Jack Olsen and the Yard Job(s) Part 1 in Tales of the Jointed Track

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 service. Yeah, at that time they were able to do so, now you are history.

I will relate two Jack stories. One I related in an earlier entry, possible from, Open Diary / or a copy from that earlier. Another was, when we caught up with Jack, coming in with a lite set of helpers.

Denver 23rd Street Roundhouse third shift February 1973

I was still new. Working as a Machinist Helper. I reported to Taylor Gregg, the midnight Foreman. Sitting on the air brake crate, drinking his vending machine brew, I was given my first chores for the evening.

“They just brought, three goats, out of the house for fuel. I need you to check and card out the C&S 156, the hostler is fueling it now. There is a C&S switch crew here waiting for it. Call me on the radio and I’ll send them out for it. Then inspect and card the rest and see me when you’re done”.

Although this is Temple, TX and this has been repositioned, this is a roster photo of the newer SW-1200’s

I head out and sign the 203 card, make a walk around. The 156 just came out of the shop with four new wheel sets, along with traction motors. Newly replaced brake cylinders, brake shoes, and brake rigging. The trucks were dropped and the center bowls, had the new graphite ring dropped in and oiled up. The air brake equipment was all changed out. It was a 3 year air, federal inspection. That was also done in conjunction with the M-12, yearly inspection. It’s been shopped for 4 days now, to get everything completed and / or replaced. I called Mr. Gregg on the radio and said “Send the crew out. The hostler is just about done fueling”.

Out comes Jack and crew, on the 2359 pm, west end job at Rice yard. The bell rings, a few blasts on the whistle, and they head for the Junction. They’ll get the route over to Rice yard, from the 31st St yardmaster. I head to my next tasks.

300 am 23rd St Roundhouse the C&S 156

Mr Gregg , gets Sandy Ortiz, my machinist, and me and says the 156, is on the way over, with problems. The yardmaster didn’t elaborate over the phone. We all head toward the east end of Line One, and see the dimmed headlight at the Junction. Mr. Gregg tells them to head into Line One. As they draw closer, we realize the problem. Jack has placed good sized, and multiple flat spots, on all the drivers. I can see the foreman’s demeanor changing.

Yeah, … these aren’t small, these are all federal, and in several places. Jack didn’t watch the independent air brake pressure, closely. A heavy cut, the slack running out, not using train air provided, to aid in controlling the cut, tossed the unit around like a rag doll. The new rigging, the newly installed brake shoes, new wheel sets, all bit in and he locked up the wheels and slid them flat. 2 to 2 1/2 inches in length are Federal, Jack had these longer in some cases. The unit didn’t roll back to the “house”, it walked and thunked its way in.

We put a measure on all four wheel sets and, they all were condemnable. I have seen Taylor Gregg livid before, this had to be in the top three. They were given another locomotive, and this one went to a hold track. Two days later it spent 8 hours on the wheel pit, to have them all re installed again. Jack was taken out of service, for 10 days, for improper train handling, and not properly controlling the independent brake cylinder pressure.