Tales from the water trailer in Tales of the Jointed Track

These are a few vignettes, I suppose. It was regular day by day railroading. I am not running an engine by choice. My career is winding down, and I am leaving the railroad and BNSF on my terms.

Coal Load 1100 am Big Lift, CO

It’s slow, and I am antsy. I checked with the person I relieved and Mechanical, to see if the Castle Rock unit was worked. It wasn’t, and I took off and got it looked over. Who knows, it maybe needed, and this will give me an idea, on how it is ready. Looking at the log, it’s been there a whopping 6 hours, I’ll bet it will be gone soon.

A staged emergency motor at Castle Rock. An SD-70-MAC This was’nt the one I looked at in this writing. This was 230 am one night, taken from my cell phone.

I ran up to Castle Rock, logged it out and returned to Big Lift by 0915 am. I was combing over the LISS ( locomotive inventory service system), for problems maybe coming into Denver.

There is a load out, I see it, and I know the crew, due to the line up. The radio..”BNSF 9896 south Mentor at Big Lift”. “Big Lift, go ahead”. “Bob, Mike Aguilar here, I am topping Wolhurst, but the DP’s are loading hard. Speed isn’t where it should be, need the DP’s looked over as well”. “Bring ‘em on, did ya check yer second unit on the head end as well?” “Yes , these are working alright”. “Okay, we’ll be out there and spot ya”.

I walk over, and get the mechanical guy. “Ya hear the conversation?” “Yes, will meet ya out there”. We are there at the “trailer”, waiting for the load to appear. Soon a head light appears, and they are working hard by us. We are looking to spot, the DP’s as soon as we can see them. The DP’s appear nearing the final curve, near Titan Parkway Overpass. They are spotted, and the count begins. I can see the “DP” link, straining hard. Not only by sound, but the exhaust stack, its the only one loading , back there. You notice, if they are on line and making power, and this one is screaming back there.

“BNSF 9896, yer stopped back here. When you’re ready, Mentor and Mechanical will attach”. “BNSF 9896 set - centered for two” “Set n centered going in between for inspections”.

The last unit was a 9400 series unit. It is idling, and before I board, passing the fuel tank it is at 4600 gallons of fuel. LOL …that’s a clue right here. The cab is facing south, but I’ll start at the rear. A look at the coupler, is there a non-needed ETD we can steal? Yep, this came through Alliance, NE over Crawford Hill, with a Helper link. They closed the angle cock, and no one bothered to take it off. We’re short of replacements, so I grab it. I release the attachment, fulcrum attaching device and loosen it from the drawbar. It is battery powered and the battery is probably dead. I place it clear of the right of way and board the rear end of the unit.

Opening the hood door, I look at the water level. FULL WHEN RUNNING, and the temperature is with in range. Another clue, they idle down different from a load,off the main generator, and the water temp is not high..like it is at 185 degrees, should be around 215 to 225 degrees. Oil off the dipstick is good.

Walking into the cab, the screens are normal. Looking at the isolation switch, it is in “ISOLATE”. Meaning the unit is off-line, not doing anything. I call the head-end. “BNSF 9896, Mike I think I found yer problem, your non DP link was still isolated. I’m gonna reboot the computer, as a fail safe. So if ya get an alarm, it is me that is causing it.” “Good find, thanks”.

This came from a major Terminal, Alliance Nebraska, over the Angora and Brush subdivisions into and out of Denver. We find it here!! Nineteen miles south of Denver .. Really!! I know for sure out of Mudd Springs and Dalton there is a grade. Out of Sidney, NE, crossing over via a bridge over the Union Pacific TRANSCON, to Lorenzo,NE is a good climb. That is near the Nebraska-Colorado state line. Peetz, they’ll make the drop into Sterling, CO, a crew change. On the Brush, the climb is steady. At Wiggins, CO east of there is a good hill. Okay, what is wrong here? Apathy, and who gives a good God Damn about it. Sorry, whether I was Company or Union, this always pissed me off.

Angora sub track chart

Brush Sub track chart

Pikes Peak track chart

A look at the other unit ( the DP link) it’s good. I go back and place the circuit breakers up on the 9400 series unit. A “ding” from the alarm bell, when placed on line. Everyone is carded out, and the information is related. I release us from the train. “Mike .. releasing and rolling, I’ll take care of the inspections at the Office”. “Thanks Shoe, have a good one”. “You too”.

Soon at MP 21.3 “UP DETECTOR MP 21.3 NO DEFECTS .. REPEAT .. NO DEFECTS. TOTAL AXLES 520 TRAIN SPEED 16 MPH TEMPERATURE 52 DEGREES DETECTOR OUT.”

“Big Lift, 9896 how they feeling Mike?” “Good, thanks for your help.” ” Great, have a good trip.”

I shot off an email.. Wow, hurt feelings. Too bad, get your supervisors out there and make it work. The former BN, Not our Fault… STILL after 12 years after the merger… really?

Oh well. I survived.. :)

Last updated March 13, 2015