Luckily I like trains. Always looking for the free and cheap places to park, more often than not it will be next to a track. I adapted a long time ago to the noise and now it’s only the unusual that attracts my attention.
Here at the VFW/BLM free spot, trains matter. I’m parked about 200 yards from a double track mainline.
When I arrived I noticed that passing trains squealed on their way by. The UP noticed too and shut the line down. Squealing is a symptom of bad track. UP were out like a flash, but it turned into something bigger.
Now, stopping the trains in Yuma is not unusual, but it’s tricky this time of year because almost all rail traffic in the country relies on this route because the weather is dependable. No sweat for containers from China, but the lettuce has to get out, and Amtrak runs people over these rails.
UP was on the job early in the week, then I noticed a firm specializing in derailment situations. All week they worked, 24 hours a day. “Hot trains” (lettuce and people) got through, but not without announcing their appreciation for the workers with their whistles. At three in the morning. Next to where I’m parked.
They’ve got the problem fixed and the backlog was relieved. Now I can get some sleep.