This was bad This was a wile back, you cant get away with what ya used to. This was the day after my good friend and travelin' partner met his wife. We would bunk up and travel togather a lot, thats how you can really streatch the perdeium. I guess you could say we raised a lot of hell togather too on occasion. We went out one night for "one". Which turned into "one more" which turned into one am, which basically just aint' good. I left, but Brad was on a mission. The bar was in the hotel so I didnt figure it was to complicated. He was in pretty bad shape when 05:00 rolled around. Plus it was obvious he managed to get himself beat up. Or so it seemed anyhow, but thats another story. Anyhow the next day about every 45 minutes or so. He would get on the radio and keep everyone informed. "Oh my God....Im dieing..." "Im still screwed up......" He, or we, or everyone in general got "scolded" about proper radio eticate. So he starts to follow procedures. "Owwwe........my head hurts........over" "Im dieing............over" Which wasnt making anyone happy. Which was fueling the fire. So somebody who actually was a somebody gave him hell. So he says back to him... "Oh Yah? I'll kick yer ass......OVER" Which had me pretty well dieing. Becouse of the rest of that other story. Ol' Brad, as you can see, can get a little mouthey and he dosent always know when to shut up. As I said, the night prior to all this he had mannaged to get his own butt thouroughly kicked. By a girl...... Not some moo-moo model from the fringes of the former Soviot Union either. But by the sweetest little 115 pounds of absolut drop dead ravishingly goergious woman Ive ever met. Next to her twin sister who Im engaged to. I have no clue what he said to her. But she took one of those long lusciouss legs of hers and karati kicked him upside the knogen, and droped him like a sack of anchors on asphault. Or so Ive been told.......I was sleeping like a baby. On the way down he bounced his head off, first a table, then a chair, then the floor. The only reasion they hooked up eventually was becouse she thought she killed him. Then she wonted to take him to the hospitial incase his brain swelled up or somthing. Which he wasnt to concerned about once he regained semi conciousness. He ended up calling her to let her know she wouldnt have to face any agravated manslaughter charges and the rest was history. But anyhow, the whole radio exchange escelated to a point I figured recent head trauma was going to be the excuse to keep him from getting fired. Becouse he was really ticin' people off. "MAN....IM STILL F**KED UP........OVER!" he says. so the "somebody" in question comes on... "Who the hell is this" "Whos talking trash on this radio" "I'll have the SOB's job" So after like two full minutes of absolute dead radio silence Brad says. "Im not that F**ked Up......." "dumb ass" "............OUT"
Gee! Good story. I figured you guys would be out railfanning, taking pictures, and working on your layouts in your spare time. You railroad guys really do have another life!
Overheard on the scanner: Some eastbound crew-- "UP 3985 west, you have a fire under your locomotive..." 3985's crew-- "Yeah, we know. It's OK, it's a STEAM engine. You need fire to make it run." Eastbound crew-- "Oh, ok, just wanted to make sure you knew about it" 3985's crew-- "And we thought we were the P.R. tool for Omaha. Our own crews don't know about us!" *hysterical laughter overheard*
Yah.... Normal well adjusted people dont drive a thousand miles give or take to work. The system is were the money is at in my book. After a wile it can get ya hooked, not the loot. I mean the job. "Im koo-koo for creasoatt" (sweetheart 1 & 2 say koo koo FROM creasoatt) Its what ya make of it. Ive taken tones of pictures, thats sort of my thing. But I have not so much a layout as a display in mind, circa early Conrail. When the "EL" of a Erie Lackawanna got replaced with a "CR" or the "PC" got a giant X painted over it and "CR" brushed under it. Im glad you guys get a kick out of these stories and I hope ya enjoy reading em as much as I do shareing em. I figured thats one for the book. What the heck, Brad, my partner in crime, ended up with a concussion and a wife out of a really bad idea. Thanks to the mirical of twins, the older of which being very forgiving, I'll end up related to a damn good friend. Actually were not really engaged yet. I got her a ring for Christmass. Plus this mother and daughter matching diamond earring set and these birthstone necklesses for her and her little girl. I wont em both to know I love them. Were having Christmass on the 30th so everyone can be here. I had to get back to my place instead of hers and thats what works without shortchanging any grandparents. I guess thats the worst part of railroading. Missing people you love. Which is what Im doing here posting at 02:49am a little. I think the warped hummor out there can keep a guy sane, or maybe not. But it sure beats the alternetive...... [ December 25, 2005, 02:12 AM: Message edited by: maintainance in the way ]
Thanks Young Man..... I see your a retiared trainman, so I figure you have half a clue what Im asking this poor girl to let herself in for. I plan on the old fasioned thing. Get down on one knee... Look deeply into those beautyful blue eyes of hers and say.... "Sweetheart, theres still plenty of time for you to change your mind.......but.."
one of my mates had that happen to him, here in Sydney the suburban trains are fitted with recievers which pick up a radio code of transponders in the middle of the tracks. Everynow and then the receivers would fail and the train wouldn't change area codes meaning the radio wouldn't pick up calls (CityRails Metronet radio system kinda works like a mobile phone) so my mate punches in the area code, looses it again, punches it in again and then for a third time. by that time the radio has failed min standards and he calls up defects on a now working radio and says the train radio has failed - to which of course they replied "well how can you call us on it if it isn't working?"
Honnestly, I just dont wont her getting herself into somthing shes gonna regret. High divorce rate and all. But I think she can take it...
one of my mates had that happen to him, here in Sydney the suburban trains are fitted with recievers which pick up a radio code of transponders in the middle of the tracks. Everynow and then the receivers would fail and the train wouldn't change area codes meaning the radio wouldn't pick up calls (CityRails Metronet radio system kinda works like a mobile phone) so my mate punches in the area code, looses it again, punches it in again and then for a third time. by that time the radio has failed min standards and he calls up defects on a now working radio and says the train radio has failed - to which of course they replied "well how can you call us on it if it isn't working?" </font>[/QUOTE]Radios can be wierd, I think anyhow. Ive seen places were I was a mile away from two machines, one right behind the other. I could hear both just fine, but they couldnt talk to eachother at all. The equipment checked out fine. It was like that spot had interfearance.... PS Cant wait to tell Frank (unpronouncable last name) the legend of the mighty, late, great, CHICAGO & NORTH WESTERN...echo.. has made its way half way around the world to Austrailia. Maybe I better not. Hes still a little upset at not cashing in on the stock option. [ December 27, 2005, 10:57 PM: Message edited by: maintainance in the way ]
Honnestly, I just dont wont her getting herself into somthing shes gonna regret. High divorce rate and all. But I think she can take it... </font>[/QUOTE]It's a lot like getting married to a military member.... Only, train crews don't get shot at as much!
of course, only on the 1/160 side of life, C&NW isn't "late" because UP went bankrupt at the turn of the century (Harriman never existed) and C&NW extended to North Platte to connect with SP, love model trains..... anything you want can happen still the best part of my previous trip was the cab ride through the Royal Gorge, ex C&NW F7 and ex C&NW engineer!!!!!
Actually that "late" was one of those layered derogatory comments about the new managment. Or so Ive been told..... I heard when the whole mess happined, the UP came on with major attitude. I guess the CNW could yard a manifest train, make the cuts, and have em outbound again in less than 22 hrs. Which is actually pretty good all things considered. Under Omaha they couldnt roll through a unit train that quick, mostly becouse what ever huge screw UP happined one place affected everything else at some point. I get this overall impression they backed off, but there still is a lot of bitterness out there. The most screwed UP thing I heard about the UP was they actually hauled Lionel (I think) into court over using there trade mark. Must have taken the money and used it for advertiasing there public immage... Personally I think they do a lot of things right. But there "people skills" suck. (New Track Maintainance Hand Book Rule) (If it aint broke dont fix it.) "Have a UP day ....." "OUT..... ..."
[/QUOTE]It's a lot like getting married to a military member.... Only, train crews don't get shot at as much! [/QB][/QUOTE] .......................................................................... OH Yah!!! Obviously you have never experienced a full moon in Chicago..... Those tracks go places the police dont care to... Theres a cirtan Ohio Crane that has more holes in it than there were first thing that morning... **duck and cover** [ December 28, 2005, 11:46 AM: Message edited by: maintainance in the way ]
It does not seem the same as in the "good old days" to me. With the dispatchers all located many miles away in some central office like Fort Worth, Omaha or Jacksonville, they don't have the intimate knowledge of the local environment the tracks run through. I remember one exchange on the Southern Pacific. A train was westbound on the old SAP line out of Houston when one of the crew was griping about how his wife had forgot to put a bottle of Tabasco sauce in his grip to put on his rice for lunch. The dispatch, very familiar with the territory, told him to stop his train in Fulshear and walk a block to Doser's, a local bar-b-q joint, and get him a bottle. [ December 28, 2005, 05:58 PM: Message edited by: r_i_straw ]
