Railroaders' Nostalgia > Waycar warmth redux

I’ve had this loose image bouncing around in my “for the time, being” file for so many moons I forgot why I tossed it in there! I remember the original story I posted with it. And I was a little shocked to find out I wrote it nearly 12 years ago. So I’m lifting that original story, verbatim, and I’m posting it here on RRer’s Nostalgia. I’m thinking there might be 4 or 5 guys who haven’t already read this frozen tale of woe... ;^)

My crew went on duty in Arkansas City, KS on a long heavy dog of a train bound for Emporia. It was in the well-after dark evening time and it was bitter cold with a substantial snow cover. We had traffic congestion & a few snowed-in switch issues and it was a struggle just getting out of town. At Winfield the DS had us lined up the 3rd District where we would catch the transcon at Mulvane instead of up the more direct Douglas District to Augusta. We had been loping along, certainly not setting any speed records and finally ground to a halt somewhere in the boonies south of the tiny town of Udall, KS. The engineer radioed back that he was having air problems which my conductor had already surmised by keeping an eye on the caboose air gauge. It was up to me & my head-end braking partner to walk the train looking for the problem. This was not a very fruitful experience as we trudged through the wind-blown snow, seat-cushion deep in places. We met in the middle of the train, neither one of us having found anything amiss. We reversed the process back to our respective ends, still not finding anything. In cold weather a little bit of moisture can wreak havoc on the continuity of a train air brake system. This time I worked my way forward and at every 5 cars I would close an angle-cock to see if the engineer could get the air recovered. My partner met me as I was closing off the fifth set of 5 cars. We finally isolated the right block of cars, but still couldn't find the culprit car. SO.... after 2 1/2 hours of frozen toil it was decided by the 'Chief' -sitting in a warm room in the DOB at Newton- that we would just set out the rear 40 cars and limp on eastward. Thank providence we had a portable radio to use. This move necessitated bleeding off those rear 40 cars and pulling them through the siding for setting out with many handbrakes needing to be applied. Of course the job of backing the remainder of the train onto our waycar fell to the rear brakeman (pick me!). Hanging on the side of a boxcar in the cold & wind & snow for over a mile is NO picnic. By the time our humpty-dumpty train was back together again and ready to roll, my warm breath had created a rock hard icicle that hung from my beard & moustache.

Although this posted photo is obviously not in the boonies south of Udall, I can look at that open waycar door and still see my crusty old-head conductor beckoning me: "Come on up here son, and warm up a bit..."

1. AT&SF caboose 999462 on train 883 G-1 at Emporia, KS on a very cold January 8, 1980. Color ~ B/W effects from one of my very early Photoshop sessions.

Thank goodness for waycar stoves!
Lance Garrels
santafe199



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/23 17:08 by santafe199.

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AMEN Lance, a rough night in the snow which many of the world of transportation have experienced. Circumstances of course include trains, others are ships in rough sea and/or cold climates, 4 wheel drives with chains and winch trying to get home and feed the wood fired Ashley Stove to keep the pipes from freezing and the house warm. I remember many times with frozen beard and moustache while pulling winch cables or just out doing a little firewood collection episode. Many brave souls have done this over the years and we have earned the right to enjoy retirement without being directed by any and all political directives, reason I am a very stance Independent voter.

Don Allender

Something about stepping off into snow up to your waist that just says it's gonna be one of those days. And it was.

Great story Lance.

Nobody knows how good it really feels to be warm and dry, until they've spent a few (or several) hours being cold and wet.

Thanks for the story, Lance. Also for the wonderfully evocative photograph.

I well remember the EMP Depot/ working it during the later years 4/3 stopped
there, but rarely seeing it in daylight due to the Schedule. Sorry the Depot was
lost in '99, to a Fire of questionable origin per the newspaper stories of the day. 
It would have made a great City history center/ RR Museum, etc but wasn't to be. 

Working on the Southwest Div @ Gallup, I worked several yrs as brakeman on 211 local flip east that paid 156 miles. Not a hard assignment to work. Weather factor became pulling up to wye @ East Pegs, 40 miles east of Gallup, then after a lineup, condr & brkm ride the rear car (HO claim) for 3.2 miles to the small yard @ shortline Esclanite Wetsern to do straght s/o & p/u, then head down west leg towards Gallup to work Giant Refining. Riding that shove to Pegs at night in winter w/north wind hittIng you in the face was not pleasant, but for weekends & holidays off, not too much work on the trips, good crewmembers on the job, it was worth the beating for a few months in the dead of winter.
Sam Andrews 

sfbrkmn Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Working on the Southwest Div @ Gallup, I worked
> several yrs as brakeman on 211 local flip east
> that paid 156 miles. Not a hard assignment to
> work. Weather factor became pulling up to wye @
> East Pegs, 40 miles east of Gallup, then after a
> lineup, condr & brkm ride the rear car (HO claim)
> for 3.2 miles to the small yard @ shortline
> Esclanite Wetsern to do straght s/o & p/u, then
> head down west leg towards Gallup to work Giant
> Refining. Riding that shove to Pegs at night in
> winter w/north wind hittIng you in the face was
> not pleasant, but for weekends & holidays off, not
> too much work on the trips, good crewmembers on
> the job, it was worth the beating for a few months
> in the dead of winter.
> Sam Andrews 

Just curious: what did the "HO" pay?

Thanks.