A drop is a drop. A "Dutch" gives you a little pucker factor, getting away, over the switch and then going the other way before the cars catch up.

I think a lot of yards still Ace & Duce cuts if there are enough people in the field. Like the East end of Bayshore. You just gave the pin puller a pin, no kick and the car went all by itself. At Brooklyn at the west end you would pull out a cut and sometimes had to put a little kick to them before you were stopped.

I know I may have mentioned a drop at the Dairy switch on the east end of Brooklyn one night. I was stuck on a the midnight goat and an extra conductor/Foreman asked me how we got cars into the dairy. (They were behind the engine.) Well, its up hill on the main and then downhill into the spur. I told him we dropped them in but needed a little extra poop because of the grade. So....., we backed up, he gave me a kick sign, and then a pin and a highball. I figured he knew what he was doing making a drop. Well, it turned out he didn't tell the other two guys on the ground so nobody rode a brake. Well, when they went over the switch and down to the cars that were there, there was load bang and a lot of dust. About an hour later the TM told us to go and tie up. Early quit. They didn't get the cars back on the rail until noon. You know, 2 nights later, we went on the ground at the diamond where the first jack pot happened and another early quit. This rated the Superintendent. He asked me what happened and I told him, just following signs.


Nudge