Entries 401
Page 11 of 17
I loved and respected Harold, I really did. Even though I am not BN now, I still report out of the Denver BN 23rd Street roundhouse. The year is probably mid ‘80’s , and I visit everybody as I ca...
Train Car Positioner...for rotary dumping
The Positioner that spots the next car or if multi-car dumping , into the facility. The Comanche did one at a time. The UFIX ( Utility Fuels Inc ) was what we hauled up here and toward t...
A Rotary Coal dumper
When I talk about unloading coal at the Comanche Plant Exel Energy..this is what it is. No this is not the Comanche but an unloading facility like it. I take no credit for the video A mecha...
Railroad stuff that happened Part 3
Doctor Bob .... Doctor Bob … Please report to the OR. I got called to unload a Comanche at the plant. Was a 359 pm call, and we waited an hour and a half for the train to arrive. The ...
Railroad stuff that happened Part 2
Jimmy Cross again and a few others I am back from my management task. Renzeberger is the BNSF contracted carrier for yard crews and the road as needed. Carol is about 58 to 65 years of age...
Railroad stuff that happened
Every job has its stupid things that happened. I am trying to remember a few. Jimmy Cross Jimmy was a good ole southern boy. He started out with the FEC (Florida East Coast) Railroad. He was g...
Eddie Howard .. Part 4 last entry
Unless, I can remember some other events, about Eddie, this will be last entry on the subject. I have noticed over time, Eddie is more agitated, nervous, than usual. I am sure that over time, the...
Eddie Howard .. Engineer, Friend, and a Sad story Part 3
It is late. About 930 pm, I am due for call maybe an empty, and maybe the 594. I think it’s gonna be the 594, and I am in that rotation. Sleep days work nights, and I feel good. I’ll watch the ne...
Eddie Howard .. Engineer, Friend, and a Sad story Part 2
Pueblo..Downtown Motel 1978 I laugh at some of these, and am sad at the same time. I come into Pueblo, CO about 800 pm. Eddie is yarding a freight, possibly the 594, a drag freight into Denver. T...
Eddie Howard .. Engineer, Friend, and a Sad story Part 1
I met Eddie, while I was a fireman, on the Santa Fe. Eddie hired out of La Junta, CO. His seniority, during the Santa Fe era in the mid 70’s and late 80’s, was the First Subdivision, La Junta, Co...
Extra ATSF 7500 North 11/26/1975
I found this by accident. Nothing happened out of the ordinary, other than a set out in the Colorado Springs yard. This is still double track. I will show the clearance card, and the train ord...
I was transferred to the Southwest Power desk. I lost track of Dee, because he was still in Lubbock, TX or was he? Night Rotation NOC Ft Worth, TX: I was on my last three days of nights, before I...
Power Desk musings, and why things didn't work Dee... Part 1
I was working the South Central power desk, after the merger in Ft Worth, TX. Let’s just call this person Dee. A male, a young management candidate. His first name was Demetrius, and Dee was the ...
The Slag Pit at Salt Creek near Minnequa
The Santa Fe and the Rio Grande, bought and crushed the slag, from the Blast Furnaces at the CF&I Steel Mill. The Rio Grande’s pit was near Southern Jct. The Santa Fe’s was at the foot of the...
Barry Offerson..Santa Fe Engineer
Again what can I write about Barry and not be banned. Barry was a free spirit, and it took him a second try to get promoted, but he turned out to be a pretty good engineer. Train 594.. Pueblo, CO...
Snow snow drifts Palmer Lake North and South
A few tales, working in snow, drifting snow, blowing snow. Coal load in 1980.. This was a trip, without real consequence. We got the call, reported to BN 31st Street yard office. Left town, grabb...
Denver Union Depot 2015
We walked down from our hotel, to the Denver Union Depot. This is not the DUT I knew in my early days of railroading. RTD ( Regional Transportation District ) bought the Depot, along with th...
Pueblo Yard 1974 ... the ATSF 2574 a CF-7... and a GP-7 the next shift
The 2574 was a CF-7 rebuild. The Santa Fe shops in Cleburne, Texas, rebuilt old F-7 car body units, into a road switch type of locomotive. Some were good, and some were bad. some, couldn’t pull m...
Christmas Blizzard 1982 Part 2
We flagged in to the siding and the DS asked if we would stop close to the south switch with the rear end. He wanted to make sure the switch would line back to the main line. We’ll spot Dennis...
Christmas Blizzard 1982 Part 1
This was a storm in magnitude I have never experienced before, nor again since I have lived here. Yeah, we’ve had some good storms since I moved back and retired, but this was “THE BIG ONE”. ...
The Sponsel brothers versus the 23rd St Roundhouse Turntable
It was a warm day at 23rd St, I was working for the BN still in the shops. I was the on 700 am to 300 pm shift, as an apprentice. It was the usual routine, work inbound freights, running repairs,...
The Railroad watch and the rules
On time .. The railroads set a standard. They also are instrumental in our time zones. Back when train orders were the essential instructions, a proper timepiece and in good repair was the no...
Nixon Spur Sand Surfing Championships
Your thinking, what is this ? what does this have to do with Railroads, railroading? Well Kowabungda Dude!!, ( Dudette’s too ) . I will relate and you’ll see what this turns into. Put your best H...
The Caboose.. The PIG..the Coal Empty
I was holding a regular run as engineer, in the mid to late 70’s. I worked with older train crews and the younger ones as well. The Powder River Basin is breaking forth, lots of lignite coal goin...
Newton, KS Roundhouse...Locomotive Utilization 1995
These are a few vignettes, that standout over the time I did the Power Desk, for the Santa Fe. The people at Newton were great, and pulled no punches … It was either available or not. Two men sto...
Book Description
Tales of the Jointed Track
Railroading my career from September 15th,1972 thru September 5th. 2012
This is my first attempt of writing down my thoughts. I have been asked or have been suggested that I do by my Co-workers or others that know me. This will be about railroading throughout my career, first starting out in the Roundhouse and then changing railroads and going into engine service, which I finally retired from in September of 2012 forty years.
I hired out with the Burlington Northern in September of 1972. I was called by the General Roundhouse Foreman, one week before my hire date. “Do you still want this job”…”yes Sir” I told him. He said come down get physical papers , get that done see the clerk and you’ll be a Midnight Machinist helper. “Okay” I told him… I was working at a bakery for a major Grocery chain, in Denver at the time… also on midnights so not a big difference. I got up went to the Railroad physician and took my 5 minute physical. Returned to the shops and turned in the paperwork. “When can you start?”…I need to give notice and I will firm up with you. I gave my notice to the bakery and started a week later on nights ..
I introduced myself to the night Roundhouse Foreman.. Taylor Gregg....mid to late sixties …skinny as a rail…and always wore his hard hat cocked at at angle..and always started the night out at the coffee vending machine… ready to delegate the nights task. You’ll work with Sandy Ortiz .. we have a bunch of Goats that need Federal inspection and repair… ( a Goat is a slang term for a switch engine ) ..
I entered my midnight shift as a Machinist Helper, working with Sandy. He was Hispanic ..( didn’t care that he was ) and elderly, about early to mid sixties. He had terrible arthritis and shuffled when he walked… I always wondered why a man of his age, worked nights ? He had the seniority to work days, or really any shift he wanted. But as I continued to work for the railroad, there are those that prefer nights, Night Fighters they were called.
The Diesel shop had a Three stalls or tracks in the main shop… The old roundhouse stalls were west of that location but “did” join up… Line one was the running track for inbound inspection and minor maintained. After units were fueled, they came into line one, line one had another exit on the other end of the shop and the track extended out toward the depot. That track was the “Buck Main” that line one connected to. On line one units had cooling water added as needed, Lube oil, compressor oil, and someone went underneath and checked the Traction Motor suspension bearings for lubrication levels. Also the gear cases were looked at and “Crater Bags” were added as needed to provide lubrication to the gear cases. These were bags of heavy grease in a plastic casing that broke down after meshing with the pinion and spur gears. During the winter they were kept in a warm water bath to stay supple. I always said when these were hard you could kill someone with it…like a blackjack .. plus if they were like that they would jam the gearing and slide the wheels or drivers of the locomotive.
Line two was a run through track in the shop, and connected to line on about 300 feet west. this was an inspection maintenance , track…
Line three…well that where Amtrak had units that laid over and it was stubbed.. Old early FP-7 FP-9 E-8 and E-9 a and B units… They were from all railroads, and the US government bought em… some were really trash…I’ll elaborate on that later : ) … We also performed general maintenance and certain Federal inspections as needed…If heavy repairs of a big inspection was needed they went to one of the older roundhouse stalls and remained till completed.
Sandy and I were assigned a SW12 switcher for completion. The second trick, ( afternoon shift ) did the diesel engine requirements and the electricians did their electrical cabinet, auxilliary generator and main generator work. We were to complete the bottom end… Brakeshoes, truck maintaince, suspension bearings, lube the cooling fan bearings..and check or replace cooling fan belts, air compressor, lube the center bowls ( where the trucks meet the carbody of the unit ) and change out and air brake or air equipment not done and and filters not changed out or replaced.
We finished off the inspection and started on another…after lunch that was completed as well and they were “carded off” and ready for service. Sandy had me do the heavy work, and I will always be greatfull because I learned and I still remember to this day, and it served me well when I went into engine service.
