King For A Day

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In working the second trick operator's job in Gainesville, Ga. for 18 years
for southern Railway  ( NS )  Saturdays and Sundays were regular work
days for me.    During the Norfolk Southern steam   program it was the
custom each Fall  to run the 611  on a round-trip from Atlanta to Toccoa,
Ga. on  Saturday one week-end and on Sunday the next Week-end.  On
the return trip he left Toccoa around 3:00 PM which put him through
Gainesville about  4:30  PM.   One Sunday afternoon prior to train time
I had a good sized crowd  to gather at the depot.    At about   3:00 PM
the dispatcher rang me and said "Bill,   copy a wide car order."    The
order was  addressed to  C&E Extra 611  South And All Starting.    No. 142
One Forty Two   on duty Inman Yard at 401  Four Naught One PM  will
have wide car  12  twelve feet   9 nine inches which must be met and passed
on tangent track only."   When I dropped that southbound upper quadrant
tyrain order signal to the "45"  position, some railfans in the crowd knew
instantly what was going on.   In mere seconds the first one  knocked on
my door.  "Mister,  is that order for the 611, and can I hve a copy"?
Finally,  so many of them wanted copies, I told them to line up at the
ticket window and I would serve everybody.   I ran off several copies on
the copy machine and then wrote an original copy of the clearance card
and stapled it in the upper left corner of the train order.   I have no idea
how many copies of that train order I passed out, but I nearly had
writer's cramp from filling out clearance cards.   At least those railfans
must have spoken kindly of me that afternoon.   Somewhere across the
fruited plain today packed away in railroad memorabelia there are many
copies of that train order and clearance card gathering dust in a railfan's
home.  For a few minutes that day, I was in the driver's seat among the
railfans. Bill Sellers, Norfolk Southern Railway ( Ret. )