Re: Memorable Locomotive Rides
Author: ff
Date: 02-21-2010 - 11:55
Sitting on the pilot ...Minden to Carson City...watching the rails jump up as they were poorly spiked.. =Sitting on front of SN freight loco crossing Yolo by-pass during flood season..after all night trip from Oakland...=== Sitting on the pilot from Pt San Luis Obispo..to SLO Oct 38 watching a jack rabbit running a long distance ahead between the rails. = Sitting on the tender of WP steamer entering into Reno.. and later hoping film wouldnt be ruined as choked for breath in smoke and heat sitting on tender of V&T double header passing thru tunnel en route to Gold Hill. = Sitting on tender in broad daylight ..SP going thru Oakland ...end of Santa Cruz excursion... Climbing into cab on Sierra in the dark and allowed to blow whistle for crossings...prewar.. Working on D&RW 3700 class over Soldier Summit including the ..3703.which .later blew up south of Denver about 1951//= A furious ride working on 3700 class down the Ruby Canyon Oct 1950 with a wild engineer who made NO effort to slow down when the all lights including the headlight failed . A brakemans lantern was held on the water gauge and the fireman went out on the running board looking in vain for the solution in the dark as we swayed along like blind men... ended up in Grand Jct. without lights..== Sitting on bags of mail on head end of SN to Chico watching the motorman tie down the dead man while he read the paper... north of Rio Vista Jct. ... being surprised at one point when we stopped north of Marysville and a phone was pulled out and put into a jack on a pole.. to talk with dispatch. etc