Sedalia Turn The older days 1978 in Tales of the Jointed Track

I liked the Sedalia Turn, it was picking up and switching out. We usually got a GP-38 or a worn out GP-20. Sometimes.. an old C&S SD-9. Logistics on how the ATSF and the C&S worked this out. I had no idea at the time.

Wow, Four years as a promoted engineer and holding a regular turn. We did not at the time have, an engineers extra board. Why?, you may ask. They didn’t have the manpower to accomplish that.

I was called for the 0830 am call. I called in, before cellphones, and the trusty 500lbs beeper with me. Payphones were everywhere. I knew most locations..
I was told a Sedalia turn, maybe for 0830, or 0900, depending on when they could get a brakeman.

Me, my pre-meal Sambo’s… STOP!!! It was a restaurant, till the name drove ‘em out of bid-nez. Corned Beef Hash and eggs, coffee, and this would kill me now.

Old school Sambo’s restaurant

The beeper sounds off. Yeah called, and I have my stuff. There was a pay phone there, and I took my call. I have my grip ready for a trip south or the turn. “Terry, Sedalia Turn 1000 am.” I’m there.

I arrive at the old C&S 7th Street Roundhouse. Looking at the crew sheet, and we have an SD-9 for power. This is good, we won’t have to triple Western Aspen to the main, if we have work there.

A former C&S SD-9

We leave Rice yard, with 4 cars and a Caboose. These are Plastic, for the Armstrong spur. We have running orders, to Sedalia, but talking to the Agent at Englewood, we don’t have shorts that were set out. We’ll crossover, at Littleton, and under rule D-261 and the Yard limit rule 93, we run around the Caboose and train at Littleton on the southbound main.

The unit is hunting en route to Littleton. Amperage in power is dropping in and out. It’s not the usual performance that the 9’s experience. Plus we are overheating. Really four cars?

I think this was problem child that was passed off to the Santa Fe. Santa Fe’s sin?, they didn’t have a unit to supply the local.

Shutters aren’t opening, and one cooling fan relay isn’t operating. This is the primary relay, so it will pick up a “hot” condition. The shutters are sticking. I’ll block those open, with the air supply valve. The alarm bell is still ringing.

During our five minute wait, under ABS rule 256, I look at the fan relays. I get them checked, and do the “Toothpick”, to make the fans operate.

We crossover and now ground relay and no load. I look around, check the electrical cabinet. Certain relays are tripped, I block those in. It is the ER or Engine run relay, a transition relay..those aren’t picking up. I block, with rolled up train orders and pen caps. The ground relay doesn’t trip. That wasn’t blocked out, so it was a false override.

So, with a Rube Goldberg, type of operation, we switched out and came into town.
WE left the cars at Rice yard, but the locomotive was to go to 23rd Street. We fought our way back to the roundhouse.

Upon arrival at the service track, I told the foreman, of our problems. He says “Looks like it is running okay to me”. “Here come on, let me show you”. We get back into the cab, and I pull all my “stuff” out. The unit dies, bell rings, I went back and pulled the toothpick out of the fan relay. “I said how’s that?’‘ “We’ll look it over”. LOL “Yeah check it out, and double check the shutter and cooling fan relays”. “We will”. Et Tu Brute …