Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1907-01-03
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 m handbrakes.
Il was runnin' extra at the time,
not havin' been assigned to regular
engine yet. Hen Morris, an easy. go
in fellow. was she regular man on
the 270, n l always contended that
he was too easy with her. Engines
are just like bosses. you've got to let
'em know who's master.
"One night Hen Morris was taken
sick n / 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 dealin' with no
spring chicken this trip. You just get
down TO business or I'll pound the life
out of you
AN, suitin' the action to the word.
dropped her down in the corner n
put it to her for all l was worth.
However, she didn't do any extra
work n Jagged n hung back all the
way.
WELL l says to myself when we
get goin' down Pine Hill I'll just keep
the throttle open awhile n make her
CO.. The weight of this train behind
us will make her perk up a bit
"Accordin'ly, when we went over
the pitch at the top Of Pine Hill l just
left her wide open n KEEP the steam
on full head till we were flynn down
by Coppers Crossin' Then / thought
I'd better shut off, as the 270 would
set a pretty lively clip down the hill
now n | had no han'Jerin' for goin
down the bank OWN 10 exceedin' the
speed limit on the grade.
80 l showed the throttle In. to shut
off the steam. Imagine how / felt
VISA the go KEEP right on exhaustin
just as If the speed was all to her
likin'.
"Somethin' had gone wrong In her
steampipe somewhere inside n the
valve didn't shut her off. So the 27O
had taken the bit in her teeth n was
goin' to see how / liked ridin' fast.
Here was a pretty predicament
My engine goin' down Pine Hill under
a full head of steam with a heavy
freight train behind her. 1t wouldn't
have been so bad If had not known
that Ras Cole was only about five
minutes ahead of me with a train oil
coal jimmies.
Il attempted to put the reverse
lever in the back motion, but the
steam was on such a full head that j
couldn't bulge the thing. Then | gave
times to let Ras Cole know l was
comm down the hill out of control n
1t would be wise for him to shake a
leg or he'd get spiflicated.
I'm an almost incredible time we
swung around by the Gate station n
what l saw ahead made rue wilt like
a fat mans collar on, hot day. Not
more than a quarter of a mile ahead
OF us was Ras Coles train. Maybe
that little caboose of his didn't look
as big as a summer boardin' house.
"Ras had heard my warnin' whistle
n was doin' his best. He was gain.
in Roadway, but he wasn't in our
class. could figure out that we would
just about meet up with his caboose
around the ten degree curve below the
Gate.
"Ras' train was now goin' at ter
rife speed, too, n it was a question
whether either train would keep the
rails goin' 'roun' the sharp curve.
could almost reach the tall lights on
that caboose ahead. In a second
thought we would be into them n
would be rollin' down the embank-
ment amidst the wreckage of twisted
iron, coal n miscellaneous freight.
"Then came an awful crash n I
thought could feel my engine goin'
down the bank. But my engine KEEP
goin' n l could tell by the lurchin'
that she was takin' the curve all right
n true.
II opened my eyes. The red lights
of the caboose had disappeared. In
the ravine below me could hear a
CIdSuluS lOiiiA 5Ouhu hCo udIk
shapes tumblin' down.
Il realized what had happened. The
speed at which the train
ahead had taken the curve caused the
last 10 or 20 coal jimmies to Jump
the track clean, takin' the caboose
with them, just like a string of boys
playin' snap and whip. Thus when we
out on the curve Ras'
train, by losin' those Is cars, had left |
that much space between me n death. |
THE train ahead was movin' at
equal speed with me now n would
probably keep the Is cars distance be-
tween us. Under her full head of
steam my engine was leapin' n
over the rails, n when she
settled back from an extra severe Jolt
she stopped exhaustin'.
The terrific jar had shaken the
valve back on its seat again n shut
or the flow OF steam. My heart re-
sumed its normal beatin', as we were
most down the hill now, n soon had
her under coatrol.
"They pulled go in the shops after
that run n she never came ont again