Pulling out of Davenport after a 45-minute stop to add some lube oil and fine-tune the SD45, it’s 42 miles to Cheney and the BNSF interchange to finish a long day. It’s not easy being a short line railroad operator and Stephan Gibson, the engineer, had to wear a lot of hats just to add that lube oil. The shed that serves as the office and maintenance base for the railroad is close to a crossing and the train can’t block that crossing while being refueled. He has to cut off the power, a SD45 and GP7, from the train to move into position. That entails walking back to the first car and pulling the cut lever, walk back to the cab, and then move forward to break the train connection. At the shed, he has to unlock the door, pull the oil hose out and into place, and then start the generator to pump the oil. Reversing the moves by himself and reassembling his train without someone on the ground is a real skill and testament to his experience and love of railroading.
