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.. Serviced the inbound Amtrak power. We had lunch and it was mid afternoon.

The day foreman came in Harry Troupe ( his real name ) in a PANIC. Now Harry was a good guy, an old rail, a good foreman, but had heart problems and anything could send him to the great beyond.

"Harold...Lyle !! get your kids... I fucked this up we're in real problems". I went to start one of the E's in old house stall 20. I hydraulic-ed, 2 cylinders on one side and 1 on the other. I have called the storehouse and they are getting the parts to repair, get started Amtrak leaves in 3 hours !!

Yep old Harry did a good job. Instead of opening the flash cocks, to drain out water, he did the old "bump job" clicking the starters, and then, giving it a good cranking, but too much water leaked into the cylinders. Plus due to the gasket and seal shrinkage, when cold and liquids don't compress well , do they ? (remember physics etc...when they actually taught school...sorry I digress ). Well there were 3 split liners, a bent fork rod on one side and one broke blade rod and a bent blade rod on the other two. Yeah if ya could get the old "Mechanical HAT TRICK", Harry did it...

Harry had already started the water draining, so it was about finished as we disassembled the tops. Taking off the rockers and removing the injectors, and breaking the Crab studs free. We went to the bottom of the hatches on the diesel opened them for the crankcase and started undoing the bolts to the offended pistons.

The heads were off, the bad cylinders exposed. We pulled the pistons, and took the liners out. We had to knock off the carrier bearing off the pistons.. ( a carrier bearing is and looks like a small piston on its own, but it the major support for the piston assembly...there is a snap ring that mates this together ) We then, replaced the new rods ( fork and blade ) and replaced the carrier bearing. The new cylinder liners were spotted in, and dropped the new rod and pistons in and bolted up. The head were placed back in, along with new gaskets. Crab Studs were tightened and torqued to specification. The engine was it barred over, by hand to see that there was no stress, and was rotating properly. Water and Borate was added, and was started. It fired off, now new components and stuff, needs a little break in time ..LOL The Hostlers were waiting to bring this out of the stall. They would then add it to the other two waiting units.

The foreman wanted as much idle time on these newly placed parts as possible to break them in and. Yeah a pipe dream , "Who wants to stay over ? " HARRRR ... did he say that out loud?

Well Harold and Lyle weren't and Jimmy, he probably had other things to do , but the old Dumb Kid said sure I will, and as apprentices we were not supposed to do that.

The edict was let this stay off line and till departure let it idle and break in the new parts... Harrrr..

I stayed with and helped hook up the consist, and stayed with the E-8 as it idled to the depot, and I know I rode the motor to the train.

When they coupled up to the passenger cars ..( the Rio Grande had dropped off the cars and the BN was taking them over ). I placed the E-8 on line,and waited. The passengers were de trained and boarded. The Carmen did their stuff, while the baggage loaded and unloaded, along with mail. With the diesel engines on line, I waited for the departure whistle and highball.

I was told be ready and able to get off... Lawrence Blixt is the engineer, when he gets the highball and the train whistle signal he's gonna get outta town.

Yeah and did he ever. The diesels were on line. I was on the ladder on the center door of the car body. They all sprang to life and Lawrence was going Hell bent for leather. I heard the signal line peeps and saw the Conductor swing on and give a high ball. I slammed the car body door and I hit the platform at around 8 to 12 mph.. The last coach flew past and he was already at 20 mph, taking the CTC signal to the BN Main at 23rd ST.

I caught a ride with the afternoon machinist, the electrician and laborer back to the roundhouse. ( they were the Amtrak rescue mechanical crew in case there were problems ). Then they did the afternoon work as needed.

I changed clothes and headed home . Words of wisdom, from Harold and the shop Foreman, "Don't Let Cal Jewel know you did that", because I wasn't supposed too. I was to be the apprentice on at 0800 and off at 1600 or 4 PM. I left at 630 pm...so what, they could have forced one of them old heads to do that, but they didn't, because they didn't want to pay overtime, and they didn't want it. They wanted as much break in time before it was ready to produce horsepower. I was the dumb ol kid enjoying railroading.

It was about a 4 to 4 and a half day turnaround from Denver to Chicago and back. We were wondering, when Amtrak was to arrive that morning, how our handiwork prevailed. It was third out in the consist of three units. If the number 2 diesel failed, there was one half of a motor left. Well No. 6 came into town, late by an hour, as we watched as it went around the wye to back into the Depot. Both diesels were chanting the old 567 roots blown growl, and with no failures no reports of problems or loading. Cal Jewel was there as well. He said " That last one had engine problems before leaving town, did you know that ?" I told him I did but didn't elaborate.