Through the Rathole

For the past few weeks I have been watching a train-video over-and-over I forgot I had.
It’s “Through the Rathole,” a Pentrex cab-ride video of the Norfolk Southern RoadRailer train over the infamous “Rathole Division” in Tennessee and Kentucky.
The Rathole is no longer what it was, a torturous mountain railroad with 89 bazilyun tunnels (“ratholes”).
The Rathole carried lots of traffic, so as a result it was rebuilt in 1963 with an extensive line-relocation that removed many of the tunnels, and made it much less difficult to operate.
The line-relocation still has a few tunnels and incredible river viaducts.
But mainly now it has very deep and long mountain cuts — there are four.
RoadRailer is a special train. Highway trailers mount on bogies, and trail railroad-power. At depots the train gets disassembled and the trailers “rubbered” to their destination — driven over the highways.
The idea makes much more sense than individually driving single (or double) trailers over the Interstates.
The hitch is the trailer has to be designed to accept the rail-bogey — not extensive, but it has to be there.
The trailer still carries its road-wheels, but is riding on the bogey.
RoadRailer service is fairly extensive. I’ve seen it at the mighty Curve, and sometimes my truck-driver neighbor (an independent) is rubbering a RoadRailer trailer.
One diesel engine is often enough — enough to pull 72 trailers over the Rathole. The RoadRailer train on my tape is one unit (a GP60) pulling 72 vans; its limit.
The engineer reminds me of Billy Gardiner at Mahz-n-Wawdzzz; strong and silent, the epitome of macho; as opposed to all the pretend macho noise from West Bridgewater.
Engineer is totally engrossed in what he’s doing. He also was #2 in seniority, which means he knew every inch of the railroad.
He’s juking the run-lever back and forth, well before hills and slides. He’s also blowing the horn well in advance of invisible grade-crossings around corners. You get the feeling whistle-signs aren’t needed.
Often the throttle would get wicked up as we approached a grade-crossing — reminded me of driving a bus; another pursuit requiring independent and automatic responses.
And the tape entertains with real-life train operations; like the time it was down on its knees due to a wonky flange-greaser.
The conductor was down on the ground checking the sanders; walking along beside the engine at 1.2 mph.
RoadRailer is a priority train. Most trains got the hole (siding) so RoadRailer could pass. In fact, the only time we got the hole was 1) the RoadRailer in the opposite direction, and 2) a higher-priority trailer-van train also in the opposite direction.
RoadRailer was allowed 60 mph — other freights 50. But we only got 60 once, on a long downgrade.
60 was hard to attain with one unit pulling 72 vans.