Mike
Applejack: Once the train gets to Manehattan, all of the lettuce, tomatoes, and other vegetables that they use for making salads goes to many places in the east coast. Not just in Manehattan, but also in small towns like Ponyville.
Rainbow Dash: If it weren't for the Salad Bowl Express, I wouldn't be able to have all those veggies that I like to eat.
Other times, the train starts off in Los Angeles, instead of San Franciscolt. Today, the Salad Bowl Express, is starting off in San Fran. Several ponies have to work hard to load up the train with the boxes of vegetables quickly in order for the train to leave on time.
Mike: *Loading boxes onto train with a forklift* All of the freight cars on this train are refrigerated boxcars. They keep the food nice, and cool until it reaches it's destination. Now, to load these boxes onto the train, we get boxes onto a forklift, drive them towards the car, and other ponies take them off, and load them onto the train.
Other Ponies: *Takes boxes off the forklift, and into the train*
Once all of the boxes are finished being loaded, the train takes off. One hundred refrigerated boxcars are on the train, and three diesels are being used to take it into Chicagoat. It's a very long way to the windy city from San Franciscolt, so the train will have to make a few stops to change the crew, and refuel the engines.
Engineer: *Driving through the desert. He is blowing the horn as he goes into a tunnel*
One place that the Salad Bowl Express has to go through is a place called Donner Pass. A lot of snow falls there in the winter, even in the spring, and early autumn. Thankfully, the Union Pacific already cleared the snow off the tracks for it's trains to go through.
Engineer: I remember my father working around here on the Southern Pacific thirty years ago. My mom, and I would say a prayer for him, hoping he wouldn't get hurt, or end up being buried under the heaps of snow that fall here.
In the seventies, and eighties, four railroads were responsible for getting the Salad Bowl Express across the United States. The Union Pacific was still one of them, but they also worked with the Southern Pacific, Chicagoat & North Western, and Ponyrail. In 1995, and 1996, The Union Pacific purchased the Chicagoat & North Western, and the Southern Pacific respectively. In 1999, CSX purchased half of Ponyrail, while the other half went to Norfoal Southern.
Engineer: *Slowing train down* We're being taken into the yards here in Cheyenne. I'm going to get off here so another pony can take over, the engines are going to get refueled, and a few of these cars are going onto another train.
The yards are a very important part of a railroad, but also very dangerous. Everypony is required to wear a blue vest, and they are not allowed to walk across any of the tracks, unless it's clear of any trains.
Bill: *Checking the airbrakes between two freight cars* Look at this here.
Camera Pony: *Filming Bill*
Bill: *Gets under cars, and gets on walkie talkie* Don't move yet, you ain't got your airbrakes connected. *Connects the airbrakes, and gets out from under the freight cars* All good.
Engineer: *Blows horn twice, rings the bell, and drives off*
Bill: Yeah, this job is dangerous, but I love it. All I need is my southern accent, love from my wife, and children, and of course my blue vest, and all the common sense a pony can get. If y'all don't have common sense, you ain't gonna survive around here.
Safety is very important in the trainyard. All the trains have to go slow, and the ponies walking through the yards have to do their job with precision, and care.
Bill: Your train is all set man, get going.
Camera Pony: *Running back onto the Salad Bowl Express*
Engineer: You must be that camera pony Willy was telling me about.
Camera Pony: The engineer that got the train here?
Engineer: Yep. I'm Alex, and I'll be your driver today.
Pony: *Flying a helicopter*
Camera Pony: *In helicopter, filming the train*
Our train heads out of Cheyenne, and continues it's route to Chicagoat.
2 B continued
The Salad Bowl Express
Bill
