OCR Text |
Show WHEN NO. 270 RAN AWAY i "The 170 a. sure the Milage cutfcp of those clan II onmm s said Lhe f.tl engineer Thai was hack. In the daval of the Jlmrm con I cars n handbrakes "I was rtinnln extra at the itnw, not hirHi' beeA assigned to a reanNr engtim -yet. Hen Morrla an eaay go-In' go-In' felloe, was the regular wan on, tha 270, 'n' 1 always conlendad lhak he was too easy with her Knglnea are lust like hossea, youre-sxrt to le 'em know who's master "One night Hen Morris was taken sick 'n I was called to take his run out. 'n' we were hardly atarted through the freight yards before she1 started up her tactics wlh me I Just talked to her like a Dutch uncle "'Now, look here you old scallywag, scally-wag, I says, you're ilealln' with no spring chicken this trip You Just get down to bu.lness or I II pound the life out of you ' " "A"', sullln the actum to the wird. 1 dropped her down In the corner V put It to her for all 1 was worth llowoter, she dldnt du any extra work 'n' lagged 'if hung back all the way "'Well.' I says In myself, "when we get goln' down I'lne lllil I II Just keep, tho throttle open awhile 'n make her go. Tho weight of thla train behind us will make her perk up a bit.' "Accordln'ly, when wo went ou-t the pilch at the top of Pine Hill I Just left her wide oien 'n' kep' tho slesai I on full head till we wcredyln1 down , by Copper's Crosaln' Then I thought ' I'd better shut off, as tho 270 would get a prolty lively dip down tho hill now V I hnd no hankerln' for Rom down the bank owln' to cxcccdln' tho speed limit on tha grade, "So 1 shoted tbo throttle In tn shut off tho steam. Imagine) how I felt when tho 270 kep' right on oxhnustln' Just as If tho speed was all to her llkln' 'Romelhln' bad gone wrong In her sleumplpo soinowhcru Insldo 'n' I lie valvo didn't shut her off So tho 270 had taken tho bit In her teeth V waa goln' to see how I liked rldln' fast. "Hero was a pretty predicament My engine goln' down Pino Hill under n full head of steam with n heavy freight train behind her,. It wouldn't hne heon so bail It I had not known that Hut Colo was only nliout five minutes ahead of mo with a train of coal Jimmies "I attempted to put the reverse leer In tho back motion, but tho steam was on such n full head that I couldn't budge tho thing Then I i?ao tho high sign on my whlstlu soerar times to let Has Colo know 1 waa cotulh' down thq hill out of control V It would bo wlfo for hlr to Shako a leg or he'd get splMcatod. "In an almost Incredible tlmo wo swung around by tbo Onto station V what I saw sJicjid, madunto wilt like a fat man'a collar on a hot day. Not' mora than, a quarter of a mllo ahead of us was Has Colo's train. Maybo that llttlo oabooso of Ills didn't look ns big aa a summer bonrdln' houio.' 'Kns had heard my warnln' whlstlo V was doln' his best. He was gain-' In' headway, but ho wasn't In our class. I could llguro out that wo would Just about moot up with his cabooso around tho ten degree cuno below tho (late Has' truln was now goln' at n tor rlllc seed, too, V It was n question vhother cither train would keep tho mils goln" 'roun' tho sharp curve. I could almost reach tho tall lights on that caboose ahead. In n aecond I thought wo would bo Into them V I would bo rollln' down tho embank ment amidst tho wreckago of twisted Iron, coat- 'n' miscellaneous freight. I "Then camo an awful crash V I thought I could feci my englno goln' down tho bank. Hut my engine kep' 'goln' 'n 1 could toll By tho litrcbln' that aho waa takln' tho ciirvp ujMrlght I 'n' truo. , . . 4, at "I opined my eyea The'rcdlghts of tho cabooio had disappearing, In tho ravlno below mo I could hoar a ' crashln', rollln' sound 'n' seo dark shapes tumblln' down "I realltod what had happened Tho excosslvo speed at which th 'train ahead had taken tho curve caused tho last 15 or 20 coal Jimmies to Jump llio track clean, takln' tha cabooso with them, Juit like n string of boys plnyln' snap and whip. Thus when wo straightened out on the curio Has' train, by lnsln' those 15 cars, had left !thnt much spaco between mo V death, Tho train ahead was inovln nt equal speed with mo now V would probably keep tho 15 cara distance between be-tween us Under her full head of ateam my englno was leapln' V boundln' over tho rails, V when sho settled luck from an extra sin ore Jolt sho stopped oxhaustln'. The torrlllc Jar hud shaken tho nho back on Ha seat again V shut off tho How of alwam My heart resumed re-sumed Its normal beatln', us wo wero 'most down the hill now, 'n' I soon hud her under control "They pulled 270 In tho shops after that run, V sho neer onmo nut again -leastwise unless they changed lior I number" |