It's Not What You Think

For thirty-eight years I was "on call" seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day on the Santa Fe, and later, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad. The money could be pretty good but there were times when I would have gladly exchanged the money for a little more "home time". I missed a lot of things that I now regret.

I can recall one cold winter night and I had been gone from home for nearly a week and I decided to call home. My youngest daughter, probably two or three years old at the time, answered the phone. I said, "Hello kiddo, this is Daddy".

Seems like I was always saying goodbye.

She said, "Daddy doesn't live here anymore". It broke my heart and if I could have I would have driven home that night. I missed my wife and two girls for so much of my railroad career.

Even when I was home, there were times that I would get "called out" several times during the night and end up sleeping through most of the day; then get up and go back to work. The winter months were usually the worst as far as getting called out to work. In cold weather, the rail portion of the tracks had a tendency to break or pull apart at the joints.

In cold weather the rail shrinks and becomes more brittle and if there is a small defect in the rail it can break. Another problem in cold weather is the rail joints. A joint is where two rails are connected with two heavy bars with about six large bolts placed through the bars and the rails to hold the joint together. In cold weather these joints will pull apart, shearing the bolts off and leaving a gap between the two rails. This gap could be two to six inches and presents a hazard to passing trains. The railroad slang for this type of defect is "stripped joint".

           
One winter night the temperature dropped into the teens and sure enough the phone rang. It was the dispatcher and he stated that there was a suspected rail problem and that my services were needed. My wife and kids were still up and I told my wife that I had to go to work. I got dressed and kissed the girls goodbye. My wife asked where I was going and how long did I think I would be. I told her that it was probably a "stripped joint" and that I should be back in a couple of hours.

           
About an hour after I left, my mother-in-law ( Nanny) called the house and my four year old daughter answered the phone. Nanny asked if she could speak to Mama. My daughter told her that her Mama was in the bedroom so Nanny asked her where her Daddy was. My sweet little girl said "Daddy has gone to a strip joint and he said he would be back in a couple of hours."

           
My wife says that she was able to explain the situation to her Mother, but I'm not sure if I ever won back the trust that Nanny once had in me.