Hang On!

There is a little fiction in every truth in my opinion. I don't think we can help it sometimes. The story always gets a little bigger every time we tell about the biggest fish we catch. A friend of mine caught a 17 inch fish, not the 34 inches he keeps telling, but i still listen. I just shake my head and say "wow...! That was a big fish!"
Well, the story I have to tell may be a little exaggerated but not by me. I'll tell it just as I was told.
The 70's for some of the railroaders was a great time to work. most mangers didn't care what happened as long as the work was done safely. Amtrak would often times borrow UP employees to work for them.
There was conductor Jon and engineer chuck and an unknown brakemen working the morning zephyr.
Well, it seems to me that more people used the train more back then.
Anyway, I can only imagine conductor Jon being more helpful to the ladies than the other customers. He is talking to this chick who had arrived and was waiting on her ride home from the station. He was getting his "groove on' trying to get her number. Suddenly, he hears the all aboard warning horn. The zephyr is pulling away. This scene is not what you think where the train slowly starts pulling and he has time to catch it. These are diesel locomotives they are built for speed and speed away it did. Conductor Jon runs thinking there is no way I'm going to get left behind. He barely catches the last car. whew! just in time. Then he grasps the handle. The door is locked. I'm sure an expletive or two escape his mouth as he tries to get the attention of engineer chuck. Chuck does not see him riding the side of the passenger car while it speeds upwards to about 60-79 miles an hour. Now, he's thinking survival. With his radio in the car with his grip. He takes off his belt and straps himself to the ladder on the side of the car. Finally, the brakeman catches a glimpse of him out the window when he does his regular check of the doors. the brakeman radios the engineer to stop. He stops the train and they open the door to help him in. The brakeman radios "ahead, over " with a chuckle in his voice.
Engineer chuck responds " I hope you got her number" as they sped away.
I can't even imagine holding on at that speed. I hung on before at 25 mph and that made me nervous but 60 let alone 70 mph.