Leo, This would probably fall under the same situation as the train in the
mountains that has lost its' brakes, but after spotting a car at an industry
and watching it roll away and head for the main line, the term runaway was
often uttered along with a few expletive deleted ones. During my 40 year
career I can recall 3 or 4 runaways that stick in my mind and I'm sure I am
forgetting a few. Let me share one in this note. Many times when a unit coal
train from the western coal fields of Wyoming would arrive at Burlington,
Iowa, the K Line crew would be on duty and just change crews at the depot
before traveling on down the river. If by chance it arrived early before the K
Line crew was on duty, it was parked on the side of the West Burlington hill
and tied down to await the new crew. This was done to avoid road crossings
being tied up. We hated this for a couple of reasons. The brakeman would have
to walk back and let off about 10 to 15 handbrakes depending on the dedication
of the previous brakeman. Most of all though it was the situation of the
inexperienced engineer who didn't know how to handle his air after he knocked
off the air brakes to start down the hill. Many of you are aware of the steep
hill that separates West Burlington from downtown Burlington and what a
challenge even an old head has in escorting his train down that incline. Well,
you can guess the rest. After using most of his air too soon, the crew found
themselves somewhat out of control and bearing down fast on the downtown
crossings which included Main Street crossing with a 10 mph speed restriction
because of a sharp curve at that point. To make matters a little more comical
was the fact that the headbrakeman was a pronounced stutterer who talked with a
lisp. Several times the airwaves were filled with this radio dispatch :"
Mmmayday, Mmmayday, we have a wunaway, wunaway" as the train squealed around
the Main St curve at 25 mph not knowing if they were lined for the K Line or an
open span on the Mississippi River bridge. The Burlington operator that was on
duty stuck his head out the depot window and screamed out,"Slow that damn train
down!!!" Well, luckily all boards were green and they rolled onto the K Line
with out any more excitement. That's one of my most memorable Runaway stories.
I'll share more later. Archie----- Original Message -----
From: Rick Keil
To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, January 08, 2007 10:20 PM
Subject: RE: [CBQ] Runaway
Not being a railroader (other than model railroader!), and with your clue, I
would guess its runaway livestock from a stock car.
Rick Keil
Wichita, KS
>From: qutlx1@aol.com
>Reply-To: CBQ@yahoogroups.com
>To: cbq@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [CBQ] Runaway
>Date: Mon, 8 Jan 2007 21:05:43 EST
>
>Here's a question that leads to another true story but before I pass it
>along
>can anyone answer this question?
>The term runaway in railroading is usually associated with a train
>(generally
>in the mountains) that has lost its' brakes. Where else in railroad
>operations was the term runaway somewhat routinely used ?
>
>Here's a clue;the kind of cars involved are no longer used. Also when this
>term was screamed up and down the trk many men were affected and reacted
>quickly.
>
>Leo
>
>
>[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
>Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
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