Thanks Russ and Gabe as you guys are close and really know in principle to
what I refer. Karl was never convicted because he just watched.
Stealing the unlock on the Q/BN specifically (at least on the Chgo/Aurora
Div) referred to the following practice;done many times a day at
Rochelle,Il.While sitting in the siding or adjacent main you are advise that
when # so and so passes you can enter the main or x/o.You innocently ask for
the engine number or is that the guy about to go by now? Once your "sure"(and
thats the part Russ refers to) you do the following. As the lead unit or 2
passes over the switch you need; you unlock the back of the electric lock and
also open the front as you normally would. By opening the back (using the
edge of your switch key or the standard socket wrench carried on the end of
your key ring overriding the signal depts best efforts to keep you out. You
punch the big bulls eye on the back while reaching over the electric unlock
box on the front and flip the handle releasing the lock so you can throw the
switch. Now keep in mind you are literally stooping over a box w/in the reach
of anything hanging off the cars(lumber,shifted load,straps or banding that
has broken loose,etc.Anything hanging off the cars will cut you deeply or if
the guy goes on the ground your dead. So why are you putting life and limb at
risk? Not to mention that if caught your job insurance will get well
exercised. By stealing the unlock you save between 5 and 10 minutes waiting
for the guy to leave the block and the time to run down so the Ds or operator
can reverse the current of traffic for you to "open up".Now if you didn't get
the job done by the time the third unit hits the switch you couldn't throw
the mechanism. So you would act casual like you had nothing on your mind and
just happened to be standing near the switch and as soon as the cab of the
lead unit hit the points you jumped to it. Yes, once you had defeated the
electric lock you could throw the switch under the guy going over it. Now one
of the funniest things I ever experienced was Ramie Miller telling me on my
first day at Rochelle "kid if the signal maintainer or trainmaster see you
steal the unlock your fired".Then not an hour later he says"kid go steal that
unlock as this guy goes by".The signal dept. locks on all the x/o at Rochelle
were so loose they almost came open on their own due to the constant
"stealing" going on. Of course in todays environment nobody beaks any rules
for any reason and the new locks can't be "picked" by the the switch keys.
Leo
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