06-30-2010, 06:38 PM
Tom Wrote:Ah, but what a fun railroad it was to work on, especially with Alco S2's, S4's and S1's. Especially the S4. What a badassed, MADE for switching, engine. Just a really neat little operation. Drops, dutch drops, kicking, just loads of fun for a switchman.
Indeed, that does sound like a great place to work! One of the reasons I didn't like working for a big RR like CSXT was because we were no longer allowed to work smarter, we had to do things the hard way (the safe way). I took pride in being able to get a lot of work done but was only able to do it if I used hand signals, the yardmaster listened to the radio and would yell at me if I didn't follow every rule in the book. If I used hand signals the radio would be silent and the yardmaster wouldn't know how I was getting the work done. Hopping moving equipment would get you in trouble... then one summer they added that you had to ask for 3-step protection every time you do anything... I moved to the Richmond, Va-Phily, Pa. road pool and never looked back after that summer.
-Dave