Off in the distance you hear the piercing scream of a set of K5A Airchimes blowing that ever so distinctive 2 longs, a short, and a long. As the train rumbles over the crossing and you look at the multi-colored engines go by and the flash of all the different colored cars, you may or may not have noticed those 2 people in the cab keeping an ever vigilant look out ahead. All you can think is "When are the gates going to go up?", and "When can get on with my commute?". Have you ever stopped to think about what is going on in the other side of the picture? Have you ever thought what is going on in the cab of that engine as it approaches the crossing?

Hello, my name is Todd Crone. I am an engineer for CSXT. I am one of those people looking at that crossing from the other side of things. I am one of the many men and women that carry on the tradition that was started so long before us.

Once upon a time!

Once upon a time every young boy looked up through the smoke and the steam to the man perched high in the cab. To the youngster this man, with his blue pinstripe bib overalls and large gauntlet gloves, this man controlled a fire breathing monster. This man was looked at almost like a god. Today, things have changed a little. There are no more fire breathing monsters in regular freight service. The men and women in the cabs no longer wear the gauntlet gloves and very seldom will you see them in bibs. The standard style is blue jeans and T-shirts. However, the job has not changed. Most of these men and women spend their days and nights waiting for a phone call to summon them to work. When this call comes, these dedicated people are out there moving the materials that keep this country alive. We are in a class by ourselves. There are very few occupations where a person handles the tonnage and responsibility that we do. This is also a job where one person can make the difference between your new car being there on time or being weeks late to your local dealership. The public eye has lost interest in the engineer for the most part. To them it is not the glamorous high profile job it once was. I see a side of things the average person doesn't get to see. My job is unlike any other in the world.

Keeping an eye on the road!

As I approach that crossingthat you are waiting at, my thoughts are not on your morning commute to work. Behind me trails tens of thousands of pounds of steel moving at high speed. My Job is to safetly get this shipment to its destination. I do, however, wonder if you are going to heed the warnings of the lights and bells, and I give much consideration to whether or not you are going to try and run the gates. Safety is my first concern, both yours and mine.

People rarely notice the railroad at all and those that do talk of the railroads dying. This is far from true. The railroads in this country are growing everyday. It is through the efforts of the men and women of the railroads that life in this country keeps growing. From the food you eat, to the cars you drive, to hauling the coal or fuel oil for electricity, always remember there are Engineers and Conductors and many railroad employees unseen out there somewhere, away from their family, their friends, their nice cozy home, at work to make this possible. So next time you are sitting there waiting for the train to go by at that crossing, take a moment to stop and think. Think about what things look like from the other side.

Story By Todd Crone

REMEMBER~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ STOP, LOOK, LISTEN, LIVE