Tunneling The Rails

Scooter Harris motors his dark blue 1969 Charger with white wall tires into the far side of the Devo Train Depot.

Train intercom in the yard, “Oh no freight train coming down the salmon lead splits the rail and is headed towards the parked cars.”

Scooter stands on the opposite side of the parking lot in total shock!

The freight train smashes into the south side of the parking lot on the east side while sliding over the tops of vehicles crushing them one by one. Glass, metal, and car parts go flying east, west, south, and north. The train finally stops halfway up in the parking lot.

“Call 911 for the crew hurt on the train that split the rail”, Scooter yells on the train radio to the yardmaster sitting in the tower overlooking the train yard full of tracks.

The crew on the stopped locomotive staggers off the locomotive. Marvis Marvin a short, stocky sweaty guy displays a gash on the left side of his face about a centimeter wide and 4 centimeters long. Curly Bird, a thinly light skinned young man wobbles away from the locomotive with a bump on his head.

The ambulances show up and Marvin and Curly are whisked away from the depot.

Scooter heads into the depot for his assignment. Depot intercom, “Scooter Harris your IPAD has your General Orders, Train Makeup, and specific instructions. Your Coal Load is on track #4 and Engineer Willie Mays Hayes is already on the locomotive. Have a great train ride to Remmeling. The snow has started in Winter Arc and bring your spikes for the boots.

Scooter moves fluently lifting his steal point boots over the rails as fervently looking in all directions for moveable cars proceeding down the tracks.

Scooter pulls himself on the deck area by thrusting his body by grabbing the metal railings on the locomotive.

“Willie wake up, are you ready to go on the train ride up the mountain?”

“Scooter the train is untied including the motors and 10 coal cars. The mountains of Remmeling have snow which just started in the last hour.”

Willie pushes the throttle forward, the wheels start moving and grinding on the rails, and the pistons disappear while the hissing sound increases.

“Willie next stop is Harvard station where there are tan and white villas on the side of the mountain with a Post Office in the middle of the Spruce Pine Forest. Tough climb 20 miles away up 3000 feet higher in elevation before the tunnels. Winter Arc Ski area is open so it should be busy along the track.”

Scooter’s Coal train picks up speed, while grinding on the rail increases and the snow accumulation raises higher on the ballast between the rails. The locomotive gets louder, and the vibration of the cabinet doors becomes more intense.

“Willie going up towards Winter Arc is tough on these motors. The engine cabinets shake, rattle and move back and forth while the grinding becomes more pronounced on the rails. 5 miles to Harvard Station.”

The coal load’s wheels grind harder as slipping of the locomotives is caused by the increase of snow.

“Willie place more sand down in front of those wheels. They seem to be slipping more with the increase of snow. “

“Scooter, call up the dispatcher to let us in the siding at Harvard Station, we cannot make it much past the siding with the snow buildup.”

After speaking to the dispatcher on the train radio, the train got lined up into the siding. The coal load’s wheels were grinding more profoundly while slipping at the same time. The coal load finally cleared the main track and stopped in the siding.

The train dispatcher on the train radio, “Conductor Scooter tie down the train down because the coal empty will be coming from Winter Arc to pick both of you up and bring you into Denvo. The train is 2 hours away.

At the same time the coal empty approaches Winter Arc with Conductor Rocket Richard who grabs a wad of chew and lodges a bunch in the right-side of his mouth. Bubba Walsh the engineer is chomping on an unlit cigar, pushes the throttle on the locomotive forward to increase the speed. The wheels turn faster as the grinding on the rail increases.

“Bubba 2 miles to the Buffet Tunnel and we are holding the 45 mile an hour speed. I got a note on my IPAD that we are picking up a crew at the Harvard Station.”

“Okay not much snow on our end of Buffet Tunnel. I wonder if we will make it to Denvco if there is a lot of snow on the other side of the tunnel.

The train enters the 6-mile tunnel where the crew is in total darkness except for the lumination of the headlight of the locomotive. Fans suck out the fumes as the train further clicks and clacks on the rail in the tunnel. Bats fly along the side of the light of the locomotive and fall away. The tunnel smells like a burnt rag.

8 minutes later in the distance the tunnel door opens showing a white snowy light in the distance.

“Bubba, we have a lot more snow on this side of the tunnel so we might not make it to Denvo.”

Bubba proceeds to slow down by pushing the throttle on the braking mode slot while applying the application brake. The pistons expand, the hissing sound increases profoundly and the wheels squeak on the rail.

The train makes it out of the tunnel with a ton of snow above the rail. The locomotives shovel pushes mountains of snow off the rail to the side. The train begins to race while sliding on the rail like a toboggan.

“Bubba, the train is sliding on the rails, can we slow the coal load down? The dispatcher has us going into Boland Station.”

The train continues to speed up while Bubba further pushes the throttle to maximum braking mode. The automatic brake is also at maximum braking mode. The sand is distributed on the wheels to help slow down the coal load.

Finally, the coal load empty slows while going into the siding and stops on the south end.

“Wow that was close Bubba. I see the stress on your face because of the sweat. Too much snow and the dispatcher sent a note on the IPAD that to tie down the train and Amtram the passenger train would pick us up and the crew at Harvard Station.