Dave Lackey MCO or Eastern Chief Dispatcher / Eddie Leland Moore Texas MCO Chief Dispatcher SOC Santa Fe Railway Schaumberg, Illnois Part 2 in Tales of the Jointed Track

Another tale with Dave.

Our Conference calls for the eastern part of the Santa Fe were at 730 am and 730 pm. We at the Power desk had made the change and ready to what awaits us. I’ll back up and trim as needed, with the stations that I need too.

Days… again … date unknown:

We made our rounds with the stations that had trainmasters there. Plans made and formulated. The business units came in as needed. Terri Vorhees, worked the unit train business unit. I liked Terri, but she could be overbearing at times . Like the railroad revolved over her bidding. She was grating on this call, and I can tell Dave is agitated.

Terri: We set out and gathered 120 empty hoppers for salt loading at Hutchison, Ks. Need power and crew available in 12 hours.

Dave: I need to get this on a line up for the crews, and talk to the power man. (me)

Terri: This is real important and we need it out. The City of Chicago needs a date so they can store salt, for the winter.

Dave: Like I said. I need to get this on a line up for the crews. Get a train symbol authorized and power positioned.

She drones on and I can probably have power there, out of the Topeka shop releases and relay at KC if needed. Dave is pissed, and she blathers on.

We have mute buttons, on our head sets. Dave is a Master, but I think one slip, we’re all on the carpet.

Dave: I have a nod from the power man, he’s looking.

Terri: Well this is really important.

Dave: Yes ma’am understood, but we need to make sure, power and crew can be placed. (Mute) “That Goddamned ol Heifer what the fuck doesn’t she get”. Live: “Yes, we need it on the line up at least 12 hours before call. The power man says he has a few prospects but needs a little more time to make it work”. Terri still going on.

Dave is on and off mute, and I am ready to see us all run off. “SOB, is she tone deaf or what”. “Yes understood, you can’t just land a train on us like that, is it ready to move”. Terri…BLAH BLAH BLA H BLAH.. Dave mute: “Fuck, she is making me crazy”. Live: “Terri come over after the call, we’ll get this sorted out”.

Well the shipper has some of the cars. We did get it powered and crewed after it was loaded. We didn’t get run off either.. LOL