Brakeshoe Bob ⋅ 72 ⋅
I am a retired Railroad Locomotive Engineer. I hired out with the BN in September of 72 as a machinist and went with the Santa Fe in engine service in 1973 as a Locomotive Fireman. I was promoted to Locomotive Engineer in July 1974. I retired in September 2012 after 40 years. During the period I ran the Joint-Line (Denver to Pueblo,CO) and the Interdivisional between Denver and La Junta, CO. I had almost 8 years in management with the Santa Fe and BNSF.
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Business Car or Officer Special trains in Tales of the Jointed Track
Business car trains or “Officer Specials” are the railroads showcases. They are used to entertain new or existing customers, and potential new business for the railroad. The are also used on “...
Geometric Test cars and trains in Tales of the Jointed Track
I was sent a link, by a reader, who asked me to comment. I will try to do my best to make this understandable and keep it simple. These trains are utilized by most if not all Class-1 railroads. ...
Jim Prutch Conductor, Brakeman, Switch Foreman, Switchman Part 2 in Tales of the Jointed Track
Okay … I’ll own up to this one. Okay you’re thinking to yourself, your picking on Jim. NO Jim set’s himself up. Retirement is near, burnout who knows. I took the engineers extra board by c...
Jim Prutch Conductor, Brakeman, Switch Foreman, Switchman in Tales of the Jointed Track
I was working with Cindy today on the vending machine route. She is a Barista with Starbucks 3 days per week. We were talking about employees and your counter parts you work with. I liked Jim...
Memories flood me here. I am joyful and not sad. I just celebrated two years retired from the railroad on September 5th, 2014, after 40 years of service. Where did the time go. I apologize, ...
This is the ol resting place for Bear, my Chocolate Lab, and recently for my Yellow Lab Cooper. Might be mine too. Today Sunday September 7th, 2014 is closure day for me. I forgot to mention C...
The Expanded Railroad Glossary Part 4 in Tales of the Jointed Track
Dead Head....Nooo Noo not those dead heads. This is where you are transported to the home terminal or the away terminal via a railroad contract transportation. You could also ride the train...
The Expanded Railroad Glossary Part 3 in Tales of the Jointed Track
Locomotive trucks… a small lesson. No this is not like a pick up or a semi rig. The Truck is what the locomotive or a freight car rides on. EMD switcher and “B” (four axle) trucks: This...
The "Humpback of EMD" in Tales of the Jointed Track
The GP-30 was an odd looking duck. EMD produced many of a GP-30 roster. The Santa Fe had them, as well as Union Pacific, and they had GP-30’s and GP-30-B’s.. I see a glossary here. New York Centr...
ABS Automatic Block System: A series of consecutive blocks governed by block signals, cab signals, or both, actuated by train or by certain conditions, affecting the use of that block. Ra...
The Expanded Railroad Glossary Part 1 in Tales of the Jointed Track
I have been told … I need to understand what you are talking about. CTC Centralized Traffic Control. The Dispatcher lines routes and authorizes trains to proceed on “Signal indication”...
How many here have had that family squabble? I assume we all have over time. This occurred in the yard office in Pueblo,CO around midnight to 130 am. I may have related this tale on Open Dia...
The Cactus is in Bloom. A tale related in Tales of the Jointed Track
My time in management, you work with other people, off other parts of the railroad. Tales and experiences are related. It’s all from a different perspective than your own, but it all relates to...
Musings of the Railroad as a small child. in Tales of the Jointed Track
I look back on my childhood, and the D&RGW, (Denver and Rio Grande Western) or the Rio Grande. It was been called the “Grande”, or pronounced the “wry-O-Grande” My grandparents lived off of...
Bob Brown. He was an electrician, and old CB&Q man before the merger, and always worked nights. Cranky, unfriendly and was just Bob Brown. I worked with Bob on and off, only because Taylor...
We get the crippled load into hump 3. I tell the Chief, you need to get two "good units" and relay this DP. Or make sure you have a good DP link unit, and mate it to that 9400 series motor and ...
I take the road over the mains off of old Sierra Madre and to Las Vegas Avenue. I can follow that all the way to Crews and into Fountain if needed. I call the crew close to Kelker siding. Th...
This incident was sometime on the late summer of 2010. I was working the day rotation and John Nelson was on the night side of things. I called John, just before I left home and headed to Big L...
The question arose.. I understood most of this, but why or what conditions, you could or wouldn't shove against a Caboose? There are many factors. One is, is it a roller bearing or a friction...
Today is a sad day. It is also a happy day too. I lost a good friend today, after looking everywhere at 600 am, in the yard, in the green belt, driving the neighborhood. The wife is upset, but...
E-8 E-9 Michianna Tanks in Tales of the Jointed Track
E-8 Michianna Tank saga .... The E-8's were brought into line three . The pipe fitters already were acid washing the boilers and making repairs as needed. The laborers, were cleaning the engine ...
Cal Jewel machinist Air Shop Denver 23rd St Roundhouse in Tales of the Jointed Track
I was with Cal that day, why because he was the air man at the shop, and it was my turn to break in with him. Calvin Jewel, he was also the Local Chairman for the Machinist union and oversaw, al...
Roger Bell the C&S 840 and the Skunk ...Rice yard in Tales of the Jointed Track
The C&S 840 was an SD-9, it was in the Chinese Red and Gray scheme, and was showing its age and faded. It was one of the " newer" SD-9 models in the fleet. It wasn't a dual control stand 24...
AMTRAK 5 and a Crisis on an E-8 in Tales of the Jointed Track
This was my early days in the shops before I went into engine service. It was a Sunday, mid afternoon, we did inspections, or did the inbound consists, changed out air brake equipment..etc.. Ser...
Track warrants What are they ? in Tales of the Jointed Track
I was asked by a reader, Track warrants what are they, and why do you need them? A real good question . When I write, I sometimes think, yeah ya know. No you don't, and ask me and I'll do a gl...
