On Mar 8, 2021, at 11:09 AM, Gatwood, Elden J SAD <elden.j.gatwood@...> wrote:

Jim;

 

Good observations!

 

I just thought some “entertainment” was in order:  bad order cars, hot boxes, “flat” wheels (bang bang bang), shifted loads, mis-routed cars, the fun never ends!

 

I wish I never made a mistake, but more than once, people definitely got creative in avoiding dropping off hot boxes “there is a car inspector on hand, and his assistant with the oil can and cotton”.  Ah ha.

 

Burning cars I never did adequately represent, but the plan per PRR employees was to figure out what was burning (smoke visible to the cabin), stop for conference, pull forward to grade crossing, call local FD, fail to put out fire, and so on.

 

EVERYONE wanted to get rid of the offal car, so that became an unexpected priority (surprise).  Re-routing on next block NB was “expedited”.  The poor car repairman that had to crawl under in August….

 

Elden Gatwood

 

 

From: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io <main@RealSTMFC.groups.io> On Behalf Of Jim Betz
Sent: Monday, March 8, 2021 1:42 PM
To: main@RealSTMFC.groups.io
Subject: Mis-routed Cars ... was Re: [Non-DoD Source] Re: [RealSTMFC] Help Identifying Unusual Boxcar (MoPac coke service?)

 

Elden,
  And why would you expect your operators to be any less human than
the guys on the 1-1 RRs.  *G*  

  Your operators probably said "If Elden put it in the train it must need to
be delivered somewhere!" - because Elden NEVER makes a mistake.
  Or they might have 'gotten creative' and rolled a waybill in a carcard 
"for you" so that it made "sense" to deliver it.

  Besides - those cars just balanced out the ones they pulled and brought
back to you when the waybill clearly indicated it should stay at right where
it was.  *VBG*
                                                                                      - Jim