Firing and Training.. Long time past in Tales of the Jointed Track

In my 40 years of railroading, I have been called all hours of the day and night. Working the road, you were subject for call anytime after you were legally rested for call. You could update with the crew caller, and find out where you stood..and when you might get summoned. Since this was before pagers and cell phones, you knew where pay phones were, and stayed in close contact, if you were out running errands. I started to get used to the oddity of the job, and sometimes took my grip with me, and said “Hey I’ll take a short call, if needed”. It was frowned upon to miss a call. I think I missed three in a forty year time period. One was my fault, two were not…

I was called out with different train crews and engineers during my early part as a fireman. I was trying to get to know people, and get the understanding of operating department. The majority of the men, were older guys anywhere from late 50’s to early 70’s. Some were in the process of retiring, some just got a regular assignment, some were bouncing between the fireman’s board and the engineers board. Some of them were nice and cordial, and some were brutal.

Till you proved yourself, they hardly talked to you. For about the first two to three months I was either HEY YOU or What’s your number ( employee no.) for pay purposes. Although we were Santa Fe, the Road guys were headquartered in Denver, Colorado and the Yard crews were Pueblo, Colorado based. They were on separate rosters. When the new group of Engineers came into the picture, the railroad and the operating Unions came together and joined the rosters. The prior rights engineers both road and yard, had the opportunity to get dual seniority, or reject it. These people would retain their original rights on the Road board or the yard board, then the ones that wanted dual seniority would go to the bottom of the rosters. We, the new hire fireman, would follow on both rosters. So when I hired out in December 13th, 1973, I was on the Joint Line Fireman’s and the Pueblo yard Fireman’s rosters. When I took and passed promotion to Engineer, I was on the bottom of the Joint-line and Pueblo Engineers roster then effective July 14th, 1974.

You found out who the good engineers and train crews were. Although after the call was taken you were with them for the round trip. There were a few exceptions, to the rule, but 99 percent of the time who ever you went down with, you returned back with. As the craft of fireman was being slowly phased out, engineers were paid an extra $5.00 per trip ( $10.00 for the round trip ) if he was called out without a fireman. So there we some, usually the poorer skilled engineers, or the money hungry ones that frowned if you were on the crew. Some literally resented the fact. You tried to stay with the better ones and avoid the poor and the cranky ones …

The first two months went quick, business was slow, and some of the lower seniority brakemen, were cut off, and placed to the cut off board. They would get called back starting around mid March, as business started picking back up and the Coal contracts for the new year were getting back into operation. Some of the coal trains were stored, so they had to come out of where they were put away, be inspected, bad orders taken out and repaired. They ran up to the Powder River, and were loaded. Some of the brakeman, if they were fortunate, did get an occasional call for work. Some of them, placed a letter with the crew office stating they were willing to take emergency work, so they were the first to get notified for extra work. We who were fireman, could have that happen to us, but the majority of the promoted fireman were working as engineers, and some were in the training program, or about to be placed there.

On or about February 16th, 1974 I was notified that I was officially placed into the Engineers training program. I was told, that I would remain on the fireman’s board, and would work up for call. I would work with the Engineer for a round trip and start the process over again. We were not assigned, to an engineer, as the agreement called for, due to the shortage of Engineers and if the engineer chose to mark off, you left in limbo trying to find another open spot, if you continued working.

Overall, it was a better proposition. Plus if you had a good caller, you could move a few spots and get out with one of the good ones. Plus we were on a “base” training salary, and not paid as we were as fireman. I got “this amount” per month and this was it. So you were not sharp shooting the board, and getting extra money. At that time, I tried staying away from, a select group of engineers, because the were plainly bad, but then there came a time, you had to work with them. You a certain amount of time and you knew what not to do and why.

Firing and training with Frank Kasulas:

Frank was a great engineer. A small stature d man, was from Greek ancestry and was raised in Kremmling, CO. Frank was originally a Denver & Salt Lake Railroad man. Was a steam fireman, when the Denver and Rio Grande Western took them over, and the D&SL (Denver & Salt Lake) men were chastised and their seniority was not honored. Frank quit the Rio Grande and hired out for the Santa Fe in Gallup, NM. When he had the chance to come back to Denver, he transferred his Santa Fe seniority, to the Santa Fe Joint Line roster. Frank was a true train handler, knew air braking and was an “Engineer”. Frank swore like a trooper, but overall was a very gentle spirit. For all the years I knew him, till he retired he always called me “KID” or “JACK” I am not called Jack, it was not my nickname, but I was Jack..lol

I’‘l relate a few Frank stories . I was in the program, when I got called for an “Extra South” with Frank. Now an extra train, by rule definition.. is: “A train not authorized by a Timetable schedule and the movement of which, must be in one specified direction”. In our crude terms it was a drag freight, heavy tonnage and whatever power they could scrounge for it.

I reported at the 7th Street roundhouse, and introduced myself to Frank. “Damn it Kid he said you’re a tall S.O.B. !!!”. I laughed, since I was told how he was. “Yes sir”. “When ya hire out?” “In December”. “Well I was on Vacation, so that probably why I haven’t seen ya before”. We got our power,from the call sheet. I told Frank, “They looked like they were on the ready track, when I drove by”. “Okay, Kid, when the brakeman gets here we’ll go. You hire off the street ?” “No sir, I came out of the shops, I worked here for about 8 months”. “Ok Kid I thought you looked familiar”.

The brakeman showed up about 5 minutes later, and we walked out to the power. I stowed my grip and went through the power. We were okay ed to leave the pit, and called the West end. We got permission to come to the yard office. We waited for a switch cut to clear the lead. The head brakeman went into the yard office, and got the train orders from the Rice Yard train order operator. The rear brakeman came out to help with the double over. The yardmaster told us via radio, “15 double to 18 and let me know and we’ll get the carmen on it for the air test”. The rear man had probably walked track 18 and wrote the car numbers down, and will help with the track 15 double and write those as they go by.

Frank says “Here Jack get over here and run this to the train”. “Ok Frank”. Well I was a machinist, and I hostled power, yeah I could move ‘em, but to to keep ‘em steady and at a good speed. As well as, being able to adjust to the hand or radio signals, well there’s a trick to it. Not that it is rocket science, but tricks of the trade. Our lead unit was a 5700 series U-33-C General Electric made them.

A former GN U-33-C in the “GN BIG SKY Blue paint

A BN U-33-C 3300 HP

I got the hand signal to back up, and got a car count sign to a bad switch. I placed the throttle from 1 to idle. The air contactors hissed and clunked, as we slowed I placed the throttle back to no.1 position KAChunk. The power contactor picked back up. I was nervous, and after a few times of the clunking and hissing, Frank came out of the chair. “Damn it KID who the hell you been working with WOMACK !!!! ?” ” No sir I haven’t worked with Mr Womack yet”. “GOOD Don’t!!!, Here I aint mad at ya, but I am not a teacher, I have to show ya”. We traded places when we stopped for the switch. Frank got the hand signal, “Okay throttle 1 kid, now leave it there and trim the speed with the independents. See I can increase or decrease speed as needed”. The brakeman signaled 2 cars then one, got off in motion spun around and gave the easy signal. Frank dropped the speed to a crawl. “See how I am increasing the air brake pressure easy, easy, and stop”. There was a slight clink to the pins dropping and little or no bang, and a smooth coupling. “See how that works”. “Yes”. I taught that to everyone I worked with, when I had a student. I made the air test, Frank took ‘em out of town, and at Littleton, he got up, and said “Get over here kid take ‘em up the hill.”

I worked with Frank many times while I was in training, and after I was promoted to engineer and firing. One day, I was firing for Frank and we came in and tied up at Denver. I was a promoted engineer now. “Damn it kid I am 3 times out”.

He asked the caller, “What’s on the lineup?” “Five trains before noon tomorrow”. ” Well tie me up for 10 hours rest. Hey kid you want to run? book only 8 hours rest and I’ll guarantee you’ll get called as an engineer”. Well he was right, I got called on 9 hours 20 minutes rest. Frank got called out in 10 hours rest. He walks in the roundhouse and says “You with me Jack?” ” No I’m called for 930 am on a grain train”. “Me too another grain train for 0945 am.” I told him that they were coming in at 31st St and they will come pick us both up and take us to the West end. We rode the crew van to the yard office, got our orders from the conductors we were called with. We waited about another hour and the first grain extra showed up. We changed crews and left town.

Last updated May 27, 2015