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

December 3, 2003
I receive lots of mail from many of you kind readers. Most of the notes are friendly, while some offer corrections or revisions to subjects I have written about. I also receive a few hostile ones here and there. Some of the letters I receive often contain ideas for topics to write about. Others send questions about various items. They may include questions about specific railroad topics, general railroad topics, personal preferences and the like. So I've decided to gather a bunch of them up and address them all so that everybody can share the answers. That and it saves me from having to write the same responses over and over again.

I will not use the names of those who have asked, I'll just post the questions. Besides, some of the more threatening or hostile ones are being investigated by my team of "consultants." Ya that's what I'll call them, my consultants.

Q: "How many railroads have you worked for?"
A: How many are there? Actually, it would be a much more simple question to ask which ones have I not worked for? The real answer though is ten.

Q: "Which one is my favorite?"
A: That depends, there have been good and bad things about them all, but some have had far more positive points than others. If I was forced to choose though, I would have to say MoPac as that is where this little journey all started and where I attained my promotion to Engineer.

Q: "Which one is my least favorite?"
A: If I really had to choose I would have to say the South Shore.

Q: "What is your favorite type of train to run?"
A: Intermodal (trailer and/or container) trains are the best as you usually can operate closer to track speed and often have plenty of power. Empty unit grain and coal trains are some of the best to handle as there are so many options available to you with regards to train handling. Loaded unit trains like coal, grain, potash or taconite are good as they are uniform in their loading and braking throughout each train. That is not to say they all handle the same because they don't. They are just less of a challenge than a mixed manifest train with loads and empties scattered throughout.

Q" "What is your favorite locomotive?"
A: For years it was the SD40 series. These things can really pull and have been very dependable workhorses for years. The SD70 series has become a favorite. Now for yard service, the GP15 series has always been a personal favorite. These and their MP15 series cousins have always been good performers.

Q: "What is your least favorite locomotive?"
A: Any four axle General Electric (except the U18B) and any Alco. Four axle GE's are absolutely atrocious riding units, what I refer to kidney killers. On bad rail they are even worse. As for Alcos, I have never operated one that ran well or was comfortable. While railfans and some Engineers like them, most Engineers I know never cared for Alco products and have the same complaints about them I do. Also, a running joke refers to their Alco acronym derived from its corporate name of American Locomotive Company as really meaning Always Leaking Coolant and Oil.

I leave the U18B out of the GE four axle group as they all had different trucks than the bigger units and rode much better, like a Geep.

Q: "What is the biggest train you ever handled?"
A: This is a two part answer as there are numerous variables involved. With the advent of the articulated car and the modified twin cars (those that were once two separate cars now mated and connected with a rigid drawbar and counted as one car), this can make true car count a little inaccurate. The articulated cars may be two, three, four or five units all counted as one car. This car may be anywhere from 90 to 380 feet long.

So for as far as car count, the most cars was 195. The longest was 13,700 feet.

Q: "What was the heaviest train you ever handled?"
A: 20,128 tons. It was a 99 car loaded ore train that we added a bunch of loaded grain and lumber to. When it was all totaled up, I had 166 loads, 10 empties and some 9000 plus feet. I had four, Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Dash 9-44C's to pull it and the train actually ran and handled quite well. Of course when you have plenty of power to pull it around, the chore of handling it becomes pretty good.

Q: "Must you sound the whistle in the middle of the night?"
A: Yes, if I have to be awake, so do you. Actually, Federal law requires that I sound the whistle. Should I fail to do so, or fail to do so in the required manner and collide with a motor vehicle, there is massive exposure to lawsuits and possible criminal charges. Believe me, my job and financial situation are far more important to me than the sleep somebody who chose to live close the right of way gets or doesn't get.

True it is loud and can be annoying for those living along the tracks, but my attitude is that the railroad was there first. In most cases the people who chose to live there knew there was a railroad when they moved into their home or apartment. This is the same logic as with those people that move near a busy airport or along an interstate highway. If you think hearing the whistle is annoying for you, imagine having to listen to it at 112 crossings each and every day when it is right above your head. That is some 448 sounds of the whistle.

Q: "Do you agree with no whistle laws enacted in many communities?"
A: Absolutely not. Unless there is some sort of barrier that totally prevents motorist and pedestrians from bypassing the warning devices, I need that whistle as my last line of defense to protect those that are not only breaking the law but placing theirs and my lives at risk. I am also trying to protect them from their own ignorance. Most of these no whistle laws state something to the effect of "Whistle shall only be sounded in the event of an emergency" which is very vague. Define emergency for me please? Is it when I am just about to collide with a car? Would it be when a motorist is driving around the gates as I approach, even if I am a quarter of a mile away from the crossing itself and closing in? Or is it at the point when a collision is inevitable? This leaves the decision totally at my discretion and more often than not, the local authorities and the neighbors are not going to see the situation in the same light as I.

And yes, I have been at odds with law enforcement people over this issue when the situation has occurred.

Q: "Do you like the ditch lights on the locomotives?"
A: Yes, they are a great safety feature that the FRA was far too slow to make mandatory. They have been around in Canada for many years prior to their requirement in the US. I always wondered why they were not required here sooner. They add a tremendous amount of light after dark, and they make for much improved visibility to the public at all times.

Q: What about Mar (oscillating) lights?"
A: I always liked the Mars light as it really made an approaching train stand out in the darkness. However, they didn't offer much, if any benefits in daylight hours. With the addition of ditch lights to the locomotives, most, although not all railroads that used Mars lights have since removed them as they have become essentially redundant.

Q: "What is/was your favorite rule book to work under?"
A: Of all the rulebooks I have worked under throughout the years, I prefer the NORAC book. It is very clear and concise and has traditionally been more conservative.

Q; "What type of signals do you prefer?"
A: Again, a multifaceted question. I always preferred the speed signals used most often in the Eastern US than the route signals used most other places. With speed signals the aspect displayed tells you exactly how fast you need to be operating. Route signal aspects tell you the route you are using. The special instructions in the timetable tell you how fast to proceed.

As for different types of signals, I always liked the old Pennsylvania Railroad position light (PL) signals and the Baltimore & Ohio color position light (CPL) signals. The PL type signals really stand out much better in inclement weather as the amber colored lights tend to cut through the fog, rain and snow better. And even if one of the bulbs should happen to be burned out, you can always positively ascertain what the aspect displayed is.

The CPL signals, while using different colors to correspond with their aspects, still can easily be determined even if one of the bulbs is burned out. Their only drawback is they don't cut through the inclement weather as well.

Q: What method do prefer better, track warrants or train orders?
A: Track warrants as they are less complicated and quite concise. They are also far easier to copy on a moving locomotive than train orders and generally take less time to copy and repeat.

Q: "What do you prefer, the standard control stand or the desktop model?"
A: I prefer the standard control stand. It is a far more practical and versatile design. The desktop model is not comfortable to anybody over 5 feet tall. The design has a panel that slopes down at an angle from the front of the desktop to the back of it right where you put your legs. Should you want to sit close to the controls you have to lower the seat significantly so as not to smack your knees against the panel. Then you are sitting like a little kid down very low and you lose forward visibility.

They also have the controls set up backwards from the standard control stand. It seems that nobody who is required to use them on a regular basis was ever consulted with in regards to their design.

Q: "What do you prefer working, freight or passenger?"
A: Freight.

Q: "What do you prefer, the road or the yard?"
A: The road.

Q: "Which does the beautiful bride prefer you work?"
A: None, she would prefer I struck it rich somehow and didn't have to go to work at all. Of course, I agree with her on the latter portion of this answer. I believe I could become accustomed to the independently wealthy lifestyle. Now she prefers I work the yard.

Q: "If you had the chance to do it all over again, would you have gone with railroading?"
A: Absolutely. Again though, if it was either this or that wealthy thing, I would choose the cash instead.

Q: "If you had to leave the Locomotive Engineer craft and do something else on the railroad what would be?"
A: Signal Maintainer.

Q: "What is the likelihood of your ever becoming a railroad official again?"
A: Extremely unlikely. That is not to say it won't occur, but I have no plans or intentions to pursue this avenue again. Now while I'll say never, I will say not likely ever.

Q: "Do you see a day when the Locomotive Engineer will be alone in the cab on most through-freight trains?"
A: Yes I do, and I believe it will occur before I call it a career.

Q: What the SD such as in SD40 stand for?
A: Special Duty. These are six axle locomotives.

Q: What does GP such as in GP15 stand for?
A: General purpose. These are four axle locomotives. The term "Geep" is used instead of saying G-P.

Q: What has been the worst experience of your career?
A: My collision in Antioch, IL back in 1989 with the automobile that left three teenaged girls dead.

Q: What has been the best experience of your career?
A: My promotion to Locomotive Engineer in 1981.

Q: Do you think remote control will ever fully replace the Locomotive Engineer?
A: I hope not, although I believe the industry will try no matter how many problems they have, how much money it costs or how much business they wind up losing over its use. With all of the problems being encountered, the wrecks that have occurred and the damage done with remote control operation and with all of the things that have the potential to go wrong (and often do), I don't see unmanned trains as a safe alternative for the human factor.

Q: What does the 645 or 710 mean when describing the diesel engine (prime mover) in a locomotive?
A: These numbers represent the cubic inch displacement of one cylinder of the engine. As a comparison, if you have an automobile with a 350 engine, this equals the total cubic inch displacement of all of the cylinders, not just one like a locomotive. Now most locomotives are either 8, 12, 16 or 20 cylinders. So you would take that 645 or 710 number and multiply it by the total number of cylinders on that particular model of locomotive to equate the total cubic inch displacement of the diesel engine.

Ya it's really big.

Q: What is your favorite brand of locomotive, EMD (Electro Motive Division of General Motors) or GE?
A: EMD. I tell people I run really big Chevrolets for a living. While GE has made significant improvement in their locomotives over the years, I still like the EMD's better. And it still upsets some folks when I tell them that GE should have stuck to making toaster ovens and washing machines.

Q: Where does "And so it goes" come from?
A: My favorite writer and fellow Hoosier, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Way back in high school I was introduced to Mr. Vonnegut's work when I had to read the required "Slaughterhouse Five." In this outstanding novel the line "And so it goes" was used quite liberally. I liked the sound and feel of it and quickly adopted it as a quote for various situations in my personal life.

Then in the early 1980's, the National Broadcasting Company began airing a news show late at night called "NBC News Overnight" which at first was hosted by Linda Ellerbee and Lloyd Dobbins. Later Bill Schecter replaced Mr. Dobbins. I was a huge fan of this program and watched it religiously. At the end of each broadcast, one of the hosts would read an editorial and close it with this same "And so it goes." Linda Ellerbee wrote her autobiography and also titled it "And So It Goes." Oh yes, I've read it too. I have tremendous respect for Ms. Ellerbee, her work and her values.

Back when Overnight was still on the air, a dolly I was dating at the time was watching it with me and when she heard the infamous line used to end that evening's editorial and also close the show, she jumped up and said "Hey, they stole your line!" Had to explain that like me, the Overnight hosts actually pirated it from Slaughterhouse Five.

With that we draw this session to a close. Keep those cards and letters coming in folks.

And so it goes.

Tuch