A Boxcar to many.

[brakie]

While working on the PRR I was called for a city local..Our first set out consisted of three boxcars for a alcohol beverage distributor.This we did and picked up a empty or twur next set out was a lumber company and there was the problem..Where is that load of lumber? The conductor was sure of the axle count and the number of cars in our local but,still no lumber load.Had this car been bad ordered and set out on the rip track while the car was not removed from the switch list and wheel report?We had the waybill for the car as well. A call to the yardmaster was place..The conductor was assured that the boxcar in question was place in his train..So, I and the other brakeman walked the short train looking for the missing car to no Advil.The car was not there.Well,nothing new for a boxcar to be misplaced in the yard so the conductor thought it would show up sooner or later and lets be on our way.
Now comes the twist..We was called to the Division Superintendents office and was question about the missing boxcar.Of course all of us told the same story that that boxcar was not in the train when we arrived at the lumber company.After a prolong silence the superintendent said well,do you recall how many cars was dropped off at XYZ Distributors? The conductor replied 3 I believe.
Then says the super,Can you tell me why we got a call from XYZ telling us about a load of lumber that was discovered in their siding? ops: After 25 minutes of being chew out and told in no uncertain terms that our reading capabilities was not good and perhaps we should return to school and learn our numbers,how to read and above all learn how to count. ops: We was dismissed from the inquiry weaker but wiser men..

 

[rksstl]

Larry another great story. Reminds me of the time I had a lady call the shop I run wanting to know if her car was ready to pick up. (my first reaction). As I told her no mam I do not have a 99 toyota corolla here. The woman swore up and down that it was here and we were a chop shop and stole her car. So as she contacted the local police and got a ride to our shop, I called the shop thats across the street from us. You guessed it, she droped the car off at the wrong shop. She showed up at the shop she droped it off at and the police showed up at our shop. It all worked out and she let driving away red faced.

 

[interurban]

There`s nothing like a good spanking!!!!!!!!! ooooowwwwww

 

[RailRon]

Did you ever 'lose' something, only to find out that it was sitting right before your nose all the time?
That's about the same thing here, only in a much bigger scale!

Thanks for the story, Larry

Ron

 

[rcwatkins]

Ouch! I Don't know what a beer distributor wood do with a boxcar full of lumber.

 

[AIGI]

Larry were you sending a hint to the Brewery to put more fiber in their drinks? we know your getting old and need more fiber, but that's a bit extreme []

 

[Fred_M]

Good story Larry, reminds me of the Russet Potatoes we ordered one spring. They were suppose to show up in April, but the N&W lost them. They found them in September and told us they were out at the team yard. Well, they poured out the door when we opened it and we unloaded it into a garbage truck with scoop shovels. You would take a breath, run in and get a shovel full, run out, dump it, and then take a breath and do it again. Don't ask me why, I was just 16 and working for $3 an hour and I needed the money. God that was an awful smell, I still can smell it today. FRED

 

[Topo]

Thanks, Larry. Thats a good story. My grandad used to tell me their experiences as fireman in the steam times. I always loved these RR memories.

 

[rcwatkins]

reminds me of the Russet Potatoes we ordered one spring. They were suppose to show up in April, but the N&W lost them. FRED

Maybe because they had to ship so much coal that they forgot about everything else.

 

[Pitchwife]

Did you ever 'lose' something, only to find out that it was sitting right before your nose all the time?
That's about the same thing here, only in a much bigger scale!

Ron

Having worked in electrronics this is a comon experiance. The anwer, of course, is Gremlins. I picked them up on my first job in SoCal and they have been with me ever since. I will be using a tool, lay it down right in front of me, glance away for a moment (did I menntion that they are fast little buggers? ) and when I look back it is gone. After thouroughly tearing my bench apart to no avail, I put everything back, look away and in a moment when I look back there it is, right where I put it. Sometimes if you ignore them and go on like you didn't really need that tool, part, screw, etc. they will put it back. But BEWARE! They can be downright nasty if you spoil their fun too much. You will find things in places that they could never have gotten to without some "help".
Now I know that some of you will think that these are just pranks from my co-workers. The problem with that theory is that I most often worked alone. I finally just gave in and accepted them as part of the business.
It seems that they work on larger scales too.

 

[spitfire]

Thanks for the great story Brakie!!!! Are you going to tell the rest of it??? Those of us on the chat last night know what REALLY happened!

Val

 

[brakie]

Now,Val,You don't really want me to give away all of my secretes do you?

 

[Jodam]

Clark, despite what Harry Potter might say, there's nothing mystical here. We're in the Space Age, these little Gremlin buggars have latched onto Clingon technology & use the cloak of invisibility, indiscrimately.
Jo

 

[brakie]

Ok Guys and Gals,I confess to being the root cause of the problem...After we picked up the empties I made the cut between the wrong two cars..Instead of spotting 3 cars we are now spotting 4 cars.Nobody caught the mistake..But,such is life when the Dispatcher is hurrying you up in order to clear the main line for superior trains..

 

[Ralph]

Great story and "confession" Brakie! Keep those stories comin'!
Ralph

 

[spitfire]

There now Brakie - doesn't it feel good to come clean after all these years?


Val

 

[hoyle]

No wonder trucks haul the goods.

 

[brakie]

Hoyle,I operate a folk lift in a warehouse unloading trucks..Now,truck lines like railroads is far from being the perfect mode of freight transportation.I have unloaded trucks that was 2-3 days late and I have seen our loaded trailers sit for days awaiting pickup by the trucking companies.We also receive several boxcars a week of which some has taken as high as 4 weeks in travel and some less then that for the same amount of miles-go figure . our shipping manager has "fired"several trucking lines over the 16 years I been working there.Now he prefers to ship by intermodule if at all possible for the long hauls because the shipping rate is cheaper then if you have it rubbered(trucked) to its destination.He will also use boxcars if the receiver has a rail siding.You see a 50' boxcar will hold 2 1/2 trailer loads which means saved shipping costs.

 

[jon-monon]

Great story Brakie!! AGAIN!

Ouch! I Don't know what a beer distributor wood do with a boxcar full of lumber.

But I know wha tthe boys at the lumberyard would do with a boxcar full of beer!

Now he prefers to ship by intermodule if at all possible for the long hauls because the shipping rate is cheaper then if you have it rubbered(trucked) to its destination.He will also use boxcars if the receiver has a rail siding.You see a 50' boxcar will hold 2 1/2 trailer loads which means saved shipping costs.

That makes sense, I read long ago that the silver rail is one of our most efficient forms on transportation, in fact second only to the old canals.

 

[Pitchwife]

Now he prefers to ship by intermodule if at all possible for the long hauls because the shipping rate is cheaper then if you have it rubbered(trucked) to its destination.He will also use boxcars if the receiver has a rail siding.

Do we have a couple of new terms? Rubbered for trucking and Steeled for rail transport? :thumb: :thumb: