Railroaders' Nostalgia > Practical Jokes - 2

There have been plenty of torpedo practical jokes. The most memorable I know of was at Polk Street tower, Grand Central Station in Chicago. In those days, the signal maintainer worked under traffic, crouching between tracks in the interlocking to adjust switch machines. The depot engine engineer used to pour water on the maintainer any time the engine went by him. One day, he had enough and decided to get back at the engine crew. He piled torpedoes on both rails, two or three layers of them. Unfortunately, he chose a double slip switch in the middle of the plant, in all of the main routes for traffic arriving and leaving, for his payback. The engine set a train in the shed, the maintainer set his trap. The engine came roaring out, hitting the torpedoes. There was a massive explosion and when the smoke cleared, the engine was derailed in the double slip switch.

TAW
 

Pouring water on someone seems to be a common prank of long ago.  In the book "High Tension" by William Wister Haines, throwing an ice cold cooler of water on someone inside the Pennsylvania Railroad wire train was the standard prank.
The novel tells about a lineman working on the PRR electrification in the late 1930s.
 

Throwing water was always welcome on a hot Alabama day. Remember one incident where there was a train meet at Beatrice, Al. on the L&N's Southern Alabama branch.These two crews were always pulling pranks. The brakeman off the train in the siding was up on the TO signal with a water hose and had a perfect shot into the cab.The Brakeman had crossed over to look out of the Engineers window to wave at the other crew and both got hosed. Two for one! I was on the crew in the siding.

Steve Panzik
Chiloquin, Or

Water dousing was a fun joke up until big brother was everywhere. Man or woman we used to have fun at meets in the summer, wet T-shirts for everyone! “Snowball” fights were common too in the summer. All but done now.

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