AMTRAK musings power etc Part 2 in Tales of the Jointed Track

I can’t remember the actual date. I was firing, but we had to come over to 31st Street for the power. They had shut down, the C&S 7th Street roundhouse facility, at Rice Yard, but still operating trains out of there. That will remain for another 6 months and we’ll move over to the BN 31st Street Yard. The city of Denver bought the Rice Yard and round house areas, and the old 19th street TOFC yard. The Rio Grande east end of the Burnham Yard. Air Liquide, the abandoned foundry, and the Namalco Molasses storage terminal. There was a parcel of land that was off limits for the then BN, now BNSF to take coal traffic southward out of town to the Joint-Line. This area houses the Pepsi Center and Elitch Gardens and Water park now.

The house was pretty full, so we had to come out of the east end onto the Junction. Call the 31st Street Operator for time on the mainline. Call the yardmaster, for authorization to occupy the south lead on the Junction bridge. The Operator says “Call me when 5 passes you”. The Yardmaster said the same. We are 3 tracks from the mainline, and AMTRAK is due out at 700 pm.

BN freight consist heading toward the Junction and to the 23rd St roundhouse. This power brought in a train from the east, either from Akron, CO or Sterling, CO.

The signal, at 31st Street is a High Green. I am back with the brakeman. I’ll line the cross over switch for the main, after we get authority and time on the mainline. The brakeman will reline back. The glow of a headlight around the old 23rd Street viaduct, and a sound of E-8’s throttling up. He’s 30 mph, here and making a running air test. He also starts a small throttle down, and will graduate the release, after the junction. The 567 diesels make that hollow roots blown growl and he drops two notches. At the Junction, he throttles up, and starts to release the air. The rear end is by us at a good clip and in the distance you can hear the E’s getting the Zephyr up to track speed. Akron, CO calls three hours and forty minutes away, for the McCook, NE crew change. Faint smell of diesel exhaust in the air, and permission granted, and onto Rice yard, via the Depot.

A old shot of the California Zephyr eastbound at 38th St. The white building, by the locomotive is the old 38th Yard tower. The green signal in the background is the last signal, before entering the depot limits. The track to the right is One Track/ Denver 31st St siding. Most of the eastbound freights were built and departed from there.

• All photos credited to the respective photographers, not used for person gain my me, but for illustration only

Last updated December 23, 2015