Are you a Trainman who'd like some cheap Job Insurance?

Question

An answer earlier got me to thinking. Here's a bit of advice.

A train had actuated a hot box scanner. The conductor inspected according to the rules, including the required number of axels before and behind the indicated axel on both sides of the train, finding nothing.

About 15 or 20 miles beyond, the train goes in the ditch due to a burned off journal.

Although "Teml-sticks" may have gone the way of the dodo, carry a simple piece of good chalk with you. When you inspect, use that chalk to initial above every journal you look at, as the conductor on this train did.

It saved his job. Pass it along.

Your comments?

Answer 1

Good advice, I make darn sure I mark everyting with the heat chalk, using your hand is just as effective but you cant prove you were there.

Never thought of marking your initials though.

Answer 2

Thanks for passing that along.  I always carry chalk along with the 'temp-stick' and I mark the axles as I go by so that I don't loose my count, (especially if it's a 500 axle train) but initialing them, especially the 20-20 part, is a great idea.  Another simple thing I do (just to pass along another helpful piece of info) is carrying one of the bags that those bag chairs come in, in my grip.  That bag works great for carrying an air hose wrench, and extra air hose if you go into emergency in BFE.  It is alot easier to carry those things in a bag over your shoulder, and they fit in those chair bags perfectly.  Hope it helps.

Answer 3

I don't think they've gone the way of the dodo - CSX still uses them, and that's a class-I railroad, but yeah, you do want to make sure that you make your marks on the journals.  You can use the tempil-stick like chalk to mark stuff on the car as they go by (great for making a mark every tenth car or something in case you lose count).

I've found that a Molle EMT case is the best belt pack for me - it's big enough for a radio battery, tempil-stick, gaskets, a Leatherman, and a few other things.  If my train goes in the hole, I empty out my backpack (with my clothes and overnight stuff in it) and use it to carry the air hose, wrench, hammer, bungee cords, and other stuff to fix an air hose or knuckle (I don't carry the knuckle of course).