hese great, dumb beasts, moving as one, plodding through dust and adversity in their drive towards their distant goal. Small stupid eyes peer from beneath their shaggy manes, nosing their fellows, driving on and on, clutching their trains under their arms…

What?

Yeah, I’m not talking buffaloes here. I’m talking about the general rush for the door, the one-and-done deal where half the club is out the door and heading home to their nightcaps and their Tonight Shows. Those who stick to their throttles were looking around about 9:20pm (real time AND train time), wondering if the rapture had happened (neither myself and Greg had been teleported, but Reverend Jim was gone, so there was some basis of concern). But yes, nothing but crickets, with the decibel meter flat-lining at 40.

Feeling shabby in my day-glow shirt. Alex dresses for success on his first day on the East Subdivision Desk (Photo: Pete F)

Look, I can’t lock the door and keep everyone there (I can’t, can I?). But I’ll point out that while most of the trains ran, only half the steel mill jobs got run (and thanks to Greg and Frank for that). Kyle ran the ore either way (there is a pun there, that might grow up to be funny, given time). But this translates to next session, where the mill goes into reduced production. There will be no coal runs (since we never repositioned the cars). And even though Rob ran 414 with enthusiasm and a near-complete disregard to his warrants (so sez my eastern subdivision dispatcher), that the coal made it to Calypso does not feed the furnaces a short distance (and a five minute job) away. So don’t come crying to me if there is no coal-parole. We can’t run it until all those jobs are done.

Still, it was a good session, if a little light at start (and lighter at midpoint). Alex and Pete came in like a couple of dapper gentlemen in their ties (though the latter looks like someone dressed up a lawn gnome, sorry). We had problems in Calypso with a bad turnout and a short (the former I need five minutes with pliers, the latter might have been from too many engines and lit cars back there). But yes, Alex did a great job as a first time dispatcher. He even survived me dicking him over with an early morning rush up the hill (and returned the favor by avalanching me in the PMs). I think we’ll have a relief dispatcher in a month or two (but it’s already too late, I fear. John DV was down working Shelfton and did a great job, from my passing inspection). The Martin Twins got things done with no delays (and Jeff C did me a big favor by pointing out a potential deadlock forming at the division point, allowing us to call up to Harris and hold a train) (though it seemed Harris could hold trains on its own just fine). And really, on that topic, what the hell was 202 doing, running around a train at the division point by going up the main the wrong way (and against his warrant) to leapfrog ahead of a rack train (I think that’s what he lapped in the pits)? I know that changing the order of march confused the newbie dispatcher (it would have forced me to take yet another Valium). And this ended with the classic battle between T-rexs as the summit, with 202 and 223 both trying to out-suggest each other to get by.

I always love when people try new things. Here, John DV records his work at Shelfton, a really nifty puzzle that he solved without difficulty (Photo & Engineer: John DV)

The eastbound racks (with Eli in the cab) did a great job with our unconventional trick to have one engineer make his own two–train meet at Bethlehem (and with Alex, Zach and myself all providing leadership, he was sufficiently managed, I think). Still, the run went down well and the maneuver was pulled off.

Since I’m shoveling fertilizer over everyone with this blog, I’ll mention my own goof. Can you imagine the problems you can get into when you have near-dyslexic trains 298 and 928 running in opposition? I can now. Thanks to experienced hoggers Reverend and Nick  for spotting the goof and working it out on the ground (rather than in the wreckage, as it could have been). No excuses.

223 looks like the Ghost Train it almost became as Jim takes the drag freight into Carbon Hill, almost home at Cincinnati (Photo: Jim M)

It was good to have Nick guesting on the line – he covered the final train for us and ran with his much-missed skill. And a tip of the hat to Greg – I was ready to bust him on a volume charge but he was pretty quiet all night, running the mill with Frank.

East Racks pause in Bethlehem to meet their mirror image as Silver Bullet 2 makes it’s station stop (Photo: Pete F)

For you new engineers who are showing reluctance to run, hopefully we can get you out on the rails on our Saturday Night Special session on September 14th. We’ll be running freights and passengers (and extras) in a semi-training (and there’s another pun) session, clock free and blog free (I might issue and all-picture text-free edition). It will give you a chance to learn the layout and get comfortable with the warrants (a quick clinic on warrants will be held just before the trains roll). We’ll get you out of the dance floor yet, you wallflowers.

I might have left some of you deserving people out of this blog. Still, I gotta say that even with the spat of problems we had, that’s railroading. We still ran a lot of trains (Bethlehem Steel might disagree, of course). But we all had fun.

Oh yeah, and Christen breaking down in a tunnel and wandering off – I mean, what can I say that I can’t imply, eh?

We rolled wheels last night, Boomers. It was fun!

>>>BOOKS FOR SALE<<<

You DO realize that there are helpers stationed at the summit to help you over the hill, right? (Photo: John DV)