ummm nevermind! although i’m sure quite a few folks have read the story…
Fascinating account of a fascinating experience. I wish something like would happen to me. Thanks
thanx pettibone, i consider myself very lucky!!
Those bells that were going off prob meant the rear engine shut down or had another issue since he had to go back there. Nothing to do with the air or dragging the handbrakes. Also, based on your location on your profile, Hendersonville NC, giving the name of the railroad, engine type, 3rd shift yard job or local, engineer is (EDITED), and conductor is (EDITED), as well as personal stuff the engineer told you. I really hope some company official out of (EDITED) doesn’t read this because you may have just gotten that engineer in trouble, he wouldn’t care since he’s a short timer, but his conductor with (EDITED), on the job prob wouldn’t like being fired over having someone riding the engine an talking a little too much on the internet about it. Also doesn’t help that you’re posting stuff about them not wearing their ear plugs, etc. Wouldn’t be hard to figure out the crew you rode with given all the information you just posted, don’t need names or engine numbers, you gave plenty of info. I’m a Conductor for NS and I could prob figure out who they were with a little poking around in the computer. Number one reason I’ve never even considered sneaking anybody on the engine for a ride. Wasn’t trying to break your balls here, but some of you guys need to think before you talk too much.
Edited by Namerifrats
I would have ran out the cab if he told me he wishes I were a cute blonde girl LOL.
What a great initiation!
I doubt that either of the railroaders will lose their job over this, but if the wrong person hears about it they may get some sort of reprimand. Had harm come out of it, it might be different. And just the fact that it was the NS, which has a reputation for less-than-stellar treatment of employees, might have some nuances that I can’t imagine.
But I’m with Al–you had a fantastic initiation. You sound a lot like I must have after my first cab ride when we were moving cars around and spotting industries, etc. I was able to sit on a fusee box behind the engineer and watch everything he did. The most impressive thing to me was that, after having seen nothing on the throttle beyond Notch 3, he kicked some cars and opened the throttle up to notch EIGHT! I couldn’t imagine something with that many “gears” (I was soon set straight about that!).
But when the ride was over, my audience was not the Internet. It was family and schoolmates, with reactions ranging from passive interest to yawns. I wasn’t going to get into any trouble from that. By now, the statute of limitations (meaning the careers, if not the lives, of the people involved, and of the railroad line itself) has expired, making it relatively safe to talk about.
Your right but it is like the picture thing they dont understand its our job and if we are nice they get us in trouble. But another guy said they wont get fired… not off this hear say but if the right official reads this he will tag this crew til he finds them doing something wrong. or lets someone climb aboard. that is why i no longer let anyone around the engine or property I will call the law when they treaspass. just a few bad ones take away pleasures for others.
very interesting and unexpected replies to my thread. i did infact write my post immediately when i got home, not thinking of the ramifications. all that was on my mind was “ah, some of these guys might like to read this, hear about it, and i might get a reply or 2”. the posts about how i did the wrong thing make some very good points that i didn’t take into account. i felt it was an innocent incident-free occurance, BUT that doesn’t matter b/c there are rules those guys have to follow, because, yes, they are working at the time. heck i just thought the guy wanted someone to talk to out of boredom since he kept changing the subject to family, politics, gas prices, etc…all of these things i experienced led me on a track of light-heartedness. i see now the whole experience should have been left JUST between me and the engineer. lesson learned. i would surely hope he would not actually get fired for what happened if he was found out. he was just doing what he thought was a good-samaritan deed. but yeah, i agree, i am the one that made the mistake with that situation by posting my story. its not like when i was framing houses and we’d have high school carpentry classes come out and watch us set trusses, taking notes, even coming down on the job property and watch us up close. its just not the same situation because i don’t know all the rules/regulations in the RR industry. so…chalk this one up to experience, learned a different way of looking at those kind of situations for the future. thanx for the input, positive or negative.
Nothing wrong with telling the story, just leave a bit more out than you did. Railroad name wouldn’t matter if there was no idea of a location. Your profile saying your from Hendersonville NC, would make me go straight to Asheville District crews if I was trying to find out who it was. Also wouldn’t include personal things the crew said or years of service. Everything else is fine. Just nothing that could possibly lead to the crew members. At least you did think to leave out names and engine numbers though. I’ve seen some guys that got to get in the cab taing pictures of the engine number, crew members, etc. Fine to have those but damn sure not good to put on the internet.
RedStone31 you might want to go back to your first post and do a little editing. Take out the parts that would help identify the crew.
Ralph H