Well, since the original post did not survive The Great Crash of 2004, I guess I'll just have to start it all over again....
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Bubba Joe "Junebug" Wannamaker was late. He had to get his load of crushed gravel to the DOT bridge construction site for the new Eagles Landing Parkway bridge over Interstate 75. So when he saw the arms going down at the Rock Quarry Road crossing, he figured he had enough time to make it. After all, those NSR trains always ran slow through town. Unfortunately for Junebug, the NSR had a hot intermodal they had to get to Macon in time to make the evening cut at the Norfolk Southern Macon yard. The GP-38-2s were in fine form that day, making 45 MPH without any trouble.
The only problem was that the train and the dumptruck both wanted to occupy the crossing at the same time. Needless to say, the train won. Junebug is now looking forward to a 6 month vacation in Henry Medical Center in full traction. Fortunately, the crew of the lead GP-38-2, number 2001, survived with minor injuries. The Geep was not as lucky.
The cab of the Geep was a total loss. With the added financial burden because of the missed cut, the NSR could not afford to get a replacement cab nor could they afford to let the Geep sit idle either. But fortune smiled upon the NSR as the shop foreman at the McDonough Shop came up with a brilliant idea. They had an old F7 that they had acquired earlier but could not get back up because of problems with its frame, but the cab was ok. In what could only be described as a minor miracle, the McDonough Shop managed to mate the F7 cab to the Geep body. Christened the GP-38-M, the 2001 was back in service in only 1 month. Of course, the local train spotters have taken to calling the 2001 the "Feep".
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More to come,
Michael
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Bubba Joe "Junebug" Wannamaker was late. He had to get his load of crushed gravel to the DOT bridge construction site for the new Eagles Landing Parkway bridge over Interstate 75. So when he saw the arms going down at the Rock Quarry Road crossing, he figured he had enough time to make it. After all, those NSR trains always ran slow through town. Unfortunately for Junebug, the NSR had a hot intermodal they had to get to Macon in time to make the evening cut at the Norfolk Southern Macon yard. The GP-38-2s were in fine form that day, making 45 MPH without any trouble.
The only problem was that the train and the dumptruck both wanted to occupy the crossing at the same time. Needless to say, the train won. Junebug is now looking forward to a 6 month vacation in Henry Medical Center in full traction. Fortunately, the crew of the lead GP-38-2, number 2001, survived with minor injuries. The Geep was not as lucky.
The cab of the Geep was a total loss. With the added financial burden because of the missed cut, the NSR could not afford to get a replacement cab nor could they afford to let the Geep sit idle either. But fortune smiled upon the NSR as the shop foreman at the McDonough Shop came up with a brilliant idea. They had an old F7 that they had acquired earlier but could not get back up because of problems with its frame, but the cab was ok. In what could only be described as a minor miracle, the McDonough Shop managed to mate the F7 cab to the Geep body. Christened the GP-38-M, the 2001 was back in service in only 1 month. Of course, the local train spotters have taken to calling the 2001 the "Feep".
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More to come,
Michael
