Pueblo Yard B-30-7A a quick but true tale. in Tales of the Jointed Track

I got called for an Extra North, what again? !!! LOL Per Rule, an Extra is a train not authorized by Timetable schedule. WE are all extras on the Joint-Line, whether it was the 594, 151, 78, 424, 77, 495, a coal load or empty. There were no timetable scheduled trains up here. Certain trains were handled by the DS with “priority”, but we all ran with “White Class lights” lit.

On arrival at the yard office. Looking at the call board, our symbol, locomotives, Crew names Conductor, Engineer were written on a chalk board.

Although this is a Frisco crew board, illustrates what we had. This, on the Frisco is probably a BIG terminal, due to multiple subdivisions. Ours held maybe 20 slots. for ATSF North and East crews and C&S South crews.

OKAY 4 BN 4000 series units. lol Seriously. These are cabless booster units or what we call a “B” unit. I saw these four together on the fuel track, coming into the yard.. This is gonna be good :)

A B-30-7A

I can see the mix up. The Santa Fe had SD-39’s, numbered in the 4000 series, in Coal Service at Raton, NM. We got them, from time to time.

A Santa Fe SD-39..Ironically this photo was taken at La Junta, CO, when the roundhouse was still there. Credit the B-30-7A and this photo to the authors, not for personal gain, but for illustration

Bill “Jug” Davis is the yardmaster. I hit the call button, on the speaker. Jug bellows, “What do you want”. “Jug engineer on extra north, how do we use those BN 4000’s assigned, they are cabless booster units”. “Bull shit just get on ‘em, Yard 11, double yard 6 to yard 10”. “Will do, but look at em with the binoculars, and tell me where the cab is?” He is pissed, looks and says “GOD DAMN IT, I thought they were Santa Fe’s“. “Well get me a lead unit and we’ll get ‘em out of town”. “Lemme call the power desk, go to the fuel track and get instructions.” “okay..laughing”. We did get a lead unit, left town, made the hill.. LOL