one of the first tings they teach you in Cumberland Engineers School is don't play games with sand Patch Grade. They stress many times that stupid moves and the mountain will kill you without a second thaught. I was on a runaway runaway train from Roddys Sag and was nearly killed entering Hyndman Pa. Arthur.
Could you tell us about the runnaway? What caused it to happen, and what were your thoughts as it was happening? (Jan wants to know, if you survived?) Real smart that girl, but she has other virtues. Today is our wedding anniversary. Been a long time, but only seems like a couple of months.
Watash, First off to Jan and yourself... HAPPY ANIVERSERY!!! For the topic tittle, Believe it or not, I live right on this location! Its a big thing here for all the modeler's. Personally I'm modeling it on my home layout and all for the "Big Dramatic Schene" The fun part was finding the tunnel portals! I ended up setting down and carving the portals out of plaster, dyed gray in color for the sake of cracks or chips! It won't show up as a white scuff or crack! Although I did, and have them! And went as far as making one in the original "Sand Patch" single track, older version being the original tunnel fell shut and they retunneled in another location for the new tunnel. The new tunnel happens to be double, for the 2 mainlines. Anyway, This is a famous remote place for model railroaders in Pennsylvania for the B&O. Matter of fact, this is the exact location that made the B&O's class S, S-1, and S-a's 2-10-2's "Big Sixes" famous! I've walked all the way through this tunnel 4 or 5 times, and only once had myself facing an oncomming train after I was about 3/4th the way through it! I went as fast as possible to find a "man hole" in the lining of the internals of the tunnel so I wouldn't be out in the tracks or along side as the HUGH CSX diesel rummbled by! It was ear drum shattering even though I covered my ears and held against them both as hard as possible to keep the noise down and the air presure the same, but still it didn't help! And the dust and exhaust is terrible! And the crazy part is the tunnel has 1 HUGH vent and still it didn't help the exhaust fumes! Then again I can't imagine what the fumes would have been like if there wasn't a vent at all so... Anyway, one of my interesting railroading adventures.... However in the process of scouting around. A friend and I did happen to find the remnants of the original "sand Patch" tunnel that dates back to 1897! It was an interesting find tho! Inside the front of the old portal we found the original infrastructure that was inside to hold it up inside. These were HUGH 24x24 inch wooden supports. The B&O was known for a few things, One was small bore tunnels, and 2 no tunnel lining! This is the reason why the old fell shut in the middle. It didn't have a lining in it or anything. The only thing it did have was these HUGH wooden supports to hold the ceiling up... And being we found the first say 8 or 10 of them in the portal itself, and being they were so old I kind of thought they would have been all rotted up by now. Well guess what? They looked as if they were freshly installed!!!! Not a mark of deterioration on them anywhere! Well besides where they had splintered and was in chunks. But the wood itself is pretty new looking and all.... Matter of fact, HE HE HE, I robed a few original stones to the portal that was laying around not holding anything, to preserve the history of the old original tunnel! I'm an awrny ole coot But I did railroading history a favor tho! I saved part of the original tunnel..... [ 17 December 2001: Message edited by: 7600EM_1 ]
Honestly don't know, we packed the marriage license away with other papers back in 1983 when we bought this house, and have no idea which box now. Jan admits to 39 and holding! HA! Its been a bunch, but has gone by so fast, it only seems like maybe a few less than ten. It all started way back... I was told to call a number, by a friend, so did. She sounded totally uninterested on the phone, but my friend said we would like eachother if we ever met. We talked on the phone several times since she lived 26 miles away. Then I found out her Birthday was coming up, so I made a date to meet her. Being adventurous, (First impressions and all that), I figured I would have some fun, so I got a 5" round fish bowl and went to a flowerist. They put "Baby's Breath" in the bottom like a nest, then set a white Orchid in the center. Now this was Her birthday, so I wanted to make the best impression I could, see? I wore a white turtle neck, white suit, with white belt and boots. Totally all white, "Mister Clean". Then I went to the Insurance company where she worked, arriving at 10:00AM coffee break time. When I walked into the room there must have been 50 girls, all typing insurance forms. At the receptionist's desk was a small "well blested" red head named Kim, who simply dropped her mouth open and froze! I kept my cool, and asked if I could deliver a birthday present to Jan, then flashed Kim a big smile! Still no response from Kim. Just open mouth! HA! No one had ever just walked in that room, except the company big wigs, so it was the shock I had hoped for! The room quieted down, and Hazzel, (Jan's Supervisor) walked up, shot a glance at Kim, and asked how she could help me, and I repeated my little speach. Hazle sent Kim to get me a cup of coffee, and sent another girl to get Jan. Jan was clear across the room. Jan started unrealing up out of her chair and turned around. I could see she was a tall blonde from here with various attractive accessories, so I decided to see where this might go. As jan walked down the isle toward me, the song Billy Rose's "The Stripper" began to run in my mind. She was long legged, and I'll swear to this day, her hips were knocking typewriters of desks on both sides of that isle! Man, she was tall! Eventually I noticed she wasn't too shabby around the face either. We talked a while, and they even brought her some coffee too. I don't think anyone had ever brought her flowers before, certainly not an Orchid...in a little glass globe...sitting in a nest of tiny white Baby's Breath...just for her birthday! (tears here, from her, and the other girls) When her break was over, she walked out to the elevator with me, put her arms around my neck, and layed a lip lock on me that weakened my knees! Before I could recover, Jan looked me straight in the eye, and said, "I'm going to grow on you like a sore wart!" It took me awhile to figure out how that might change my life, but Im glad my decision was that I could live with a sore wart. Things happened rather rapidly after that morning! Today, when we look back, it seems like a story book, and I'm totally covered in warts!
Watash Watash Watash... HA! A sore wort huh???? I bet that wort is still their and well... Changed your life and you love every second of it! I can't say I blame you though! Thats one feeling in the world that one "anyone" will never forget once they feel it! I felt it and is still ummm lost from the blindness!!!!!! HA! [ 18 December 2001: Message edited by: 7600EM_1 ]
Watash. That is a real sweet story on how you and Jan met. You must have really made a big impression on her.
Watash, that was beautiful! Sniff! Happy Anniversary and many more! My wife still has dinner waiting for me when I come home. A knuckle sandwich!
Watash, I wasn't going to get low and respond, but heck, I have to. If the picture that you published of Jan some time ago is really her, you are a cradle robber. She is much too young for an old hogger like you. On the other hand, she probably keeps you young so that you can respond to all these tech questions here. Go Jan!
Well, Watash I must say you did a great job on the first impression! How you put that first impression into words is sweet and I know Jan loves you for it.... Anyway, I must say my first impression with Alicia wasn't so good! The way I met Alicia was from online here. Well I got to talking to her. And I guess you could say I ended up making a good impression on here to her and all. Well we talked a few months and so on online and on the phone. Well I happened to be online one day and talked to her and she told me that one day this week when she got the time and all she was going to visit me and all. Honestly I blew off what she said. Well on a Wednesday 2 months ago I went to work in the shop and was doing some machine work on a boiler for a local customer. He had bought a brass loco and it had the belpre firebox and all and he wanted the "lumps" milled off to be a regular ole boiler. So on that Wednesday is when I done this. To my surprize and not thinking or realizing that Alicia was going to show up at my home that week she did. She had knocked on the front door asking for me and my mom told her I was at work. [Mom had told me what had happened] Anyway Alicia was going to leave and come back later and mom told her that I was only in the garage [my shop] to go and knock on the small door that I was inside. To my surprize I hadn't closed the door. it was open alittle and if she did knock I would never heard her so she I guess seen me and walked right in. Well here I stand covered up in over hauls working on this loco boiler milling off the "lumps" on it for the then bellpre firebox. I know I couldn't have been a pretty sight by a long shot, working and milling with cutting oil and all. An actuall dirty mess... to scare the living daylights out of me I felt a soft hand on my shoulder [Yes I did jump] HA! To turn around and their she stood... I was like Well hello. I went on welcoming her for the visit and all. Got her to the office which is a loft in my garage and all showed her where the refrig was and drinks and all being I was a mess I didn't want to get her the drinks and all being I was mess and so on and its mostly clean in the office part where all my paper work and catalogs are and so on... I told her till I got half way cleaned up to make herself at home. I went back down into the shop itself and took the covering overhauls off my regular clothing and so on and wasn't as dirty as I imagined I'd be! So I cleaned up as best I could and all and went back up to my office and all and welcomed her to my house and all and I closed up shop that day! And we all sat down Alicia, Mom and I and talked and ate dinner and so on and I left to clean up awhile mom talked to her and welcomed her and all. Well Thats when I got decently dressed and took her out to eat and then whatever she decided she wanted to do we done. We went to eat at the Ponderosa and all. Then afterwards to a movie, and then went to walk around town and to shop alittle and she loved it!!!! I guess my first impression stunk but it just might change my life in time... I know I got something I never had.... And honestly, I would never give it up for anything in the whole world..... [ 19 December 2001: Message edited by: 7600EM_1 ]
7600 EM. She must be a very sweet gal. One of these times I will tell how I met my wife. It is out of the ordinery.
Dick, I must say she is a sweet one! One that that never thought would stick around once she seen my oily dirty mess in the shop and all. But she did. To my surprize that day I'll never soon forget being I didn't think she would come and visit being we met online. Well I must say it sure impressed me! And after all the things in life... This has to one of the best I've ever felt! On your reluctant and out of ordinary, story of finding your wife I'm sure it is yet another good one such as Watash's. I know mine is kinda weird and far from being ordinary thats forsure! It may just have changed the course of my life... Time will tell, when it all washes up on shore.... [ 19 December 2001: Message edited by: 7600EM_1 ]
7600EM-1 I am also one of the few that had the privilage cough cough. To be in Sand Patch tunnel when an 8 unit west bound ore train came through. As you said head for the cubby holes in the wall and prepare your self for the loudest noise on earth. The only thing I regret is that I didn't have a small tape recorder to record the sound. One time was enough thank god that it never happened again. Art.
Us railroad buffs are awnry ole coots I swear! Ha I kinda hated that being caught in the tunnel and then loved it at the same time... Is it me or didn't that sound right? Hated then loved? HA! But what an experience! And i'll agree, it was the loudest noise I've ever heard! My ears I think rang for almost 2 days! And I went as far as trying to protect them with the noise and change in air presure by holding my hands over them as tight as possible! And it still didn't help to much! The diesel fumes were nasty! I can only imagine what it was like in the days of steam! Specially comming up the Hyndman side of the tunnel on the steep grade with a HUGH EM-1 huffing away or even two S-1 "Big Sixes" on the fly.... [ 19 December 2001: Message edited by: 7600EM_1 ]
Hey Watash, Please don't say what year that was! I'm Still trying to cionviunce myself that there are women out there today who will respond positively to that sort of thing. I can't tell you how many friends I have who have been dumped for doing somthing romantic like that! Connsider yourself very lucky to have such a wonderful woman.
