My main form of exercize from May thru August is a one hour bicycle ride (16 miles). I am usually out on the roads by 530am and during the ride, I cross the CN (ex GTW), NS (ex NKP), and CFE (ex PRR) each twice. Based on traffic patterns it is rare not to encounter a train daily.
At one crossing of the CN, my route parellels the line, then I cross and immediately resume paralleling the double main again, going from the north side of the tracks to the south side. This morning I heard an EB following me and I hustled to beat it across the tracks, crossing as the gates began to decend.
Now, as I continued, I couldnt help but feel the train, 40 feet north of me, overtake me and roll past. It was an impressive sight and sound, with two locomotives running at the 60mph limit. The signals at Lincoln were advancing him on with a clear indication.
I glanced over as the lead locomotive passed and the engineer, with the window down was enthusiastically giving me a “highball”. Hmm, that was nice, I thought, perhaps it was simply that we were both traveling at an early hour in the morning. Then it dawned on me…my bicycle has rear red lights which I had set to “flashing” this morning due to a light fog condition.
The engineer was giving me a roll by and letting me know “you got one flashing” a term heard at every meeting of trains in my area.
The particular stretch of road is slightly ascending and is good for about 15.5mph for me. I checked my odometer and noticed the speed was 20.1 mph. What was going on? It then dawned on me that I was drafting and the CN’s passage was creating an effect that I had never really experienced.
Seventy one auto racks later my speed reduced to normal. BTW, they “had one flashing”.
ed