Nostalgia & History > A View from the Other Side: A Matter of Semantics

We often hear the term "The Other Side". It is often used by psychics claiming to be able to communicate with people who have
passed on. Enter the Railroad.
We all know that by Federal Law, train crews can no longer perform service after 12 hours on duty. The railroads, long known for
slang terms for different scenarios, have appropriate terms for this Hours of Service Law. "Hog Law" and "Going Dead" are
two that come to mind.
In the 90s, there was so much traffic on the then Marysville Sub between Topeka and KC, that crews on trains enroute KC
would more often than not, "Die" before reaching the city.
On this day, below, is just such a scenario. We are "Dead" on the SIKS in the New South at Topeka. My conductor, (Dead Man Walkin),
heads for the yard office as the CNACJ rolls east. He will not go far as trains are stacked up for entire 68 miles to KC.

Topeka, KS
November 20, 1995.

Thanks for looking.

Bob Helling
PRose

---

Ohhhh the humanity!! I see the look on his face. To have to make "that walk" after 12+ hours out there was a bittersweet feeling. Sweet: because I was FINALLY off the miserable shift/train/job (pick one), and I knew I would be away from the damn RR pretty soon. Bitter: because in some many situations going dead wasn't necessary in the first place... Nice shot, K-bro!

Lanzo

I had a fireman on Amtrak that was always talking about going to the other side, meaning the other side of the run opposing ours. Then he got into an inopportune solo car crash and really did go to the other side...

What was the first joke that our training officers told us? I'll bet that for most of us it was the one about the clerk calling the new hire's young wife about he husband dying on his train, only to have her faint at the news. Yes?

From all of the stuff that he is carrying, it looks like your conductor was well-prepared for a long, slow death.

-E.O.

I heard one at Amtrak, don't know how common it is, about going "overboard" to describe going DOL. I suspect that was a
watered down term to be used amongst the riding public.

Walking between the rails, that's a real "Bozo no, no". I guess he's collecting diesel turds on his shoes so when he gets in the van he can really mess things up.-BMT

UPNW2-1083 Wrote:
> ...he's collecting diesel turds on his shoes so when he gets in the van he can really mess things up...

After 12+ hours on a train I am SO SURE this crewman doing just what you have described. How about the rest of you RR-ers? Didn't we ALL purposely go stepping (with our own boots) in piles of the stuff, JUST so we could mess up our driver's van. Heck-yeah!!! It's what we lived for...

santafe199 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> UPNW2-1083 Wrote:
> > ...he's collecting diesel turds on his shoes so
> when he gets in the van he can really mess things
> up...
>
> After 12+ hours on a train I am SO SURE this
> crewman doing just what you have described. How
> about the rest of you RR-ers? Didn't we ALL
> purposely go stepping (with our own boots) in
> piles of the stuff, JUST so we could mess up our
> driver's van. Heck-yeah!!! It's what we lived
> for...

Chill, dude. I was being facetious. Beside, I have seen it done. The main point I was making was he's walking down the center of the track. Not the smartest place to walk.-BMT

UPNW2-1083 Wrote: > ... I was being facetious.

I see nothing facetious in your statement. I see a statement that has nothing whatsoever to do with the nice, entertaining little thread/story 'PRose' went to all the trouble to put together. What I do see someone jumping up and yelling about some perceived huge "BOZO NO-NO" (your words), when there is no real clue about what is actually happening. Tell me: Did you really take a look at the scene? Exactly what did you hope to add to the story theme about hours of service with your supposed 'MAIN POINT'?

Let's look at the track this crewman is committing this BOZO NO-NO rules violation. A track that apparently only gets used a handful of times a year. I'm just guessing, but in looking at the scene I'll bet the farm this is the LEAST used track out of all those pictured. And how do you know that crewman isn't just making an angled exit from his train instead of walking straight down the track. Did you notice the close proximity of the narrow access road to the rest of the tracks. Maybe the crew van is parked right behind the photographer's position. Maybe the crew has to load up while in this 'pinch-point' spot. Solution: Maybe the van should have parked on the OTHER side of the tracks. Then the crew could be carrying all of their gear while crossing 4 or 5 live tracks, including 2 main lines. At least they wouldn't be committing some horrible BOZO NO-NO rules violation by walking between the rails of a seldom-used track a short distance to a waiting van. Yeah, I'm sure that's the safer course.

Ok, so you pay your yearly membership to TO.com and have every right to jump up and yell about some 'BOZO NO-NO rule violation, while "purposely collecting diesel turds". I concur. You do.

I pay my yearly membership to TO.com and have every right to speak from a position of experience, defending an unknowing train crewman from an irrelevant attack & a cheap shot.

Lance Garrels

santafe199 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> UPNW2-1083 Wrote: > ... I was being facetious.
>
> I see nothing facetious in your statement. I see a
> statement that has nothing whatsoever to do with
> the nice, entertaining little thread/story 'PRose'
> went to all the trouble to put together. What I do
> see someone jumping up and yelling about some
> perceived huge "BOZO NO-NO" (your words), when
> there is no real clue about what is actually
> happening. Tell me: Did you really take a look at
> the scene? Exactly what did you hope to add to the
> story theme about hours of service with your
> supposed 'MAIN POINT'?
>
> Let's look at the track this crewman is committing
> this BOZO NO-NO rules violation. A track that
> apparently only gets used a handful of times a
> year. I'm just guessing, but in looking at the
> scene I'll bet the farm this is the LEAST used
> track out of all those pictured. And how do you
> know that crewman isn't just making an angled exit
> from his train instead of walking straight down
> the track. Did you notice the close proximity of
> the narrow access road to the rest of the tracks.
> Maybe the crew van is parked right behind the
> photographer's position. Maybe the crew has to
> load up while in this 'pinch-point' spot.
> Solution: Maybe the van should have parked on the
> OTHER side of the tracks. Then the crew could be
> carrying all of their gear while crossing 4 or 5
> live tracks, including 2 main lines. At least they
> wouldn't be committing some horrible BOZO NO-NO
> rules violation by walking between the rails of a
> seldom-used track a short distance to a waiting
> van. Yeah, I'm sure that's the safer course.
>
> Ok, so you pay your yearly membership to TO.com
> and have every right to jump up and yell about
> some 'BOZO NO-NO rule violation, while "purposely
> collecting diesel turds". I concur. You do.
>
> I pay my yearly membership to TO.com and have
> every right to speak from a position of
> experience, defending an unknowing train crewman
> from an irrelevant attack & a cheap shot.
>
> Lance Garrels

Really? First off my apologies to Bob Helling for hi-jacking his thread. I never "jumped up and yelled" (your words and capitalization of Bozo no, no). I was stating a point that he was walking down the middle of the rail. Weather it was live or not at the time, all rails are considered "live" at all times. You sure assume a lot of things going on in this photo. I'm just going by what I see.
And speaking from MY experiences working for the railroad, I've had my close calls getting hurt and I have seen many of my friends and colleagues injured and maimed from either walking too close or in between rails that they thought were not being used. The most recent, a good friend of mine in Yermo (Ca) several years ago taking a shove and walking between the rails of the adjacent track thinking it was not being used, lost both his legs after being struck by a car rolling free.
I'm going to reiterate, this was not the smartest place to walk, judging from just what is shown in the photo. It is a safety and rules violation, which in 1995 when the photo was taken, would probably just get you a good ass chewing but in today's environment, you would probably be fired. One more point to make is that if the crew were "dead" as stated, this would be one of the worst times to be walking in the "red zone" as the crew is probably quite tired and thinking more about getting tied up and going home or to the hotel than being aware of their surroundings. Been there, done that countless times over the last 37 years working for the railroad.-BMT