Helper units... a muse or two in Tales of the Jointed Track

I have had many an odd unit in Helper service. The standard was two SD-40-2, or our bastard units ( they were hard runners and reliable) SDP-40 and 45 ex Great Northern units. Hey ..me .. Heat when needed, water to drink, power and don’t shut down, I entertain easily.

The BN had decided to cut power on the helpers out of Denver. Three SD-40-2’s, 9000 HP on the rear. GOD SAVE US JESUS… 2.6 HPT head end and helpers combined. Two hours and 30 minutes South Denver to Palmer Lake, 52 miles, mountain grade, what’s not to like? Well, power is tight, Coal is KING, and they are going from five on the head end to four units. Helpers, 2 SD-40’s or the equivalent, from three on the standard set.

Kenny Romero, Ed Hamilton and the BN Mechanical rider:

You remember Kenny, The FOX HOLE Bar episode.. lol
Kenny is called on a set of Helpers. Ed Hamilton, is the hogger, and another person with the crew. Kenny eyes, Ed,he knows Ed. He doesn’t know the BN Mechanical man.

The mechanical man introduces himself, and states why he is riding. “We’re testing a two unit helper”. Ed, the engineer being 300 lbs and the mechanical guy about the same, Kenny says, “Really, We’re gonna need another motor just to get you two fuckers over the hill”. LOL, that was Kenny, the Engineer and Mechanical man look at each other and laugh.

A fall Helper 1979:
We’re still getting, 3 unit helpers. The kicker, the “DO NOT OCCUPY CAB” stenciled, on the windows. Like boosters, no seats no radio..lol They are the older U-33-C’s, the 5700 series, that have fallen into disfavor and are soon to be taken off the roster. So you’d have a cab qualified unit for the trip up and back and two of these units, to get the tonnage up the grade.

Well when its raining and/or snowing, who wants to ride 3 to 5 miles on the outside passing signals and flagging road crossings. Steve Barto is the Conductor and is facing the elements. It is a late, raining and rapidly cooling afternoon. I said, we have your packset and I’ll change ends. We’ll just have stand up, till we get to the 3rd Ave crossover. The old cab heater works, and will knock off the chill. We ease through the depot and wait for the load. I change back to the north facing unit.

The rear end cuts the caboose off on the fly, and the head end will go and wait at the signal at Kalamath. The caboose is grabbed and the 3rd Avenue crossover is lined back. They ride the seatless unit back to the train. They’ll blow for Walnut, old Colfax and 13th Avenue. The rear end will be around the old 8th Avenue overpass. We buckle in make the set and release, and Palmer Lake is about 2 and a half hours away, unless there are other trains in the mix.

C&S SD-40-2 set out Castle Rock:

This had been set-out on the northbound at Castle Rock, CO. This was still a “functional siding” per the timetable, but with the trains operating now, 3800 feet is a joke. The section stores track machines and small work trains. The odd cars of ballast or ties, or a bad order car. Helpers that die on hours of service short of Denver…lol like 31 miles short. Now the newest member is a C&S numbered 900 series SD-40-2, in coal service, with a fried hanger bearing, or to be more mechanically correct, a traction motor suspension bearing.

The axle wheel set fits into the traction motor, these suspension bearings, are just a bearing face, with a brass and a light metal. This is lubricated, by two boxes underneath each side. There is a “wick” and a reservoir. You go under to access, on the pit. You have your made dipstick, marked at intervals. You add as needed. Well this one, either due to, someone not checking or a leak, this axle is overheated.

A 300 am call, a shove up. “DS-16 La Junta to the helpers BN 5316” “5316 DS” “Meet the BN and Santa Fe Mechanical forces at Castle Rock, and pick up C&S unit ### and take to Denver”. “Roger DS, will do”.

LOL, okay this is really locked up. We are told, 5 to 10 mph, with stops as needed. The “doped” up offended bearing, with a heavy grease… This squeals like a pig. It took 3 hours from Castle Rock to Sedalia. MP 31 to MP 24.6, at 45 mph 20 minutes maybe lol. We are close to going dead on hours of service, and have 6 trains, some Rio Grande included.

We shove into the old Sedalia house track. They can get a crane in there, and place an idler axle in. Our helper power, is at the south end of the Sedalia siding. All will get picked up. All is good in Joint-Line land. Till the next crisis

Last updated August 28, 2022