About the Author J. D. Santucci (a.k.a. "Tuch") began his railroading career in 1978 as a trainman on the Missouri Pacific. After a round of lay-offs in 1985, Tuch embarked on a railroad odyssey, working in many different situations for different roads. This column tries to explain some of the nuts and bolts of the job and also demonstrates what we have to deal with on a regular basis within and without the industry. Tuch currently works through freights out of Chicago for Canadian National/Illinois Central. ©1999, 2003-2007 JD Santucci. Logo ©2002 The Railroad Network. By J.D. Santucci

August 20, 2003
Once again, I have fallen behind in getting out a column in a timely manner. A work in progress column was planned for this time. After working on it again for a few days, I decided to put it back on the shelf and save it for another time. This put me behind even further when the powers that be up and changed the jobs and trains around. My regular assignment of 342/343 out of Glenn Yard was abolished. As of this moment, I am on a turn around freight job that is supposed to handle train 336 from Homewood to Champaign and then turn right back on train 343 from Champaign back to Homewood and tie up. For a few days anyway, this will have me home every night with no layover in Champaign. I’m expecting to get whacked from this assignment by week’s end though, not enough seniority to hold this new assignment. Should that be the case, I’m very going to have to make a move to some assignment. In any event, whatever assignment I wind up with will have me home every day and likely drive the beautiful bride nuts for sure. She’s not used to my being home everyday. Stay tuned for more developments.

And because of some plans the beautiful bride and I have this week; the next column will also be late. Will I double up on them at some point in order to catch up? No, not likely though as I’m having enough trouble getting one out a week.

And now, to quote the Great One, Jackie Gleason, “and away we go.”

I don’t believe there was a full moon on the date of this trip, 25 July 03. It was pretty overcast most of the evening so we really couldn’t tell. But for the course of the events which took place, it sure seemed like there could have been one though. I’m pretty sure one of you faithful and loyal readers will be able to provide the status of the moon for me on this particular night.

Our day started out rather auspiciously, even before we were ordered. I was sitting in my hotel room in Champaign waiting for the call back to work. After growing inpatient I called over to the yard and checked with the Yardmaster to find out what was going on and when we might get ordered. He told of their being no engines for our train. We would have to wait for a train to come in first. Wait for a train to come in first. Hmm, sort of like having an account at some low rent bank where; before you can make a withdrawal, you are required to wait for somebody else to come in and make a deposit first.

Normally, the plan calls for us to be ordered for about 1130 in the morning. Most days it is later. On occasion, it is really, really late. It always seems like the day before our day off, referred to as “getaway day” we got called late. This means that our day off begins even later, thus becomes shorter as they do not give us additional time off for starting later. If we start work at 1630 hours on our Friday and work twelve hours tying up at 0430, this just means our day off is this many hours shorter. We don’t get pushed back several hours on our Monday to make up for the later start on our Friday.

The call to arms finally came at 1430 and we were ordered to go on duty at 1630 hours for our regular 343 train. Once on duty and armed with the required paperwork, we then had to wait for the switcher to clear up before we could even get our engines off the pit. While awaiting our chance I headed out to look over the power and make it ready for this day’s trip. Once the switcher cleared it was our turn and we came out and headed up to the north end of the yard. A yard crew had doubled up our train earlier and pulling it up on the outbound runner in anticipation of our coming to work. The Car Inspectors had worked the train on the outbound track so that it would be ready to go when we finally went on duty.

When we arrived at the north end of the yard, we had to wait for inbound 399 to pull into the yard before we could come out and couple onto our train. Once 399 cleared, we were free to make our move. We coupled on, cut the air in and then got an air test. During our test, Amtrak 391 rolled south past us on the main track. We finally got the highball on the air and departed Champaign at 1840. Today our train consisted of engines GTW 5952 and the IC 1038 with 53 loads, 76 empties, 9543 tons and 7709 feet of train.

And so the trip home begins.

Our first meet of the evening would be with 338 at Rantoul. They were already there waiting on us and we just rolled right through. In their roll-by inspection of our train, 338’s crew observed a car ten from the rear that was smoking. I pulled clear of town and stopped for the Conductor to investigate. This delay began at 1914 hours.

The car in question was discovered to have a hand brake applied. As a result of the hand brake, the wheels had accumulated brake shoe build up. This phenomenon occurs when the brake shoes constantly rubbing against the wheels, heat up the wheels and then overheat the brake shoes. The Brake shoes begin to melt. Some of the material from the brake shoes sticks to the wheels on that car. When this occurs, the brake shoe material that adheres to the wheel begins to form a layer of sorts on the tread of the wheels. The wheels are not riding the rail properly as the build up is what actually making the contact with the rail. The car is then, for all practical purposes, riding on the build up instead of the tread of the wheel.

If there was a significant amount of this build up, the flanges of the wheels will also not track properly to guide the wheels through curves and turnouts. This could allow for the wheels to actually climb off the rails at frogs for switches or diamonds where we would cross other rail lines. Should this occur, there would certainly be a derailment.

The Conductor didn’t like the way the wheels looked, so I called Champaign Yard and requested a Car Inspector to come and assess the situation. A couple of Car Inspectors and General Foreman Ed Karlin drove out to hopefully correct the problems. In the meantime, Amtrak 392 was now out of Champaign and rapidly closing up behind us. They would take a bit of a beating in regards to their schedule tonight.

The build up on the wheels was chipped off by the Car Inspectors. Once this process was completed, we rolled the car a few feet to assure there were no more problems. Once this car was deemed safe to move, I took the train north to Paxton. Ed drove the Conductor up to meet me there. I started rolling again at 2010, so our delay was just short of an hour.

We were headed into the siding at Paxton with the plan to get 392 around us. I picked up the Conductor at the crossing at milepost 102 and we headed up to the north end of the siding and waited. We were then told that we would have a three way meet here. 392 was brought into siding behind us. 194 went south and then 392 was backed out behind him and then he went north around us. We then waited for 398 to go north by us as he was on short time and they wanted to get him as far north as possible. After a fifty-one minute delay, we were on the move again.

As we approached Del Ray, the south end of six miles of double track, we were informed by the Desk Two Dispatcher that we would be held at Gilman for at least two hours. We were told if we wanted, we would have time to grab a bite to eat. As most of you know, Gilman is the fast food capital of the world. We came to a stop at 2157. The Conductor took a walk so he could get himself something to eat. Shortly after we stopped at Gilman, I heard 398 who we had been chasing since Paxton make it as far as Ashkum. A cab would retrieve them there and take them back to Markham. This effectively took Ashkum away for a meeting point resulting in the reason we would have to wait at Gilman for so long. We had become just like a salmon during spawning season; we were swimming upstream against the current.

During our wait at Gilman, we met Amtrak 59, 397, 281 (who went down the Gilman Line) and 342. Being that the crew on 342 was getting low on sand in the hours of service glass, they were recrewed at Otto. The crew on 704, an empty coal train sitting in the siding at Otto took over 342 and brought it to Champaign. This was the crew we met on 342 when they rolled passed us. This also took the Gar Creek siding away for use as meets as the 704 train, now with no crew was occupying it. With two consecutive sidings being used to hold now crewless trains, our delay at Gilman would easily be the two hours we were told about earlier. To add to delay report, before they reached Gilman, 281 went into emergency and took a hit while getting their problem solved before they got on the move again. Also during our wait, the Gilman switcher was working in town and also went eventually headed down the Gilman Line as well following 281.

Am I sure there wasn’t a full moon?

“Strange things are happening.”

Finally at seventeen minutes after midnight, we got the signal and it was now our turn. We would run non-stop from Gilman to Markham passing the crewless 398 at Ashkum and 704 at Otto. We rolled through the siding at Kankakee to get around the switcher there working on the main track. They were switching Nucor Steel in Bourbonnais.

We arrived at Markham at 0214 meeting NS 317 at Homewood. Ironically enough, they had one of our units, the GT 5956 as their sole power. I wished them good luck with it as they passed us. We pulled our train onto Thoroughfare 3 up to Hazel Crest. We cut off the train there and headed up to 157th Street at Harvey. We had to “go around the world” as it is called to go to Woodcrest to swap out our power. I was having trouble with the 5952 and it needed to go for repairs. The 1038 also needed some attention as well.

Upon our arrival at 157th Street, we had to wait, again. 492, a train off the Soo Line was coming up the hill off the Elsdon Sub and we had to wait for him to clear before we could cross over to the Engine Thoroughfare track to head to Woodcrest.

Once we arrived at Woodcrest, we swapped out our two units for the 6118 and 6059. They were not quite ready to go yet, so we had to wait about thirty minutes for the Woodcrest forces to finish servicing them. When I was ready to pull out of the house with them, I discovered the radio on the 6118 would not receive. Everybody could hear me, but I could not hear anybody. This would not do. A quick change out of the radio and we were finally in business.

Of course by this point in time, the sand was running low in our hours of service glass and we would not be leaving Markham alive.

We zigzagged our way over to F Yard and coupled onto the pick up we were scheduled to make. With that we tied up the power there. We only had about twenty minutes of life left in us, so attempting to perform any other work would have been pointless. We were relieved and headed over to the yard office at A Yard to wait for our cab.

We took the cab back up to Glenn Yard and finally tied up. This strange little journey was finally brought to a merciful end at 0520. And then for the hour long ride home.

And so it goes.

Tuch