Flag Center is/was the junction of the Rockford Branch and the C&I. At this
point there's a wye to access the branch from either direction and the single
trk becomes double for a few miles to Steward Jct. The east leg of the wye is
in the plant and off a power switch. The west leg is a hand throw. Once on the
branch there's a high switch to a two trk yard where cars coming to and from
the branch are staged.
One night we're westbound on the beloved #353(the old #181) or best know as
the drag making p/u's and s/o's @ Eola,Rochelle,Flag ,Oregon and anywhere else
needed. Our pool turn is in the middle of 7 day run where we work either #353
or it's eastbound counterpart #364. We weren't sure what we did to earn this
prison sentance but made the best of it.
These jobs were always underpowered and moved last on the crowded C&I. It was
normally a 12 hour ringer into Savanna or a tow job. So when we pulled up to
Flag this night and we're told we'd have to wait for an Eastbound who was up
around Polo before we could enter single trk and use the west leg of the wye to
s/o our one car for Rockford we decided to make an almost unheard of move.
Route us up the east leg of the wye and we'll s/o this car and be back on our
train before the other guy gets here and we'll be ready to go west upon his
arrival. Ok comes the reply !
Now trying to cut even more time off the move and avoid running all the way
up to the other end of the yard we decide to "drop" this one 40' box into the
middle trk off the main with two GE U boats(not known as agile beasts) on a
cold winter night using the mainline high switch(read that stiff and slow
moving)
. Oh boy.
On the third try we got the car to roll into the clear w/o damaging anything
and did indeed get back on the train before the eastbounder arrived. Glen
Corniels just about fell out of his seat watching the two of us try and get
that
car dropped against all the odds. He couldn't help himself when we gathered
together for the ride uptown at the Savanna yard office telling the Con the
performance we turned in at Flag.
We did get to Savanna before the sun came up !
Leo
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