Rob Leese posted:. . . 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.
Not lame by any standard! Not every railroad story has to have a dramatic incident or a funny mishap. Some of the best stories are short reminiscences of a time when a fellow just "takes it all in," while doing his daily work. And it's always a pleasure when a story helps us recall the days when skill was important, complainers were looked down upon, and those larger-than-life characters were just part of daily life at work.
