Bragdon late 70's Blizzard in Tales of the Jointed Track

The Pueblo, Colorado area is an odd weather wise. Pueblo over all is a desert climate. They have been known, and in the times I crew changed out of there, the weather factor played a part. Three to four inches of snow, can shut old Pueblo down. Have had below zero temperatures, fog, heavy rain, and overall Pueblo is a dry hot climate.

Bradgon is about eight miles north of Pueblo. You can go four ways so to speak. The former Santa Fe, now BNSF still controls this.

Bragdon Southbound, signaled down the main, or into the siding at Bragdon proper. You can be, if a Rio Grande freight, lined into TAPP siding for the Rio Grande’s access into Pueblo. This is way before we were given trackage rights via the BY-PASS Pueblo to Bragdon northbound. Northbound you are crossed over to the northbound ABS dispatched trackage to Crews.

Winter mid to late “70’s Bragdon Crossover / Siding

An extra north, I can’t remember the power. A Flashing Yellow around MP 115, its dark, LOL, I can see South Bragdon siding, at solid yellow. The snow is swirling here. The DS can’t get the “route” to line up. Yep, The access to the crossover is solid RED. A light glow of a headlight southbound is at Bragdon too.

“DS La Junta to BN 6385 North”. “6385 DS”. ” Can’t line you over to the northbound. BN 6385 has authority to pass signal displaying STOP, Bradgon, XO ( crossover) to North Bragdon, onto ABS Northbound”. Instructions are repeated. “DS, we may have to sweep out switches, permission to take on hand as needed”? Silence. “DS La Junta permission to take on hand and restore in power”. That is repeated. The brakeman are sent to their tasks.

The southbound train, Dave Van Buskirk, is digging, and the brakeman on the train I am operating is digging. The snow, is drifting. I am out there with a broom. Karen Brogdon, the engineer on the southbound as well.

Wind, drifting, sweeping to the heel block, a futile effort. Signal is called, how he got out there, well we are rails. Joe Tortorice, my Conductor shows, we’re all digging. Cold, we retreat to warm up, on the consist I am operating. I have fouled the circuit, and basically there.

The wind is between 45 to 60 mph. Brutal, with the snow.. Not Pueblo area weather, but it is our weather now.

We get into the BN 6385 cab, to warm up. The wind gusts and rips, the cab door away. Karen’s fingers are banged in the rampage. I feel so bad but nothing I can do. I look, hoping they are not broken, but swollen. “Karen you need to see an ER, when ya tie up make sure.” She’s out of the picture, I make sure she gets to her train, it is the shits here.

We finally get dug out, and northbound. Joe stops me short, they get the main re-lined.

Yep, things happen, out on the rails Be safe