Entries 401
Page 12 of 17
San Bernardino and the Roadrailer Train
ROADRAILER were the “new” technology. What is a ROADRAILER ?, it was a truck trailer, equipped with a set of railroad wheels on the back. They were tucked under for highway use, but could be e...
E-DONBTM Evans Avenue, DP problems August 2011
A hot August, they are still rerouting trains, loaded and empty, certain freights, through Denver. If the freight power, needs fuel, the power may come to the house, or be fueled, by a contract v...
The old Big Lift local VS Rio Grande train 65 MP 707.2 1979-1980
I was still set up and working the south freight pool. This happened on a late evening in October. I have been trying to get into newspaper archives, but to no avail. I like to back up my e...
RED over YELLOW CANON CITY, JCT Pueblo, CO
This incident was my only out of service time. I was still a new “runner”, but I have the skills and the knowledge, but …I fell into a circumstance beyond my control. What killed me was the rule....
Jack Olsen and the Yard Job(s) Part 2
It is about 1986, maybe 1987, a nice summer day. Bill Jackson, my Conductor, and I are called on a J-15003 symbolled helper. We were going to shove a coal train up the grade to Palmer Lake, on du...
Jack Olsen and the Yard Job(s) Part 1
Jack Olsen was a yard engineer for the C&S. I am sorry , Jack, God love him was as affable and likeable as could be, but was a terrible engineer. Jack was bad enough to be banned from road se...
What you hit with trains. Besides crossing accidents. Part 3
Who has Cottonwood trees. I had one on the home site I still dwell on, and had to have it removed. The get big and they rot and get weak. Heaven help you when they start to fall. They are on...
What you hit with trains. Besides crossing accidents. Part 2
The Grocery shopping cart that wouldn’t die. We have hit these many times, usually knocking them off to the side. Sometimes they would go under, and you hoped the air hoses wouldn’t be knocked...
What you hit with trains. Besides crossing accidents. Part 1
I have hit some interesting things in my career. These are a few I remember. Single Track Tie and Rail replacement 1978: They are still getting the track in shape to hold up to the pounding of...
Corridor mentor Denver Terminal The loose injector at 38th St.
There were two trains in the coal tracks. They were southbound, and called on duty. One was a loaded coal train. the other a grain train. I talked to both engineers and told them consider me atta...
Terminal Madness.. The Corridor mentor Job
As Mentors, and troubleshooters, outside of Denver, we basically had the reins and control, when things went to “shit” (sorry). We made the assessments, formulated a plan, informed the Chief disp...
John Scott another tale
Dave Lackey related this one to me, while I had traded off with John on the night shift. The Santa Fe had a private email system, for Company business. You could send wires to the Dispatchers, o...
John Scott .. Santa Fe Engineer Partner Locomotive utilization
Okay, what do I say about this one. John is off the Winslow, AZ part of the Santa Fe. We did crew planning. He was two weeks into the power desk, before I joined that team. John was serious...
Ed Carver .... in Tales of the Jointed Track
When you worked with Ed, who knows what type of Ed, you were getting. This is 1974, and I am close to getting into the training program. Right now, I am a “fireman”, by craft, I might be asked to...
The Veral Hines Microwave Yard Office Cookbook
I laugh as I write this one. So if this was a former Open Diary repeat sorry. Veral was a Train order Operator and a clerk. When track warrants came into being, the Operator jobs went out the w...
Bob Mayne The Oxford Hotel and the Symphony crowd
Bob and me, another helper. Typical and not a double shove. You will get told, before ya reach the summit, if your services are required to assist another. You go into your tour of duty thinki...
Train orders ... Flimsies the tissue paper type .
I found a box of train orders that I collected over the years. There was at one time there would be a collection of train orders stuck in the trash bag, or behind the regulating valve, or betwe...
The Ast Brothers and the three coal empties north
I was called out of Pueblo one afternoon, and was the third empty out of the three that were called. Each crew was called 10 minutes apart. All were either past Southern Junction, or coming int...
A blown Turbocharger at Castle Rock
I was called for a set of helpers for a late morning shove. It was nondescript, and Steve Pfaff was my Conductor for the trip. I always liked working with Steve. He worked for the Santa Fe out...
Rerailing a locomotive
Well, it happens time to time. compromised track … ties.. well we all have been there as railroaders This is not on the line I worked, but it gives you an idea. The engineer re-railing thi...
CAKE!!!!
I have left the BN and I am in engine service with the Santa Fe Railway. I have two small children as well. How did that happen?.. It’s late 80’s I came in from a helper run, and was told t...
Oktoberfest
My German roots…and have been at the Oktoberfest when in High School, a should have known better adult and the last one in 2010. a few songs to get that “fest on”… the ol too fat Polka… an...
The Expanded Railroad Glossary Part 5
EMD air box : looking inside the air box of an EMD 567 or 645 cu in diesel engine. The cylinder liner is in view..the ported area ( looks like little windows ) is where the combustion air come...
Big Lift Local .. Computer and Router problems
Big Lift was and still is an outpost. It is basically 19 miles south of Denver metro proper. The computer we used, was a terminal, that was tied into the mainframe. It allowed us to print li...
The Automatic brake valve
This is a part and an integral part of the engine or locomotive. The word engine means many things and is interchangeable. The engine, a locomotive, a unit, a motor..same thing. The Cab, the...
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.
