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Question about Relief Crews
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When I worked for the Espee back in the late seventies we were always "dying on the law". I was a Brakeman and worked off of the extra board on the Western Division out of Oakland, CA. It was not uncommon to get out of the yard to create space for other trains coming in and be parked in a siding 20 to 30 miles up the tracks for hours on end until you would reach your twelve hour limit. There would eventually be a crew sent out to pick up the train and the dead crew would be hauled off in the company van. I enjoyed jobs where we actually got to do some set outs or switching moves while out on the main line as compared to get on and ride jobs, keeps you more awake. That is what railroading was all about to me, not sitting in some siding trying to keep myself awake. As Kathi said earlier "no day is ever like the one before" and it is a hard way to make a living as you find yourself very isolated from the everyday life that most people share. Maybe that is what makes railroading so very special, but only to those lucky enough to have experienced working around trains. I was not lucky enough to stick with it as I had really lousy seniority and was always getting laid off and then called back to service. I finally had to get a real job that I could depend on to support myself. Oh well would have almost been retired from the railroad had I been able to stick it out.
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