Entries 401
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The C&S 800 series U-30-C locomotives Part 2
I was called off the fireman's board again, to step up and run as an engineer. The BN ran 160 cars of Taconite ore, into Denver. These cars are what we called ore jenny's. They were mostly in t...
The C&S 800 series U-30-C locomotives Part 1
These units, during my career, as a machinist in the shops, and as in engine service, were probably the worst locomotives ever. It seemed they spent most of their service life, isolated and dead...
August 1974 ... force assigned yard job Part 2
The first day of the assignment, was routine . Probably not for them, but for me, but we did the south lead work.. Pulling the class tracks off the hump, making up trains. an odd task here a...
August 1974 ... force assigned yard job Part 1
I successfully passed my, Book of Rules, Air Brake, Mechanical, Simulator, the "check ride" with the Road Foreman Barney Steele. I was given the okay to mark up, where I could hold. I could b...
Frozen ... weather & Locomotives .. part two.
The load leaves, all is good or is it ? NOT. I am close to a 7/11, my dinner is cold. I go for a BIG Coffee, and the next best thing, "ROLLER FOOD". A well done, over cooked, shriveled u...
Frozen ... weather & Locomotives part 1
I was working again, another night rotation. At the time we traded off at the 31st Street yard office. We locked up the truck, we had valet keys, hid the ignition and the phone. we transfer...
Troubleshooters diary ...what I remember
I was still on the local, was great job. I was asked to become a mentor, due to my electrical and mechanical skills, plus I was a promoted engineer. I didn't take it? Why?, Saturday and Sund...
The "mentor" Troubleshooters job how it got started
The railroad had decided to operate a "Loop" operation. Coal loads, one way in to Texas, and the empty trains back another. The only log jam, was the single track between Palmer Lake and Crew...
The work train ...Elk Chili made in the Caboose Part 2 recipe
Please remember, what was made, on this caboose stove, was primitive. Plus I didn't have the option to bring everything I had, and ingredients..So I am going to attempt to do the original recipe...
The work train ...Elk Chili made in the Caboose..
I'll write more of this work train, but to preface, it was to dump ballast, after the Undercutter did its bidding. I'll write more about what it was what it did and a vignettes, but someo...
Yard cars.. The vehicles that were "transportation"
This was, when I hired out, like a car museum. There were old cars and trucks at the Pueblo, CO train yard. These were the transportation, privately owned, while getting rest and waiting for ...
Restraurants ..Railroaders..etc
I don’t know why this hit me, this idea. There were places that the old heads frequented. I mean that it was like a shrine. Just a place that’s where, we’re eating. Your with them, either by...
Pueblo Yard
I am starting to think I need to write...in my horrid style..fragmented etc so bear with me. I need to write down my thoughts as they come to me...So... that being said .. I was called for a...
Pueblo Yard Extra .. Weed spraying and other work
I was called in late August 2008 for a yard extra in Pueblo… There were two of us engineer’s extra board, holding the board by choice. We were still unloading the XCEL Comanche Power plant. at...
LOCOTROL the early Distrubuted Power
Trackside in the Diesel age…as to take a line from a railroad magazine column, Locotrol was a new technology in the ‘70’s . This allowed the engineer to control, not only the head consist, but...
John Kostur
John Kostur I have a few tales about John … Overall was a good person and a man, and liked to railroad. John was old school, he loved steam power, and the new guys had no clue on what to th...
Trains and Crews Tales of the Jointed Track Part 3
Cletus Weiss: Cletus was a very tall man, I'd say 6 foot 5 maybe 6 inches and very slim. Had shock white hair and I am guessing he was in his mid to late sixties. He was a fair runner and always...
Suprises and theTransition time ...Rice yard
I was the lead machinist at Rice yard now for all of 6 months ... Spring was coming ... It started to get warmer during the day. Although it cooled at night ( more so because we were in the Platt...
Rice Yard vignettes.. Jointed track Part 9
Like all jobs, you do the same things over and over... prepare for this or that...run the same delivery route, We all do it, the daily routine. The same was with the railroad. If there wasn't a f...
Tales of The Jointed track part 8 BRAKESHOE
How did I get the name Brakeshoe ... well it originated, here at Rice Yard , when I was in the Mechanical department... and continued when I went into engine service. Nicknames on the railroad......
Tales of the Jointed track Part 7 Rice yard
Tales of the Jointed track Part 7 Rice yard The call was sounded ... I was the lowest man, and I was going to be the night lead machinist at Rice Yard. The "proper" designation was Denver US Ric...
Tales of the Jointed Track Part 6
My time as an apprentice, was coming to a quick close. I still had school work to do, through the National Railway Education Bureau. These were correspondence courses, sent to your home, with a d...
Tales of the Jointed track part 5 AMTRAK and other tales
It was a Sunday, mid afternoon, we did inspections, or did the inbound consists, changed out air brake equipment..etc.. Serviced the inbound Amtrak power. We had lunch and it was mid afternoon. ...
Tales of the Jointed Track Part 4
Miscellaneous Stuff .. I was still a machinist helper ... and soon I would be made an apprentice ... to be carded and part of the group. The workforce was aging and I was to be the replacement. T...
Tales of the Jointed Track Part 3
Cold Weather ........... Like all of us, storms and cold weather affect the railroad's operations. Yeah, unless they are so snowed under that they can't move or get a crew...they stay running. Wh...
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.
