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Show I WHEN NO. 270 RAN AWAY "Tho 270 was suro the vlllngo cutup of thoso class H engines," said tho fff.tl engineer. "That was back In tho dajrt of tho Jimmy coal cars 'n' handbrakt i. "1 wns runnln' oxtra nt tho unio, not bavin been nsslgncd to a rpguKr englno yet. Hen Morris, an easy go-In' go-In' follow, was tho regular man on the 270, 'a' I nlwnys contended that ho was too easy with her. Engines' are just Uko hosses, you've got to let 'em know who's master. "Ono night Hen Morris was taken sick V I was called to tako his run out. 'n' we were hardly started through tho freight yards beforo Bho, started up her tactics with mo. 1 Just talked to her like n Dutch uncle. " 'Now, look here, you old scnlly-wag, scnlly-wag, I says, 'you're dentin' with no spring chicken this trip. You Just get down to business or I'll pound tho Ufo out of you.' "An', snltlu' tho nctlon to tho word, I dropped her down In tho corner 'n' put It to her for nil 1 was worth. However, sho didn't do any extra work V lagged 'u' hung back nil tho wny. "'Well,' I says to myself, 'when we got goln' down Pino Hill I'll Just keen tho throttle open awhllo V mnko her go. The weight of this train behind us will make her pork up a bit.' "Accordln'ly, when wo went over tho pitch at tho top of Pine Hill I Just left her wide open 'n' kep' tho stcaai on full head till wo woro flyln' down by Copper's Crossln'. Then I thought I'd better shut off, ns tho 270 would get a pretty lively clip down the hill now 'n' I had no hankerln' for goin' down the bank owln' to cxccedln' tho, speed limit on tho grade. "So I shoved the throttle In to shut off the steam. Imagine how I felt when tho 270 kep' right on oxhaustln' Just as If tho speed was all to her llkln'. "Somothln' had gone wrong In her stcampipo soniowhero Insldo 'n' tho valvo didn't stmt her ofT. So the 270 had taken tho bit In her teoth 'n' was goln' to sec how I liked rldln' fast. "Hero wai n pretty predicament. My engine goln' down Pino Hill under n full heud of steam with a heavy freight train behind her. It wouldn't havo been so bad If I had not known that lias Colo was only about flvo minutes ahead of mo with a train of coal Jimmies. "I nttempted to put tho rovorso lover In tho back motion, but tho steam wns on such u full hend that I couldn't budgo tho thing. Then I gave tho high sign on my whlstlo several times to let Has Colo know I was comtn' down the hill out of control 'n' It would ho wise for lilr to shako a leg or ho'd got spllllcatcd. "In an almost Incrcdlblo tlmo wo swung around by tho Onto station 'n' what 1 saw ahead niado mo wilt like a fnt man's collar on a hot day. Not moro than n quarter of a mllo ahead of us was Has Colo's train. Mnybo that llttlo caboose of his didn't look as big as n summer bonrdln' house. "Has had heard my warnln' whlstlo 'n' was dolu' his best. Ho was gain-In' gain-In' hendway, but ho wasn't In our class. I could flguro out that wo would Just about meet up with his caboose , around tho ton degree curvo below tho Unto. "Ras' train was now goln' at a terrific ter-rific sliced, too, 'n' It was u question whotber either train would keep tho rnlls goln' 'rotin' tho sharp curve. I could almost reach tho tall lights on that caboose ahead. In n second I thought wo would bo Into them 'n' I would bo rollln' down tho embankment embank-ment amidst tho wreckago of twisted Iron, coal 'n' miscellaneous freight. "Then came an awful crash 'n' I thought I could feel my englno goln' down tho bank. Hut my englno kep' goln' 'n' I could toll by tho lurchln' that sho was takln' tho curvo nil right V truo. "I opened my eyes. Tho red lights of tho caboose had disappeared. In tho ravlno below mo I could hear n crashln', rollln' Bound V sco dark shapes tumhlln' down. "I realized what had happened. Tho excosslvo speed at which tho train ahead had taken tho curvo caused tho last 15 or 20 coal Jimmies to Jump tho track clean, tnklu' tho cnbooso with them, Just llko n string of boys plnyln' snap nnd whip. Thus when wo straightened out on tho curvo nns' train, by loslu' thoso 15 enrs, had left that much space between me 'n' death. "Tho train ahead wns niovln' nt equal speed with mo now 'n' would probably kcop tho 15 cars distance bo-tweeu bo-tweeu us. Under hor full head of steam my englno was leapln' 'n' boundln' over tho rails, 'n when she sottled back from an extra severe Jolt sho stopped exhnustln'. "Tho terrific Jar had shaken tho valvo back on Its sent again 'n' shut off tho Mow of steam. My heart resumed re-sumed Its normal beatln', ns wo woro 'most down tho hill now, 'n' I soon had hor under control. "Thoy pulled 270 In tho shops after that run, 'n' she never enmo out ngaln lonstwlso unloss thoy chnngod hor mini bar." i.. |
