Rice yard, Floyd Smith and other tales. in Tales of the Jointed Track

We all, being retired Joint-Liners, have stories about Rice Yard. If I was working today, and if LODO and the old rail yards were not developed, I’d run out of Rice yard any day.

Comanche Coal load 1979, Littleton,CO Jackass Hill Road.

The Comanche or the AA-62 symbolled train, that unloaded at Pueblo, CO just above Southern Jct. I can’t remember if at that time the Santa Fe yard crews unloaded, or it was turned over to the C&S road crews at Trinidad.

A sunny day, a 730 am call,and on our way. Something is odd, leaving South Denver, I see smoke in a hopper car behind the power. It is not a sticking brake, or a hot box, but it inside the the coal hopper itself. I send Jimmy Cross, back to look at it. Jimmy comes back up, and that Georgia, mumble, says “Ah Thank this car is on farhre”. Okay..lol

We are still line grade through Littleton, I blow for the last crossing at Ridge Road, and we’ll squeeze ‘em in between Ridge and Jackass Hill. Stopping, yeah there is a smoldering fire. Spontaneous Combustion, is the culprit, it does happen, rare, but..just takes the right conditions to get it going.

Rice Yard Operator/ Floyd Smith

We call the Rice yard Operator to let the Rio Grande DS, and the Santa Fe DS, we have a car on fire. Banter back and forth. Enter Floyd Smith, C&S Terminal Superintendent, and this is totally off his territory. The Rice yard operator has informed our trainmaster Bill Caldwell.

Floyd says, dump that car and proceed on!!! Okay, problem number one, a 125 ton hopper, now empty with trailing tonnage against it, downgrade. Problem number two, it is a rotary hopper. “Mr Smith, this is a rotary hopper, and we need 5 men to rotate it, we only have 4 on the crew.” Now ya can’t rotate a car to dump on-line. But I was pissed at the “dismissal” of just keep going. Bill Caldwell, comes on the radio and says, we’ll handle with the BN/C&S, wait for us and fire personnel.

Well, guess what shows up. Littleton Fire Department, a pumper and a Hook and Ladder. Two Littleton Police officers, and Ambulance, and two Colorado State Patrol Officers. I say to one “Damn, this is only a car of coal on fire, where is the two headed calf”? I was told when we get a call, we all have to show up, till the problem is addressed.

Bill Caldwell shows up, the Conductor has walked up. Discussion, but Littleton Fire is in the mix. They empty the pumper truck, with a slurry. They fill the hopper, and the remainder is draining through the weep holes. “The Chief ( Fire Chief) wants one more truck of water, to possibly quell this” . We wait, for them to refill. Three hours later we’re on the way. LOL Crews,CO this is going again.

A call to the yardmaster at Pueblo, and we are told change out front, Comanche knows they will handle.

We had a couple more of these, on various coal loads.. Is what it is.