SD 24

[lwjabo]

I'm felling a bit nostalgic tonight. So thinking back when I first hired on Southern they had a couple of hundred SD 24. The old men called them Camels. It was meant as a joke. Seem they always ran out of water. Every engineer would check the water level before they left the shop. Still they would run out of water before we got to the other end of the road. It was 14 hours back them. We worked in mostly automatic block between Austell and Ooltewah. We had three CTC sidings as it was called back them. Brice, Atlanta Jct, and Forrestville. There were water hoses at Austell, Dallas, Rockmart, Forrestville, Dalton, Ooltewah Tn. and Cleveland Tn. I put Cleveland as we did run the old Arco Coal train that way and 140 and 139. There may have been water hoses at Hiram and Sugar Valley and at the Mobile Branch at Atlanta Jct. Back them most ballast trains were F7s. Stockbridge south of Atlanta was the main rock hole for MW on Southern back them. So we had plenty of ballast trains. If it was north of Atlanta it went our way. All the sidings have been extended since then except, Forrestville and Sugar Valley. Atlanta Jct changed when it was extended to Lindale and the north end became Smith. Brice is the north end and the south became Green. The north End of Sugar Valley became Davis. In the old days bot ends were named the same. That changed as they extended CTC into the old Automatic Block territory.  They built the siding at Phelps and Warring and several sidings were extended to the next creating more double track. When a train had orders to take siding the engineer would get his train down and the brakeman was required to run ahead and line the train in. A slip or fall and the engineer got his engine past the switch and that was a no no. The engineer might get time for it but you can bet everyone blamed the brakeman.

[Kentucky & Indiana Terminal RR]

The sd24 was always one of my favorites, the cool rooftop airtanks always did it for me. They were also emds first Turbo engine, I heard they had their issues, I think most were rebuilt over the years. Never ran one but they always interested me, neat story, thanks for sharing.

[E.M. Bell]

Anytime, you are feeling nostalgic, you will have a captive audience here! I always enjoy a look back..

[blacksheep]

man, that was way back when.  it's none of my buisness but when did you hire on?

[lwjabo]

I hired out in November of 71. My first day of training (cubing) was on 124-20 between Atlanta (Inman) and Chattanooga (DeButts) the next day we caught 117-20 or the PennCentral train. Going south at Morris st. Dalton we came across a tractor trailer blocked at a traffic signal and it was sitting on the main line. We hit it. Little more than scratches to the engine but destroyed the trailer. It had paper in it and was only partly loaded. As the train was going over the L&N south most of the train was going up hill and we stopped fast. We were going about 25 mph. So got my first of some 32 or 33 grade crossing accidents. I still remember it rather well. The policeman came up and started asking the names of all members of the crew. His ability to spell was pretty bad and had to ask how to spell every one of our names. He pretty blue pants were cut rather high and you could see his white sox's shinning. Not very uniform.

[JCagle]

Man that is getting the baptism by fire with a second day GCA. I wonder how many new hires would become unnerved if that happened to them today.

[lwjabo]

While I was in a large number of grade crossing accidents I was rather lucky so few involved someone being killed. I had only one killed at the crossing and another one who died later. One guy I know was only in around 10 and everyone involved in someone killed and most involved multi killed.