The section foreman advertised in the newspaper for a part-time tower operator
 or signalman. One Saturday morning a college student showed up to interview
 for the job, so the boss decided to give him a test in the form of an oral
 interview. So he asked him, "What would you do if you looked out west on the
 main line and saw a passenger train headed toward the tower, and then looked
 out east and saw a freight train on the same line on a collision course?

 The boy answered he would throw the switch from the switch tower to put the
 freight train on a siding. The boss retorted, "That wouldn't work because the
 switch handle in the tower was broken, and it wouldn't work from there. What
 would you do then?"

 The boy answered, "I'd get on the radio and warn both of the locomotives that
 they were on a collision course and that they should both stop." The boss
 answered, "The radio was hit by lightning in a thunderstorm and hasn't worked
 for days. You can't call anybody on the radio."

 The boy answered, "Then I'd run down from the signal tower and go to the
 manual ground throw and switch the freight train to the siding." The boss
 said, "That won't work either because the same lightning storm that burned out
 the radio hit the switch stand and fused it solid. So what would you do then?"

 The boy said, "I'd run back up to the switch tower and use the railroad
 telephone to call dispatch." The boss said, "That won't work either. The
 telephone circuit is busy and you can't get through. What would you do then?"

 The boy answered, "I'd run down the stairs from the switch tower and use the
 pay phone across the street and call dispatch." The boss said, "That won't
 work either. Vandals have cut the wires to the phone booth and stolen the
 receiver. What would you do then?"

 The boy answered, "I'd run into town and get my Uncle Elmo."

 The boss asked, "Why would you do that?"

 The boy answered, "Because my Uncle Elmo has never seen a train wreck before!"