Train 152 Denver,CO 15 below zero weather. Part 2 in Tales of the Jointed Track

BN Denver 31st Street Yard .. Track Pocket of One and One track

I place my coat on and get ready to walk the consist as requested. I tell the carman, "I guess you heard that?" "Yeah" "Ill leave em charging till I cut the air between the power and the train. I'll have the brakeman cut it back in when I finish the air test on the locomotives". "okay, lemme know when you're done".

I tell the brakeman, I'll cut the air while I'm back there . He protests a little, but I explain, I have to check all the MU air hose connections, I gonna be back there anyway, when I cross over to the other side. You'll cut em back in, stay warm, your not in a jam for not doing it". He now understands, remember he is a new hire and this is his fourth trip on the railroad.

I walk the engineer's side, check around, feel around, no sign of leakage, The brake pipe, main reservoir line, actuation line, and the independent application and release lines are tight. I grab the angle cock, on the rear locomotive and close it. I repeat the same inspection on the fireman's side of the consist. Reaching the cab, I tell the brakeman head back to the rear unit. I'll tell ya when to open it. I make the set on the automatic brake valve, the exhaust is strong. The cutoff, starts to slow, and the exhaust ceases. I wait a minute, snap the cut-out from In to Out again. Wait another minute and time the brake pipe leakage for another minute. If fact I timed it for two minutes. The gauge dropped 1 lbs, it's not the power, its because this train is 80 cars of length, in below zero weather, the train is just a little over a mile long.

"Cut 'em in". "Okay, going in for air".. "Carman on 152, here's the air again".. "Thanks, I'll let ya know when it gets to 85 lbs again. It leaked off to zero". I bet it did, and that in itself should be a clue. But it's the BN, and they hate us "God damned Santa Fe's" anyway..LOL . Feel the love ...

An hour later, the brake pipe struggles to 85 lbs, and a call to set the air again is requested. The exhaust from the automatic brake valve is still weak, and again when the leakage test is performed, it sinks like a stone. The carman related he didn't find nothing, out of the ordinary. Its the train length, the below zero weather, and 31st St's insistence this 80 cars of beer is leaving PERIOD. "Okay release 'em again". We begin the task of trying to make this pass the air test.

Tim McCann Terminal Trainmaster / BN General Car Foreman / The carman, working the train.

We see a mechanical truck and a yard vehicle go by. Somethings up, and looking back I see the gang of three, back by the fourth unit. "Trainmaster to the engineer on 152, come back here we found the air leak" "Okay, I walked them, and they passed the air test, I'm ready to see this leak". I tell the brakeman, I'm heading back, he asks if he can go as well. "Sure this should be quite interesting".

We get back to the 7239, a brand new SD-40-2, about a year on the property. Tim McCann says "I found your leak, you didn't look very hard". "Okay Tim, why don't you show me is so-called leak". He points to a pipe, that runs down, behind the fuel tank and between there and the rear truck. The number 4 traction motor and housing can be seen. I said "That pipe right there?" "Yeah can't you hear that air blowing?". I take off a glove, and stick my finger in the offending leak. It's warm, its black and it oily, and reeks of fuel and combustion. I come back out, and stick this oiled up finger under McCann's nose. I said "Smell that Tim?? Ever see this coming out of an air brake train line?" "IF that is the case, you'll never have a another train leave this terminal". He's wide eyed and aghast, and moving away, that the ooze would touch him. I tell them this air leak is the air box drain, for the diesel engine. If I shut the diesel down, that "air leak" stops. This is not in connection with the air system, PERIOD!! The General Car foreman, stammers a bit and says, "I am with the car department, I don't know about locomotives". I said "not a problem...lemme give a quick lesson". " See the "Square" grating behind the cab?, thats the air intake for two things; the traction motor blower and the turbocharger. EMD's are ported 2 cycle diesels, the airbox is pressurized for combustion, there are five small holes, on each side of the bank, which allow for drainage of oil and water. that's your "air leak". See where it says 7239, the air compressor, is behind that, that's where your air supply comes from. This is true for each of these units.

Silence..Tim pipes up, "well this train is going to leave this yard". "Is it, Tim? not with a 20 to 35 lbs train line leakage, and not with me at the throttle. You have two choices, reduce this train, to reduce the leakage potential, or find another engineer". He's pissed, red faced, knows I am right, but going to play the management card. "It's leaving, and within the next hour!!!" "Okay, if it has to leave, I need a written authorization, from your Division Superintendent, and from the Santa Fe Division Superintendent. Telling me its okay to break the operating rules, and be responsible for anything that happens...plus it will go to Kalamath Ave and it can rot there. This ain't happening, he knows it.

They reduced the train, by 20 cars. The air test was made, it barely passed, but it was safe to leave town.

We flew up the hill, it is still cold at Palmer Lake, it is 600 pm and the sun is behind the range. I throttle off, stalling the train a bit, as the train crests the grade. A minimum reduction, off the valve I get a Pssst, okay to 10 lbs, and a better exhaust. I can feel them braking, and I get the dynamics in and they handle great to the Springs. The other side of the Palmer Divide, it is warmer air...and its even better. We tie up at 830 pm. A long day, but sometimes you have to stand your ground.