One night headed east approaching Downers Grove on main #3 with a train out
of Savanna Jerry hollored over "what's that?" I looked where he was pointing
and what appeared to be a tie was resting on top of the the south rail with
the balance going toward and over the Notrh rail.I replied it looked like a
tie as it was about 7:00pm and the "tie" was brown. About that time the "tie"
moved,turned and looked right at us! The "tie" was a man who had decided to
end it all. Jerry dumped the air and I stood in the middle of the cab at the
window.The guy turned and looked right at us as we went over him. The most
gut wrenching sound I ever heard followed as his body bounced around and
became airborne. We finally stopped just beyond Pepperidge Farms' plant at
Fairview Ave where we waited for the police to do their job. After about an
hour of tying up town we got the OK to leave town and the rear end crew
advised they were back aboard.The interview with the police in the cab was
short and to the point(back then there wasn't the mandatory blood and alcohol
test.
As we prepared to set out the Parks at the park I got up and dropped off at
the derail,unlocked it and set the lock on top the tie,flagged Jerry down to
clear the south wye,made the cut,went up over the switch and started back
down the wye. As I rode the lead car into the wye I couldn't get the guys
face from Downers Grove out of my mind. All of sudden I came to when the TTX
flat started bucking and jumping all over the place.I bailed off and then the
east truck and the next car did the same thing.The washout brought the
emergency application. I walked around the TTX tri-level and the next car and
found everyhting on the rail. So I checked the derail to find it still in the
operating position! I had unlocked it but didn't throw it! We shoved on into
the wye,tied onto the other cars,cut off and went back to the train and left
town.As Jerry picked me up at the switch and I climbed aboard,sat down and
recomposed myself he was silent.After a couple minutes he looked at me and
all he said was"did you pull a Trump?" "Yup"
Leo
P.S. We called the East End D.S. from Clyde Rdhse to ask if everything was ok
at the Park.Yes why? Oh nothing special.My next trip East I noticed the south
wye derail had a fresh paint job!
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