NEW CASTLE —
I never know when the phone is going to ring and I'm off to a new adventure.
My recent escapade started with a phone call from the New Castle News, wanting me to take a photo of a very large rail car. It was made right here in New Castle by the Kasgro Rail Car Co. for hauling Westinghouse's nuclear reactors.
This seemed like an easy task. You don't have to worry about the rail car blinking or saying they weren't ready when you snapped the picture.
The directions I got: go to the CSX rail yard on West Pittsburg Road.
I did as instructed.
I wasn't sure what this car was suppose to look like. All I knew was it was huge and painted blue.
It was nowhere in sight.
It is not my custom to ask for directions, but in this case, I made an exception. I didn't want to get shot by the railroad cops while riding down the tracks.
They said, "Drive down the tree line of the railroad tracks until the crossover. You can't miss it."
I missed it.
By the time I got to Cherry Street, I knew I had gone too far.
Upon turning around and driving back down the tree line, I spotted it.
It was so big, I wasn't sure how I was going to get the whole thing in a single photo.
While pondering this thought, I noticed another train coming down the tracks.
I was well out of the way, so I wasn't very concerned. Plus, it wasn't traveling real fast.
Wouldn't you know when it got to the front of the rail car I was suppose to be taking a picture of, it stopped, blocking my view of the huge railroad car.
I wasn't sure how the train engineer would take it if I asked him to back up all those cars a teeny weeny bit.
I left and came back later.
Now I realize that different businesses have their own terms and that we, not in that business, may not be aware of the meaning of such terms.
Painted on this very large car was the warning, "DO NOT HUMP!"
Not being sure what that meant, I, to the best of my knowledge, obeyed the sign and got out of there.
I just kept wondering what happens if you do hump the car?
That's probably something I'll never know.
Gary Church
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About Gary Church: Gary is a columnist and contributing writer for The News. He’ll share his thoughts on this blog each Tuesday and Friday.
Discussion
Gary Church: Railroad warning makes me lose my train of thought
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