Jahrule
Well-known member
Ah, the joy of getting to sleep in tomorrow! I mean, who wouldn't be thrilled to roll out of bed at the luxurious hour of, oh, let's say 4:45 a.m. instead of the ungodly 3 a.m.? Seriously, I'm considering adding "professional insomniac" to my resume at this rate.
So, today was another wild adventure in Barre, Vermont, the land of snow, granite, maple syrup, and probably more snow. It's conveniently close to the capital, though, which is nice. And hey, at least I'm not the one behind the wheel for this excursion. My commute to the shop is a breezy 10-minute drive, then it's all aboard the railroad's vehicles with someone else at the helm. Can't complain about that arrangement.
Speaking of snow, there's heaps of it up in them thar mountains, especially on the tracks. Despite the wintery scene, it's been a bit of a light season, so we've only been putting in a modest 10 to 12 hours a day. But today? Oh no, today decided to flex and stretch to a solid 14 hours. Some of the fellas around here have been clocking multiple 18-hour days in a row, which frankly sounds like a horror movie marathon, but with less popcorn and more frostbite. On the bright side, though, when it's my turn to pull a marathon stint, at least I'll be raking in those sweet, sweet dollars. Maybe next year Mother Nature will remember what a real winter looks like.
So, what exactly do we do with all this time spent in the icy wilderness? Well, our main gig during the winter months is to play snowplow for the tracks, switches, and frogs. No, not the amphibian kind. We're talking about the crucial points that keep the trains on the right path. How do we do it? With a leaf blower. Yep, you read that right. Not the entire track, mind you, just certain spots that need a little extra TLC. It's a glamorous job, let me tell you. But hey, someone's gotta keep those tracks clear, and apparently, that someone is us every time it snows.
So, today was another wild adventure in Barre, Vermont, the land of snow, granite, maple syrup, and probably more snow. It's conveniently close to the capital, though, which is nice. And hey, at least I'm not the one behind the wheel for this excursion. My commute to the shop is a breezy 10-minute drive, then it's all aboard the railroad's vehicles with someone else at the helm. Can't complain about that arrangement.
Speaking of snow, there's heaps of it up in them thar mountains, especially on the tracks. Despite the wintery scene, it's been a bit of a light season, so we've only been putting in a modest 10 to 12 hours a day. But today? Oh no, today decided to flex and stretch to a solid 14 hours. Some of the fellas around here have been clocking multiple 18-hour days in a row, which frankly sounds like a horror movie marathon, but with less popcorn and more frostbite. On the bright side, though, when it's my turn to pull a marathon stint, at least I'll be raking in those sweet, sweet dollars. Maybe next year Mother Nature will remember what a real winter looks like.
So, what exactly do we do with all this time spent in the icy wilderness? Well, our main gig during the winter months is to play snowplow for the tracks, switches, and frogs. No, not the amphibian kind. We're talking about the crucial points that keep the trains on the right path. How do we do it? With a leaf blower. Yep, you read that right. Not the entire track, mind you, just certain spots that need a little extra TLC. It's a glamorous job, let me tell you. But hey, someone's gotta keep those tracks clear, and apparently, that someone is us every time it snows.
