AHHH The Aroma of the Rotten Onions in Tales of the Jointed Track

This came to mind. I was cooking and bought some yellow onions. I cut into one, CRAP!!! was rotten and slimy inside. Nothing to save here. Luckily a spare and dinner was saved.
Now onto the story.

Big Lift, Late November 1989:
I was working my schedule on the Big Lift Intermodal pool. I could only hold this from Mid November to late January to, if fortunate, to the first week of February. All about seniority, like they say LOL, ya either have too little or too much.

We were called for the 900 PM, on duty at Big Lift. The Q-DVHO1 Denver-Houston
symboled train. I got there around 830 pm, drove to the power. Threw my grip aboard and walked the consist. Back to the yard office for train orders and instructions. The brakeman may or have or may not have placed the ETD on the rear car. We’ll test it on the air test for emergency applied braking from the rear end. A double over from 6502 to 6501, close to 45 cars, mostly empties, and we’ll be gone. The switch at Rio Grande MP 19.3 has been opened for the mandatory five minutes, and we ease out. The brakeman will re-line and lock the mainline, lock the derail and close the gates. We’ll meet him at Louviers at the main crossing about two miles south. He’ll be driven up and we will be on our way.

The trip was a normal one. We had the railroad, so to speak, from Big Lift to Pueblo, CO, and got a running track warrant for the Pueblo Sub. Box 2 proceed from NA Jct to YL-
( Yard Limit ) La Junta. No meets and looking like a 230-300 am tie up at La Junta.

Rocky Ford, CO- Rocky Ford house track 145 AM:
Clear signals into Rocky Ford, and beyond. Blowing for the crossings, a strong overpowering odor comes into the cab. Strong, rotten and what can it possibly be? About halfway through town, on the house track a UP numbered, PFE (Pacific Fruit Express ) Mechanical Refrigerated boxcar. The doors are open, and there are onions scattered about.

We found out the diesel that powered the the refrigeration, shut down due to engine problems. That in turn, the car lost its cooling and the Onions, all 90 tons of them started to ferment. We were told the crew cleaning this mess had to wear Haz-Mat gear due to the strength of the rotting onions. The mess was cleaned up, and several Dump trucks took them to the Land-fill.

We called the Yardmaster at Swink, CO and were told down 97 track spot at the depot. No fill and the Amarillo crew was there to take it south. We’ll show at 530 pm for our return trip north.

Three horrid rotting smells 1) Sugar Beets 2) grain 3) Onions

Thanks for reading..

Shoe

Last updated May 23, 2018