Oh I miss the squeal of the retarders on the hill. I have spent hours in the past watching the cars roll down the hill at Bensenville Yard in Chicago. I used to go up in B tower and watch the retarder operator. And the smell of those rotting soy beans....mg:YUK Anyone who has ever stepped in them knows what I'm talking about!
I worked the primary Hump job on 2nd shift Cicero Yard (BNSF-former CB&Q) the night before the hump closed. I was a helper. Primary Hump had 2 helpers and one foreman. One helper would go with the engine to tie on to the track to be shoved and knock off any hand brakes. He would ride the engine to the crest and pull the loco pin for the last car(s). The other helper was the main pin puller. We would alternate positions so that one guy wasn't doing all the crappy outside work. That particular night only half the bowl tracks were available(1-21). The rest(22-42)already had their switches spiked. We humped 3 tracks that shift. Dont miss it, I hated Cicero Yard. My home terminal was Eola Yard at the time, but the boards protected Eola and Cicero jobs. However it was NOT reciprocal since Cicero Yard operated with "hog" boards. CT
We have rotting grain all over Yardley in Spokane. We also have the Ralston mill right in the yard and they do not keep it clean over there, it is horrible in the summer. Kevin
a certin supervisor I know Was squealing like a retard-er, just the other day. (The tell tale sign of a man melting down under the pressure) He smells too
I will never miss the smell of rotting beans. Stinks bad and hard to wash off your hands an clothes. I would have enjoyed the tower though
Never smelled rotting "stuff" near the tracks around here... because rocks don't rot. Don't think I ever want to, either! :angel:
Where I've lived, if you smell rotting foodstuffs, especially grains, you quickly get out of the area! Or you might become a bear snack! mg: Boxcab E50
The message from Boxcab reminded me of switching graineries in the wooden boxcar days. I've always been a city boy, so I didn't have to worry about bears, but spilled grain does get to smelling after awhile. I used to pick up spilled grain for an elderly couple who had chickens. It saved them a few bucks on feed.
