As No. 4 leaves a sweeping curve near Beville and enters tangent--straight--track, a sudden lurch causes
all of you to shift position slightly to maintain your balance. The superintendent focuses his stare on the track
supervisor of subdivision 1, and mutters, "Dogleg." The
supervisor flushes. In his notebook, he jots the location of this
reverse curve and aimlessly draws a sketch of it. You feel
uncomfortable in his embarrassment, and you hope, since most
of the
curves in your subdivision have been stringlined recently, no
doglegs are in it.
The train rides smoothly over the rest of subdivision 1.
Dogleg or not, this man has done a good job, despite the many
bridges, streams, and swamps in the area. It is difficult terrain
to
drain satisfactorily, and yet the track is not spongy.
When you pass Hubbard and enter subdivision 2, your
senses sharpen and you notice every little bump and jolt, for this
is the
subdivision on which you are the track foreman. Rolling
foothills in the countryside come into view, but the scenery is of
little
interest to you now. The coach begins to roll slightly front one
side
to the other, and you mentally curse the low joints that are
responsible.
The superintendent remarks casually that the ride is a trifle rough. You wince inwardly at his
understatement; you both know that this track would be like corduroy at higher speeds. He suggests to your track
supervisor that he take some of the men re-laying rail up the line and have them surface the track.
Just outside Rhodesburg, the ride again becomes smooth. The track from there to the summit of the
mountains has just been surfaced and alined; new rail and ties have just been installed. The same kind of job is
being done near Bingham Hill. The old 115-pound RE-section rail is being replaced with 133-pound RE-section
rail, in line with the current policy of using heavier rail in districts of heavy curvature and grade.
Shortly, No. 4 crosses over to the westbound track; the eastbound is closed because of the rail
replacement. As you approach the work under way, you recover a little of the pride you lost on the rough track as
the others exclaim at the speed with which this project
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