Engineer Qualifying Trip June 1974 in Tales of the Jointed Track

I know I have written about this, but it maybe an Old Open Diary piece. So again my apologies.

Six weeks of intensive schooling, simulations, air, air equipment, train orders, operating rules and mechanical. The weekly tests, then the “Main” test and 6 Oral must know period to pass. I passed, as well as, the two behind me, John Howland and Kenny Brown. Kenny an me have retired, John is still plugging away at 65, why ? But again I don’t know the circumstances.

B.Y. “Barney” Steele Road Foreman of Engines

Throughout my 40 years Barney Steele was probably the best Road Foreman, I ever worked for, or with. Barney knew his stuff, and you were not gonna fool him.

I get a call one Friday afternoon. “Hello” “Bob?, Barney Steele, I didn’t wake you, did I?” “No sir, been up for a few hours”. “Well, I need to give you a check ride both ways over the Joint-Line. Then you can mark up at full pay after July13th. I see you have all your required trips over the sub-division made, so this is the final phase. I am thinking and have told the caller to grab us for the first train, after 600 am, so you’re not subject for call, on your turn. Get some rest and I will see you tomorrow.” “Yes sir, see you then, thanks”.

It’s 330 pm, I go and grab a bite to eat. Make sure I am up to date with timetables, and rule and air books. Need the Santa Fe, the BN and the Rio Grande. Need a Santa Fe Air brake rule book. I have a BN as well, I’ll get grilled on that one. Need the current BN, C&S, Colorado Division Santa Fe, Joint-Line Santa Fe-Rio Grande, and Rio Grande Timetables in my possession. Oh yeah, the Denver Union Depot timetable.. I am current with the bulletins, read ‘em, at the roundhouse. I have the BN, C&S, Rio Grande and Santa Fe Special Instructions. Geez, I am a Bookmobile at this juncture. It is 800 pm, I lay down, to be rested. I am nervous, but I’ll make it.

900 pm… Barney Steele:

“Hi, Bob, sorry to bother you again. There is a Comanche coal train, RCE ( Remote Controlled Equipped. The “crude” early Locotrol, not the DP Distributive Power we have now) due about 1000 pm to 1201 am call, you up for it ?” “Yes sir, I am rested, and in that groove, so lets go for it”. “I’ll call the crew office, and make sure they call us,with the crew”. “Okay Barney, I’ll be there”.

The Comanche Coal Load J-CCE on duty at 0030 am:

The phone rings at 1100 pm, I take the call. A thermos of coffee, and pack the grip and onto the C&S 7th Street roundhouse. I arrive, and John Kostur arrives shortly after. John is the engineer for this train. I am greeted with, “Ya Goddamned Scissorbill, ya firing with me this trip? They said I didn’t have a fireman”. “No John, I am with you, but this is a qualifying trip”. “Christ, they never said anything on the call, who is riding Barney?” “Yeah, he said he’d meet us at the Rice Yard office”. “Well, I’ll try to distract him, you’ll do good”. “Well, John, its not like he’s trying to run us off, he wants to be sure I know what I am doing”. Chuckling,”Ya Goddamned Scissorbill”. Before ya think this is harsh, this was a term of respect to a young punk, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. :).

C&S Rice Yard Office:

The crew is Julius Knotek (pronounced NO-tech) conductor, Bob Morley, rear brakeman, Ron Palletta head brakeman, John Kostur engineer. Barney Steele and me. Charlie Bain is the C&S West end yardmaster, and says the BN switch crew is on the way over, I’ll have Stu let ya know when he takes the signal out of the depot. Charlie is yapping on the radio to a couple of switch crews and talking to Stu as well. He yells “Damn it Stu, did ya hear what the F I was telling you”. “Yeah chill he’s already lined up, I was with the Rio Grande DS”. Group hugs, we love each other… NOT!!! lol. Hey this is railroading, like you don’t see it.

Barney greets me and John. He is in a jacket and tie, me and John overalls. Oh I could have said something, but there’s a time for smarting off and a time to stay quiet. Bob Morley says, “I see, you’re qualifying”. “Yeah I’ll try to make it painless”. Ron tells me if okay with Barney, he’ll ride the second motor, and help with any problems with the power. This is a good crew to catch, Julius he can be a butt, but the brakeman are top notch.

The BN switch crew, takes the signal out of the depot. This chimes a bell to the operator. Stu yells, “He just took the CTC out of the Depot”. They are 10 minutes out, due to 10 mph through the depot and the sheds. Plus the long standing train orders 10 MPH FROM D.U.T (Denver Union Terminal) to Walnut Street. Another order 10 MPH MAINS 1 AND 2 WALNUT STREET TO SOUTH DENVER.

I am antsy, and see the faint glow of the headlight over the rooftop of the abandoned foundry. “I’ll be outside at the mainline”. Nods, and they’ll be out soon. I have looked over the train orders, I’ll do it again.

Walnut Street End of CTC

The signal is RED over LUNAR, a restricting signal, and we are lined on Main 1. The coal train rounds the curve, and the hiss of exhausting air as it comes to a stop. The switch crew gets off. Ron the head brakeman goes to the second unit. John, Barney and myself board the lead unit. I get situated, and here goes the qualifying trip. “BN 5814 to the caboose, head end is on, here is the release”. I manually cut-out the feed valve on the RCE units, to insure we have a continuous brake pipe to the rear end. “5814 brakes starting to release back here”. “releasing, staring to pull”.

Okay, nerves and on the microscope, I did the following. I did !!! I cut the feed valve back into the RCE’s , a peep and wink, they are helping recharge and release the train brakes. I’ll keep them synchronized to start, then split the RCE’s independent of what I am doing on the head end. “5814 rolling” “Rolling”. I notch out a few more throttle positions. This is starting harder than it should. The locomotive we’re on shudders. Barney knows something isn’t right. I am blowing for Walnut. He comes over and says, “This might help”. He releases the independent brake valve. FUCK!!! ( sorry that’s how stupid I felt) “That might make it easier” He feathered it so the head end didn’t over accelerate. I felt so small and demoralized, and less than 500 feet from the start.

Words of wisdom from a great rail, and Company Officer “Son, calm down, and I have the reports on your performance. I am not here to run ya off”. “Yes sir”.

Orsa Siding (MP 709.5)- Castle Rock, CO (705.2) now MP 27.2 to 32.5:

For some reason the RCE’s dropped out here. You always made sure the override was in. The radios are dropping out. NO - COM. I tell Barney and John. “What would you do, if I was not here?” ” I would jam the dead-man pedal, with an air hose,. and troubleshoot, as long as train gang orders and signals were proper”. Okay there is a death knell. “If John comes over, I’ll cycle the radios”. Barney says, “We’re here, air hose it, and I didn’t tell ya that”. “Yes sir”. I just blabbed, after 42 years, and Barney has passed. Don’t ever think that Barney didn’t know we air hosed and fused a dead-man, to keep going.

I go back into the small compartment, behind the cab. The radios are cycling. They are trying A Radio…then B Radio… I hit the resets, and get a steady glow ( Green) on the A radio. The NO-COM has cleared. “Barney, if we get into a jam, I’ll bail and capture the RCE’s if needed”. “We’ll discuss that if it needs to be addressed”. Good ol Barney, I’d put him into the Frank Kasulas, Gordon Euell, Ernie Zumbrumm category. We never lost continuity till we crew changed.

The signal beckons Palmer Lake, we are still Rule 251 double track territory. I slowly throttle off the head end. I have the RCE’s, under independent mode.

The Santa Fe had what was called “Independent Motoring”. You could place the head end into dynamic braking and keep your RCE’s in power and dial ‘em off as ya crest the grade. The BN did not have that, but there was a way to stall em”.

The head end is approaching MP 53, so the RCE’s are at least 20 cars past the summit. The head end is in throttle one power, and will remain there. An intial reduction is made, and slowly dial off the RCE’s. Speed is holding about 15 to 18 mph, and the RCE’s are in one throttle power. I drop the head end to idle, the RCE’s follow. The Dynamic brakes are brought in and placed to full, during this time the RCE’s are placed in idle mode and allowed go into dynamic braking. I’ll dial these up and help balance as needed.

Nondescript from the top till we get to Bragdon. The yard job is out switching Johns-Manville. North Bragdon is Yellow, and the old style cantilever signal bridge shows RED for the main and siding. The train is brought to a stop, and we are told, by the Pueblo Yard Operator, we’ll get lined up as soon as the yard job clears.

The signal at South Bragdon winks Clear, and I cut out the RCE feed valve. I have the RCE’s and the head end in two throttle. The brakes are released. I double check the independents, and the caboose calls released and rolling. Barney says, “Make sure ya release those independents son”. “Yes sir, double checked and the are released”. The feed valve is placed back into the “IN” position for the RCE’s, further accelerating the release. ( note this all happens simultaneously, but spelled out step by step for ease of understanding)

The RCE’s are a notch above the head end, shoving hard to get through the sag and keep the caboose taught. At the top of Bragdon Hill, you throttle off and balance like you did at Palmer Lake. The signal at Johns-Manville is High green, we’re down the main. A call to the yardmaster, and the instructions of stop in front and change out are received.

A set is made, and the dynamics are brought in. Flashing Yellow at 29th Street, Yellow at Canon City JCT. (Canyon City). Ten mph by the Rio Grande transfers. The train is brought to a stop. We trade off with the C&S. Barney says, “We’ll be out on rest or shortly after for the trip North. Good job bringing ‘em down”. “Thanks, I’ll be ready”.

Last updated March 18, 2024