the one-legged "J" story in Trains Magazine (April 1995 I think)

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Jim and all:

As I recall that article was published in April (I think that is the
correct month) 1995 Trains Magazine and it featured a master mechanic for
the N&W who could and did just about everything from running a Z class
engine from Roanoke to Bristol even though he wasn't a qualified engineman
and a mister fix-it. The stories that I recall from the article were about
the one-legged J that after one side came loose similar to Jim's story
between Norfolk & Crewe only this one was somewhere between Bristol &
Roanoke and after lashing up the one side, it was run at something like 70
mph back to Roanoke. He said they didn't want to push their luck about
going faster but he said it was smooth as could be and like Jim's story,
you look at one side and it was just fine and looked perfect but the other
side was a mess.

Back in the steam days, enginemen and firemen and those who worked around
the shops knew all sorts of tricks when things went haywire on a
locomotive. The tales of chewing game and bailing wire are not much
exaggeration either I am told. Today it would be an OMG moment and there
would be video of it everywhere and investigations, OSHA and who knows who
else getting into act, but not 60+ years ago. You learned to make do and
you did and all were happy.

Bob C.
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