Dear ,
Are you a new subscriber?
Welcome! See that link just above, the AsktheBuilder.com one? CLICK IT.
Each week that's a secret link to a past column that may make your wildest dreams come true.
What a summer it's been so far. I'm in a state of shock that it's already the middle of
August. Labor Day is just around the corner.
I've been working on the train for three days a week this season. It's been loads of fun. This is a dream once-in-a-lifetime part-time job. It's my second season.
Two days I'm the train conductor. The other day each week I'm a fireman.
On our train a fireman is the ground man doing all the switching of cars. I love doing this and we do it six times each day. It's thrilling to be next to the throbbing locomotive as I bring it in for a hitch.
But the real excitement happens when I jump down in between the car and the locomotive to lace up the air lines.
Yes, don't worry all you engineers out there, I've got three-step protection when I go in between to lace them up.
When we travel north on our tracks, the fireman becomes an extra set of eyes on the left side of the train for the engineer.
The long snout of the locomotive blocks the engineer's vision on one side of the train, so I'm watching for people on the tracks and vehicles at crossings.
Just last week we almost plowed into a pickup truck. The
driver slammed on his brakes at the last moment.
I was just about to reach behind me for the dump air valve to put the train into an emergency stop, but the truck driver decided he'd screech to a halt just three feet from the passing locomotive.
I'm sharing this story for a reason.
Trains ALWAYS WIN.
You will ALWAYS LOSE.
Our tiny train of just a switching
locomotive and five cars weighs in at about 400 tons.
Even though we're only traveling at 12 mph on average, 400 tons against the 2-3 tons of your car is no match.
Please, please please always STOP, LOOK and LISTEN at railroad crossings. The listen part is for the 19-B required horn blast trains must do at public roads.
It's the Morse code letter Q. Two long blasts, a short blast then a long blast.
I'll finish with this. This past Wednesday I had to deliver a can of gasoline to our track crew on a nearby side street.
A young couple who were renting a nearby house for a week was out for a walk, saw my uniform and said, "Do trains really come on this
track?"
"You bet they do," I said.
I went on to tell them that at any time day or night a train or locomotive could be on this placid train line along the gorgeous Lake Waukewan.
Speaking of which, here's a photo I snapped last weekend of a sunset near the railroad tracks looking across Lake
Waukewan.
How lucky I was to witness this magnificent gift.
friend me
WATCH me LIVE!
follow my tweets