Page 11 - April 2021 Track N Times

Spotlight—Dump Train Operations

This month’s spotlight is on Gerald Stillwell.
He is a Machine Operator-1 on Dump Train
2800. He started his career with Grex July
13, 2006.

Tell me a little bit about the Dump Train
and how long have you worked on this
platform? Dump Trains are popular with the
customers because of the lack of track time
needed to do our job, along with a fine-tuned
operator or two we can do in an hour what
it would take trucks days to do.

I’ve been on Dump Trains since the begin-
ning, almost 15 years. I like the challenges it
brings and the changes in schedules. It’s nev-
er boring. You never know what the next job
is going to be like. It ranges from short days
to days running together. Some nights we even get to sleep in the trucks, ha ha! This is especially true during flood
work as we are on the front line when the tracks are down so we just do what we have to do.

What is your favorite thing about your job? The traveling will always be the best part for me, especially when
traveling to Canada. Meeting new people and seeing new country, pretty hard to beat.

Where is your hometown? I’ve lived in or around Paris,TX most of my life. NE Texas is filled with country back
roads and lots of big trees. The only downside is that it does get a little too hot for me. That’s why I prefer to work
up north.

What is the best thing about your hometown? The number one thing is that my wife lives there. The other thing
is that there are no interstates within 75 miles of Paris. That’s a rarity this day and age.
Why did you choose Paris to live in? I was born in Paris almost 56 years ago (3-22-65) so I guess you could say we
grew to know one another. Paris has a population of around 30,000 so it’s not so big that it takes over an hour to go
eat somewhere, and not so small that all roads are dirt.
What do you like to do when you are on time off? Wildlife photography is my passion, so I spend countless hours
photographing deer, ducks, geese and birds from a wildlife blind, it’s a little piece of heaven 10 miles away from town.
What do you miss most when you’re away from home? Our farm is at the end of a dirt road so it’s very peaceful.
Sitting on the porch with my wife is what I miss the most while away from home. Thank goodness for FaceTime!

What’s your favorite memory from this past year at work? I was in Alberta, CA during the fall of last year for
two solid months. They were getting record amounts of snow so it was the most beautiful site I had ever laid eyes
on. Seeing wolves, grizzlies and elk on my way to work was a huge bonus. Definitely a dream come true.

What’s your favorite memory away from work? I’ve been building a cabin for the past 4 years and finally finished it
before Christmas, a dream that was a long time coming.

Continued Page 11

Page 9 APRIL 2021