The Train In Vain: Sharing Commuting Stories

I'd like to welcome TTIV readers to "Slip/Slide Conditions Season." During this period, leaves fall from the trees onto the tracks. When it rains, the water and leaves combine to form an oily mush. The Long Island Rail Road clears the rails frequently during off hours. However, there are a lot of trees and a lot of leaves.

What's the impact? That oily mush is all over the rails. It's akin to driving on a road covered in banana peels and motor oil. When the trains brake, the wheels lock, but the trains slide due to the oil. This causes the train wheels to flatten. The impacted train cars need to be taken out of service for wheel resurfacing.

The net effect of slip/slide conditions is that trains move slower to avoid damaging equipment. It means delays, shorter trains due to fewer available cars, and for all but the most even-tempered, aggravation. This translates to bad behavior. Bad behavior translates to blog posts, crude drawings, and rants.

Of course, if you check the on-time-performance charts for my line at the end of the slip/slide period, you will be pleasantly surprised to see that we were on time 97.829% of the time. The delays will all have been a dream. Just like when Bobby Ewing returned to Dallas. Only I won't be in the shower reading the latest copy of 'TrainTalk." I'll be on the train, scratching my head, wondering if my memory is failing me.

Stay tuned.

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Happy and safe commuting, and may you encounter uncommon sense.

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