"Let's get this party started." Those were the words uttered rather dryly by the crew of QNPINP as their 8,300 horsepower worth of diesel locomotive leaned into the rear of a Meremac coal load that had stalled on Kirkwood Hill. Though the sarcasm evident in the conductor's voice hinted that the events of this cool morning were most certainly not a party, hearing the chant of 7FDL/710/7FDL prime movers each in notch 8 was certainly an entertaining experience in my book. For the crew of QNPINP, their "party" was just getting started. After their assistance was no longer needed on Kirkwood Hill and they returned their SD70ACe/C40-8 pair to their train (which they left 8 miles westward at Sherman), they discovered a leaking tank car and a consequent seepage of liquid in their own consist, which further delayed their journey into the St. Louis metro area.
