Amos Terry the Commanche and his last crew change 1981 in Tales of the Jointed Track

I got called for a Comanche coal train at Denver. 130 cars 16, 800 tons..five motors on the head end. We will have a helper and on it goes.

“Santa Fe’s he’s coming by 38th Street”. We’re out there and ready. The consist comes to a stop. A GE U-30-C on the head end, typical, and I’ll walk the power, see what I have got. It is 800 am and the inbound crew is ready to get off, a little sleep and they will reset for the next call.

The train slows, sand is applied, and the compressors kick in, a little squeal of the brake shoes as they come to a stop. We wait for the Sterling crew to get off, before we board. The head brakeman bails off first, a standard procedure. The engineer appears, it is Amos Terry.

“Hi Amos, good run?” “Yeah, even better..I retire when I tie up”. “Really..wow congratulations”. “Thanks” “Hear from Ralph?” “Oh off n on” “Marty?” “Yeah he’s going to Lincoln as a roundhouse foreman” ” Wow great..good for him” .

“You’ve done us Terry’s proud”. “Well we’re not related Amos”. ” They don’t know that kid, I get comments on how good your doing on the Santa Fe” “My thanks, Amos, only fitting a Terry trading off to a Terry on the final run. Have a great retirement, congratulations”. Being Chewers the final handshake and a spit to the ballast. I am 25 years old at this juncture, and Amos is 65 years of age. WOW… Amos hostled a bit at the roundhouse, when I was in the shops. He let me take the motors thru the wash rack, when I got my stuff done. Throttle fever … lol… memories

Denver, CO 6 months later

“Hey Kid!!, how’s yer dad liking retirement” This was an Akron pool crew Denver based. “Well my dad isn’t retired, but thanks any way” “God damn it Kid!!, Amos had been gone fer 6 months or better” . ” Guys, Amos has been messing with you. We have the same last name, but we are not related. He has a son Ralph, on the Santa Fe out of La Junta on the First subdivision, as an engineer, and another, Marty, who is in the shops as a foreman on the BN”. ” God damn that Amos, he had us thinking, you were his son too”. “Well thanks, but not true..same last name, but not related”.

Psstt I was one of them Santa Fe’s . I had friends on the BN and people that I never knew, and knew who I was, and they knew what I was doing…scary … :)