Boris
Beach Bum
Flying switches, they were fun. Over the years, the Camden & Amboy main was cut back in the middle, as the powers in charge decided there was no need for the stretch between Hightstown, NJ and Robbinsville, NJ. As time when on the Eastern portion was further truncated, with the track cut back from Hightstown to Cranbury, NJ. After this reduction took place, there was no longer a place to run around the train at Cranbury, so we would stop, bleed the air from the train, drop the train, pulling it to get it rolling, bunching the slack to make the cut, and ducking into the "Jamesway" siding, to allow the train to pass us on the main. There was enough room for about 17 car lengths, to clear the Jamesway switch. After the train rolled by, with a crew member applying hand brakes, to control the train's speed, we would bring the engine out, and chase the train down, couple on the fly, and stop the move. Exciting, huh?
Then, the brakeman's position was eliminated, and the job became a Conductor and Engineer move, we resorted to gravity, stopping, applying hand brakes, and bleed the air, then cutting off and clearing the main. Then the conductor would release the hand brakes and the train would slowly roll past. Once clear, I would radio him and he would stop the move, then walk up and bring me out and against the train.
One night, while walking up, the conductor noticed missing spikes and splice bars. Unbeknown to anyone in the operating department, someone in Engineering, had authorized the sale and removal of the main track between Jamesway, and the NJ Turnpike overhead bridge. Fortunately and perhaps because the cars were empty, and moving so slowly, nothing derailed, and we were able to walk the train over the "bad" track and out of harms way. After that, we shoved the train the three miles from Cranbury, to the new runaround at Forsgate Country Club.
Then, the brakeman's position was eliminated, and the job became a Conductor and Engineer move, we resorted to gravity, stopping, applying hand brakes, and bleed the air, then cutting off and clearing the main. Then the conductor would release the hand brakes and the train would slowly roll past. Once clear, I would radio him and he would stop the move, then walk up and bring me out and against the train.
One night, while walking up, the conductor noticed missing spikes and splice bars. Unbeknown to anyone in the operating department, someone in Engineering, had authorized the sale and removal of the main track between Jamesway, and the NJ Turnpike overhead bridge. Fortunately and perhaps because the cars were empty, and moving so slowly, nothing derailed, and we were able to walk the train over the "bad" track and out of harms way. After that, we shoved the train the three miles from Cranbury, to the new runaround at Forsgate Country Club.
