Snowy Rail

Scooter Harris slurps his diet coke while burping the rest of the cheeseburger. Half of the cheeseburger slides off the right side of his face with spots of mustard, ketchup, and ground beef grounds.

“Scooter your wearing half of the cheeseburger on the right side of your face! We both are called for duty at Denvo. Let us leave Po Folks Restaurant.”

“Okay Willie, I see that you’re wearing your napkin so you can wipe the locomotive throttle when needed.”

Willie Mays Hayes and Scooter Harris jump into Willie’s shinney red 1955 chevy pickup for a 15-minute ride to the Denvo depot. Traffic is light proceeding to the middle of the town.

The truck pulls into the far west side of the parking lot by the depot. Willie and Scooter slide out of the truck while slinging their grips (overnight bags) over their shoulders while gingerly walking toward the depot.

Railroad intercom in the train yard, “Willie head to the locomotive on track 2. Scooter, come inside to get your IPAD with all your instructions and give me a call.”

Scooter makes the call to the train tower, “Scooter, trainmaster Harvey here. There are 2 feet of snow at Big Rift Station, the main line switch is frozen as well as the yard switches. Take a bunch of flares to melt all the switches needed to pick up 4 coal cars on track 3. These cars need to be picked up so they can head to Houston, TX just like your train. Enjoy the ride to Splindad.”

Scooter throws his grip over his shoulder and heads cautiously lifting his steel toed boots over the rail one by one. He grabs the grab iron with two hands while thrusting his body onto the locomotive platform and heads inside.

“Scooter the coal car and locomotive brakes have been untied from the train.”

“Snow at Big Rift is piling up and we have 4 coal cars to pick up while getting through frozen switches Willie. Green light in front, let us get the train moving.”

Willie pushes the throttle in the run position, releases the automatic brake, and the pistons disappear while hissing sound from the brakes becomes more pronounced.

The wheels of the locomotive begin to turn while grinding on the rail gets louder and louder.

As the coal load leaves the Denvo area, the snow piles up on the rail and eventually spills over the sides. The locomotive pushes the snow from the headend of the locomotive to the left and right sides of the track.

“Willie we are in for some hum dinger at Big Rift. Digging out the switches while melting the ice off the switch rods with the flares and the torch gun. I am not sure we will leave the station.”

The coal load wheels grind harder on the slippery wet rails as the speed increases through a heavy sleeting of snow where visibility of the train is nothing but a cloud of snow.  10 miles to Big Rift.

“Scooter before you go out, grab your flares, shovel and torch gun which you can find in the locomotive cab nose.”

The coal load slides on the slippery rail while the locomotive shoves the clumps of snow forward and off to the side of the rails. The train has arrived at Big Rift Station.

“Scooter you can barely see the main line switch into the station as well as the switches in the yard. I think I see the 4 coal cars buried in snow in the distance on track 2 off the main track in the yard. We can cut off the locomotives from the train, grab the cars and place them on the headend of the train.”

Scooter slips on his steel toed boots, wool hat, and heavy gloves. He proceeds to grab his shovel, flares, and torch gun. He gingerly moves slowly off the locomotive while trudging slowly in 2 feet of snow. Fortunately, the snow has stopped but a slow constant blowing of the wind pounds on Scooter’s mask. Scooter drops all his tools at the switch.

Scooter digs a trench around and inside the switch stand. The torch flames melt the snow around the switch rods while the flares melt the ice on the switch stand.

Scooter, unlocks the switch stand, pushes the switch open, sweeps out the ice and snow from the switch points. Scooter ties down the train and cuts off the locomotives off. The locomotives slip and slide forward through the open switch into the station.

On the train radio, “Scooter put your equipment on the locomotive platform and hitch a ride with me to the yard switch where the coal load cars are.”

After digging out the next switch, the coal load cars are picked up by the locomotive.

On the train radio, “Willie the cars are connected to the locomotive, pull out the cars to the train.”

Willie pushes the throttle forward while the wheels grind harder on the slippery snowy rails, the hissing sound of the released brakes becomes louder, and the coal cars start moving.

On the train radio, “Willie, we have a big problem, the coal cars just tipped off the side of the train tracks. The cars have derailed because the rail has snapped by the switch stand. Call the dispatcher, we are done and tell them to send the welders out and a new switch crew.”