It has been awhile since my real last update. My last update was from my new Blackberry device. I must say that I was impressed with its ability to take a decent picture and post it to Blogger.

My railroading 101 intro Brakeman class is over with. I’m now a certified brakeman thanks to Midwest. To pass the test, we had to tie on to two empty gondolas, make an air connection, release the hand brakes and use the radio to the engineer to move past the switch. Once past the switch, we had to back our train up to clear the switch and set off one car. We went back and forth with two cars using the radio and hand signals. Once done, the instructor told us if we passed or failed. Out of the three folks who were on hand for the test, all three passed. Next class in line will is for the famous Conductor.

Days before the test, I decided to purchase a pair of overalls. I figured if I was going to work as a brakeman, I should look like one. To my surprise, OshKosh stopped making adult work wear. So I was left with pickings from Carhart and Dickies. After trying on a pair of overalls from both makes, I went with a pair from Dickies. Going forward, my next pair will come from Carhart.