A phone rings and Balto wakes from his slumbering rest. Half asleep he answers. On the phone he hears a familiar voice, "Hello Balto, Your called for 6AM to go out on 11E."
Politely Balto responses, "Thanks Nava. Thanks for the early rise."
Nava chuckles then howls, "Your very welcome brother. " Followed quickly by a click on the phone receiver.

Balto grumbles as he looks at the clock and notices the time. Its 4AM and the call is his two hour window to show up for work. Balto is a half dog half wolf locomotive engineer on Norfolk Southern’s Conway to Toledo crew pool. Balto had been advanced to engineer a year before and he still finds himself on the extra board. Seniority comes slow when one finds a real job and no one leaves except when retiring. Everyone with enough seniority get regular trains with a fairly predictable work schedule. But with the extra board, you are on call as soon as you are rested. Maybe as less as 7 hours from marking off. Not enough time for a good rest when the railroad is running heavy and you’ve work twenty days straight. No weekends or holidays off here, just fat blue collar style paychecks.

Balto looks over at a sleeping Jenna and licks her neck, slightly waking her.

She looks up and frowns, "That was the railroad, wasn’t it?"

Balto frowns, "Yes."

"They cant even give you one day to celebrate Kodi’s birthday, can they?"
"It’s the railroad Jen, gatta keep it running."

Jenna frowns, "I know."

"Goodnight sweetie."

With a yawn, she replies, "Goodnight."

Balto gets up, packs his lunch and gathers accommodations for an overnight stay in a motel and heads out the door. He walks outside to see clear skies above and fog nestled into the wide Ohio River valley. After an hour commute, he arrives at the huge sprawling yard called Conway. Balto has come up from Wheeling, WV via four lane highways of interstates 70 and 79. Fighting through early commuters along the way. He turns off of I79 and onto Route 65 North, following the four track Norfolk Southern mainline on his way up. A few trains scream by, seemingly shooting out of the patchy fog heading east. One even paces Balto in his Monte Carlo on the 65MPH mainline. Balto howls with it at as the freight storms across the crossing at Leetsdale.

Five miles later, Balto smiles as he nears the end of his commute, before him lays Conway. A yard home to some 35 trains terminating and originating daily and an equal amount of relay (run-through) trains. Freights being built around the clock and leaving when their crews are ready. Intermodal and mineral trains coming in from the east or west and getting a fresh crew to take it further to its destination. Coming and going almost like a race car pit stop. Cars sprawl out amongst the 150 track yard and takes some 4,000 freight cars to even make it look full, which it always is.

He turns off of Route 65 and into the yard. He parks his GM built product and heads into the main office. A place called Ivory tower. The tower is the largest and tallest building in the yard. The nerve center for all operations in the yard, controlling every rail car to find itself in the yard.

Inside he finds many wolves and dogs. He makes his way to the time clock and marks up. He looks at who will be working with him and is shocked to see who his conductor is. His own son, Kodi. Balto smiles as he sits at one of the tables in the active room. He looks over the yummy goodies Jenna has packed for him. Her famous Steak sandwich and even some cold veggies from last nights dinner is what he finds.

A large tan husky named Dan runs over and sits next to Balto. He laughs, barking, "Howl are you Balto!"

Balto smiles, "Run eight. Man, its been what, a week? Its good to see you!"

He frowns happily, "Slick, its goen. Heres a few goodens. But hey, catch you on a flip side." He hands Balto a phone with BNSF initials on it and $50 bucks from their wager on the Pens. He gets up and leaves just as fast as he came, rushing to get to his train.

Balto laughs, thinking to himself, "He’s always good for a laugh. Goes from a trucker to a railroader and doesn’t look back. Takes some balls to pull that stunt."

Balto puts the phone into his duffle bag and looks up to see Kodi walk into the room.

Balto howls, "Hey boy."

Kodi walks over and shrugs, "Hey dad."

He then walks away to mark up. He runs over a few seconds later, barking, "You? Me?"
Balto smiles, "Yup, we’ve got the 11E today."

Kodi then goes to the computer and gathers all the paperwork for their train. He arrives back at Balto’s table, "Looks like 73 cars, 7 thousand tons, and 44hundred feet of train today."

Balto ponders over the information Kodi has given him. A few seconds later he responses, "Small train but heavy, Its not going to be a fast run today."

Kodi sits next to his father and lays a paw on his, "Oh dad, I’m told you’re the best on the Toledo Conway crew pool."

Balto smiles, "I’m just able to get the junk NS calls power moving. I’m always up for a challenge."

Thirty minutes later, a muscular malamute husky walks into the room, he barks for 11E’s crew. Balto and Kodi walk over and look at the black and white husky. A husky they know and despite his history, had been promoted to chief yardmaster. His ignorance and self absorption led him to the powerful job.

Steele looks at the pair and grins. "Well, if it aint the wolfies."
Balto looks at Steele with vengeance, "Just tell us what you want."

With a slight growl, he snaps, "Your power is ready on track 586."

He walks away barking, "And Make sure your PPE (personal protective equipment) is with you. We don’t want you to go deaf or crush a paw now."

No other words are exchanged between the three. Balto walks outside to find the sky in a light blue, a sign sunrise is but a half hour away. A tad of mist has replaced the thin fog. Balto and Kodi walk the hundred feet to the power. Blue diesel exhaust rises from the engine terminal as beasts wait for their calling. What stands at the engine terminal is nearly 3 dozen engines in from various assignments. Most are waiting for inspection before they are assigned to their next train. Balto and Kodi walk over to their power as an oil covered wolf from the engine house finishes his final inspections and removes the blue flag off of the locomotives. What stands before Balto is two of EMD’s latest products, both being SD70M-2s. The leading motor would be 2655, the trailer, 2703.

Barely two months old, the rough looking units already have a fine coat of dust and grim on its black paint. Between the two, they produce eight thousand horsepower and have a combined length of over 160FT. Their black and white paint with a symbol of a horse on the nose and Norfolk Southern proudly on the sides sit before Balto, almost mocking him. He remembers pride in the railroad version of a phoenix called Conrail. A railroad formed out of six bankrupt railroads to become one of the best run and profitable railroad in the states. A merger between the other two eastern railroads, NS and CSX split that Railroad. The sky blue on the locomotives are now black.

Balto climbs up and enters the cab. Kodi follows close behind. The pair sit in their respective seats and prepare for the day. They both go about organizing the trains paperwork and get ready for the day. Once done, Kodi calls the yardmaster and he response, "Hello 11E, 586 is against you, (Switch is lined for the other track) come out on 589 where 214 is against you. Come west on 572, run it till 224, it is against you. Slide onto 222, 356, and back yourselves to your train on 372."

Kodi smiles, memorizing everything the yardmaster has said, "Thank you."

He steps out and up to the switch and starts radioing Balto, "Okay dad, two cars to a bad one." Balto releases the engine brakes and coasts the one hundred feet. Kodi lines the switch and proceeds out. The continue this dance until they are finally at the west end of the yard. The pair follow the yardmaster’s instructions and tie onto their train.

Kodi yells, "One car…10 feet…5 feet. That’ll do."

Balto stops perfectly. With a loud clunk, he has coupled up to their train.

Kodi then yells, "Give me a little slack."
Balto tugs on the throttle and moves the power a foot away from the train.

Kodi yells, "11E, three step please."

Balto applies the train, locomotive and emergency brake, "Three step applied."

Kodi gets in-between the lead car and the trailing engine and connects the air hose and couplers.

A few minutes later, Kodi calls to Balto, "Aright dad, release the three, I’m on the way up."

Kodi then walks up to the lead engine. He walks up to the power as a yard pullout with a tired 30 year old SD40-2 screams by, straining to build another train. It stops then heads back into the yard as Kodi climbs onto the husky EMD and into the cab. He sits in his seat and yawns then gulps down a cup of hot coffee.

On the rear, the car inspector informs him he has become 11E’s crew and goes about putting the (EOT) End Of Train device on. Balto waits as the compressors build the trains air line. Kodi looks at his father and smiles unpleased, "Another good day stuck in this cab."

Balto rolls his eyes, "When will you take this serious?"

Kodi growls and stares out of the window watching the rail activity in the yard, ignoring his father.

A few minutes later, the air gauge reads 80 pounds and soon the car inspector drives to the head end to watch the train leave and to give it a final inspection. Balto radios the yard, "This is Balto with the 11E, we have been given the okay to leave and are ready to depart."
The yardmaster replies, "Okay to blast off 11E, here comes your signal."

Balto releases the brakes and notches up to the first power position. Balto then notches to the second and third as he gets a flashing yellow dwarf (ground) signal.

It is 8AM on the dot as they start to leave Conway.

Balto looks at Kodi, "Someone wants us out of here."

Kodi laughs uneasy, "Two hours is pretty good."

"Tell me about it, one day, It took eight. That was fun. We had a kicker (bad car that keeps dumping the trains air), go ten feet and we would loss the air. Had to set the shit out."

Balto slowly proceeds up to Rochester interlocking and before him stairs a red signal on a large bridge like structure over the four track mainline. The sun has been in the sky for over an hour when 22W, a UPS intermodal. The hottest train on the system clears Rochester and traverses the S curve before meeting Balto and 11E. In the cab is Kaltag and Star. The two huskies greet the two hybrids by exchanging waves and blasts of air horns. Minutes later, it is reviled to Balto why he is waiting. On Balto’s right, 21Z screams by with three black throbbing 4 thousand horsepower GE products and two miles of tractor trailers on flatcars.

A few minutes later, Balto gets a flashing 45 degree signal, an approach signal. A few minutes later, the signal changes to a diverging clear. Balto, already anticipating the signals change has already let his trains air brakes drain and is ready to take the railroad. Balto glances over at Kodi as his son calls out, "11E, medium clear, Rochester, Out."

Balto then proceeds through the daily routine of starting his train. The first notch and there is barely a growl from the prime mover, mostly just amp readings on the ammeter. The second and the power starts to lurch forward, taking with them 1 or 2 cars, followed by the next 10 cars, then the rest of the train. By the third notch, Balto’s 11E is now gaining speed in the form of 15MPH. The restless prime movers start to awaken to the coming challenge of moving 7 thousand tons of freight. The forth notch finds Balto traversing a pair of switches and onto the Ft Wayne mainline. The rear end better be moving now or its going to moving real quick real soon. The fifth notch and Balto is starting to make a presence in the form of sound in the Beaver River valley. Balto and his 11E exit’s the half mile interlocking, around a sharp curve which takes the pair from a westerly to a northern direction. After traversing the sharp curves of Rochester, notches 6 and 7 breeze by quickly. With one final notch, Balto smiles howling, "Run eight, Don’t be late." And with that, Balto has his power in notch eight and working as hard as they physically can handle. The sound of the four thousand horsepower EMD’s would drown out that of a heavy metal rock concert.

Balto’s train is now up to 40 MPH and traversing the ruling 1.5 percent grade out of the Beaver River valley. Balto isn’t alone on this beautiful spring morning. On the other side of the river, a westbound CSX train with grey, blue, and yellow diesels slows to a crawl.

Balto remarks, "Probably got a bad one at Fallston."

Kodi looks on with only a smile. Kodi is more in it for the money and the need for a reliable job. Balto is in it because it is his second calling. Balto always loving to lead, this time, in the form of freight trains.

11E skims the Beaver River to the left and New Brighton to the right. Balto waves at a rail buff standing on top of his red S10 while Kodi gives him the one paw salute. Next, a southbound freight from Youngstown dips under them as they cross over the freight on a half mile long bridge. Balto then crosses the river that the valley is named for. They then cross over CSX’s mainline and catch a glance at a eastbound CSX train dipping under them.

Balto with 11E continues climbing up and out of the Beaver River valley. Twisting and turning, following the contour of the hill to their left. They approach a crossing, the first out of Conway, and blast the air horn with two longs, a short, and a long. Meaning, Rail Road Crossing.

The next thing to be heard is a talking defect detector, "Norfolk Southern defect detector, milepost three zero point five. Track two, No defects." It repeats then waits for another train.
Kodi sighs a small relief, "Don’t have to walk the train yet. Conway did their job."

Balto glances at his son and mumbles, "Yeah, thanks son. Every dog that says that ends up jinxing it. We’ve just begun."

Their attention is fixed back onto the main as 24V coasts downgrade in full dynamics, diesels whining from keeping the train at the 45MPH track speed. Soon, 24V’s rear end passes and Balto response, "24V, yah look good on the north side."

A strong husky voice crackles over the radio, "11E, your not too bad yourself, keep safe."

"You too.", Balto then hangs the receiver up and continues to enjoy the Beaver valley.

Minutes later Kodi looks over at Balto, "Ill be back, gatta leave a deposit."

Balto frowns, "Id wait until we get pass CP Wood."

Kodi shakes his head, "Cant wait that long."

Balto mumbles, disgusted, "He’ll learn."

Minutes later, Balto calls out, "11E, track 2, clear CP Wood."

20 seconds later, Balto is slightly bounced about the cab. They are traversing the switches and a sharp curve at CP Wood at Homewood. Balto looks at the restroom door and notices blue chemical water coming out from under the door.

Kodi exits a few minutes later, his red and white fur now entirely blue from the toilet water.

"I told you to wait!!!!"

Kodi is left just only to growl in complete disgust. Knowing his father is right. He goes about tending to cleaning himself off from the nasty water.

Balto with 11E traverse the beautiful western PA countryside. 11E crests the grade at Highland at 25MPH and enters Highland cut. The sound of their EMDs echo through the deep cut. Drowning out every thought Balto and Kodi could be thinking of. After cresting the grade, Balto notches down to the forth notch and would leave it there until New Galilee. Several curves later and he meets another eastbound intermodal train, this time, 20Q with JB Hunt double stacks and Schneider trailers.

The sound of flanged wheels squealing from two trains fills the valley with the presence of rail activity. Every living critter in the area who hasn’t awoke is now awake. Balto traverses another S curve and enters the small town of New Galilee, PA. With the blasts of the air horn, he blows for the two crossings in the area and leaves just as abruptly as they came. A few seconds later an ear piercing sound comes over the radio.

Balto grumbles as he throttles down the two M-2s, he looks over at Kodi and grins, "Guess your going for a nice little walk."

Kodi growls, "Yup."

They sit as the train slows to a stop. Finally, the pair hear the mechanical voice of the defect detector that has called to them.

"Norfolk Southern, Milepost Four Zero point one, Dragging Defect near Axle one forty five." It repeats the entire message then shuts up.

Balto slows to a safe stop, taking almost two miles to do so.

When the train finally comes to a rest, Kodi tones the dispatcher.

The dispatcher responses, "Ft Wayne Line dispatcher, who’s calling?"

Kodi replies, "This is 11E, we have hit the dragger at MP RD40.1, Over."
The dispatcher response growling, clearly pissed off, "Okay 11E, tell me what you find."

Kodi looks at his dad, "Time to see if anything is on the ground."

Balto is left with only a short response, "Yup."

Kodi dismounts and starts to walk back towards the rear end of the train. Today’s consist includes a long string of gondolas with scrap metal and steel coils, refrigerated box cars with perishable food, grain cars with plastic pellets, box cars with finish goods heading for store fronts, and finally, tank cars with water purifying chemicals. No caboose on this train, or any since the 1980s, all having been replaced by a mechanical computerized EOT attached to the knuckle of the last car.

He gets to the 145 axle, the 37^{th car, and finds the problem, an air hose that was low enough to hit the steel shields that detect for dragging wheels or equipment.} 

Kodi radios Balto, "I’ve found the problem, it’s a damned air hose."

"We got lucky son, could’ve been worse."

Balto hangs up then tones in the dispatcher while Kodi repairs the air hose.

"Ft Wayne line dispatcher, who’s calling?"

"This is Balto with the 11E, we have found the problem and will be moving soon."

The dispatcher responses again, "Okay 11E, once you get moving, pull up to Enon, Ill be bringing a westbound by you. Be on the lookout, I have an eastbound coming first."

Balto growls, "10-4"

Kodi does as the rules say and walk the entire length of the train, checking for any other problems. He then heads back up towards the front end.

Back in the cab, Balto sees the headlights of the approaching eastbound and radios his son.

"Kodi, track one is hot, got a eastbound coming at ya."

"Thanks dad, I’m in the clear." He puts the radio back onto his belt then steps back from the main, waiting for the eastbound.

Seconds later, the train blast by with more black Norfolk Southern GE products and a mile of tank cars loaded with ethanol. With two quick blasts of the air horn, it fires past Kodi as he waves to the crew comprising of two wolves.

The rear clears and Balto calls to the train, "Ya look good on the north side 68Q."

A minute later, the rear passes Kodi, "Lookin good on the south side 68Q."

68Q responses, "Thanks guys, you don’t look all that bad yourself." Followed by a laugh, "Except for the blue husky!"

Ten minutes later, Kodi climbs back into the cab. Balto releases the trains brakes and waits for the air to charge. A few minutes later, they start their crawl to Enon. Balto knowing full well that he will be waiting at Enon for a westbound, he crawls the three miles at the land speed record of 10 MPH. In that time, the westbound, road railer train 261 screams pass at the 45MPH track speed. Its two miles of tractor trailers with railroad wheels clears Balto’s view as he ducks under a highway overpass. He crawls the next mile to Enon to where he sees a green signal, a clear. He takes the throttle and within ten seconds, goes from the second notch to the eighth notch. The train quickly picks up speed as it heads west and toward East Palestine. Balto and 11E hit the 50MPH track speed as they exit Pennsylvania and enter Ohio, two miles west. The next two miles are uneventful until they enter the small Ohio town. Balto howls the air horn for the three crossings but his efforts at the last go unnoticed.

A Ford explorer decides to go around the gates at the last critical second and into Balto’s path. Balto lays on the horn but its too late. Glass is shattered and steel is crushed as the 300 ton locomotive slams into the seemingly puny SUV. Balto plows into the SUV with such force that it is destroyed and thrown 150 feet ahead of the train. It lands back into the path of 11E as Balto again hit’s the destroyed vehicle. This time, the train cuts it in two. Surely, whomever was inside is dead. Balto quickly applies the emergency brakes as he watches helplessly as the scene unfolds.

Balto’s only hope at this second is that his train stays on the rails. Going into emergency can and has caused serious derailments. If the front of Balto’s train is mostly empty cars and the loads are on the rear, the loads can crash into the empty cars. The ending result is a accordion looking type derailment, a lot being more then 15 freight cars. Todays 11E is properly built with loads on the front. No derailment today.

Balto just as quickly tones the dispatcher, he response as normal.

"Balto with 11E, we have just hit a SUV and we are stopping. Send EMS to Market Street in East Palestine. Kodi will be walking back shortly."

Even in emergency, the train does not stop for almost a mile. Its 7 thousand tons of kinetic energy pushing to keep moving.

Mid morning turns to noon, then to early afternoon. After almost four hours, the police are done with their investigation. The three soles in the SUV have departed this world. A split decision has costs them their lives.

Kodi and Balto slowly make their way west with feelings of sorrow and regret. Their was nothing they could do to prevent the collision but they both feel it was their fault in some form. They head west, meeting a fleet of eight trains back to back, all waiting for permission east pass the crossing.

Not a word is exchanged between the two as they roll through the eastern Ohio countryside, meeting two trains in the following ten miles. Its not until the five crossings through Salem do the pair start to talk, "Stupid drivers." Balto mumbles.

Kodi growls, "Not all the safety devices in the world can save stupid people from running onto the tracks and killing themselves."

Just as Kodi finishes, a Cavalier darts in front of them and out of harms way with barely two seconds to spare.

Balto watches the cavalier and growls, "Hey look, another Darwin nominee."

The silence within the cab then continues as it was before. They go another twelve miles before making a sharp curve from the Ft Wayne line to the Cleveland line at Alliance, Ohio.

Within a few minutes, the Cleveland line dispatcher tones 11E, the voice of a female husky is what is heard. "11E, how is your time today? Do you have the correct paper work?"

Balto howls, "We blow up at 6PM."

"Okay 11E, your done at 6PM, Ill be taking you into Rockport where you will park it. How’s the paper work?"

"30 MPH slow order between MP CL75 and CL77."

"Aright, I have one addition. 20MPH between CL77 and CL79.1. No on the signs."

"That’s a big 10-4 their Cleveland line, out."

"Aright 11E, out."

Balto and Kodi with 11E make their presence through the town of Rootstown, then over the CSX mainline at Ravenna. The constant roar of EMDs working briskly at the 65MPH track speed and thumps of flat spots on freight car wheels consume the area. The railroad is now mostly straight and a headlight of an eastbound can be seen three miles away. Balto meets the oncoming train and is soon followed by another, and another. The afternoon eastbound fleet is well on its way east from Chicago to points east. 16N, 20E, 20G, and 10R all whiz by at a combined 130MPH. Balto then skims the outskirts of Cleveland. Joins onto the Chicago line where the Cleveland line ends in downtown Cleveland. Late afternoon is upon them as they make their way around Cleveland, darting in and out of skyscrapers shadows. Soon 11E rumbles over a drawbridge at the mouth of the Cuyahoga river. Eight miles later, they cross the main into the small but busy yard called Rockport. Balto pulls the train into the yard, applies the airbrakes and comes to a stop. Balto then goes about tying the power down while Kodi finishes the paperwork. Everything about the train and trip need to be recorded. The pair grab their duffle bags and dismount, heading for the yard office.

They mark off and find a jitney waiting for them to take them to the motel. They get to the Hampton Inn and head for a local food joint after dropping their bags off at the motel. They enter a ma and pa diner a block away. They place their orders and sit and wait.

Balto looks at Kodi, "Horrid run, the dragger, the SUV. I’ve had better. Made Toledo in six hours with a man once." (The actual Railroad term for man is dog and it means a crap train, junk, low priority.)

Kodi, only being marked up for the last three weeks looks at his father questioning, "That’s what, two hours west of here, right?"

"Yup"

"Maybe tomorrows run will be better."
Balto sips some tea, "Maybe." He pauses, putting his tea onto the table then hands Kodi a small box, "This is from Jenna and I."

Kodi opens it and smiles, "Thanks dad. Thanks."

What is in Kodi’s hand makes him happy, a gold necklace with the words "Lead Dog." He puts it around his neck and takes some pride into it by polishing it and almost staring at it. Balto smiles from Kodi’s pleasure.

They continue talking as the sun sets. Once finished scarfing down their meals, they walk back to the motel and go to their rooms. They wait for the next call, which will come all too soon. Another day on the railroad has finished.

The location of all these places are real. Conway, Beaver River valley, New Galilee, it all exists. Actually, the Fort Wayne line is one of my favorite places to take pictures of trains. A lot of this is written in railroad terminology. The 11E and symbols. Their destinations and terminations don’t matter here. They are added purely to make it more realistic. I know a lot of other things sound foreign but if your really interested, copy and paste and google them. Anyway, had fun writing this. Hope you enjoyed reading it.