Lost and found

What once was lost is now found!
It has been years since I've thought about this the blog. It is exciting to start again. With new pictures new stories and years of experience on the railroad as Engineer.  I'm ready to start writing again.

Are YOU ready?

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wow, time has gone by so quickly. It seems only yesterday i started a new "New Year's resolution". Well, here i am again and I'm starting the same resolution. Only because I'm another year older and feeling it. i must get thinner,.... stronger,.... faster,.... wait! I'm never gonna look like Steve Austin but i can at least be healthier. Good luck to you all in your quest for resolution-izing your year. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Shleprocked again!

Well, I'm doing alright. I really don't like to complain about life, it has a way of biting you if you say anything negative. So, happy go lucky i say.

OK... I am a liar... I just can't seem to cut a break. Wouldn't you know it i have two cars one i own the other i pay on. A couple of days ago the one i pay on overheated and i had to have it fixed. Now imagine a slot machine ringing, with lights flashing and people surrounding the winner. That is what it was like for the mechanic. I was the slot machine paying out the big WIN. OK fine so i had car trouble. Then I'm driving the other car when a grinding began like i have never heard or experienced before. Well, now I'm out of coin and my car only moves in reverse. I have to say it was fun for the first 20 minutes or so, you know, driving backwards but after that.....

Trains and Cell phones bad combo?

Trains…. What makes them so interesting? I’m not sure but we have people in the dead of winter following the trains around, taking pictures. Now I was an art major in college. I can see the draw to a good picture of scenery and train. Personally I’m a little more interested in the crash. I’m not sure if that is part of my generation or not but seeing a locomotive all busted up like the one in this blog is cool to me. Although, as long as no one is too injured.
In the fall of last year, two trains collided in California a passenger train and a commodity train. The death of the passenger train operator was due to him texting some train enthusiasts, young kids I think. This was a huge tragedy. I am sorry for those affected one way or another from that incident. I have wanted to write something about that on this blog since that happened.
Cell phones can be very dangerous even while driving. I know we all feel like we can handle driving and texting or talking on the phone. Even though, the attention to detail is vital while operating a train or driving a car. I think it is important to put things in order of importance, the phone call, driving a car or operating a locomotive. What should it be? Think about it.

MANAGERS

The good the bad and the ugly, (if you were standing next to me you would have heard me whistle the infamous tune from the movie.) is a perfect description of a history of managers through out time. The worst would have been those who we saw in the movie "The Ten Commandments" you know, the task masters. I'm not sure but I think some managers take examples from the task masters of Moses time and use them today.

I laugh every time I think of the movie 'Office Space" or the TV show "the office". They crack me up! I have some relatives who manage, but I'm lucky enough not to know whether they are good, bad or ugly.

Any way, the other day I had the opportunity to meet a couple of my managers. They are so.... What's the word...... Oh ya UGLY. What a bunch of mindless drones. All we talked about was safety. Now, let me clarify, I believe safety is very important and most of the time Vital to good working conditions. Although, I find all they want out of safety is an award or to free the company of liability.

Now I understand liability. When one of my sons were 11 he borrowed his older brothers BB gun and he wanted to see how far the gun would shoot and instead of going into the field be hind our house, he aimed and shot down the middle of the street. Not knowing the gun fires to the left. He shot out a parked vans back window. He ran!!! We couldn't find him for 30 minutes. Guess who is liable the 11 year old or the old man. Yes I know liability.

This does not however, create a good working environment for me at work. Especially when some managers pick and choose the safety issues relating to productivity over employee safety. Our motto is supposed to be "SAFETY IS MY RESPONSIBILITY" wait... what?
You might say. Well, that's what I said so.. In conclusion ...Remember one thing " Don't let the door hit you on the way out" or your fired.

IT'S BEEN A WHILE

Well, if it wasn't for you PROVOPAIR. I would have forgotten all about this sad little blog. There is so much to blog about but I have been so busy with a stupid computer virus, no one seems to know how to handle very well. I had to recover my computer and lose a lot of files. BUMMER!
Anyway, I did manage to save Devan and Ethan's sci-fair project papers. That was a blast to work on with them. This the site that explains what we did.
http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/amateur/coilgen.html
Way Cool! we had fun.... Well gotta go I'm tired, but I'll be back.

BNSF Train Crash

Well, until i can figure out how to create a link from my site to Youtube.com you will have to copy and paste, but this is worth it!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mus8xOs2rWk

Cool Beans

The first time i heard someone say cool beans was on the AM Disney channel on the radio in 1992. I can't figure out whether it sounds dumb or cool. I guess it doesn't matter nobody says it any way. I just like the picture.
It has been too long since i have been on the computer to post anything. Alot has been going on, on the railroad. So many changes are coming our way. i truly believe there will only be one man on the train the, engineer. crazy!

Hammer and Knife

Most recently I was thinking about the most interresting stories I can come up with. There hasn't been one that stands out at the moment but with valentines behind me I can focus on my blog.
It has been brought to my attention that I should be alittle more vague on details I leave on this site in case it helps vandles understand how we operate out here.
Which reminds me, a friend of mine, an engineeer, was picking up a train in a bad part of town. Well, they’re all bad if thery're near the railroad. Any way, it was about 2am when he was inspecting his locomotives (about 3 of them) when suddenly on the 3rd motor a vagrant came from out of the shadows and hit him with a hammer then knifed him. He said it happened so fast he didn't have time to react.The conductor went to see about him since it had taken about 20 minutes before he was found bleeding by the conductor who immediatetly called 911. We were all freaked out, we never found the lunetic.
Well on a lighter note, about 8 yrs ago, we stopped our train in this most remote desert and I had to walk and inspect the rail cars for some reason. It was pitch black no stars no moon nothing but black and with my lantern I couldn't see more than 5 feet infront of me.
You know how your mind wanders and my friend was on my mind and that lunitic never being caught.I had walkon dirt and rocks for about 200 yards then I could swear I heard foot steps behind me. I turned around shined my lantern on nothing but tumbleweeds. I thought I was just being ridiculous so, I shook it off and took a few steps. Suddenly, I felt something on my arm I scearmed like a little girl climbed on the nearest rail car turned to shine my lantern on the nostrils of the biggest scariest looking COW you ever saw. Yeah you might laugh but I will never forget the insane look in that animals eye. Dumb cow.

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.

This is all new to me.

I am not real sure how to begin. I enjoy writting in journals but telling these stories on the internet about myself and those I know is new to me. Honestly, I'm nervous about displaying these thoughts of mine on the WWW. I'm not your average writer or blogger. I never drempt about being a writer or anything like that.
I like telling stories and there are alot of them that float around the so called railroad water cooler. Some are funny, some gruesome and some i just shouldn't tell in case kids are reading. Although, like those that told me the stories to begin with had to tell someone. I just decided to tell everyone.
In 1997, I began working for Union Pacific Railroad. what a life altering event. I don't care what anyone told me about the job, i was not prepared for the inconvienence of being on call. Yes, I know many people are on call in the world and it's tuff but believe me it's not what you think. I am on call 24/7/365 days a year. i never know when I'm going to work.
My first call was for a midnight job working as a switchman in the rail yard. OK, I was trained three and half weeks for this. Now was the big test. This all being new kept me awake through the night.
The men i worked with were great they called me green and said i looked confused then laughed heartily. I couldn't help but laugh at myself along with them.
A few weeks later thinking i'm getting the hang of it all. It was the middle of winter. I bought thermals, sweaters, beanies, thermal bibs and a duckwalls coat plus the required boots. I was in debt just starting out but warm in 10 degree weather.
There i was trying to decifer the notes forman Bill jotted down for me on what looked like egyptian scrolls in hieroglyphics as he commanded on his radio "this (frieght) car goes here, that one there and do this, don't forget that, i'm kicking this car jump onto it, ride it down the track and tie a brake on it......" then i replied "ok say that again, over". He was not happy.
Well, the night was not over. I had one last move for the night. Forman Bill said he was going to kick some cars down a rail and asked "is a heel in the track?" (cars in that rail to stop the cars he is sending to me from rolling out). "Yes" I said. "There were cars way down there". He said "ok kick'em!" to the engineer. Remember, I had all the garb on including my radio which I had in my back pocket with the mic clipped to my new coat. I felt like the little kid whoes mom wrapped him up to go outside, Remeber "A Christmas Story".
I took one more look down the rail and the cars that were supposed to stop the cars forman bill just kicked were being pulled out the other end of the yard. Oh! No! Here they come, I think they're moving too fast nothing is going to stop these cars from going out the other end. I'll have to jump on. Wait, my saftey glasses are fogging up. I looked around the fog. I see the cars. They're here but where is the brake wheel side of the car. I'm supposed to climb on. I should know this. Oh it's on the other end. Timing, here we go run your going to miss it! Crap! My radio just fell out. It's barely hanging by the mic clipped to my coat with the radio dangling between my legs. Its going to get in the way if I get on the car. Shoot this is the wrong end of the car. I run to catch the other end. I did it I'm on. Then the car begins to slow down on its own. It comes to a complete stop on its own. Forman Bill Says on his radio " Hey, are you alright?" with a chuckle in his voice. " You know it goes up hill there."
I think I learned an important lesson that day. No matter how cold it is outside you can still get hot and sweaty. I'm just not sure if it was from embarrassment or from running in all those clothes. Either way, I think I acclimated that day because I haven't worn all those clothes since.