This happen while I worked on the C&O under the Chessie Banner.The year was around June of 1980.
I was called for a mine turn as a rear brakeman at 11:00pm.When I signed in I noticed it was a turn to a rail/truck load out about 40 miles from Russell on the Big Sandy S.D. A gravy run which should put us back in Russell in about 8 hours if all goes well..I place my grip with the others and got a cup of coffee and proceeded to look over the daily bulletins till our ETD(estimated time of departure) neared..The units that night would be 2 of the 2300s(GE U23Bs) and a old C&O caboose wearing a very faded Chessie C.We had around 44 empty hopper cars and would pick up 39 loads at the load out...A easy day.
We made the run to the branch and proceed to make a reverse move up the short branch(2 miles) and we arrived around 1:30am at the load-out.We proceeded to switch cars out and made the usual inspection of the train making sure that the air hose was connected,air line angle cocks open,hand brakes release etc by 3:00am we was ready to go except for pumping up the train air which would take about 30-35 minutes.It was decided we would eat our lunch first before pumping up the air.Highly unusual as that could be done while we ate our lunch.But that was the conductors wish.
By 4:30 we had the air pumped up and was ready to roll and that we did at a very slow 12-15mph. We stopped again around 5:00am.It was beginning to get light outside.We sit there for 45 minutes.Then I noticed the conductor got a 5 quart plastic bucket out of his grip and headed out the door.I noticed the engineer walking along side of the train also carrying a plastic bucket..Both started to pick blackberries from the blackberry brushes along the track.So 39 loads of eastern Kentucky finest had to wait on blackberry picking..
I was told later that they had spotted the Berries on the last trip to the load out and decided to pick some for Blackberry cobbler on the next trip.We arrived back at Russell around 8:45 am..No questions was ever ask what took us so long on a simple turn.Today that load-out and branch is long gone but I bet those Blackberry brushes are still there.
I was called for a mine turn as a rear brakeman at 11:00pm.When I signed in I noticed it was a turn to a rail/truck load out about 40 miles from Russell on the Big Sandy S.D. A gravy run which should put us back in Russell in about 8 hours if all goes well..I place my grip with the others and got a cup of coffee and proceeded to look over the daily bulletins till our ETD(estimated time of departure) neared..The units that night would be 2 of the 2300s(GE U23Bs) and a old C&O caboose wearing a very faded Chessie C.We had around 44 empty hopper cars and would pick up 39 loads at the load out...A easy day.
We made the run to the branch and proceed to make a reverse move up the short branch(2 miles) and we arrived around 1:30am at the load-out.We proceeded to switch cars out and made the usual inspection of the train making sure that the air hose was connected,air line angle cocks open,hand brakes release etc by 3:00am we was ready to go except for pumping up the train air which would take about 30-35 minutes.It was decided we would eat our lunch first before pumping up the air.Highly unusual as that could be done while we ate our lunch.But that was the conductors wish.
By 4:30 we had the air pumped up and was ready to roll and that we did at a very slow 12-15mph. We stopped again around 5:00am.It was beginning to get light outside.We sit there for 45 minutes.Then I noticed the conductor got a 5 quart plastic bucket out of his grip and headed out the door.I noticed the engineer walking along side of the train also carrying a plastic bucket..Both started to pick blackberries from the blackberry brushes along the track.So 39 loads of eastern Kentucky finest had to wait on blackberry picking..