Dear MRHers,

Worth a read thru the archived entries

http://www.railroad.net/articles/columns/hottimes/index.php

NB that while there are many RR operational experiences which are common from running an industrial switcher thru to hauling on the main, there are just as many different experiences (varies by RR, division, power district, assigned train/"mission", etc etc). As such, if a modeller is wanting to model a given proto op scenario, it's worth ensuring that the foundation proto info is appropriate...
(Like most other modelling tasks... ;-) )

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

PS Model RRer used to have, back in the late 80s/early 90s an occasional series "Tales from the Cab", which may well reflect the kind or "article series" Toni is thinking about. Trains also used to have a "RR stories" section as a regular feature (may have been "tall on the story" on occasion, but atmospheric enough to inspire).

  The link to the stories is along the lines of what I was thinking of.   I do remember the "tales from the cab" bits in MR.  Those and the little switching problems used to be some of my favorite parts of the magazine, next to the photos, of course!

Toni

There are so many ways to 'get a knuckle' that its not even funny. We have a spot on my line with some rolling hills followed by a really stiff grade.... if the engineer gets into it too hard too fast without letting the train push itself over some of those hills the train will find the weakest link. Things are definitely better because you have the stronger E knuckles on the most troublesome cars such as reefers (heavy, long draw bar), auto racks, coal hoppers, covered hoppers, tank cars (they slosh). Engineers make mistakes, trains are poorly blocked, poop happens. That's just railroadin'. Now a wrong end drawbar, that takes talent... Get any of those Ken?

I once old a crusty old General Manager that a train got a "wrong end" drawbar.

His response was the question, "Well Dave, what is the right end to pull the drawbar out of?" 

There no right... Ones better than the other though!

Now a wrong end drawbar, that takes talent... Get any of those Ken?

Thankfully, no.  The only time I've had anything other than a knuckle, the drawbar pulled out when the retaining pin failed.  All it took was picking up the drawbar and slipping it back into the car with a new retaining pin.  Of course, that took a truck mounted crane, but we were off again in about an hour.  Fortunately for me, mechanical said it was nothing I could have done, just one of those things that happens.