The Christmas Train Part 19

Herrick Higgins had gone up to speak with the engineer and come back with an even more worried look. Tom and Eleanor had joined Misty and Max in the lounge car, where they alternated between staring out the window at a sheet of white snow, tensing with each slam of wind against the walls of the train, and occasionally peering out at the two-hundred-foot drop off the left side of the train. Lelia had discreetly retired to her compartment with her new compatriot, Kristobal.

"I knew this was going to happen," said Misty. "Four sixes, how could it not happen?"

"Well, I've been doing this a long time," said Higgins, "and it's never happened before. Train travel is the safest way there is to get around, even safer than a plane if you look at the numbers."

"Could there be another avalanche?" asked Misty. "One that hits the train?"

"It's Mother Nature," he replied, "so anything's possible, but I think with two avalanches already, most of the snow that's going to come down already did."

Tom looked at the old railroader. "So what now? How do they get to us? We can't exactly wait for the spring thaw."

"No, we can't. But getting to us is a little difficult. The freight company that owns these tracks is a good one, with lots of resources, but with the track blocked by all that snow and the weather the way it is, there's not much they can do. These are tight quarters here, not a lot of room to maneuver. And there's really no place for a small plane or helicopter to land, even if the weather settled down."

"Well, that's comforting," said Max.

Roxanne came up looking exhausted. She'd been everywhere in the last hour or so, calming pa.s.sengers, consoling the boys' choir, making sure that all the things that could still be done on the train to make people more comfortable were done. She sat down and caught her breath.

"Well, on top of all this, it seems that the crook that hit the Cap got on board the Chief: A bunch of people have reported items missing."

Max shook his head. "This is truly amazing." He and Misty exchanged glances.

"The good thing," said Higgins, "is that we added the third engine at La Junta, so we have an extra powerplant to help us through." Roxanne nodded at this.

"What do you mean?" asked Max.

"The electrical power that keeps the lights, heat, et cetera going comes from electrical generators in the engines - generators powered by the diesel-fuel engines. Head-end power, it's called."

"So when we run out of fuel, we run out of electricity," said Tom.

"Basically that's right. But with an extra engine, it gives us more time."

"How much more time?" asked Max.

"Hard to say. We took on extra fuel in Kansas, but the Chief refuels at Albuquerque, about two hundred and fifty miles from here."

"And it took a lot of fuel to climb the pa.s.s, so the diesel tanks aren't exactly full," said Tom. Higgins nodded. "So we could be talking hours here, couldn't we, before the power goes."

"Well, the engineer is doing all he can to conserve fuel."

"Can't we put all the pa.s.sengers in a few cars and cut off power to the others?" suggested Max.

"No, the system doesn't work that way. The engines generate true hotel-like power, and whether they're heating three cars or ten, it's the same fuel consumption. Now, when I went up to see the engineer, we did come up with a strategy. He's alternating among the three locomotives, putting one and then another in standby mode, which is the setting for supplying electrical power while standing still. That balances fuel supply among the units and conserves fuel, because the units not in standby mode are placed in slow idle and fuel burn is minimal."

"Why not just turn some of the engines off?" asked Eleanor.

"Burns too much fuel to get them started again," said Roxanne.

Higgins nodded and said, "And the other problem is that trains don't carry antifreeze in their coolant system because it takes too much water. You have to keep the engines idling to prevent the pipes from freezing. In weather this cold, once you turn off the head-end power and the heat fails, you have less than an hour before the pipes start freezing. Then you have no water for food preparation, drinking, sanitary requirements."

"I'm glad we put on extra food in KC," said Roxanne. "We'll start rationing right now, because we have no idea how long we'll be here." She rose to go back to work. "If I need help, I'm sure I can count on all of you, right?"

They all nodded back. She smiled bravely and trudged off.

Four hours later it grew dark. Most people had returned to their compartments and covered themselves with blankets and were now contemplating their possible demise.

Tom stopped in on Father Kelly, who was reading his Bible. "You know, you might want to lead a service on the train, Father, to lift people's spirits."

The priest said, "But not everyone's Catholic."

Tom looked out the window where the snow was still coming down and the wind was still slamming into them. "I'm not sure it really matters right now."

"I'm a little rusty, I'm afraid."

"It's like riding a bike, you never really forget how to do it."

Tom found Max and Misty cuddled together in the double deluxe. Misty was still depressed, but Max had regained his jocularity even with his missing pair of Bruno Maglis. "Figure the person who took them needs them more than me."

"That's generous of you," said Tom.

"I got way too much stuff as it is. But I have to tell you, with everything that's happened, this will make a great movie - if I just live through it to actually film it."

"Max!" scolded Misty.

"Always figured I'd go out in some enormous bang of a thing. Never thought it'd be on a train, though."

"Thanks, Max, that's very encouraging," she said.

"Aw, come on, Misty, it's all written in the stars. Tell me, what's your prediction? What do the cards tell you?"

"Max, not now."

"Are you telling me one little disaster is going to turn you from everything you believe in? That's pretty wimpy faith."

Misty sighed, pulled out her Tarot cards, started shuffling them, and then began laying them out, one at a time. At first she seemed totally uninterested in the process, glancing anxiously out the window with each mighty rumble of wind. But as she kept turning the cards over she started focusing and a deep frown creased her forehead. Finally, she said, "That's funny."

"What is?" asked Tom.

"Well, apparently we're going to be rescued."

"That's good news," said Max. "How?"

"Well, by something with six legs, that's how."

"Six legs?" said an incredulous Tom.

"Six again. That makes five sixes. Isn't that worse than four sixes?" asked Max.

"No, it says six legs here and rescued. I'll take it if I can get it," said Misty.

Max rose and went to the bar in the corner. "Well, until the six legs come, I need another bourbon. You drinking with us, Tom?"

"Maybe later, I've got things to do."

"Like what?"

"Like finding something with six legs, that's what."

The story of the trapped train hit all the national and international news wires and the world awaited further developments. Unfortunately, even with all the manpower and resources of the United States ready to save the train, an uncooperative Mother Nature had different plans. No plane within range could take off in this weather, and even if it could, it had nowhere to land. Choppers were also grounded. Everyone was simply waiting for the weather to clear. And since the train still had fuel, heat, and provisions, the situation, while serious, was not life-threatening and the urgency wasn't what it might be. Sit tight, they were told, and help would eventually get to them.

However, back at Amtrak HQ, rescue preparations were at full throttle. Developments were occurring quickly. Communications had been set up with the freight company that owned the track the Chief was sitting on, and the two organizations were jointly mapping out a strategy that would be executed when the weather abated.

Calls had also gone out around the country for the equipment and the manpower that would undoubtedly be needed to clear the tracks. Folks at Amtrak were dubious that they'd get much of a response, it being so near Christmas. In the all-points message that went out, however, someone had been alert enough to include the fact that Roxanne Jordan and the recently "retired" Herrick Higgins were on board the Chief. Within hours, thousands of calls and e-mails started flowing in from train personnel all over the country volunteering their services and giving up their Christmases to help.

Amtrak now had the manpower, and the equipment would become available shortly. Yet there was little they could do about the weather, which seemed to just keep getting worse.

chapter twenty-nine.

The darkness grew deeper outside, the only sounds those of the wind and the snow falling against the roof and tinkling against the windows. Rest wasn't easy for anyone. With every little creak, people did not see images of sugarplum fairies and a fat man and his reindeer but rather envisioned the violent end of their lives.

There was another problem besides fuel and food running low; thankfully no pa.s.senger was aware of it, though the train people and Higgins certainly were. It concerned the snow buildup on the tops of the train cars. The weight was tremendous and while the cars were well built, they had their limits, and tons of snow piling on top severely tested those limits. The wind helped them, since it continually blew the acc.u.mulated snow off the cars. Yet the falling snow more than kept pace and quickly replaced the amounts blown away by the wind.

Most people chose not to eat dinner in the dining car, preferring to stay in their rooms and either snack or not eat at all but rather stare out the window helplessly. That helped with the food-supply burn rate, but at some point people would have to eat, and the Chief only had food for about another day or so. Roxanne had sent a team of men out to check under the train cars for freezing pipes. There were none as yet, they reported back. The men had been dressed in layers of clothing, yet when they came back in from such a short period outside, they were covered with snow and s.h.i.+vering uncontrollably.

The fuel problem was even worse. Higgins explained the situation to Tom and Eleanor as they quietly ate their dinner in the dining car. "Once the fuel runs out, we have lots of problems that will rapidly get worse. No water, pipes bursting, no heat."

"And if we do run out of fuel, even if they reach us, how can the train move? It's not like the air force where they can refuel a plane in the air," said Tom.

"Well, they'll attach engines with full tanks to the Chief and pull her along. But, like you said, they have to get to us first. I went up into the lead engine, and I saw how much snow is piled across the tracks up ahead, and it's a lot. It'll take a while to clear that."

"So maybe instead of waiting for help to get to us, we need to get to help."

"Where?" asked Eleanor. "Look around, Tom, we're in the middle of nowhere."

"Any ideas on that score, Herrick?" asked Tom. "You probably know the Amtrak route system as well as anyone."

Higgins thought about this for a bit. "Well, there's actually an interstate highway, I-25, that runs parallel to the pa.s.s between Raton and Trinidad and then veers north to Denver."

"A highway, that's something," said Tom. "We get to a car, that car gets us to help."

"Only they shut it down because of the storm," said Higgins.

"Okay, what else?"

The veteran railroad man thought a bit more and then finally shook his head. "No, that wouldn't work."

"What, say it."

"It wouldn't work," he insisted.

"Herrick, right now, I'd take the craziest idea you have. Maybe we can make it work."

Higgins shrugged and hunched forward. "There's a resort near here, in the mountains. It's a ski resort in the winter and then a dude ranch in the summer called the Dingo. It's only been in business a few years, but it's a big place, very well equipped and organized with lots of manpower. I went there a few times with my sons and their families and met the owners, a couple of transplanted Aussies who made a fortune on Wall Street and headed west for fun and something different. Problem is, you have to travel over some pretty rough terrain to get there, maybe a four-hour hike. It can be done by people in good physical shape in fair weather, but it would be impossible on foot in this storm."

Tom stared at him. "But not on skis."

"You have skis?" asked Higgins.

"I was going to Tahoe for Christmas. I've also got every conceivable sort of outerwear, boots, gloves, flares, compa.s.s, helmet light, you name it."

"It's really rough terrain, Tom."

"I've skied just about everything there is, Herrick, in all sorts of conditions. All I need from you is what direction and anything else you can tell me about the lay of the land."

"Do you really think you can manage it?" asked Higgins.

"I can promise you my best shot, that's all. And what do we have to lose?"

"How about your life?" Eleanor said.

"Well, it's my life, isn't it? It's not like I've got anyone to mourn me."

On that, Eleanor got up and left.

Higgins quickly gathered together the conductor, Roxanne, and the train engineer in the dining car with Tom to discuss it further. Neither the engineer nor the conductor liked the plan at all.

The conductor said, "He's a pa.s.senger. And while I appreciate the offer, Tom, I really do, if anything happens to you it'll be my responsibility. I can't let you go. We just need to sit tight and help will come."

"Can you get Amtrak Central on the communications phone? Or maybe we can contact the owners at the Dingo and they can send someone here," Higgins said to the engineer.

The man shook his head. "The storms disrupted the signals. My last call in to Central was hours ago. Haven't been able to get them on the horn since."

Roxanne added, "We've even tried all the cell phones on the train, and n.o.body's got any signal strength. We can't reach Central, the resort, or anybody else. Might as well be in the Stone Age."

"Look," said Tom, "I'm not going to just sit here and let this storm devour us. I'll sign any waiver you want, absolving you of all liability in case something happens to me. I had to sign one when I was reporting overseas. I'm a big boy, I'm used to taking care of myself."

"It's not just that, Tom," said Roxanne. "We don't want anything to happen to you, honey. It's not exactly a walk in the park outside right now."