The train driver in the courtyard

The tender was in a rollover state.

The large box containing coal was turned upside down.

The coal inside spilled to the bottom of the tender, and the upper part of the big box formed an empty area due to the air pressure.

Assistant driver Zheng Tao and boiler operator Liu Dapeng stepped on coal lumps and stretched their necks into the open area. Although the air was polluted, it did not affect their breathing.

But as the train sank, the water level continued to rise, and the two had to float up a little.

"Old Zheng, I'm afraid we can't keep going like this. It won't be long before the carriages all sink to the bottom of the water, and we won't even have a place to breathe."

Inside the dark iron box, Liu Dapeng raised his wet sleeves and wiped the water off his face.

Although his face was still wet after he wiped it with his sleeve, he still kept doing it.

As his arms stretched and retracted, the water surface made a rustling sound.

Zheng Tao looked at him with some concern and reminded him, "Xiao Liu, stay calm. The train driver has already received our signal and will be able to rescue us in no time."

"Don't comfort me. Although I'm young, I've worked on trains for four or five years. How can I pull such a heavy train out of the pond?"

A hint of bitterness appeared on Liu Dapeng's young face.

"I'm not afraid of death, but I'm afraid that after I die, there will be no one to take care of my mother."

Zheng Tao knew that Liu Dapeng's father died when he was young, and Liu Dapeng's mother raised him with great difficulty.

The old man was a kind man and was very good at making soybean paste, which tasted especially good.

Liu Dapeng successfully got a job and even found a girlfriend, but now something went wrong. Zheng Tao couldn't imagine how the old man would react if he knew about this.

He didn't dare to think about it.

Because Zheng Tao also has an 80-year-old mother, a wife, and three children.
"Now we can only pin our hopes on the train driver," Zheng Tao muttered quietly, and suggested, "Dapeng, can you sing? Sing a song for me."

"Sing now? Well, there's no hope anyway, let's leave together singing."

Liu Dapeng raised his voice and sang loudly: "Hey la la la la hey la la la, the sky is full of colorful clouds and the ground is blooming with red flowers. The people are powerful and have defeated the soldiers. The people of the world are clapping and laughing."

The passionate and generous singing voice echoed in the small, cramped and dark iron box. It was so inspiring, but it was ruthlessly isolated by the cold pond water that was more than half a meter deep.

The surface of the pond was still bubbling.

The front of the car slowly sank into the pond, visible to the naked eye.

The cold wind blew away everything cold.

Li Aiguo squatted by the pond and shivered, explaining the situation under the water.

"They were in a corner of the iron box of the tender, and because the iron box was sealed, some air was trapped inside, which is why they are able to survive until now.

However, as the train sank into the pond, the position of the iron box would change at any time."

Li Aiguo stopped talking here.

Those soldiers, the train conductor Bai, and the stationmaster Chen of Qinglongqiao Station all understood that once the air in the box escaped, death would be the only thing waiting for the two comrades.

Everyone at the scene felt like a heavy stone was pressing on their hearts.

Stationmaster Chen nodded and said: "The most important thing for us now is to rescue the people as soon as possible."

A worker raised his hand and said, "Stationmaster, the iron box of the tender is under water, and we don't have any underwater tools."

Stationmaster Chen fell silent.

The train body is extremely strong, and a professional welding gun is needed to cut open the outer shell of the tender and iron box.

This kind of work would take most of the day even in a maintenance shop, let alone underwater.

The employees at those small stations also knew this, and they all hung their heads.

There is nothing more frustrating than watching your comrades die while you stand by and do nothing to stop them.

This emotion is like a dark cloud hanging over everyone's head.

The soldier's squad leader suggested: "We can use a rope to pull the man up!"

"Comrade, the train weighs dozens of tons." Stationmaster Chen shook his head.

The soldier squad leader said: "We have a lot of people. There are dozens of soldiers alone, and there are thousands of people on the train. With so many of us, can't we pull the train out?"

Stationmaster Chen smiled bitterly: "Comrade, you can't just calculate like that. No matter how many people there are, there are only a few who can use their strength. In addition, if the force is applied in the wrong direction, not only will it fail to pull the train out, it may also cause the train to sink deeper and deeper."

The soldier squad leader then realized his negligence and clenched his fists tightly: "I can't just watch the people die. No, I will take my men underwater now and think about other ways."

The group of soldiers responded enthusiastically upon hearing this.

In the freezing weather, they took off their cotton jackets without hesitation.

Sure enough, no matter what era, our country’s soldiers are the most trustworthy people.

Li Aiguo sighed in his heart, threw down his cigarette butt, and stopped the soldier squad leader: "Comrade, the situation of the train is very delicate now. If you go down, it is very likely to cause the train to sink faster."

".What should we do then?" The soldier squad leader had a good impression of Li Aiguo.

After all, not everyone dares to take the risk of diving underwater.

Li Aiguo pondered for a moment, looked at Stationmaster Chen and asked, "Do you have any iron chains used to tie wood in your station, the kind that can be hung on the train?"

"There are several of them, several hundred meters long." Stationmaster Chen said halfway, looked at Li Aiguo and suddenly said, "You, you want to use a train to pull out Train No. 3169? This is impossible."

Stationmaster Chen has worked at the small station for several years, and has never heard of anyone being rescued by a train.

Li Aiguo said: "Since a truck stuck in the mud can be pulled out with a tractor, why can't we use a train to pull it out if a train falls into a pond?"

"This..." Stationmaster Chen was unable to refute for a moment.

The train is larger and heavier, and is now in a pond. Pulling it out would be much more difficult than using a tractor that is stuck.

But Stationmaster Chen also knew that this place was hundreds of miles away from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot. By the time the depot sent people to investigate, the two comrades would probably have died long ago.

Train pulling train is the only feasible way.

"Comrade train driver, may I know your name?" Stationmaster Chen suddenly asked after making up his mind.

"Li Aiguo, train driver at Qianmen Locomotive Depot."

"You are Li Dache?!" Stationmaster Chen was surprised.

Lao Zheng was cleaning the ground with a shovel. He looked up and said, "Yes, this is Li Dache from our 131 package crew."

"Dacht Li, I'm sorry to trouble you with today's rescue mission. Don't worry, we will all listen to you." Stationmaster Chen immediately became alert.

If it were anyone else, he might have been skeptical.

But this is a train driver who has participated in many rescue missions and has also participated in the transformation of the train rescue team.

The last time he met the captain of the rescue team, that guy was full of praise for Li Dache.

The station staff nearby also nodded, looking as if they were following orders.

The soldier squad leader felt a little unbelievable.

Although he was not clear about the levels of rank on the railway, a train driver could not possibly have a higher position than a stationmaster.

Why did Stationmaster Chen hand over the power just after hearing the other party's name?
The driver standing next to Li Aiguo straightened his chest slightly, and a sense of pride welled up in his heart that shouldn't have appeared at this moment.
Damn vanity.

The greater the power, the greater the responsibility, and a heavy burden was instantly placed on Li Aiguo's shoulders.

He knew that any of his next orders would determine the life and death of the two railway workers.

Instead of being afraid or retreating, Li Aiguo remained calm.

He first asked about the number of trains available at Qinglongqiao Station.

"There is a train carrying timber parked on Track 2. The train was supposed to leave, but something went wrong. The bureau has now closed off this section."

"anything else?"

"There are still three locomotives that can be used for shorting. The remaining five trains need to be re-ignited if they are to start."

"If you want to pull the train out of the pond, it's definitely not possible without a load. Go call the driver of the timber train over."

"Yes!"

Stationmaster Chen and two employees hurriedly ran towards the timber train in the distance.

Li Aiguo then looked at the train conductor Bai and said, "Captain Bai, I need to use our train No. 131. Our train has a lot of horsepower, and it is attached to the carriage, so its own weight is sufficient."

"Ah" Captain Bai was stunned for a moment before he understood what Li Aiguo meant by mobilization.

She nodded and agreed without any hesitation.

"Driver Li, human life is at stake. Just do whatever you need me to do. If anything goes wrong, I'll help you."

The flight attendants nearby said in unison: "And us, this decision was made by us collectively!"

Old Zheng and the operator who had just arrived also nodded.

Looking at those sincere faces, Li Aiguo felt a sigh in his heart. The friendship among workers these days is true love.

You know, using a train to rescue a train is a very risky thing in itself.

If you are not careful, the train may be damaged, causing Train No. 131 to be cancelled, which will ultimately affect the evaluation of the national advanced train crew at the end of the year.

They will also be criticized and punished by their superiors for delaying the travel of thousands of passengers.

However, they did not hesitate at all.

"In order to ensure the safety of the passengers, please ask them to get off the train now," said Li Aiguo.

In fact, many passengers had already run down from the train at this time, and they quickly passed the news to the rest of the train.

"What? This train driver wants to use his train to save a train that has fallen into the water. Is that possible?"

"How can that be impossible? He is Li Da Che, the best train driver in Beijing."

"Go, go, go, everyone, hurry down, so as not to affect the rescue."

"Yes, there are two railway workers trapped in the train at the pond."

After the passengers understood what had happened, they left the carriage without waiting for the crew to notify them.

Although the section near Qinglongqiao Station had been closed, in order to avoid danger, Li Aiguo still asked the crew to arrange the passengers on a distant ridge.

The cold wind was raging and the passengers were shivering with cold, but they had no complaints and their eyes were all fixed on Li Aiguo.

At this time, the driver of the timber train had arrived.

This train belongs to the Harbin Locomotive Depot and is specifically responsible for transporting timber from Changbai Mountain to Tianjin.

After several days and nights of travel, we were about to reach our destination, but who knew this would happen.

The main driver was named Bao Jincai, who was about forty years old, big and strong, and his skin color was the same as that of other train drivers, blackened by coal dust.

He took off his oil cap and smashed it on his thigh, splattering coal dust everywhere.

"Li Da Che, just call me Lao Bao. Don't use my full name. It's too embarrassing."

Bao Jincai. This name was indeed a good name decades ago, but it seems a bit incorrect nowadays.

But we can’t blame Bao Jincai’s parents. Who could have imagined that the world would change so dramatically?

"Comrade Lao Bao, are you clear about the details?" Li Aiguo asked.

"I understand. Stationmaster Chen told me that we railway people are one family. I will do whatever you ask me to do." Bao Jincai puffed out his chest.

"Come, let me explain the plan to you. You will dump the timber train onto the rails 200 meters away from the pond, and then..."

After Li Aiguo explained it to Bao Jincai, he called the soldier who was responsible for installing the iron chains and Stationmaster Chen over.

A group of people stood in a circle in the cold wind, with Li Aiguo squatting in the middle, picking up a stick and writing and drawing.

"The iron chain will be installed at this position on the front of the car later."

Two trains were needed to pull the train out of the pond, and at the same time, the train had to be pulled too fast to break apart, which would put the two railway workers in danger. So the entire rescue process had to be carefully planned, from the position of the train, to the direction of the iron chain, to the speed of the train.

Generally speaking, it takes at least a dozen people and several days to complete this kind of plan.

But I, Li Aiguo, learned a lot of rescue knowledge in my previous life.

And as a master of mechanical design, he has strong computing ability.

It only took a moment for a complete rescue plan to form in his mind.

Although Stationmaster Chen and the employees did not know how to rescue, they understood basic common sense and instantly realized the feasibility of the plan.

"Driver Li, don't worry, we will complete the task."

"Well, let's act according to the plan now." Li Aiguo stood up and waved his fist: "We must rescue the people."

With Li Aiguo's orders, the rescue work officially began.

At this time, only twenty-five minutes had passed since the train fell into the water.

The timber train roared and turned on the branch track, and under the command of the switchman, it stopped at the correct position.

Li Aiguo boarded the train, took over the control of the train from Huang Jing, blew the whistle, and pushed the gate.

Old Zheng was filling the coal without a pause. Since Liu Qingquan was still in the pond, Huang Jing took over his position as co-driver, sticking her head out of the window and reporting the situation from time to time.

"Two hundred meters from the designated point."

"One hundred meters."

"Fifty meters."

Li Aiguo calculated the time and drove the train to stop accurately at the designated location.

"Order the men outside to start putting up the chains!"

Huang Jing yelled outside at the top of her voice: "The chain is locked!"

"The chain is locked!" the switchman standing below repeated.

The soldiers and a dozen workers locked the rear of the vehicle with a heavy iron chain.

The other end of the chain was swam over by the soldiers and delivered to the train in the pond. With the help of Liu Qingquan, it was locked at the exact position according to the pre-planned plan.

At this time, the chains of the timber train were also locked.

Li Aiguo jumped out from the side door and checked the position and direction of the two chains in the cold wind. After making sure there was no problem, he waved at Huang Jing.

"Apprentice, you are now a train driver."

Huang Jing already knew Li Aiguo's plan, but she was still a little worried.

"Master, can I do this?"

“If you want to be a real train driver, you must be bold and have the courage to remain calm even when facing a huge disaster!
You have to remember that from now on, any action you take will determine the life and death of those two railway workers!"

A serious and majestic voice came from outside the car window, and Huang Jing felt an unprecedented feeling in her heart.

She felt like she had grown up all of a sudden.

Responsibility, yes, it is responsibility.

As a lesbian, it was impossible for her not to be afraid.

But as a train driver, she must not be afraid!
At this moment, Huang Jing finally understood what a real train driver was.

"Yes, Master, I will complete the task!" Huang Jing clenched her fists tightly, walked to the driver's seat and slowly sat down.

With her hand on the gate, she felt calmer than ever before.

Holding on to the cold railing, Li Aiguo climbed onto the concrete pillar of the platform.

He looked around the scene. Two trains ready to go, a train sunk in a pond, dozens of soldiers, and thousands of passengers. All of these people's hopes rested on him.

Huh. Huh.
Taking two deep breaths in the severe cold, Li Aiguo waved the small red flag heavily.

"Ready to start."

The switchman standing at the bottom of the platform repeated: "Ready to start."

The order was passed to the driver's building of Train No. 131.

Huang Jing repeated: "Get ready to start."

She held the valve with her hand, ready for the next move at any time.

The order was passed to the driver's cabin of the timber train.

The assistant driver of the lumber train repeated: "Ready to start."

Bao Youcai, the driver of the timber train, repeated: "Get ready to start."

He held the valve with his hand, ready for the next move at any time.

Li Aiguo calculated the time and gave the order: "Start, air pressure 23."

The switchman repeats.
Huang Jing repeated the command and slowly pushed the valve.

Timber train assistant driver repeats. Chief driver repeats.
Bao Youcai pushed the valve and stared at the pressure gauge. When the air pressure reached 23, he let go of the valve. The timber train moved forward slowly and the iron chain tightened little by little.

The assistant driver who was looking out of the window shouted in disbelief: "Old Bao, the two trains are synchronized, and the speed of the chains is the same! That Li Dache is amazing."

During the discussion just now.

Bao Youcai and those soldiers were keenly aware that the biggest challenge in using two trains for rescue was the synchronization problem.

If the same pulling force cannot be applied at the same time, the towed locomotive will inevitably deviate from its direction or even break into pieces under the huge force.

At this time, Li Aiguo proposed an unimaginable plan.

He would stand on a high place and personally direct the two trains to run in coordination, and the train drivers on the two trains only needed to follow his orders.

Bao Youcai and everyone present thought that Li Aiguo was daydreaming.

Each train has different horsepower, load, speed, and even the friction of the rails.

It is impossible to get train drivers to follow instructions and coordinate trains to run at the same speed.

To achieve this effect, in addition to superb driving skills, it also requires keen observation and super calculation ability, and the ability to adjust the vehicle speed at any time according to actual conditions.

At this time, Captain Bai and his comrades in the 131 crew agreed with Li Aiguo's plan.

Those people are still hesitating.

At this time, the locomotive in the pond moved downward faster.

Even though Liu Qingquan and those employees tried every way to stop it, it was of no use.

It is foreseeable that the consequences of further delay will be disastrous.

In the end, with the idea of ​​trying everything possible, everyone present agreed with Li Aiguo's opinion.

"Lao Bao, lower the brake a quarter notch and adjust the air valve two degrees."

Hearing the assistant driver's voice reading, Bao Youcai operated the train's dashboard without hesitation according to Li Aiguo's orders.

He felt that he was no longer a train driver, but a ruthless, mechanical, operating tool.

The real train driver was Li Aiguo, who stood outside and gave orders.

Huang Jing also had the same view. After adjusting the instrument according to Li Aiguo's orders, she felt relieved.

Stationmaster Chen, who was standing by the pond, could not help but clench his fists.

Because the two iron chains are now completely taut, a creaking sound can be faintly heard.

Li Aiguo fixed his eyes on the iron chain and waved the red flag: "Liu Qingquan, all the workers and soldiers in the pond should evacuate."

Hearing the order, Liu Qingquan was a little stunned: "Driver Li, let us stay here, in case something goes wrong."

"Please accept the order!" Li Aiguo repeated.

Liu Qingquan was still about to hesitate, but the soldiers swam over, grabbed his arms and pulled him to the shore.

"If you were on the battlefield, you would have been shot!"

Although Li Aiguo has considered the entire rescue process, accidents can happen and he has to be extra careful.

Take the horizontal bar for example, who would have thought that a professional athlete could fall off it twice.

It can make the dog author so depressed that he can't fall asleep until dawn, and he keeps typing with dark circles under his eyes.

Now that all the people in the pond have been evacuated, Li Aiguo gave orders again.

At some point, heavy snow began to fall from the sky. The snowflakes covered the entire world, and the bright red flag was particularly conspicuous.

As the flag was waved, the entire silent world suddenly came alive, and two black trains started slowly, emitting black smoke.

Two iron chains as thick as wrists stretched from the train to the pond, carrying tens of millions of pounds of force, dragging a locomotive out of the pond bit by bit.

The iron chain was very stable and flat, and there was no shaking during the entire dragging process.

The locomotive in the pond moved at first, and then moved towards the shore at a constant speed.

Wow.

There was warm applause.

This applause is for the train and for the train driver who is standing in the wind and snow waving a flag.

Just then, a rattling sound of metal breaking came from the locomotive in the pond.

Everyone's heart was in their throat.

This is going to cause trouble!

But they immediately realized that both trains had stopped.

It turned out that the train driver stopped the train at the first second the fracture occurred.

Li Aiguo stared at the iron chain and knew that he had encountered the most troublesome thing.

The place where the driver's building and the tender are connected has been twisted and deformed due to the impact and may break at any time.

Stationmaster Chen also realized this and said worriedly, "Driver Li, how about we stop towing the train and think of other ways?"

"It's impossible. Now the open area in the tender has been destroyed. The two railway workers could die at any time."

Li Aiguo took a deep breath, raised the flag high, and issued a new order: "Train 131, valve 50, timber train valve 40!"

When the flag was waved, the two trains immediately started moving like Li Aiguo's hands.

At this moment, everyone held their breath and stared at the pond.

Clatter, clatter. The iron chain moved again, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, but just right every time.

The locomotive continued to move towards the shore under traction and did not break!

Twenty meters, ten meters, five meters. Everyone felt that time was moving particularly slowly at this moment.

Finally, the black and broken wheel hit the shore, and the tender was pulled out of the pond entirely.

The scene, which should have been filled with excitement, was now completely silent.

Everyone looked at the train driver standing on a high place.

The red flag was waved.

"Stop the train, save people!"

(End of this chapter)