Eddie Howard .. Engineer, Friend, and a Sad story Part 3 in Tales of the Jointed Track

It is late. About 930 pm, I am due for call maybe an empty, and maybe the 594. I think it’s gonna be the 594, and I am in that rotation. Sleep days work nights, and I feel good. I’ll watch the news at 1000 pm, and maybe try to get a nap. The phone rings, Yes an empty home.

It’s Eddie, “Hey I just brought in the 594, and you’re getting called for it. Call me, when you get called, I need to go to Colorado Springs”. “Sure Eddie, no problem”. Just as soon as I hang up the phone, RING-RING…“Hello” “Terry… 594 for 1159 pm” “Okay 594 ..1159”. CLICK!! Short an sweet. I call Eddie, he says I’ll meet you in the Lobby.

Pueblo Yard 1159 pm

We report, with Eddie in tow. We have roughly a 80 car train, with a 15 car set out at the Springs. The fuel track added a GP-30, to the inbound consist. So 4 units, 2 GP-20’s, a U-23-B, and a GP-30. A total of 8600 hp, and it won’t be a flyer, the 594 never is. We get on the train, make the air test, and leave town. We top Bragdon Hill at 31 mph, and make 40-45 mph across the flats. Not too bad, and have done a lot worse. It’s 420 am and we make Colorado Springs. Eddie gets off with the brakeman. He’ll get a cab to a motel, and meet up with his children later that afternoon. “How ya getting back?’ “Oh, I’ll get a Continental Trailways Bus back to Pueblo”. Yeah and he’ll hop a drag back to La Junta and mark up.

Colorado Springs, CO 830 pm 36 hours later

We have a coal train, and doing good. Over the top, cut off the helpers, and no meets to the Springs. “Santa Fe DS La Junta to BN 5937 South”. “5937, go ahead DS”. “Can you stop at the old Rio Grande depot?. I have a passenger that needs to be picked up”. “Sure, we’re 2 miles from the north switch, we can get stopped okay”. “I’ll relay that message, thank you, DS La Junta out”. When the words. “pick up a passenger” is used, it’s usually a Company Officer,a trainmaster or road foreman, needing a ride. We stop at the old Rio Grande depot. A figure appears. LOL it’s Eddie. He boards the coal train, and says well take off. I release the air and call the rear end, “Here we go” “Alright, rolling”.

I ask Eddie, “How the fuck, did you pull that off?” “Well, I called the dispatcher, and it was Pete Holliman. I know Pete well, and asked if there was a train close”. “He said there was, and I’ll see where they are at”. “I told him, I needed a ride, to Pueblo, if that could be arranged”. He told me “Yeah, they’ll stop and get ya”.
End of story. We take Eddie to Pueblo, change crews and tie up. Total train delay at the Springs, 7 minutes… That won’t happen in today’s railroading operations.

I still laugh about that day.