Help from actual real Railroaders--Please!!

razor wrote:
If you are a hog, and the only danger of getting wet is spilling your drink, or walking from the power to the jitney...then by all means get a poncho.
-r

Glad to see you have a good sence of humor. You bring a grip with you when your in the yard buddy? That aint right is it?

UPRR engineer wrote: Glad to see you have a good sence of humor. You bring a grip with you when your in the yard buddy? That aint right is it?

Pathetic, isn't it? I really only carry it to hide my reading material.

-r

Reading material, meaning nudie mag.... i hope.

razor wrote:

UPRR engineer wrote:If ya cant fit it into a grip this size you dont need to bring it.... with a small poncho from Wally World.

Yeah, that 's a good size bag. I carry a briefcase-sized bag as well that has - my saftey glasses (I have a pair for day and a pair for night) paperwork (such as my Form D book) handset, gloves, flashlight, clipboard. This is what I carry when I'm in the yard or doing locals.

As far as rain gear goes, <i>do not</i> get a frickin' poncho from Wally-World . At the very least get yourself an inexpensive suit from a an army supply type place. If you have the $, get a gortex suit. Get the best rain gear you can, you'll thank me the first time you have to ride a car in a downpour or have to work in the yard in the rain for 10 hours.

If you are a hog, and the only danger of getting wet is spilling your drink, or walking from the power to the jitney...then by all means get a poncho.

-r

Roger-that re: the Gore-Tex! I bought one of the first generation rain-coats back in the early 80s'. An expensive item, well worth the cost though!

We always carried metal grips, on Conrail, they were "made to order, in your choice of size, vertical or horizontal type, your choice of interior appointments (radio holders, rule-book dividers, partitions, etc.) All aluminum construction, re-inforced corners, strap rings, thick handles, even "sled-runners_ on the botton, to keep them off the floor/ground. These top quality grips were made by a lady named "Louis J. Beers", who inhereted the business from her deceased husband, who was a PRR conductor. She is (was ?) located around Altoona, PA., and she had a small catalog, with prices and options/accessories. Many guys got 20 years out of their original "Hammie" grips, with minimal care needed to keep them in top condition. Ask any "hammie, Conehead, or NJ Scum-bag" (as they called us guys from Jersey) about a Beers Hammie bag. You won't hear a negative word about them. Regards

I saw a kid that works out of Selkirk, NY to Boston who has a milk-crate to carry his books. Of course everyone refers to him as the MilkMan. LOL

What about in the rain or snow, does he need to get a new set of books?!?

The kind of grip you use depends on a number of things.

If you're working a "Super-Pool" on CSX, where you can be called to any number of AFHTs, you can't just leave things in your locker at the other end. Not unless you have enough money for SEVERAL laptops and don't mind being caught with the wrong book available...I like to read one at a time.

Working Willard to Cleveland, all I needed was my rulebooks and a jacket and sunglasses. About 35 pounds in all. Manageable in a small Tuffbag (partitioned canvas duffle). I was able to drive home from both terminals, so I didn't really need anything but company requirements.

Working Buffalo to Willard, was another story. I needed:

• Shaving kit and medicines, for acid reflux, Immodium for spastic colon, insect repellent and sunscreen;
  
  Clothing - two changes of underwear and a second set of trousers (very embarassing when your pants let go as you climb off the locomotive); also coat for weather changes and ice footwear to comply with safety regs in winter;
  
  Rulebooks, about eight of them, as well as yard maps (never know when they'll be needed);
  
  Flashlights - can't tell you how many times I've had motive-power failure in the dark and the engine-bay light was inoperative;
  
  Tools - Leatherman; Templestick; Magic Marker; nylon ties
  
  Food - you'll like as not be out for twelve hours; and then twelve hours the OTHER way. Plan ahead...missing meals is one thing that destroys railroaders' health.
  
  Book or two for "pleasure" reading during those interminable delays, usually at the end of the day, because the relief crew wasn't called and the Yard doesn't want to be responsible for a "delay."
  
  Laptop - because the typical hotel stay is 24 hours and longer. There's only so much TV you can watch before you wanna SMASH it.

Get the picture? You're going to NEED most of this kind of stuff. You're really going to be away from home and away from most conveniences for three days at a time...occasionally longer.

To carry all this, I could jam it into one extra-large Tuffbag in the summer. Winters I carried both the large and small ones, to carry winter clothing.

UPRR engineer wrote:You guys use those airport suit cases? labtops? TWO GRIPS??? What a bunch of dorks.

You want your grip to be big enough to hold just what you need to take with you, the bigger the grip, the more you will throw in, and the more you will hate packing it around. I use a military issue, medium size back pack. There plenty of room for all your stuff in something like that. Ive went and done some winter backpacking and had less stuff with me then some of these guys take to work. Start out with something smaller and simple, look around the shack, and see some of these tards try to get on the power with there super size grips and then decide what direction to take. Id steer clear of the metal grip. What did LCJ call them, hammy bag, bad news trying to clime aboard with one of those.

I,m no railroader, but there was a type of bag used in the military used to pack deployed parachutes. I think they are referred to as aviator bags. If you want to lug it, though your welcome to. That sucker is heavy when its full
wess

Those were "D" bags. Not extremely large, we used 'em at Ft. Bragg, just like you mentioned, to stow our deployed MC-1-1B or T-10 canopies. The canvas tool totes, issued to mechanics are more in line with the size, and durability, of a railroad grip. Another military bag, suitable for use as a grip, the "A" bags. I recently came across an order form, for those L.J. Beers hammie bags, and she is no longer doing them. Perfect for what they made for, her husband was a retired PRR conductor, and his retirement hobby was supplying grips to those still on the job. Regards