Hot Shot Piggy Back Freight Train Carrys Bums, Hobos, And College Students

Hot Shot Piggy Back Freight Train Carrys Bums, Hobos, And College Students

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Pulling through Union station, our hot shot freight train slowly snakes its way through the snarl of tracks. The almost deserted passenger station once a bustling hub of activity is now just a sad reminder of what used to be the pride of our nation, and our primary mode of travel. Railroads have been relegated to moving freight, a most inglorious task. Our piggy back arrives on the southbound side of double track for two way rail traffic, the two sets of steel roadway expand to become ten vacant rusty yard tracks, perhaps waiting for the return of commuter passenger trains, then the ten branch into twenty empty tracks from when rail service was in its hay day. (Travel itineraries, advice, discounts, articles, may be read at TripTalkusa) After a half mile or so twenty tracks merge back to ten, and then two again as the rails bend sharply over the Willamette River onto the Steel bridge in downtown Portland. Riders are jumping on and off the train, taking big risks with life and limb. Some are drunk, some are stoned, some are criminals. Our speed is 4 mph, the posted limit for Union station and the bridge. Now on Portlands eastside, the engine crew carefully watches the ground mounted red yellow and green signals to see if traffic control is routing us down the main line or through the puzzle switch and up the opposing main line the wrong way. If we go up the main we can increase speed as soon as our caboose clears the bridge. If we are routed the wrong way we will have to run with caution not to exceed 10 mph. Ahead we can see crossing gates dropping in front of unlucky drivers. Some speed up barely sneaking under the falling safety guards. As the train approaches amid a barrage of flashing lights, whistles and clanging bells foolish, suicidal drivers will whip around the gates, momentarily making eye contact. Some will curse the crew and make obscene gestures. Steady green and we are on our way. In about one mile the rear brakeman will signal the head end that were off the bridge, by then our four locomotives will be over the last of the inner city crossings. Any transients, bums, hobos, or college students heading for Eugene and points beyond will have to get on or off in the next few minutes or it will be too late. High Ball 377 crackles over the radio as the rear brakeman lets the head end know were off the bridge. #377 is a pig a daily scheduled first class train providing 24 hour freight service to the Los Angeles area. The train is made up of piggy back semi trailers that will be off loaded minutes after they arrive. The engineer doesnt pick up the radio to answer he simply pulls the throttle one notch to run two, a few seconds later to run three, followed by run four. The unfortunate cars waiting at the crossings may not have noticed the difference but the train has started to pick up speed. Railroad buffs would have recognized the unmistakable bangs and clanks as the slack runs out. The head end crew can feel the slack run out one car at a time, 100 cars, 100 feet of slack give or take, 100 little tugs. When the slack gets to the caboose the rear end crew may feel either a little one foot tug, or a jerk so hard it knocks them off their feet, papers and coffee cups flying off the desk. Experienced crew will already be braced, waiting. Some Engineers are so smooth the tug never arrives. Every train is different, when the rear man feels the last of the slack run out he radios the waiting engineer saying something simple such as you got em all if it was gentle or just says high ball. If the slack runs out so hard the men in the caboose get roughed up they may accuse the Hog Head (endearing term for engineer) of trying to break the train in two. If a train breaks apart while crossing a big trestle without walkways it will be a real problem for the trainmen to fix and quickly diminishes a Hog Heads reputation as a train handler. When the engineer knows for sure that the train is stretched he will sometimes pull the throttle all the way to run eight. The sound is deafening, four locomotive engines simultaneously speed up to maximum output, in this case only 16,000 hp, the train steadily picks up speed. Sanders will automatically apply sand in front of slipping wheels and if one or more of any locomotives wheels slips excessively it will lower the amperage to the affected wheels until they regain traction and pull effectively. Sometimes at slow speeds the sanders on 48 wheels will make such a sandstorm that the head end crew will have to close their windows. By now the drivers waiting at the crossings know that their wait is almost over. When the caboose clears the last crossing in downtown Portland they will be moving at over forty mph, way too fast for any riders to jump on or off. Hot shot freight trains must get over the road to keep shippers happy, railway officials wont admit it but once important passenger trains sometimes get held up to keep the pigs from slowing down. We have all green signals, next stop for this train isnt even a stop, at Eugene the train will slow down to 10 mph to allow the crews to change, for a short time two crews will be on the train while they exchange train orders and important documents. The expedited crew changes will repeat again in Klamath Falls, Dunsmuir, Sacramento, Etc. Some of the free riders will be very disappointed when they find out they hopped a non stop hotshot pig and end up in Los Angeles. As the train reaches speeds over 70 mph the Hog Head throttles back and lets the 10,000 ton train momentum carry it down hills and across level areas, carefully applying the air brakes to keep the train stretched. The high rail of continuous welded steel is carefully banked and curved so the train smoothly leans into the corners maintaining a jolt free ride with no freight damaged. A skilled Engineer will apply brakes and power precisely at the right moment to maximize speed over the road. #377 races down the valley passing one green signal after another, the crew announcing the color as each signal comes into view. Less important freight trains are in the sidings clear of the main line, the crews standing on the ground watching the pig go by, prepared to radio if they spot hot boxes or dragging equipment. Somewhere down the line the pig will meet its north bound counterpart where one of the piggy backs will have to leave the main line and wait in the siding for the other to go by. Usually the one that arrives first will go in the siding allowing the other a green signal. After several mountain passes, multiple crew changes, and a thousand miles this train will reach its destination where the locomotives are fueled up, hooked on to another string of piggy backs and sent north on the same tracks. John 2010 www.triptalkusa.com www.oregonvacationcabins.com

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