Metrolink111: Late Baby Late
Shelley J Alongi

 

Two incredibly different trips to the fullerton train station in one article: what more could you ask for? They were very different but very enlightening and rewarding. This is the thing I really love about going to the fullerton station lately: it always provides me with a story to write and I really think you’ll like this one. It’s about people, events, and adventure. And it begs the question, not is she a foamer, but does it all stem from the Chatsworth accident?

Finally Famous, Maybe

Wednesday July 1 is quiet at the station. None of the regulars are there tonight. The afternoon regulars show up, and I show up at 2:00 to sit and enjoy my double cheeseburger. Somehow I can never usually pass that up during my extended or short days at the station. About 3:00 I go inside the café where the air-condition offers relief from the sun on the patio. Sitting at the wrought iron table on the patio, my phone and book are hot to the touch, and my face already exposed to the sun from my Chatsworth trip is probably even redder now, so I decide that spending a few hours inside the café might be wiser than sitting out in the sun, since shade is scarce about that time of day. I don’t have any trouble in cold, rainy weather sitting on the patio or out by the tracks where my lifeblood with trains is found, but I do have a problem sitting out in hot sun. Maybe it’s because I spend so much time inside, who knows.

Gathering my Train web bag, my book, my Train web mug, my cane and my cell phone, I relocate into the café where Christina is working on a project for tomorrow, a catering project since metrolink will be filming a commercial there at the café. Wow we’re going to be famous! Finally! Train fans don’t have any trouble finding us. Now I guess the rest of the world might find us, someday, if the commercial makes the cut.

Give me the Brakes

Sitting inside the café I read my book and things are quiet. About 5:00 I’m out to the tracks again, where a few freights and Metrolink come by, but the big news tonight is the Amtrak train. The last train to Santa Barbara, or the 6:10 train to Santa Barbara is late. Not twenty minutes late, but ultimately by the time the night is over, four hours late. Mechanical problems stop its arrival, announces the Amtrak agent. It seems that the train has no air pressure when connected with the other train south of Ocean Side, and no air pressure means no brakes. I’d rather wait for a train that was four hours late than to have one with no brakes. Trains are deadly enough with brakes. I don’t’ think anyone minded waiting under those conditions. We’ll take the brakes. It’s one of the risks of train travel I suppose.

Things become livelier as the evening progresses. People waiting for their trains dot the patio, eating, talking, planning. I occupy several spots tonight, my first one is the bench next to my usual planter where I find a man engrossed in a book on the Jewish tabernacle, making his trip to Los Angeles. He is the lucky one. His Amtrak train leaves on time. He doesn’t’ seem willing to talk but he does wish me a nice evening and I wish him a pleasant trip, one of the many small exchanges that occur in train stations I suppose. He’s off to his evening and I’m here enjoying mine; reading my book on the Santa Fe railroad, about gun battles and court battles over who gets what road to what town and city.

Of Endings and such Things

If I’m not reading my book I’m trying to come up with the beginning of Book II of Flirting with Monday with my railroad engineer, Glenn Streicher. Now that I’ve brought them full circle I can bring them to the final ending, something which for me is proving difficult. It’s going to have to percolate for a while. I know how the story has to end it’s just getting the puzzle to form itself for me that’s the hard part.

Don’t we wish life was like that? The day Rob Sanchez woke up after having a bad day on Thursday September 11, I’m sure there were a million things that weren’t resolved. He looked at his paycheck, he made his breakfast, he pulled his train out to Chatsworth and talked to those guys I’ve met now and then it was over for him. I should be so lucky to be able to end my stories the way I like.

I’m not thinking of 25 stories ending that day as I’m sitting here in the evening breeze, deliciously cool after the scorching heat of the afternoon. I’m paying attention to a grandmother and a young woman with two children, one whom keeps repeating that “there’s the train track.” Behind me some kids argue, a family waits, I’ve seen them before here, and then I move to the other side of the platform for a different perspective.

Getting Closer

As I move around the station tonight, different things happen. There are the Metrolink trains that stop, wait and go, and then there are freight trains that come through, A freight train comes, and then another one, a Metrolink, and then another freight. As I’m walking to the other side of the station for a second time, the big freight pulls up, and I’m right by the locomotive this time, standing, holding my bag, two men stand talking I think one of them might be the engineer or the conductor, not sure, if either are correct, but then the engineer signals he’s leaving and we stand there, one of the men who had been talking tells a child the train is leaving. I’m getting closer to the locomotives now, actually going out to find them. He’s gone, slowly pulling his train away, the cars gaining momentum, leaving passengers still waiting for an Amtrak and me one step closer to meeting the engineer. Wait, I’ve met one, or two now, but that story is later.

The freights leave, I find another spot, sitting down next to a woman who is waiting for the Santa Barbara train.

No Competition

Stacy, who is waiting for the 8:20 train to Santa Barbara is a brave woman. Constantly on her cell phone, a freight train passes and she still keeps talking. I don’t know if the other person could hear her, but no matter, she’s undeterred by the clattering freight. So here’s my question. Why would someone want to talk on a cell phone when a freight train is practically on top of you? Well ok in this instance not on top but it sure seems like it. Sitting safely behind the yellow line, she chatters about relationships, Michael Jackson’s death last week, drug use among celebrities, a breakup or something.

At the announcement that the train is delayed past it’s 8:20 time I get up, observing a man reading a paper, another man jumping over cobblestones with a child, another child who pretends to be a freight train, and go back to my other spot. Before doing that I encounter Jose hosing down the patio. He’s hosing down the patio, getting ready to plant flowers in some pots for the commercial, he explains that he’s cooking breakfast for thirty people tomorrow and then lunch, and so he’s going to have a busy day.

I’m going to have an interesting day. I’m going to go find a dining table, finally after a year of not having a dining table because I couldn’t figure out what I wanted, I’m on my way to knowing what I want so I’m off to find it while he’s cooking breakfast and lunch. So good luck to Jose tomorrow, cooking and cleaning for Metrolink. Wonder what that commercial will be about.

Cooking and the Funny Engineer
In the discussion of the commercial and the breakfast, Jose explains a few things about the process involved in cooking. They boil and dice their own potatoes, they cut up their own peppers and onions, they can’t crack the eggs ahead of time because it’s against safety regulations. Have I tried the breakfast burrito, he wants to know. Yes, I did try it a few years back when I was a more regular passenger on Metrolink trains. I tell him that next Tuesday when I come to take my train to Chatsworth (I pick up my tickets today) I’ll have to have one. I’m looking forward to it.

Perhaps the best part of the conversation with Jose is when I tell him that a freight train comes through earlier and the engineer does the “shave and hair cut” theme on the horn. It leaves me laughing. There’s an engineer I’d like to meet, someone with some personality I suppose, or little scandalous.

“Probably Tim” Jose tells me. It seems lately that Tim a freight engineer has been coming into the station on one train, ordering about six sandwiches, and then crossing over to the other side of the station to wait for another freight train to pick him up. So people really do hop freights. especially when they run them. I’ll get that phrase right…that’s another story for later, you’ll see. In the meantime I’ll have to try and meet this guy, Tim. Sounds like a fun guy.

After our conversation ends I take the 8:55 bus home and settle in with the cats. It has been a very good day.

Now for Something Entirely Different

Monday June 22, is a rather different experience. It’s one of those balmy summer days, June this year manages to be cool most of the time in great contrast to the first day of July. Today I’m not so interested in the double cheeseburger. Today it’s all about breakfast. Over easy eggs, sausage patties, potatoes with peppers, toast, and Diet Pepsi. Ah yes, the ever present Diet Pepsi. Jose says he eats breakfast burritos with Coca-Cola, so I’m in good company it seems.

All is quiet and uneventful till I hear Walter talking and I go to find the group. He pulls up a chair for me. There’s Walter, The talker, and then lo and behold, there’s Norm the freight engineer.

“Are you really a freight engineer?” I ask after I determine that he’s sitting directly across from me.

Yes, he says, he runs freight from 6:00 Am till 2:00 in the afternoon and has been doing this since 1990. He explains to the novice rail fan, that would be me, that engineers run freight, not drive it. Ok I’ll buy that; especially from a railroad freight engineer. Norm seems to be a mild mannered guy not particularly bothered by someone asking if he drives freight as opposed to running it.

I have to look at Rob’s text messages again he said something about operating freights or running them being harder than running passenger trains. I’ll check my primary source but not tonight. Rob’s messages are on the laptop and I’m at the desktop tonight.

“I’m writing a novel with a railroad engineer,” I explain, “so I have a question. The engineer sets the air brakes right?”

Yes, explains the patient, mild mannered engineer. Why do I always get so lucky and get all these patient people explaining things to me? I hope I’m as patient explaining the obvious to someone someday. What would someone find so fascinating about my job? I don’t’ know but I’ve had people express sheer excitement that I work for Disney. But tonight it’s about my obsession with the engineer, forget Disney. Although Disney was into trains and that comes up later.

There seems to be a lot of activity tonight, a group of children wait for the train. The Amtrak agent explains that if one dangles any body parts over the platform one could lose them. Please stay behind the yellow line. I notice later after Norm takes his leave and I wander out to the tracks to escape the talker’s talking, that there is quite a group there.

“No dangling,” I admonish.

“Hey don’t say that in mixed company,” says someone. I learn that this someone is part of the Southern California Train Travel group and it is a rather large group. They meet the fourth Monday of each month at Nolwood and then go say hello to the departing Southwest Chief. I learn that Steve Grande one of the owners of Train web is here tonight, and in the group.

“Hey, I have some Train web stuff,” I say, and show my bag. Suddenly I’m surrounded by a camera and people who have never seen the items.

“have you seen this?” I ask. I pull out my ceramic mug. People gasp.

“I think you just made Steve Grande’s night,” Carol tells me.

The funny thing is that tonight, Monday, is the first night I’ve had the railroad bag with me and I’m not quite sure I like it. It isn’t till the Monday I head off to Chatsworth, when it holds Rob’s plaque and everything else that I’m convinced I like it. It’s the best bag ever!

“I hope you’re not shy,” someone says. They explain that Carl the web photographer will put my picture up there. Okay, I say, that’s fine. I’m not shy after I get over being shy. Just ask the Chatsworth rail fans. I got over it faster that day because I knew I only had one chance. It’s funny I didn’t used to be so shy; I used to go up to people at church and introduce myself and talk to them, it’s not till recently that I’ve become that way. I usually get over it. I better get over it. I’ve got some engineers to meet and a plaque to explain and convince someone to take.

Speaking of being shy, I enter myself into another conversation and discover that I’m talking to a Santa Fe Railroad historian. We exchange emails. He says he’ll send me a list of books. Finally I’ve made a connection with train enthusiasts and good grief this guy belongs to everything!

“I didn’t know he worked for Amtrak,” he says when I mention Rob Sanchez.

“yeah.”

He also explains to me that there is a book on Walt disney’s railroad. You remember the Disneyland Railroad, I met my first engineer there. You know I’ll be reading that book.

I also learn from the SF historian that the James Marshall book I’m reading was considered in the 1940s when it was written to be the definitive history of the Santa Fe railroad. I didn’t know I had discovered such a jewel. It’s not a bad book. I know I’ll be reading more books.

It seems like every book I’ve read lately is about a railroad. Is this all because of Rob Sanchez?; This whole experience for me is much different than my aviation experiences. I think it’s more about people for me now when the plane was more about specs. I’m sure I’ll get the train specs part. Rob’s text messages leave me a lot of information to work with; he really did leave me a legacy. I’m saddened by his death for more than one reason; but I’ve also got a pile of learning to do. I’ve always loved learning even though I gave up grad school. Funny the week I decided not to continue with my masters was the week of the Chatsworth accident. I tell people I didn’t want to spend time writing what I didn’t want to write. Now I’ve done nothing but write what I want to. That accident was a milestone for me. Sometimes I feel guilt about that. I wish all those people the best. I hope I can help someday.

Tonight, Monday June 22, it’s about making new friends and then heading home on the 10:05 bus to continue my adventure.

So two different days provide two different stories and yet they’re all part of the same adventure. It seems whatever interests I find that I always end up with new connections, new friends, new adventures. In a newsletter I wrote to people who follow me by email on September 11 I wrote “walk with me through my next adventure.” Oh my! I had no idea that two trains colliding outside of Chatsworth would catch me in the crossfire. They did. One thing leads to another and now here we are. How much more can I take. A lot. I’ll take you with me on my next adventure. Stay tuned.

 

 

Copyright © 2009 Shelley J Alongi
Published on the World Wide Web by "www.storymania.com"