Derailment Colorado Springs, and the La Junta Derrick.. October 6th, 1982 Part 1. in Tales of the Jointed Track

I may have written this in Open Diary a while back, or thought I did. I was first out in Pueblo, waiting a call. We had just got back from Furr’s, and I called the crew caller to get an update. “Looks like we’re deadheading 4 crews back, around 800 pm”. That’s good, because I have been in Pueblo since 100 am this morning and now getting Held Away from Home terminal pay.

Little did I know, that about 30 minutes after I hung up the phone, C&S train 262 derailed at the north Colorado Springs switch. Train 262 was a drag freight out of Billings, MT to Ft Worth, TX. It was reduced and filled at Denver. Another factor, there were cars in the train, that were not on the “wheel”. A “wheel” is a list of cars in your train, plus the waybills, that accompanied the cars, whether loaded or empty. These were in the caboose, when we had them, and in the conductors possession. The wheel now is computer generated, again listing the cars, plus location in the train. A separate Haz-Mat list is also generated. There are no “Way Bills’ per se, since they are electronically generated and sent to the Shipper and/or Consignee.

Example of old freight waybills carried at one time by the Conductor in the caboose. Notice the “stamps”, that is where other railroads have processed through interchange. One os a SOO LINE the other a C&NW, that where the car originated on that railroad.

I am in the room, watching hockey off the MSN netwok that was on the cable at the Motel. The phone sounds off at 830 pm. “Terry!, 1000 pm, La Junta Derrick to Colorado Springs. Report to the Trainmaster for instructions before leaving. 262 is in the ditch at north Springs”. “Wow, how many cars”? “Not sure, at least 35 are piled up, as far as they know right now”. So much for the dead head home. This will be a 12 on duty trip. Maybe they’ll send us to Denver, because if it is bad as they say, the main will be shut down for at least 2 to 3 days. Plus this is former Rio Grande track, they will be involved as well.

The crew is still the ones I came down with, 21 hours prior. Kent Bridgeman is the Conductor, Ron Johnson is the Rear Brakeman, and Dale Balk is the Head Brakeman. We meet in the lobby of the Motel, and no Ron Johnson. Hopefully he took the call, and will meet us at the yard office.

We arrive and still no Ron. Great, every Company Officer within sniffing distance, is gonna be in the area or up at the derailment. We get a briefing from the Pueblo Trainmaster, on what needs to be done. We are also to switch out the derrick at the Rio Grande lower east yard to set up for re railing and clearing of wrecked damage cars.

They are also concerned, because they are piled up two to three deep. Some have gone into the northbound lane of I-25. It is related that there are 15 extra strangers and they don’t know if they are involved or if they are dangerous cars either. The BN is trying to sort out the mystery, and now have their butts hanging out. They were notified, that there 15 extra cars, as the rear end crew rolled them by. The Conductor wrote the numbers down, and the BN said “YOU will leave town with them”. They would call the Operator at Rice Yard, and he would update, and that never happened.

Still no Ron. The speaker bellows. “He’s at the Depot, and stopping to load supplies and top off the water tank in the Diner car at the Fuel Track. He’ll be coming up the outbound to the 23 lead. When you get the okay take it up to the signal at Canon City Jct, line the yard access switch back.

I tell Kent we have to leave, and lay low on this. He agrees, and is pissed. It takes a lot to get Kent angry and he is fuming right now. They off load the food supplies to the Diner car and top off the water tank in the diner car. We get the okay to leave town, and head for the Springs. To be continued in Part 2.

Last updated April 13, 2015