, at home,in my own bed. I would have some time before my
    pool turn was due out again and perhaps I could pick a nice day or
    afternoon switch engine somewhere to take a qualifying run on(that was also a requirement). We thought that the conductor would go along with us and he was giving every indication that he would. The trick was to get to Eola,and do the work until the "magic" 6 hour mark
    was reached and then call the dispatcher and let him/her know. They would then kill the job at Eola and have an extra board crew called
    to take the train to La Crosse. Well it seems the conductor was playing
    his own game, after we had pulled, we were heading west almost to the
    place where we would pick up the auto racks, the conductor got on his
    cell phone and called the YM at Eola and told him that if we did the work at Eola we would run over 6 hours. Jack & I looked at each other in disbelief. The next thing we knew, the dispatcher called on the radio and told us to "highball" our pickup. Even though the conductor would also get round trip pay for the job if it was "killed" at Eola, it seems that
    he had his own game plan going for his board placement. I could see that Jack was furious, he didn't like that conductor all that much anyway and it seems that whatever good feelings he may have had, vanished like the snows of yesteryear. At any rate, we made it across the C & I and ran into a snowstorm just after leaving Savannah. Jack let me take over running at Savannah. We finally outlawed at some
    obscure grade crossing some 90 miles south of LaCrosse in a snowstorm that was deepening. The dogcatch crew and pickup van were waiting for us there. What lay ahead of us was a 90mile "slip & slide" trip to the hotel on French Island. Worst dogcatch ride I ever had!
    Those back roads were REALLY slippery.
    Every time Jack would see me after that, he would bring up that trip and ask me "Just what the ^%$* was xxxxxxxx thinking?" I still dont know, but what I DO know is that he was the conductor on my return trip, and all he did(other than his mandatory work) on the way back to
    Chicago was call the crew desk every 1/2 hour to see how the board was moving. Some guys just get too greedy....

    Charlie
     
  11. Mr. Train

    Mr. Train TrainBoard Member

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    Remember you said it. "That's another Story"

    quote from C on another thread "IIRC that was La Grange Rd. also. That is one snarky and dangerous crossing! Good for making "flagman's pay" for commuter crews who can set out a flagman to protect the crossing until signal
    maintenance repairs it.
    That's another story!"

    Charlie when you get time
     
  12. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Sounds to me like the crew of that Lacrosse-bound train was about to wring the conductor's neck......
    How far is Cicero to Lacrosse or Eola?
     
  13. Charlie

    Charlie TrainBoard Member

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    =====================================================

    Yes we were considering mayhem!

    On the BNSF, Cicero is roughly MP 7, Eola is MP 33 and LaCrosse is MP 300. Those are the MP distances on the RR and not necessarily an
    exact measurment of the distance.

    I had mentioned about LaGrange Road and flagging.

    Story time...

    There are any number of ways to make extra money in suburban service. All of the jobs have some "overtime" built into them, that is just
    the way it its. One of the favorite ways to make OT and it is the one
    that pays the BIG$$$ is to be "set-out" as a flagman at a road or pedestrian crossing on the "Racetrack"
    When there is a malfunction,real or imagined,with the crossing gates or
    warning apparatus, during the hours of commuter train service, the dispatcher would call the train nearest to the defective crossing and ask if they had sufficient crew to set out a flagman. On our railroad we
    operated with 1 engineer, 1 conductor and 2 brakeman. Believe me, we
    NEED them on our railroad with the spacing and frequency of stops.
    METRA normally operates with 1 hogger,1conductor and 1 brakeman(or collector if you choose). Most of our trains operated with a full crew complement so most trains were able to comply with the request. However, it was only the brakeman who could be set out. Seniority is
    always the determining factor,but most crews holding regular jobs will
    alternate turns in taking the flagging job. In fact there were times when
    crews of 2 trains would fight to see who could get there first and take
    the job. The reason...?
    We were paid for 2 jobs. We got our full pay for our brakemans job PLUS we would timeslip for the flagman's pay and get a basic day for that! Paid for 2 days work on one days assignment!
    Now.... it gets more interesting.
    We were required to return to our scheduled commuter train job ASAP and if at all possible.
    Most of the commuter train jobs,at least the day jobs,were a "split-shift" situation. We would work X number of runs, have a layover and then work the balance of the day. In my instance, working # 1232, we
    had one local train EB then a 5 hour layover and then 3 more trips to complete the day. 3/4ths of our day was worked between 1:30PM and
    6PM. Normally I would go home for a couple of hours, eat,read e-mail
    take a nap and go back to work. I would always yard the train in the AM and the other brakeman would pick the train up in the PM. This was
    the situation that worked best for our crew.
    ENEHAY, if one were to be set out as a flagman on the 1st EB trip, you
    would hope and pray that it would take signal maintenance a long time
    to locate and fix the problem! Why? you ask....
    Answer...
    Because of the split shift, our respite(thats what the layover is known as)was required to begin within a certain time limit after arrival of the
    train preceeding the respite. Since I would be "on duty" until I was relieved by signal maintenance there was a very good possibility that
    I would be on duty PAST the time I was required to begin my respite.
    This meant that I would then be on continuous time and that also meant that I would "outlaw" on my job before the scheduled tie-up time
    for the job. This of course is illegal BUT what would happen in the event I would go on continuous time is that I would work the 1:30PM
    train WB and crew desk would have called an extra board brakeman and
    he would relieve me. Now howz that? I just got 2 full days pay AND I got to go home about 4 hours or so earlier than normal.
    This situation could also happen if the train was unable to "tie-up"
    in the commuter yard at 14th & Canal prior to this time limit. This does
    happen. For whatever reasons our train cannot get out of Union Station
    and/or gets to the yard and is unable to bring the power to the service
    track AND the crew has not been relieved prior to the cut-off time.
    This means 2 crew members get to go home early, the brakeman and the hogger.
    That is why I loved La Grange road so much. At least once a week someone or some vehicle would take the crossing gate out of service.
    Downers Grove was another good one and so was Cass Ave,in Westmont.
    God, I LOVE railroading.
    As an old head engineer told me when I was a newbie...
    "Do what you're told, line your pockets with gold"!

    We'll discuss other money makers later

    Charlie
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 13, 2007
  14. Charlie

    Charlie TrainBoard Member

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    On the "Engineers Class" board there has been some discussion about
    "FREDs"(Flashing Rear End Devices). I have a number of them but this
    one captures my true feelings.
    I have probably told this one before, but here it is again...

    There has been much discussion about the "romance of the rails" over
    the years, and certainly on "Trainboard". I had a "romantic interlude",
    at least forensically with installing a FRED.

    At the McClure Road crossing at Eola Yard(actually its in Aurora) there is a "parking" area on the south side of the tracks. A lot of railfans like
    to park there and train watch and/or photograph. The group that assembles there pretty much knows each other, if not personally, at least by sight and by their vehicles. Us rails got to know the regulars by
    sight and by vehicle as well. As I remember them, they were all "well behaved" and didn't make any attempt to interfere or just "be in the way" of any of the rail activity there. The west end of Eola yard is a pretty busy place. the "Aurora Racetrack" goes from 3MT to 2MT there.
    There are leads to West Yard and East Yard. There is an industrial lead
    into East Yard used for switching moves and for entry to the "Running Track". This industrial lead is actually the remnant of the former MT3
    which ran to the old Aurora Depot just outside of downtown Aurora.
    Enehay I was working as a brakeman on an afternoon road switcher job.
    We were taking a manifest train east to the BRC to have them switch it.
    It was late Fall/early Winter already after sunset. The brakeman usually
    gets to hang the FRED and do the emergency brake test. He will also assist with walking the "set & release" of the air brakes on the train. There are no mechanical or car department people at Eola to do that,so the crews do it themselves. Well as I mentioned, it was DARK
    and COLD and we were getting some freezing rain, just as I was hanging
    (or trying to hang) the FRED on my train.The rear end of my train was just adjacent to that "parking" area I mentioned above. I was having one heckuva time with it and to top it off,when I finally got the hoses connected and got the FRED secured to the knuckle, I "dumped" the air when I opened the angle cock on the rear car. I had a "dynamiter" angle cock on that car.
    Well ladies and gents, I tell you... I HAD HAD IT! With the FRED,with the angle cock, the weather,and railroading in general. I let loose with
    a string of invective that must have warmed up the air a couple of degrees. I used a string of nouns,verbs,adjectives and adverbs,many of
    them dealing with "up close and personal intimacy" . I think you get my
    meaning. But what struck me most was the absence of the usual group
    of railfans. There were NONE there even though it was dark, it was still
    fairly early and normally we had guys(and gals) trainwatching until late
    at night. The folks who follow the "romance of the rails" simply weren't
    there. And it's too bad, they sure missed a lot of "romantic" language
    from me!

    CT
     
  15. Charlie

    Charlie TrainBoard Member

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    Doing "favors" for the carrier...

    This is the tale I referred to on the "Engineers Class" board.

    Hoggers will identify with this one, especially those in commuter service.

    Working my regular day job, but this time as a conductor, the regular
    conductor had been relieved for personal reasons. We had an extra board hogger working the job and he is a good one. Been on the RR for
    a while, comes from a RR family, his father was a hogger and he has
    a cousin who is also a hogger on the RR. This guy worked the "Passenger Engineers Extra Board" for the reason most guys were on
    an extra board and that was to make some decent $$$$. Each job pays differently and some of them pay REAL WELL! At any rate, lets call this
    guy "Andy". Now Andy is an experienced engineer,very cautious and a "Mr. Rulebook". He also is one of the few who doesn't like a qualified
    trainman to "change ends" and run the air test at each terminal. He wants to do it himself. He would let me do it, but that is because I was
    a qualified card-carrying engineer(albeit "set back").
    Now this particular day(it was in high summer)and their were a lot of
    track gangs and welders out working on the "Racetrack". Already we had had some abnormal move made earlier in the day and again during our 2nd E.B. trip in the afternoon. This was just NOT Andy's cup of tea,
    but he knew how to handle it and wasn't flustered or upset, but it was
    wrecking the heck out of the schedule and he was having difficulty keeping to time. Now on our final W.B trip we had to make a "Rube Goldberg move where we had to shove back through an X-over we
    had passed, shove back a bit more and then X-over to another track where we would run for a while and then X-over to our normal track.
    This was due to welders in place and they needed to get their work done NOW. Well, Andy, took this latest move in stride, as if he had a choice. Now this trip was just on the cusp of the "dinkie parade" and
    there is very little room OR time for any "customizing" of operations.
    The "coup-de-grace" came when the DS,who had been giving Andy
    many of these unusual moves throughout the day, said on the radio,
    "Give me a good move please Andy". I could just imagine what Andy
    was muttering under his breath at that comment!
    Needless to say, Andy made the move as carefully and as cautiously
    as he normally would operate his trains. Apparently it met with the
    satisfaction of the DS.

    Sure... we'll ALWAYS do the carrier a favor( wink-wink)

    CT
     
  16. Mr. Train

    Mr. Train TrainBoard Member

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    another fine job well done

    Sorry I was late getting to class. But I finshed all the reading in the lesson so now I am caught up again. CT you can carry on now.
    Ha! thanks for the stories.:angel:
     
  17. watash

    watash Passed away March 7, 2010 TrainBoard Supporter In Memoriam

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    While CT is catching his breath, may I slip in this bit of 'funny' without derailing the tales of the rails which I am also enjoying immensely?

    Rail fans:

    Top 15 Reasons Rail fanning is better than Deer Hunting"

    15. Kids don't cry BAMBI when you bring a "trophy" home.
    14. Wife wouldn't object too much to have "trophy shot" over dining room
    table.
    13. No taxidermist fee for "mounting" your best trophy shot.
    12. Trains can be shot all year long.
    11. A warm car beats a tree stand any day.
    10. Train lovers don't get mad at you for shooting "Thomas The Tank Engine".
    9. You can't use a scanner to tell when deer are getting close.
    8. No arguments when two people shoot the same train at the same time.
    7. No boring Deer Hunting stories.
    6. Nobody cares if you use a railroad crossing sign to "sight in" your
    camera.
    5. Three words: "Hunting License Fee".
    4. SD90MAC's don't need to be field dressed.
    3. Working models of deer? Yeah, right.
    2. There's no limit on how many trains you're allowed to shoot.
    1. Unless they're really dumb, your buddies won't mistake you for The
    Southwest Chief.


    Watash
     
  18. Mr. Train

    Mr. Train TrainBoard Member

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    Hey,hey here now I deer hunt and like fishing the one that got away story is somtimes all you bring home.:embarassed:

    Now back to you CT take it away
     
  19. watash

    watash Passed away March 7, 2010 TrainBoard Supporter In Memoriam

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    Back to trains...
    [​IMG]
     
  20. HemiAdda2d

    HemiAdda2d Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    That's awesome!
    I am also a novice hunter, but that's funny!
     

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