Entries 401
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BTD ... "Bear the Dog" Southlake, Texas 1998 in Misc.
This dog was a great dog. This was an English Labrador Retriever. Stocky, block headed, bald patches on his elbows around the forelegs. A rich dark brown color. Loved people, other dogs, well ?? ...
BTD ... "Bear the Dog" and the Skunk
I am about to get home, from a night rotation at the NOC. It's my "Friday", so to speak, I am my three days off. It's a Tuesday to Thursday this time. My cell rings, its the wife, panicked, ...
Night rotation, Big Lift two weeks later I was back on my four day penance, on the night rotation. The track work, was starting up. There was a major wood tie replacement, Starting at Pal...
Big Lift, CO ... Racoons ... Part 1
It is early May, 2012. The last few months of my railroading career is coming to an end. This is my last May, June and July. I am sad to see it winding down, but it can't get here fast enoug...
EMD's SD-7's SD-9's a small video
I have run these in my career, switched with them and in drag freight. They are only 1500 to 1750 hp depending on model. But the are low speed drag power and will do what you want. 1950's te...
This was always, an engineers nightmare. A crossing accident, or anything else struck, involving a human being. It has waned, thankfully due to education and physical crossing separations. I t...
The Motel Poker games Downtown Motel Pueblo CO 1975
The games, were played only when the right layover crews were in town. Most of the time it was during late fall, winter and early spring. During this time, business was slowing, and the railro...
General musings tales from everywhere
These are small vignettes from management and craft Winslow, AZ Southwest Power Desk 1998 I had made a Winslow cut wire. There was an ex Santa Fe SD-45-2 to be cut off of a H-BARTUL (Barsto...
FT Worth NOC-the AGST-Power cuts at Winslow, AZ
Another day at the NOC. The railroad is now going through a measurement phase. They are measuring everything, Velocity, Locomotive Utilization, and the hours / miles traveled each 12 hour perio...
A Helper run, troubleshooting a U-30-C
This was a typical helper run. Boost a coal train and/or grain train, or two, bring the power back to the roundhouse and tie up. We could have a 5 hour run or stretch to the full 12 hours. Wh...
Train 152 Denver,CO 15 below zero weather. Part 2
BN Denver 31st Street Yard .. Track Pocket of One and One track I place my coat on and get ready to walk the consist as requested. I tell the carman, "I guess you heard that?" "Yeah" "Ill...
Train 152 Denver,CO 15 below zero weather. Part 1
I missed a call. In forty years of railroading, I have missed four calls, three were stupidity on the railroads part and / or a cascade due to the first three people, not protecting the positio...
Amtrak , 199, 198 and the 398 the race track to Barstow, CA
I am still working the Southwestern region of the power desk for Locomotive Utilization. This is also the night rotation, I have contacted the "hot spots", LA, Richmond, San Bernardino, Bakersf...
The tie work train.
This was in the year of 2003, I am back from being a Company officer. I marked up where I could hold. I had a number two seniority spot, I could hold almost anything I wanted. The job I want...
NOC "Bubba Teeth" the night rotation.
Well how do I start off this entry into here? I am filling in off my rotation, on nights. As a Company Officer, you are obligated and required to work, as needed and when needed, and your days...
Southwest Power Desk Anahiem Circus Train and the Wharves.
Yep, beside the railroad, railroad management, and all of our short comings, the Circus is in town. The Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus was in Anaheim, and the BNSF was to move it ...
The Undercutter Ballast Work Train Part 2
This was a summer long 5 month ordeal, starting early May and finished up in September. Ties were replaced, during April and May. The tie gang started at MP 49, and worked north to Sedalia,CO ...
The Undercutter Ballast Work Train
This is a continuation, of the ballast work train, I was on for most of the summer of 1984. We arrived as we did around 0645 am at Spruce siding MP 49.0 . We called the Foreman in charge of the...
This is Northern California. This terminal is almost halfway between Fresno and Richmond, California. Richmond, for the Santa Fe, this was the most "northern part" of the railroad. Stockton /...
I was told one day, you need to break this person in on South Central Desk, for two days. Then on your third day, you'll move over to the Southwest Desk. This is still the old Santa Fe transcon...
South Central Power Desk..Clovis,NM
Clovis was a hotbed on the Trans-con mainline. All the "Hot" inter modals came through here. Cuts and adds were made for the power. These add on's were mostly for freight trains. The P-Q-Z ...
Jack Powell Midnight Hump Foreman Pueblo Yard
When I hired out in December of 1973, into engine service, it was an eye opener. The old heads scrutinized, every move. You had to prove yourself, to them, PERIOD!! There was no political cor...
I was breaking in, learning Locomotive Distribution. It was tougher than I thought, but it was not insurmountable. The biggest problem, you are under the microscope. No, you can't predict fa...
Locomotive Utilization the Santa FE the BNSF Part1
I went into management with the Santa Fe Railway, Schaumberg, Illinois in 1994. My wife had accepted a position with her Company, and after discussion, I said, I have options and we'll work thr...
A Comanche Coal load.. the Pueblo saga
I have been back, now for maybe 5 years. It is the year 2007. The Inter divisional runs have started, what a clusterfuck, that idea has become. I was working the Big Lift local, on a three week...
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.
