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Reply to "Tell us a good story!"

The difference between "railroading" and "railfanning" is as different as "night" and "day".  An alert brakeman would be more concerned with his wheel report and switch lists, his train order meets, and overall safety than what might be occurring trackside from a railfan's perspective.   However, there was one evening on a road switcher when I was able to enjoy a little of both aspects.
The "OCCY" was an unofficial Frisco term for the road switcher going east from Oklahoma City to Tulsa and did all the work in between.  The only other regularly scheduled eastbound traveling that segment was through freight #30. Most of the old heads on our board were on east end pools, and extra board men rarely worked these trains.  Having said that, Conductor Sanders was not the easiest guy to get along with, and pool brakemen would occasionally lay off calls with him leaving vacancies for us poor folk.  The extra men would also lay off if they knew "with whom they were working", so Jim's name was plastered all over my time book. (I never laid off a call).  The two of us had worked together enough to a point where he trusted me to do my job such as watching the wheels on every curve (all 123 curves between OC and CY), or paying close attention when we neared the four Failed Equipment Detectors.  The switching was going to be slight on this particular evening, and Jim decided he wanted to do it all himself, so he put me in the caboose.  Normally unheard of.
The OCCY also always had tonnage and east empties on the back, and our yard crews were very good to put low cars ahead of the caboose.  On this night running OCCY there were about six empty TOFC cars on the rear end giving me an excellent view of the train. 
Luther hill was a mostly 1% grade (downhill eastward) from mp 520 to 517.  I can remember old heads talking about the glory days of our subdivision when westbound QLA had four SD45's going 55 mph UP Luther hill.   As we approached the grade I decided to go out on the front platform of the caboose and watch the train from there.  It was a pleasant evening and the temperature was just right.  It was one of the best working views of a train I ever had.  And I was getting paid. !
Fast forward to today, I realize I might have been getting a good blast of asbestos while going down that hill (remember the days before mandated dynamic braking when a hogger just might put it in run 8 and straight air the pi** out of it most of the way...hehe), but it was still a most memorable ride for a brief opportunity that did not present itself very often.

I know my stories are sorta' lame, but I tell them just to get the career guys "off high center" and tell us a really good one. 

SLSF_caboose

photo:  Mike Condren   check out the FM on the ladder !!

 

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Last edited by Rob Leese

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