The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-01-14
WHEN NO. 27O
RAN AWAY

"The 270 was sure the village cutup
of those class b engines said the fat
engineer. THAT was back in the days
OF the jimmy coal cars n handbrakes.
Il was runnln' extra at the time,
not havin been assigned TO a regular
engine yet. Hen Morris, an easy go
In fellow, was the regular man on
the 270, m always contended that
he was too easy with her Engines
are just like bosses, you've got to lot
'em know who's master.
One night Hen Morris was taken
sick m was called to take his run
out. n we were hardly started
through the freight yards before she
started up her tactics with me. Just
talked to her like Dutch uncle.
Nov, look here, you old scally-
wag, says, you're dealln' with no
spring chicken this trip. You Just get
down TO business or I'll pound the life
out OF you.
AN, sultln' the action TO the word,
dropped her down In the corner n
put II to her for all | was worth.
However, she didn't do any extra
work n Jagged n hung back all the
way.
well / says TO myself. whom we
get goin' down Pine Hill I'll just keep
the throttle open awhile n make her
go. The weight OF this train behind
us will make her perk up a BIT
Accordingly. when we went over
the pitch at the top OF Pine Hin | Just
left her wide open n KEEP the steam
on full head TIL we were fyln' down
by Copper's Crossin'. Then thought
I'd better shut on. as the 27O would
get a pretty lively clip down the hill
now n had no hankerin' for goin'
down the bank OWN TO exceedin the
speed limit on the grade.
so showed the throttle In TO shut
OF the steam. Imagine how ! felt
when the 27O KEEP right on exhaustin'
Just as II the speed was all to her
llkin.
"Somethln' had gone wrong In her
steamplpe somewhere inside n the
valve didn't shut her on. So the 2'O
had taken the biz In her teeth n was
goin' to see how liked rldln' fast.
Here was pretty predicamcnt
My engine goin' down Pine Hill under
a full head OF steam with heavy
freight train behind her. II wouldn't
have been 40 bad n had not known
that Ras Cole was only about hye
minutes ahead OF me with a train OF
coal ilmmics.
4 attempted 10 put the reverse
lever In the back motion. bat the
steam was on such a fuil head that J
couldn't bulge the thing Then ] gave
The hlgh sign on my whistle several
times To let Ras Cole know ! was
comm down the hin out Of control M
Il would be- wise for him 10 snake a
leg or he'd get splflcaied.
In an almost incredible time We
swung around boy The Gate station n
what saw ahead made me wilt like
a Cat mans collar on a hot day. Not
more than n quarter Of mile ahead
u a. vas Ras Coles train Maybe
that little caboosc OF bis didn't look
as big a. summer boardin' house
"Ras had heard my wlFnin' whistle
m VAS doin' bis best. Ec was gain
In headway. but he wasn't In our
class. could figure out that sc would
Just about meet up with hls caboosc
around the ten degree curve below the
Gate.
"Ras' train was now goin' az ter
rife speed. too. m Il was a question
whether either traln would keep The
rails roln' roun' the sharp curve
could almost reach the tail lighfs on
that oaboose ahead. In a second !
thought We would be- into them M !
would be rollln' down the embank
mcnt amidst the wrcckaec az twisted
iron. coal n miscellaneous frclrht
Then came an awful crash n ]
thought | could feel my cnr.no coin
down the bank But my cnFinc KEEP
goln' m could tell by the lurchin
that she vas akin' the curve an r'ght
n true.
4 opened my eyes The red nrhis
~ the caboosc had disappeared On
the ravlno below me ! could hear o.
crashln'. rollin' sound m SEE darl
shapes tumblln' down
4 realized what had happened The
excessive speed AZ which the train
ahead had taken the curve caused the
last IS or 20 coal ilmmios 90 jump
the track clean. iakln the cahooac
with them. Just IKE a siring 81 boys
playln snap and whip. Thus when we
Strengthened out on the curve Ras'
train. by iosin' those IS cars. had lcit
that much space between me n death
The train ahead vas moyln' AZ
equal speed with me nov n would
probably keep the IS cars distance be.
tween ~. Under her full head Of
steam my engine was icapln' m
boundn' over the rails. m when she
settled back from an extra severe jolt
she stopped cxhausiln'.
The terrible Jar had shaken ihc
valve back on ~ seat again m shut
81 the flow Of steam Ny heart 70
sumcd IT, normal bcatln'. a. We were
most down the hill now. n soon had
her under control
They pulled go IN the shops after
that run. m she never came out again
-lcastwisc unless they changed her
number"