Saturday, February 11, 2017
Exit, stage left. Then right. Then left. Then right …
I was driving south on Dixie Highway when I noticed a slow moving freight train also moving south along the railroad tracks that parallelled the road. I hope I can beat the train to Yamato, I thought. I really don't want to wait for it to pass.
Of course I didn't beat it. Freight trains are freakishly long and it was crossing Yamato by the time I got there. And then it started to slow down. And then it stopped. And sat there. And sat there. Minutes pass. Then it started moving.
North!
WHAT THE XXXX‽ I thought. Sigh. Just listen to the radio until the train passes.
After a few minutes it stopped. And sat there. For many minutes. Then it started moving.
South!
Really?
By this time, the SUV next to me decided it had enough and drove over a three foot median. I thought about it, but I decided against it—the median looked a bit high for my car. Meanhile, the train continued moving south for a few minutes, then it again stopped, sat there for a few minutes, then started moving.
North!
A few more minutes and the whole process repeated itself. The train slowed to a stop, sat there for a few minutes, then started moving. South, if you haven't guessed it by now.
I was amazed at just how fast it got up to speed once it started moving again. A few miles of train pass, and I was able to continue on with my journey.
Total elapsed time: 30 minutes.
