Western Railroad Discussion > Grips

Hey I saw the stopwatch thread, so I thought I would ask what Grips people are using, mostly for the short line workers.

Thanks!

Personally I'm just using my backpack I used throughout high school... it still works, carries all I need... plus, still has the Dark Side of the Moon patch i put on when I got it..

For years i've been using good quality 26" sport bags, or duffel bag as some would call it. Cut a piece of 1/4" plywood to fit in the bottom to keep it flat and it works perfectly.

I have used an XL deluxe tuffbag since 1998. Only problem I ever had was the main zipper let go when I crammed it too full once. They repaired it for 8 bucks + shipping. http://www.tuffbagoriginal.com/

I also have a smaller bag from Autumn Creek that I use on Road switchers and Locals. http://www.autumncreek.com/

Bags from these manufactures are well worth the money because they hold up to the rigors of railroad use. I know some guys that will buy a bag from Wall-Mart for 30 bucks that they have to replace every year. I have got 10 years out of my Tuffbag and it cost me a little over 100 dollars.

Brian

I use a Cencal Flight Bag "Tango" Ballistic. The company is now out of business, but their goods can still be found with a little searching. I needed it repaird once , shipped it back and they fixed it no problems.

It's about the perfect size for freight engines, a little too big for Commuter (F40's anyway). I think I paid about $80 for it five or six years ago, but that bag will probably last almost forever.

Red Oxx, the absolute best and good people. After three tufbags through the years with their 'lifetime' guarantee NOT. Tuf bag used to fix'em for free and then began to charge...so bye bye tufbag. Lifetime guarantee is a lifetime guarantee and you should never offer it if you're not gonna make good on it. Again...Red Oxx.

I still have my tuffbag I bought new. Can't use it anymore, as it was stuffed so heavy, my back couldn't take it. Doc said no more. Use a western pack. has a handle and rollers and a backpack that comes off. Use the backpack for short stuff and both on away terminal runs. One good tuffbag, purple for sale. Inquire within.

http://www.redoxx.com/

I have to agree on the Red Oxx. I bought one in 2000 and I would still be using it, but it is too big. I'm trying to downsize, so I've gotten a smaller Red Oxx bag and I have nothing but good words for them. Well built seems, heavy duty shoulder straps and rings to attach strap to bag, hands down, the best bag made.

Greg M.
imrl

Home depot Custom leather Craft tool bag, lifelong warranty cost about $69

http://www.clccustomleathercraft.com/products/detail002.asp?partNo=1539

Back in the seventies, on the CPR , many of the oldtime engineers carried a steel toolbox instead of a grip.

This was a holdover from steam days. The engineers actually carried a small collection of company issued tools in them, and the roundhouse staff were responsible for loading the toolbox on the locomotive. The toolbox usually had the engineers name painted on the outside, some even had nameplates on them.

Because the roundhouse at my workplace had a backshop, for a modest fee the roundhouse machinists would make toolboxes for engineers and firemen.

With the end of steam, the full size toolbox was no longer needed. Instead a smaller steel box became the standard, still an item that the machinists would make for you. There was an US Army surplus steel box which also was used by some engineers, they said they were old ammo boxes (from the "White Elephant" store in Spokane WA.)

Both the original steam era toolbox and the later diesel boxes were virtually indestructible, although all had scars and scuffs from hard use. The personalised boxes sometimes come up for sale in garage sales, a nice momento if you happen to remember the original owner.

We were always advised to carry a few tools in the modern era, a good pair of wire cutting pliers and a slot head screwdriver. Air hose glad hand gaskets were supplied and expected to be carried.

Nowadays, most operating crews use backpacks, sports bags or the occasional wheelie bag.

eminence_grise Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Back in the seventies, on the CPR , many of the
> oldtime engineers carried a steel toolbox instead
> of a grip.
>
> This was a holdover from steam days. The engineers
> actually carried a small collection of company
> issued tools in them, and the roundhouse staff
> were responsible for loading the toolbox on the
> locomotive. The toolbox usually had the engineers
> name painted on the outside, some even had
> nameplates on them.
>
> Because the roundhouse at my workplace had a
> backshop, for a modest fee the roundhouse
> machinists would make toolboxes for engineers and
> firemen.

Interesting story. I remember seeing lots of metal boxes in the 70's and 80's.

I recall back in the latter 90's when those big Craftsman plastic tool boxes were very prolific. I favored that one myself, for a few reasons. They were big enough to hold all the books we carried. Organizable, I could find what I needed at arms length even in the dark. Made for an awful good leg rest if Long Hooding, or a decent seat on a nice day if sitting around outside waiting for the cab to show up. I also recall my conductor had his Craftsman backed over by a crew van, had his laptop and camera in it. Destoyed his box, but the laptop and camera weren't damaged. Seemed like these were the rage for a while and then everybody just dropped them like rocks.

There's a scene in "Silver Streak" where the bad guy has the engineer at gunpoint. The engineer in the movie was in fact a Calgary based CP engineer. While the bad guy is distracted, he puts his steel toolbox on the deadman pedal. The bad guy notices him doing it and shoots him dead.

Although there is no dialogue at this point in the movie, we always thought the bad guy should have said, "You know that nulifying a safety device is a dismissal offence. Rather than conduct an investigation, I'm just going to shoot you".

Those heavy steel lunchboxes just may have been placed on the deadman pedal the odd time. Anyone who owned one is long since retired.

imrl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> http://www.redoxx.com/

Made in the USA in Billings, MT too.

Paul Birkholz
Sheridan, WY

I just use a backpack - ones with lots of room and numerous pockets. They wear out and I replace them about once a year. I've yet to find a really good high-quality one that has all the features I want in it though, so I just buy whatever I can find every year at Back-To-School time, usually a 20 dollar one at Target or Walmart.