Tales of the Jointed Track Part 3 in Tales of the Jointed Track

Cold Weather ........... Like all of us, storms and cold weather affect the railroad's operations. Yeah, unless they are so snowed under that they can't move or get a crew...they stay running. Whether you're working the section, or the shops ( Locomotives and /or Car department ) Operations, etc... unless you have no pulse, or are clinically dead... The railroad expected you to be there.. Here are a few vignettes, that I remember...and who knows may conjure up some I have forgotten.

Hostler... A hostler is defined as one that moves a locomotive or locomotives, within the defined limits of a Yard or terminal. Since I was BN ( Burlington Northern ) at that time...there was in the Denver yard, Road and Yard crews and Mechanical departments, who had certain seniority rights, pertaining to jobs.. You were either prior rights CB&Q...C&S.. or the newly formed BN. Now to kind of lay out the scenario..The engine service roster was based out of Lincoln, NE on the EN08 roster. No matter where you hired out,in that seniority base you were on this roster, for engine service... This included Engineers, Fireman, and Hostlers. SO if you were low on the totem pole.... you could be force assigned to a spot you really didn't want. When I went to work with the Santa Fe in engine service, I suffered from the same problem...but not as wide spread of territory like the BN. ( as info and for clarification) Yes I speak a different language...and by the time you finish this... you'll have a better understanding. The Hostler I am speaking of, was force assigned out of Lincoln Nebraska to Denver...Why, because he was in a position where he could not hold a regular job, or was bumped, or was promoted and available...and Denver did not have a junior man to protect... RUT ROH RUT ROH..

Most Locomotives at this time had clasp style cast iron brake shoes..these were a low speed friction type..and they "grabbed' at low speed...so you had to be easy with them, so you would’nt lock up the wheels and slide 'em flat. Brake cylinder pressure was about 45 lbs at full application The older Geep (GP designation ) and the F units ( F-7 F-9's including B units) , plus the SD-7's and 9's, as well as the SD-24's 40's and 45's had these as well... and the new kids on the block the GE U-25-B's were equipped....so you get lulled into a false sense of security for braking... THEN !!! composition brake shoes were introduced...They have good friction, but need to be warm..then they begin to grab... Now the brake cylinder pressure is 72 psi to aid in the stopping power. But when these are cold and your not prepared..might as well not have any. So a little air braking class. There are 2 brake valves in the cab of a locomotive. There is the independent brake valve.... this is a self lapping brake...that controls locomotive braking only...like handling light power etc ...coupling... and a Train brake...which is called the automatic brake valve..that controls the braking of the train , but the locomotive responds to that as well ...but there is a "bail" feature that removes the braking pressure, from the locomotive(s)... There are times that you want the train to brake and not the locomotives as well... That's a train handling issue....which I can explain ... but right now is not relevant..

The Lincoln based engineer, forced to hostle power was a young guy ... may be ...about 24 - 25 years of age .. tall ...long blonde hair... not hippie type...but a cocky guy. Was kinda aloof...and he was hot shit, or thought he was... The year of 1973 was cold cold January, February and early March . BN is now moving all sorts of pre merger power in... If it runs and needs to be utilized .... it's in a consist. SO...you're getting different power different braking etc .. but you're qualified and YOU"RE SUPPOSED to KNOW !! ... The Old Diesel shop had a side door that slid open to the diesel shop both ends ... but hey we were BN and we're track side in the diesel age and we were modernizing... SO they in the dead of winter installed a Roll Up door... Like your garage door...but it rolls up as it retracts ... for both ends of the stall ...

Train 65 came in... was yarded and power to the house ... Three SD-45's and a U-33-C... all composition brake shoes ( not CB&Q standard ). They spotted at the fuel stanchions .. we worked them and waited for them to go into the shop for the lube oil, water compressor oil. The hoses came off for the fuel..and our hostler was ready to get this out of the way ... He had about 3 car lengths of room.. ( about 150 - 200 feet ) The new door wasn't rolled up... It's now around zero or below...those wheels and shoes have cooled... Someone went to roll it up and as its going up..He starts moving the consist... and he can't adjust and he hits the door half way up... about 1000 tons of locomotive consist plows through that NEW roll up ...and well the door didn't fare well.

I can say Mr. Gregg didn't have much nice to say, and so we removed the debris. The B&B people ( Building and Bridge ) would have work in the morning. I came to work the next shift, and a new roll up door. It was because it was for the other side of line one. It's still bitter butt cold...

The next night 63 died on the hours of service ... so the hostling crew went into the yard and got the power ..They sat on the bridge...for about 30 minutes, and got the okay from the Yardmaster to make the move, called the house got the track....The new door is down... he comes in about 10 mph.. cold wheels...tries to spot for fuel ...and goes through this other "new" door...by 2 units ... LOL sorry ...he was a cocky "ass” ...so that cost him a lil out of service time...30 days ...Taylor Gregg was so mad that night... you did and stayed away .. If that happened now you'd get a urine/drug test ..no questions and then be relieved till proven not guilty, other than not following the Book of Rules...

* GP 40 Ether bomb * Was in this same... time frame .. Colder than hell ...and the shop was about 10 degrees...warmer ... so it was bitter cold ... A drag came in from Lincoln... might have been an extra moving excess tonnage into Denver... Was a rag tag consist... Geeps, old SD 9's,and a few high hp six axles...enough to keep the air up and get it to destination.

Well that drag came into town. Train was yarded and the power came into the fueling area outside line one. I was told work the tops .. and let me know when you're clear and then, they'll go into the shop to get whatever water and lubrication levels needed to be addressed ... Plus someone ( most likely me ) would go underneath to check the suspension bearings.. the bottoms outside for journal box levels.

The take up brake travel and /or change out brake shoes would be done by someone else in the crew. If the consist didn't fit into line one, all reported clear and they would spot the remaining power..and all services performed as needed. So I boarded the consist and started working my way back . There was a GP-40 ( can't recollect the number ) about 3 or 4 units back from the head end. I opened the door to the cab... it was bitter cold and it was silent...meaning it was dead ( not running ) . Also before the introduction of plastic water bottles ... all drinking water was like a small water cooler with a glass water bottle. That poured to a reservoir...well that was frozen solid... and the bottle had fractured along the casting lines and split in half. I pulled the dipstick for the diesel engine lube level, and it came out like syrup. I went to the accessory end doors, and thought, well its drained of cooling water ... NO IT WASN'T ... The expansion tank showed FULL WHEN DEAD ...RUT ROH !! .. I took the cap off from the fill neck... took off a glove and placed a finger in...the slush was thick, but was the engine block frozen ... How long was this dead ... was it reported ? or didn't anyone really give a damn. I told Mr Gregg right away..and finished up the remainder of the consist. Mr Gregg cornered me and said "Hey Kid... pull the air box hatches on both ends...both sides...and wait for me " Yes sir I replied .. and did as instructed .

Okay we probably need a diesel engine course. EMD diesels are 2 cycle engines ... They have an air box.. ( ie scavenge, pressurized, ported cylinders) Pressurization comes from either a roots blower...or a turbocharger ... This is a turbo charged unit. It was a V-16 so eight cylinders per side... I spun off the air box hatches on either end and side of the block.

Mr Gregg showed up...with a can in his hand .. from his pickup truck... "THE ETHER BOMB" .... He stuck his arm into the air box and said "Time me one minute " I did so and he said put the air box hatch on... and we did that on each open box... 1minute of ether...place the hatch back tighten ..then wait another 5 minutes let the vapor penetrate and distribute.. We pulled the Jumper cables on each end of the motor. A JUMPER CABLE ... like a big extension cord, it mocks the controlling locomotive, so the engineer uses the throttle and/ or dynamic braking, those trailing will do the same ... to be exact its a 27 pin jumper...each has a function ... I can write a chapter on that ...:)

When the time had expired .. He said "Go in the cab... when I flash my light start the unit, and stay there till I signal you "... This locomotive had the start / stop switch in the cab and not at the accessory end in the engine room .

Okay will the batteries have enough juice to turn over this sludged up semi frozen locomotive ?? .. Well she strained off...and when that ether hit the ignition point of those pistons ...The unit fired off ...Flames flew through the turbo charger...the unit rocked... Mr Gregg was working the lay shaft...keeping fuel going to the diesel ... I got a light signal... I went out to find what he wanted ... "Ya have a reverser with ya ?, Yes, "Put it in the control stand... keep it in neutral, make sure the generator field switch is down... Put it on line and place into throttle 2" ... I did that, and we waited to see..if the diesel would continue to run. The smoke was intense, due to a cold diesel trying to make and keep making combustion. It still worked ... and it took about 3 hours for any "real" warming heat for the unit to show on the temp gauge ... He monitored the unit all that time ... I was delegated to other tasks, till he said check with me here and there ... as the cab heaters ( they were water supplied) started showing a little warmth. Were they frozen and finally thawing out ? Do we have leaks now ? and where...can they be isolated ..or is this a major shop... and have to send to Lincoln or West Burlington? As it came up to operating temperature, 3 hours later...we looked around, smelled , check for signs of water in the oil, or the compressor oil ...did a cylinder fracture ? or a jumper water line leaking into the air box , was the water level staying stable or was it using? Any radiator leaks , if it all dumped into the expansion tank ...it should be okay. Are we getting telltale signs of the cab heaters leaking in the cab ? Well luck was with the BN that day ...and a $350,000 dollar piece of equipment, at that time, was up and operating. It went out on the Red Ball freight, Train 100, to Chicago at 2100 or 900 PM the next evening... and never knew if it shut down again or if there were problems ...

The Bum faction... As it got colder ... the Bum population, who were within transit elsewhere ...or wanting to get arrested...showed up. Not Bum's like the homeless as we call them today ...are of two ilk... Those that travel and prefer it that way... don't want help and "MAY" take a handout or an overnight at the Mission or a shelter ...and again say in so many words Mind your own business and leave me the "F" alone ... Then there are those that panhandle and ...well I digress. AND BEFORE, and I hate to give or offer the disclaimer .. I do not discriminate or look down of these individuals or the poor... Some of these people...before you finger point...will rob and/or kill you..if the opportunity is right .. I have extended help ..aid ... money , throughout my railroad career, and most likely jeopardized my job by doing so. SO DEAL WITH IT...it is what IT IS. The Bum's at that time were either homeless or transients finding a ride south when cold and then up to the northern climates, when the cold eased up. Lots of times they hid in the stalls of the old roundhouse, or got into the switchers or road motors on the outer tracks awaiting assignment.

Taylor Gregg had nothing to do with them, and kicked them off the power and off property or called the "Cinder Dick's" ( RR Police) to remove them...If arrested they spent a warm night in the Denver holding cell with the Denver PD...and then were released ... which the majority wanted anyway. Well this night was still in the bitter throes of minus degree temperatures for the last few weeks ...and I inspected the goats as instructed..carded 'em slopped the boxes .. and headed in to warm up. I worked some inbound consists and helped Sandy with inspections . We broke for lunch, and Mr Gregg made his usual perfunctory walk around and found a Bum in one of the goats ...So he kicked him out ...read him the riot act ( Like that was doing something ) ushered him off the property ...so he thought. I finished up lunch and reported to Mr Gregg, drinking the vending machine brew, on the air crate, getting my next marching orders . Where the vending machines sat at that time as a part of the diesel shop that was incorporated into part of the old roundhouse. The stall track was gone and cemented over, but the stall door was modified, and could be opened all the way ( like in the summer months) or the use of a "cut-in door", as an alternate exit. It was the primary gathering point as you started and ended your shift.

He was giving me my next task, when we heard "GONG" noises coming from outside...by the turntable .. GONG...GONG BONG GONG ..Bong Gong GONG ...Well Mr. Gregg said what the Hell is that? (the nice version ) ...we opened the door, to find out that the BUM ( running away) has taken the chain locks off the stored wheel sets on the old stubs of former "stalls" and rolled them into the turn table pit. Well there were 15 of 'em in the pit ... you can't spin a locomotive now , because these are blocking the movement...and it's bitter butt cold..but Mr Gregg's swearing raised the temperature by a 0000.1 of a degree.

He said wait here ... I'll get the ELWELL-PARKER and the Lifting chains and we'll fish those out. Now you're saying to yourself...what is an ELWELL-PARKER.. ??? Well its a small mobile crane ...battery driven, ( you plugged it in ) and designed by a dyslexic person with an evil mind. Hey this is 1950's technology and I never mastered it... Want to turn left...spin the wheel to the right or viceversa... stood and stepped on both the pedals it moved and accelerated...lift up on one and it slowed lift on the other it braked... hand controlled for the lifting arm on the crane ... It was a mind blower ... a lever for forward or reverse .... Makes me nauseous just writing about it ... Well the cavalry or the ELWELL-PARKER arrived... "JUMP into the Pit and we'll get these out".. So I hooked on the lifting chain that grabbed the wheel set by each wheel on the outer rim and flange ...when the tension was there it locked on and held the wheel... These were probably about 500 lbs per wheel set... We placed them back where they were and placed one off rail and re chained it. So it wasn't gonna move period. That took a good hour ...hour and a half... DID I SAY IT WAS COLD ?