Collateral Damage Railroad Style

The northbound freight train carrying 30 gasoline, 25 diesel, 30 grain, and 40 inhalation hazard cars click and clack as they shift back and forth while sliding smoothly into the monument mountain siding.

At the same time, Scooter Harris- conductor and Bubba Walsh- engineer’s coal loaded train tips over  monument mountain to meet a northbounder in the siding.

Scooter speaking on the train radio. “Bob Carver our train is just starting over the hill carrying a heavy coal load coming at you. So we will meet you in 10 minutes.”

“Thanks Scooter, we have a train full of hazmat cars such as gasoline, diesel, and inhalation cars and would appreciate an inspection as your train goes by us at monument mountain.”

“Will do Bob and enjoy going back home to Denvors.”

The trains meet as Scooter reviews and checks each specific car for rigging equipment intact, nothing piercing out from each car, and leakage coming from the cars.

Scooter, still on the radio, “oh no Bob the 33^rd car in your train is leaking inhalation hazard into the ground. Tie that damn train down. The car number is CRSX 351251 which is definitely an inhalation hazard car. Call the dispatcher who will contact fire, police, and hazmat personnel. Hazmat personnel are going to have to clear all the homes in the area and do not check out the car on your train or you will die from the vapor of the fumes.”

“Bob the rest of the train looks good, nothing else is leaking except for the 33rd car but there is a vapor cloud coming from the car and we noticed the cloud is expanding in size. You better tie down that train down quickly and move north toward the hills away from the train.”

Bob, responding on the radio,“ thanks Scooter, my engineer Cliff Horse has already called the dispatcher on the phone and I have already started tying down the train.”

Train radio conversation from Bob, “ok Cliff the cars are tied down and I am clear of the train so you can release the brakes so we can see that the train doesn’t move.”

The hissing sound becomes more pronounced as the brakes get louder while they are released. The piston brakes also slide out of sight.

Cliff on the train radio, “ Bob, the brakes held, the cab is locked, our bags are on the ground, the van is called and on the way to pick us up about 1 mile up the monument mountain hill. I told the dispatcher to have the van meet us there so we can walk uphill away from the fumes.”

“Thanks Cliff I am almost to the front of the train and also I see that hazmat personnel just arrived in the distance.”

Bob and Cliff move swiftly, trudging quickly with their bags away from their train which they left in the siding. At the same moment ,the hazmat personnel got out of their vehicles with their gas masks on and headed toward the train on the siding. Other hazmat personnel spread out east, west, south, and north towards homes in the vicinity.

One hazmat personnel approached the 2 railroaders walking up the hill away from their train.

“Hi Bob Carver my name is Ed McNeil, a hazmat supervisor and we are here to tell neighbors to evacuate the area from their homes so they are not affected by the inhalation hazard fumes coming from the 33^rd car. We already have the car number CRSX 351251. Also, the hazmat clean up crew will arrive here in 5 minutes and the police and fire crews are on the outside of the perimeter.”

 The train crew and Ed were now a mile away and on top of the monument mountain.

“Do you need us to stay in the area Ed up high right here?”

“No Bob, we are all set. Wow, look at the thickness of the vapor cloud as it gets darker and darker while climbing in the air. Also, I am putting my mask on now and I have to go to work. You guys better keep moving towards your van pickup point.”

“Good luck Ed, what a mess in the far distance, I see people fleeing frantically from their homes on the south side. Hey our van is here see you later.”