The Worst-Best Dream Ever

[Acela026]

After finishing January's Model Railroader article about building the 4x8 Virginian Railway, I reached for the last edition of Classic Trains.

Yes, then I fell asleep. Here's the gist of my dream:

I was an engineer on a hotshot coal train through rural Virginia. I was at the throttle of a Virginian Y6a (I don't think Virginian ever had Y6a's, but hey, it's a dream!) and we (the fireman was an older friend of mine) came up to some nice gentle hills after screeching down a mountain.  We traveled over some beautiful bridges and by some great views, stopping every once in a while to let railfans and their kids/grandkids blow the whilstle. Even rode by and saw Mr. O. Winston Link at one point.

"Wait, Acela! What makes that dream so bad?"

Here comes the bad part: I woke up right before I switched shifts with a guy in the yard to take over.

Oh, how I wish I were born in the days of steam.

Acela

[daveklepper]

My recent bad dream was that I was a signal maintainer on the New York Subway system.   I had to reach a signal beyond the end of a station platform.   I planned on using the catwalk off the end of the platform, keeping clear of the track.   In the dim light  I could not make out the entire lenghth of the catwalk all the way to signal.   Why did I forget my flashlight, I thought.  Walking along the catwalk I almost banged into some contraption that another workman had left on the catwalk and which blocked my passage.  I had to jump down onto the track to bypass the thing, and looked and saw that there was no train in the station, giving me, I thought, enough time to bypass the thingamagig and climb back up, the catwalk at normal car-floor and platform level.  But as I was about to climb back up I saw with horror that a train was coming, a special that did not stop at the station.  But at the last moment someone else on the catwalk, someone I did not expect to be asisting me, reached down and grabbed me under the armpits and pulled me up out of the way just in time.    A good Christmas and Hanukah story?   

[rrboomer]

My best and worse was the same dream.

Back in the early '70's I was on the extra road board out of Blue Island (CRIP) and had been working at least once a day for the past two weeks.  I was sound asleep in the dorm at Silvis when I dreamed I got called.  Went through my whole routine, got dressed, wandered over to the American Cafe for lunch and thermos fill, checked out of dorm, walked across bridge over to register room on the  east end of back shops.  On the register was the normal yellow piece of paper with my train and engine numbers.  I noted I had a fireman (which I hadn't had on my westward trip)  and a 2500 series engine number.  About that time the roundhouse foreman walked by and I asked him what this engine was.  He replied "A steam engine,  dug out of storage because we were so short of power.  That's why you have a fireman".  I told him he was pulling my leg,  steam been gone for close to 20 years.  He said "I'm telling ya it's a steam engine,  listen...... they're taking it out of the house now"  Sure enough,  I hear a chuff, chuff, chuff. 

I jumped out of bed looked out my window and there was a hump engine going by with seriously flat wheels:  clump,  clump,  clump....

I then noted my room light was on which meant I had been called for real.

Dick