Randy Vos
"Ever have one of those days where you couldn't hit the ground with your hat??" - Waylon Jennings
"May the Lord take a liking to you and blow you up, real good" - SCTV
Jeff - the luck of the Iowaish...plan in July and get any kind of railroad cooperation in December!
She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
Jeff...that was a great post.
Thanks so much for sharing it.
Glad you got a trip to get you home in time. As anyone that works the road in T&E service - when you get called you are in for 12+ hours on the job - anything less is a bonus.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Thanks for sharing your story. All from my old stomping grounds. Glad you got to enjoy Mannheim Steamroller in the end. Can't have Christmas without them.
Same here, have Fresh Aire I, II, VI and VII.
Sometimes, the good guys show up when least expected....Steamroller, huh?
Bet it was a great concert!
There is another Steamroller fan here also!
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Last Tuesday night my wife and I went to Mannheim Steamroller's concert in Ames, IA. We've had tickets since July and were looking forward to it. As the date drew near, we debated whether I could get a trip in or needed to lay-off for it. I figured if I could get out of town by 6AM Monday, I could be back Tuesday afternoon. The concert started at 7:30PM. It looked like I could make the trip.
I was called Monday for 4:30AM on an autorack train. We didn't leave town until 6:30AM, but had a good run and I was tied up away from home by 2PM. It looked like we would go out on our rest. One wrinkle was two deadheads called behind me would be rested ahead of me. Even if one of the trains ran better than expected, I should still be on duty by 5:30AM on a manifest coming out of Council Bluffs yard. I checked about 7PM before going to bed and everything seemed to be on track.
I woke up about 3:30AM. I had expected to have been called by then. I fired up my laptop and checked the board. Surely I would be first out. Nope. I'm second out, one of the deadheads went around us. There were a couple of trains that were expected to be called, but not "prompted." I started to worry. My wife called me about 6AM, surprised to find me still 2nd out. I said there was still a chance, but it was slipping away. Finally, they prompted and called two trains, a coal train for 9:30AM and the manifest (normally scheduled for 5:30AM) for 9:31AM. I got the manifest. We cabbed down to CB. We had to double the train together, but everything went smooth and we hit the main line at 2nd Avenue at noon. Off we went, things looking good. About 70 miles out we meet a westbound train, just as he is reporting rough track near a small bridge. One track is out of service for planned work, now the other track is also until someone can inspect the bridge. It takes an hour before the track is released with a new slow order. The delay didn't help my cause, but the hurt wasn't too bad. I figured it now being a little after 4PM, the Form B orders were all dead and the MOW people clear of the tracks. We of course weren't the first train to go once the okay was given. A Long Pool auto rack train had pulled up beside us and we had to follow. No matter, he took off and easily out distanced us. Things were again looking up and I figured we would get in about 6PM.
About a little after 5PM and about 30 miles down the road we are getting near Grand Jct. It's a place were the Tara Sub (exM&StL line) joins the main. Past the east end of Jefferson we go, the next block signal lights up, green. That means we aren't holding at West Grand Jct. Down through the sag at Spring Lake around a slight curve and the next signal comes into view. Flashing Yellow, Advance Approach. Uh-oh, this might not be good. We are either holding at East Grand Jct or crossing over. I see a westbound headlight, so I doubt that we are crossing over. We aren't. We pull up to West GJ to avoid blocking the town and then I see East GJ is lined up for a train off the Tara. So much for being in by 6PM. Once stopped, I tone up the dispatcher to see what's going on. He says the Branch dispatcher asked him to take a short-timer into Boone for it's crew change. He said he would but the train has been on the light (at the signal were CTC begins for the junction) up on the Tara for 30 minutes but hasn't moved. He didn't know what the problem was. I said that guy probably knows I needed to get in. The dispatcher asked what I meant and I said I needed to be in Ames by 7:30PM. He said he would change radio channels and see what was going on. Shortly thereafter, what turns out to be a grain train plods down and onto the main and we are to follow, changing out in the siding at the Hard Road. It's about 5:45PM when I see the EOT clear the switch at East GJ. It's looking pretty bleak now. Only one chance but I doubt it will happen.
But it does. The signal at East GJ blinks red over green, Diverging Clear, we are going to crossover. Off we go. I know darn well the dispatcher is doing me a favor. I almost catch the grain train. It's like he saw the signals light up on the track next to his and it motivated him to get moving. He gets the light to the Hard Road on #1, we're on #2 and going to have to wait for him to clear before crossing over from2 to 1 to the siding, all under train control no faster than 17 mph. We come up to a yellow signal at Marion St, the west edge of town. Normally I would stop and wait for a better signal. I told the conductor I was going to keep going because we had been told what our plan was and that train was close to clearing the crossovers. He agreed and as soon as they cleared, switches lined and we had a signal into the siding. We made our arrival 6:20PM. The outbound was unusually fast in getting out to us. Once in the van, I got my phone out and called my wife, saying I was in town headed for the yard office. I would be home soon and we would leave immediately for Ames. I wasn't even going to put my road grip in my locker, but bring everything home. I then called the dispatcher to thank him for dropping us down to 2 track. He said he thought it might save some time. I told him it did. He said he heard the conductor call out the approach at Marion St over the radio and had hoped that I knew that he wanted us to keep going towards the siding. He said he thought about taking us to the hard Road on 2, but he had a Z train coming. After thanking him again, I thought to myself, "what Z train?" No sooner had I thought that, there he goes through town heading west. Wow, he really went all out for me.
I tied up at 6:46PM, was home and on the way by 7PM. We arrived in Ames at the auditorium at 7:25PM. There were still quite a few people showing up. We found our seats and enjoyed the show.
I don't know that the dispatcher visits this site, but thank you again Adam.
Jeff
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