My attitude toward what I would or would not attempt
changed one winter day on the Mt Morris branch. I grabbed
the handhold and pulled up but my boot was encrusted with
snow. It slid straight through the boxcar's foot stirrup
toward the wheel and rail. I was in a bent backward
position hanging on desperately with cold-numb fingers.
Fate or dumb luck saved me. Doug
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 2013 00:07:13 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Re: [CBQ] (unknown)
I saw a
"classic" case one afternoon at Langdon, MO...Some
train...probably the north local had completed it's
work at Langdon and the rear brakeman was standing on
the platform having a "chin fest" with the
operator....They didn't have many cars and the
acceleration was rapid.
As the waycar approached I thought...that guy will
never be able to get on...He did something I never saw
another brakeman do...Instead of catching the curved
grab iron at the rear of the waycar....He just started
running as fast as he could before the waycar got to
him...When the front platform caught up with him he
just turned and JUMPED ON...never touched the
grabirons....during my trainman days I never saw
anybody do it that way again and I certainly didn't
ever try it.
Pete
-----Original Message-----
From: Noel Crawford
mailto:georgecrawfordsr@comcast.net
To: CBQ
mailto:CBQ@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thu, Jul 18, 2013 10:11 pm
Subject: [CBQ] (unknown)
.It
was also a source of pride for some of
the old engineers to leave town "at
speed"...in an attempt to leave the
rear end boys behind.
witnessed that event more than once while
growing up on the Q in York NB.