Edited for language…

(Kudos to the author, whoever he is…)

A few pointers from your friendly neighborhood locomotive engineer

Let’s start with some DON’Ts.

1) A train is really, really big. Can we all accept that? Not even your Ram/F350/Hummer/douche-mobile is a match for a locomotive. You say you have a Cummins diesel? Caterpillar? Detroit? Oooooooh. Well I have an EMD 567 on a bad day, and even its pathetic eighteen-hundred horsepower will pound you and your gleaming pickup into the fourth dimension, so please, stay behind the white line!

2) I hate blocking crossings. Seriously, I feel like a complete ass when I stop a train in the middle of the road and leave two dozen motorists to ponder their lattes and ask what the hell I’m doing. The truth is, sometimes it has to be done, so don’t honk at me, flip me off, or scream at me from the window of your Dodge Caravan as you’re shooting a U. Instead, be patient and try to believe that there’s a point to what I’m doing. It’s called switching, and my conductor is depending on me to work slowly and not run his ass over. If you don’t believe me, Wiki that stuff.

3) Don’t climb on the equipment. I hate to sound like your mother, but you’re saving me a lot of paperwork and horrifying flashbacks by staying off the equipment. To you it might look like an abandoned train or a free ride, but when that bastard starts to move with you on it, there’s a damn good chance you won’t be able to hold on. As long as you’re on Wikipedia, punch in “slack action” and see what comes up. Also, the romance of riding freight trains is total crap. They’re really dark, really cold, really windy, and hobos are fucking SCARY.

4) Don’t put stuff on the tracks. It’s dangerous to me and my conductor, and it’s ten times more dangerous for you and everyone else on the ground. If you’re wondering “can a train go over a rock?” the answer is YES. There’s only one problem. You probably haven’t wondered where the million shards of rock are going to go at four times the speed of sound, have you?

5) Stop whining about the horn. Countless accidents have been avoided because drivers missed the flashing lights but heard the horn. You’d have to blast Miley Cyrus and Lil’ Bow Wow pretty frakking loud to drown out a five-chime, and often that’s the only thing that saves people. Still, that’s no reason to keep your stereo at eighty decibels as you’re rolling through a crossing at sixty without looking both ways.

6) By and large, railroad cops are major douche bags, so when you’re trespassing on railroad property, keep your head about you. These guys didn’t make it into the real police force, and they will ream you inside and out to make up for it. Also, walking on bridges and in tunnels is extremely dangerous. Ask yourself: If a train comes, where will I go? Trains are much wider than the rails they run on, so don’t be fooled.

Now for some of the DO’S.

1) If you see a large object (like a garbage can or an F350) that’s about to get love-tapped by a hotshot freight train, get in the clear. If it’s about to fly at a railroad crossing, run to the side of the street that the train is coming from. That way you’ll be behind the point of impact and you won’t have to worry about catching that beautiful pickup and its over-confident driver square on your frakking shoulders. If you run away from the train you’re just putting yourself in the line of fire, and the death toll could very possibly be two.

2) If the gates stay down and the lights stay flashing, stay where you are. I guaran-damn-tee there’s another train coming, and speeding onto the tracks the moment the first train clears is a lot like celebrating a touchdown too early. WHAM.

3) When you’re waiting for a train to pass, it’s a good idea to stay back thirty or forty feet. Trains are operated by professionals, but often they’re loaded by total clowns. I’ve heard some real nasty stories about payloads falling off flatcars and crushing people in their vehicles, or doors sliding off boxcars and ripping through everything in their path. It’s rare, but stuff happens!

4) Always report problems or suspicious activity. If you see a photographer with a radio scanner and a big-ass notebook, ignore him. We know that guy. But if there’s a dude in street clothes working a crowbar through a signal box, hit us up and tell us what the deal is. Railroad crossings usually have signs with emergency numbers, or you can call the non-emergency number for your local fuzz. If an accident has already occurred or a life is at risk, call 911 instead. Pretty sure they have our number.

5) Last but not least, when you’re inconvenienced by a train, remember that we’re pulling for you! Trains are a great way to conserve fuel, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and keep American jobs alive and green. Rail technology is the best solution to our energy crisis, and as the rail network grows in the years to come, it’s important for everyone to stay safe. Look, listen, LIVE.

Yeah, I’m evil…  No, it, in itself, isn’t classified, but there are folks who have seen it everyday…  Did you cheer our Space Forces?

I spent last Halloween in Kuwait, and all I have to show for it is one picture, of Specialist C., who wasn’t going to let the day go by unnoticed, regardless of being out in the middle of the desert…

Halloween in Kuwait.

THIS year, however, I had to have a little fun!

Enlisted the help of Jake and neighbor Sean, pulled the fur on and let ‘er rip!

I'm baaack...

The Zombies, going out for dinner…

Jake and Sean in character...

The Kat showed up, and it was a Kodak moment…

The wolf and the Kat... "Rules To Date My Daughter" just took a turn for the surreal...

We wrapped things up at about 2000:  Mission Accomplished!

Celebrating a successful "Haunt". Jake, Billy, Sean, and Levi...

Next year, I’m thinking a little bigger…  “Rockford’s Army of the Undead…”  It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

(Image from “I haz a hotdog.com”.)

May 2009 be a year of prosperity and joy!

Santa Claus and a Bone Crusher...

Merry Christmas to all, God Bless us, everyone!

We actually started in June of 2008, went through a month long Annual Training, went home for ten days, and then mobilized in August, spent a few months in Fort McCoy, WI, and then headed over to Kuwait, and finally wound up here, with nary a day off for good behavior.

I didn’t sign up for a vacation, but there have been some days when a break would be nice…

Apparently somebody else thought the same, for a few days ago, our normal company guide-on, the flag that represents our company was replaced, with something found in the back of one of our five ton trucks.  (The unit that we relieved, Fox Company was a mixed-gender outfit, unlike us mechanized infantrymen.)

A Fox's fox's one and onlies...

Yes, they are what you think they are…  Pink and silky…  No, they’re not mine…

Somebody is trying to give Captain Zack a hint…