John
To tell you how bad the C&I can get. I was heading west one night on a
pig train. The ground fog between Cicero and Aurora wasn't too bad, but it
was just a small warning of what will be further down the line.
Upon leaving Aurora the fog now was lifting and getting thicker, but it
was still hugging the ground. The top of the fog bank was about pilot high on
the lead locomotive.
This lasted like that until we hit Flagg Center. After Flagg ( 2 gg's is
the proper spelling for Flagg), it was like you hit a solid white wall. You
had to look out the side windows to get a feel for where you were at and the
signals weren't visible until you were right next to them.
The C&I for those who do not know is very undulating territory, and at
times your going uphill, you may get lucky and ride above the bank. Then
again, going downhill the fog might be worse. This night didn't matter up or
down you were in solid fog.
Going by the Approach signal (distance board) for Milledgeville we had
a yellow approach. The dispatcher called us and told us we were going in the
whole for one train. Feeling my way to the East end of Milledgeville is
always fun in normal conditions because the signal is on a curve. It's worse
in fog. To help find the signal better you shut off your headlight and search
for any type of clue as to what color signal you have. By shutting off the
headlight, this cuts down on the glare that is being thrown back at you.
We found the lunar signal and entered the siding and felt our way downhill
to the West end for our meet. I talked to the approaching train and found
that he was already by the approach signal and like me, he now was feeling
his way looking for a more favorable signal.
A few minutes later you could make out the dim glow of a headlight coming
at you and I called the approaching train and told him I spotted his
headlight. The response was Great, can you tell me how close I am getting
because I don't have a clue. After he dimmed his headlight a few times like I
did, he finally saw a spot of green coming thru and made the meet.
It's strange, but when a train goes bye while your in a siding and you
turn on your headlight, the moving train creates a breeze that moves the fog
out of the way. It's like watching it pass in a tunnel.
Gary O.
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