The radio in engine 3125 crackled to life.

"Here we go," engineer Ray Jarrell said. He reached for the whistle cord and whistled off. The 2,000-horsepower diesel rumbled to life and Santa Fe 1421-1422, a turnaround local between Wichita and Wellington, started another run.

It was nothing new to Jarrell. He has been pulling trains "a little over 30 years," 11 years on this run. The way he figures it, which is probably accurate, he has exactly 979 days left to work before he retires.

The train, 10 cars and a caboose, eased out onto the lead track and down through the Wichita yards. Crossing lights flashed, bells ran and Jarrell kept pulling on the whistle cord. But still, some motorists in a hurry, darted across in front of the train.

"Ain't that a hulluva note," Jarrell said. "When you're standing still they'll pull up and stop,but if you're going 50 they'll try to beat you to the crossing. I'll never figure that one out. You can't stop these things on a dime."

Across the cab, head brakeman Brent Forney called out the signals ahead. He was hoping they'd get back early because it was his bowling night.

At Boeing, they did some switching at the main plant and spotted a car inside a building. Then they coupled up again and headed for Derby. Conductor John Dye said they had some switching to do at the cement plant there.

It was almost noon when the train reached Mulvane. They got clear of the main track and walked uptown to eat.

After dinner, they discovered they weren't going to make Wellington. A bridge near Belle Plaine needed some looking at, and nothing was going across it until the engineering department pronounced it safe. The train would turn back from Mulvane.

They switched the yards at Mulvane, made up their own train of 11 cars and headed back for Wichita. Hind brakeman Max Kabler decided to ride the dingine back to help with some more switching at Derby. Conductor John Dye settled down to the inevitable "pencil pushing" - making out the reports.

Dye has 25 years of service, much of it in the Wichita yards. He took the local because it meant less climbing and a chance to be home in the evening.

Back in Wichita again, they tied up. They'd been on duty a little over eight hours and had done all the work there was to be done.

And tomorrow, a rerun loomed. (Wichita Eagle - Sunday, November 7, 1973)

             

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