B&O

[billrunnels]

The B&O Railroad Track Foreman was a practical joker and I often was his prey. Every
Sunday morning he would hop on his handcar and check track condition over several miles. This Sunday I was on duty and I could see him, a mile or so away, heading home. We had little explosive bombs that were used to send a message to an Engineer while the train was moving. The number of bombs conveyed the message.They clamped on the track and the explosion was loud enough to be heard even over the noise of a steam engine. I had never used them but thought it would be fun to get even with the foreman so I clamped two on the track. They almost derailed his handcar with him on it. I had no idea they were so powerful. He came up to me in the tower, stuck out his hand and said "no more practical jokes". I agreed and we remained good friends.

 

[pbehn]

Bill, in the UK these are (or were) called warning detonators. One time when I was a small child my fathers train de railed leaving it obstructing the adjacent line which was used by the London Edinburgh express. He had to run two miles up the line to place the detonators to stop it. My father didn't talk much about anything in detail he just said to me, no one tells you how to know you have actually run two miles, The train de railed on a curve and the detonators had to be fixed so he didn't know how much time he had, instructions were a minimum of three, and if you saw the express coming it was too late to start putting them on. Since they drew the attention of a driver on an express at full speed I am surprised they didn't blow a small bogie off into the next weekend.

Anyway Bill Happy Birthday.

 

[billrunnels]

Bill, in the UK these are (or were) called warning detonators. One time when I was a small child my fathers train de railed leaving it obstructing the adjacent line which was used by the London Edinburgh express. He had to run two miles up the line to place the detonators to stop it. My father didn't talk much about anything in detail he just said to me, no one tells you how to know you have actually run two miles, The train de railed on a curve and the detonators had to be fixed so he didn't know how much time he had, instructions were a minimum of three, and if you saw the express coming it was too late to start putting them on. Since they drew the attention of a driver on an express at full speed I am surprised they didn't blow a small bogie off into the next weekend.

Anyway Bill Happy Birthday.

Thanks for the info and for the birthday wish. I was lucky the foreman wasn't injured. Poor judgement can be a dangerous thing,

 

[Gnomey]

least it didn't end too badly Bill...