A dozen or so years ago, we ran a timetable/trainorder session on a large 7.5" gage live steam line in northern Ohio. Of course, all was for fun, but it became all too realistic when my wayfreight sat in the woods for 45 minutes waiting for the St. Patty's day parade to end. The guys didn't bring flags, so they used everything from handkerchiefs to pine branches on their engines. I finally called the smart caboosed dispatcher and told him I had hazardous cargo to get out of town. That bought me a ride on the end of the parade.
--Denis Larrick