WHILE OTHERS SLEEP
THE RAILWAY GUARD’S STORY
By Dimity,
“ Yes,” said the guard, puffing dreamily at his pipe, “ we do have heavy loads in our section —anything up to a hundred wagons on the goods.” “It must be pretty rough riding for you at the rear,” suggested his host, “ especially when you have a lot of empties on.” “ Oh, gosh, yes! ” said the guard. “ 1 remember one cold winter’s night, we stopped at every blessed station to pick up or set down: there were six to pick up at A , one to set down at B , four to pick up at C , all offering at D , and so on till we had eighty total. After leaving station N , I thought I’d have a cup of hot tea to warm me up a bit for my hands and feet were like ice. Well, no sooner had I poured out a cup and put the cork back in the flask, when, Whang! we stopped dead and I could feel a shiver go through the whole train. I was hurled against the sharp corner of a box—man, I thought my back was broken! The tea went all over my sheets. It was a minute or two before 1 was able to get up: my back felt as if it were cut in two! I crawled over and had a look at the gauge, but no, there was nothing wrong. Bo I opened the door and looked out. Pitch dark! I couldn’t make out what was wrong, but I thought to myself, I’m not going to sec; I’ve done enough tramping up and down those 80 wagons without going along to the engine now. Presently we started again, and all went merrily till we reached station 0 . Train Control inquired what made us so long going from station N to station 0 .
“ ‘ We were a long time,’ I allowed. “‘Did you stop anywhere?” “ ‘ Well, yes. We stopped at Gum Tree Crossing, but I don’t know why. There were 80 wagons between me and the driver. \
“ ‘ Find out then,’ said he. “So I went along to the driver and told him Train Control wanted to know why we stopped at Gum Tree Crossing. “ ‘Well,’ he snorted, ‘ No. 65 ran over a cow there yesterday and the engine was derailed. I wasn’t going to run over two horses! ’ ” “ ‘ It was Driver Y whose engine was derailed,’ he said reminiscently. ‘lt was a cow of a job,’ he added quaintly. “‘ So I went back and rang Train Control. He stopped because there were two horses on the track and he didn't want to derail the train? So that was that.’ ”
He puffed away at his pipe for a few seconds and began to talk about Train Control; how he knew exactly where every train was (or rather should be) at any given time.
“I remember once being on No. 458 (these numbers are not, of course, correct). “We got as far as station Z about 2 o’clock in the morning with a broken axle, and there we stuck. I rang Train Control: — * “‘This is 458 at station Z.’
“ * What 1 ’ he roared back, ‘ 456 at Station Z! What the mischief are you doing there at this time? ’ “ ‘ Broken axle,’ said I.
“ Then I hears him talking. * Hold 259 ’ (This was the old Prowler, he explained with a grin.) * Cut off the engine and take her down to Station Z as fast as you can lick! I’ll send an order for you to pass straight through without a tablet.' ‘“Do you think you can get the train into the siding?’ he asks me. 444 1 don’t know, but we’ll have a try,’ I says. So I goes back and tells the driver and we start her off as gently as possible. I don’t know whether you remember this yard at all, but there is a very sharp turn leading into the siding. Well, the old engine shoved the train cautiously along, inch by inch, and when we got to this point the crack began to open out, wider, wider, until it seemed as if it would open right out and let the axle fall. Breathlessly I watched. Wider yet it gaped until just when I thought it must snap it began to close up again. She was past the turn! So inch by inch she crept along until at last the train was in. ‘ All serene, mate?' I yelled. ' 44 So I goes back and reports:—
‘“Line clear. Train safe in siding.’ “ * Thank God,’ says Train Control, heaving a sigh of relief.”
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Bibliographic details
Otago Daily Times, Issue 21982, 17 June 1933, Page 21
Word Count
764WHILE OTHERS SLEEP Otago Daily Times, Issue 21982, 17 June 1933, Page 21
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