Firing a big Billy Goat.

The fireman of this Great Northern N-3 gets a break for a few minutes as the crew waits for a signal. When the indication changes to proceed, they will head out of the junction and drift downgrade where they will be turned and cut in mid-train to help a heavy war-time freight or troop train "up the bump" into the junction. The GN usually followed the Southern Pacific practice of adding helpers mid-train, but sometimes this was impractical and the huge articulateds would shoulder into a caboose. More than one crew said their prayers as the dance floor sized pilot deck would buck and sway forcing the men to use the centerline safety rail to hold on. When the engineer pulled out the slack, the train would thunder like distant artillery.