The weekend windup

All aboard!

At approximately o-dark-hundred, a bunch of hazy-brained Jaycees decided to catch a train down to Charlotte. Having some recollection of where the station was but knowing full well I’d get lost, I asked Chris to print directions before I got back from Moline. He did. And promptly left them at work. Knowing that, we appropriate left a good 15-20 minutes early. Which is good because we did miss a turn or two on the way. Specifically, we were smart enough to realize the Cary train station probably wasn’t in Durham, so we turned around.

Of course we got on the train and planned to sleep the whole way. That doesn’t work with al those other people around. Ugh. This was not all bad since other people can be entertaining. Like the Train Guy. Train Guy #1 was pretty funny. The remainder here is an approximation at the conversation that took place at one point during the ride down.

Us: So, has this train ever hit anyone?

Train Guy #1: Yes.

Us: Ever killed anyone?

TG1: Killed? Killed ‘em dead!

Me: Laughing

Us: Do you have to go out and scrape them off?

Editor’s note: Although a practical question, this is also disturbing

TG1: Oh, hell no! We have to wait for the police anyway.

Us: How do you know when you’ve hit someone?

TG1: You can always hear it. The bones always make a crunching sound.

Me: Ugh

Us: Is there anything you can do we you see people you’re about to hit?

TG1: Nope. I tell you this one time we ran over this lady. All 4 cars. Must’ve been a good mile before we got stopped. Now this women couldn’t have weighed a hundred pounds soaking wet, and she was laying in the tracks, drunk as hell. So I told the conductor to stop because he’d hit someone. He said we didn’t because he didn’t hear the crunching sound.

Me: Laughing

TG1: We convinced him to stop and ran back the mile to her. We could see we had cut off part of one hand and one of her feet. But she’s alive and when we get up to her, she starts yelling at us. To go the hell away! She’s drunk and doesn’t realize she’s bleeding to death. So I said ‘look lady, I can just let you sit here and bleed to death but I don’t think you want that.’

Us: Laughing. Did you help her?

TG1: By this time the EMS was getting there and saved her.

Question: Is this something you should be sharing on a train ride?!