Sunny Monday

Last Monday I Spent most of the day working on the yard. Nice day to do it as it wasn't to hot. Around 11:00 I ran down to the post office to pick up some packages and shoot the breeze with co-workers from the park. Before exiting #4211's cab I could hear the North End Dispatcher giving #252 with a SOO leader permission onto the siding at 35. Ah ha! So I went home and finished up the lawn and went down to Delanson around 4:00 to check the signals at CPF 499. If there lit then there is a southbound coming from Mohawk Yard in Glenville. They were..So I decided to relocate to Gage Road and by 6:30 I could hear the distinctive horn of a SOO unit blowing for Cole Road north of me. Around that same time Northbound counterpart #253 could be heard also blowing for Youngs Road south of me. For a second I thought I was going to get skunked but with a 10 MPH speed restriction for the Controlled Siding I figured I would be okay otherwise I might be blocked by the NB passing the SB. Luckily #252 showed first and was on the Main. The Dispatcher held them short of Gage Road so the #253 could pass. With a long train you can block Youngs Road if you hold a Southbound at CPF 503. ("Correct me if I am wrong Rob"). After I grabbed #252 I decided to relocate to Central Bridge. After about a 20 min wait #252 came through on a 10 MPH speed restriction for work being done by the Schoharie Creek bridge. After #252 passed I called it quits and headed home.

Dean J. Splittgerber
Duanesburg, NY