Entries 399
Page 7 of 16
Jack Powell Hump Foreman 1130 pm Job.. Part 2
I wrote about Jack, many entries past. We, us young ones, laughed at Jack, not to his face, because he had several bowling shirts, with “JACK” on ‘em. Jack bowled in several leagues, at the M...
Crew calling at its finest March Blizzard 2003
I always enjoyed a helper run. Yeah sometimes it was a shove or two, routine and back home. Wait the next call. Winter 2003: Mike Fitzpatrick and I got called for a set of helpers about 1000 ...
We were called on Sunday morning for 430 am. A Coal Load, and again a routine run up hill. I caught this off the extra board, and I hadn’t been to Pueblo for about 2 months. We cut-off the hel...
BN Trains 93 and 94 Part 2
I am holding the Denver Engineers Board 8, by choice. Living out on the road, does not appeal to me, at this juncture. We are still short of qualified engineers, on this sub-division still into...
BN Trains 93 and 94 Part 1
93 AND 94 were the BN’s attack for the “Q” trains out of Big Lift. It was intermodal TOFC and stack traffic south. East Traffic went via 100 to Chicago on the former CB&Q main. These were ...
Train J-1577 and air brake problems
We were called for a coal load about 1030 to 1100 am. Typical BN, crew change and go, add the helpers, and assault the grade. So whatever delay or late arrival into Denver, we were on our way. ...
DP locomotives Part 2
The Hostlers have arrived at the rear end of the train. Permission from the yard master has been received to couple in and set up or “Condition” the rear DP. The train order operator ( if still...
DP locomotives Part 1
This also may have been an Open Diary, that I forgot to include in the transfer. I may have said the term “DP” in some of my entries. DP is an acronym for Distributive Power. Depending on wher...
Air brake chalk board What is he talking about??? Part 3
This will deal with the Automatic Brake Valve. No we just don’t go to release condition to a full service application position. When you brake your car or truck, you adjust your foot pedal pre...
Air brake chalk board What is he talking about??? Part 2
Remember my last statement in Part 1? Air pressure opposing air pressure. There are many components in the braking system. Let’s simplify this, and I did this with my fireman. Lets make t...
Air brake chalk board What is he talking about??? Part 1
A train passes by you. The locomotives blast by, and car after car passes. Is this thing ever going to end ? The the last car with an odd looking device on the draw bar ( the ETD) or a locomotive...
Pueblo, CO The DP out of Fuel, Denver Brush DS
I caught a trip south off the Denver extra board. The Inter divisional run-thru hasn’t started yet. We are called on rest at Pueblo,CO. I notice three SD-70-MAC’s on the old fuel track. Th...
John Kostur Locomotive Engineer Santa Fe Railway
I have a few tales about John . Overall, he was a good person and liked to railroad. John was old school, he loved steam power, and the new guys had no clue on what to think. I liked John, bu...
Palmer Lake Helpers ...Now in the Modern era
This is beyond my era,as a Locomotive engineer, but also when I troubleshooted. The weather is that. The tunnel type bridge, is at MP 49 near where, I laid my late Labs to rest Bear in 2011 a...
This might have been an open diary story, so my apologies. I followed this crew into town. George Arnold was the Conductor. We were both called on Coal empties out of Pueblo, CO. Was a typi...
Winter of 1983 Cold bitter and the trip back north
We got into Pueblo about 1030 pm and it looked like out on our rest. Nothing is really open this late. I had eaten before I reported at Denver. Leuthey’s Kitchen, Swiss food, great portions,...
Virginia and the lost car on the Extra North: We were called for a extra drag north out of Pueblo. Was a bunch of BN power, and a rag tag bunch of cars as trailing tonnage. This is still the e...
Virginia was your typical “Old School” Train order Operator. She was that way till she retired, in Pueblo, CO. When there were train order stations at Sedalia, Orsa, Castle Rock, Palmer Lake, ...
Corridor Mentor Job Stuff Late June Early July 2011
I got up at 530 am. Cup of coffee, and logged into the mainframe from home. I look in TRNBRO, for an inbound look coming into Denver from the south. What is called or going to be called South. Wh...
La Junta CO Q-HODV a mistaken identity
It is a warm December day in La junta about 530 pm. It is near 65-70 degrees. When we tie up art Big Lift, it will be in the low to mid 30’s. Southeastern Colorado vs Central front range Colorado...
Amos Terry the Commanche and his last crew change 1981
I got called for a Comanche coal train at Denver. 130 cars 16, 800 tons..five motors on the head end. We will have a helper and on it goes. “Santa Fe’s he’s coming by 38th Street”. We’re out ther...
The Old Rails Luncheon
We are all Santa Fe here..I worked with most of these guys,either entirely during my career, or at least 25 years of it. Well here we are one is 73 a couple in the late 60’s and us “new” kid...
The Fox Hole Bar and a Helper set
Okay a disclaimer !! Before reading this, this bar was near the Roundhouse. It was at one time a workingman’s drinking establishment. It fell on hard times, and as the LODO ( Lower Downtown ) ...
Although class lights are not used in modern railroading, they once served a purpose. In the days of train orders and first and second class trains, these were essential. The identification of ...
There are major inspections, that are not only a railroad maintained requirement, but a Federal Requirement. One of these is the 3 year air. You basically remove and change out all the air brak...
Book Description
Tales of the Jointed Track
Railroading my career from September 15th,1972 thru September 5th. 2012
This is my first attempt of writing down my thoughts. I have been asked or have been suggested that I do by my Co-workers or others that know me. This will be about railroading throughout my career, first starting out in the Roundhouse and then changing railroads and going into engine service, which I finally retired from in September of 2012 forty years.
I hired out with the Burlington Northern in September of 1972. I was called by the General Roundhouse Foreman, one week before my hire date. “Do you still want this job”…”yes Sir” I told him. He said come down get physical papers , get that done see the clerk and you’ll be a Midnight Machinist helper. “Okay” I told him… I was working at a bakery for a major Grocery chain, in Denver at the time… also on midnights so not a big difference. I got up went to the Railroad physician and took my 5 minute physical. Returned to the shops and turned in the paperwork. “When can you start?”…I need to give notice and I will firm up with you. I gave my notice to the bakery and started a week later on nights ..
I introduced myself to the night Roundhouse Foreman.. Taylor Gregg....mid to late sixties …skinny as a rail…and always wore his hard hat cocked at at angle..and always started the night out at the coffee vending machine… ready to delegate the nights task. You’ll work with Sandy Ortiz .. we have a bunch of Goats that need Federal inspection and repair… ( a Goat is a slang term for a switch engine ) ..
I entered my midnight shift as a Machinist Helper, working with Sandy. He was Hispanic ..( didn’t care that he was ) and elderly, about early to mid sixties. He had terrible arthritis and shuffled when he walked… I always wondered why a man of his age, worked nights ? He had the seniority to work days, or really any shift he wanted. But as I continued to work for the railroad, there are those that prefer nights, Night Fighters they were called.
The Diesel shop had a Three stalls or tracks in the main shop… The old roundhouse stalls were west of that location but “did” join up… Line one was the running track for inbound inspection and minor maintained. After units were fueled, they came into line one, line one had another exit on the other end of the shop and the track extended out toward the depot. That track was the “Buck Main” that line one connected to. On line one units had cooling water added as needed, Lube oil, compressor oil, and someone went underneath and checked the Traction Motor suspension bearings for lubrication levels. Also the gear cases were looked at and “Crater Bags” were added as needed to provide lubrication to the gear cases. These were bags of heavy grease in a plastic casing that broke down after meshing with the pinion and spur gears. During the winter they were kept in a warm water bath to stay supple. I always said when these were hard you could kill someone with it…like a blackjack .. plus if they were like that they would jam the gearing and slide the wheels or drivers of the locomotive.
Line two was a run through track in the shop, and connected to line on about 300 feet west. this was an inspection maintenance , track…
Line three…well that where Amtrak had units that laid over and it was stubbed.. Old early FP-7 FP-9 E-8 and E-9 a and B units… They were from all railroads, and the US government bought em… some were really trash…I’ll elaborate on that later : ) … We also performed general maintenance and certain Federal inspections as needed…If heavy repairs of a big inspection was needed they went to one of the older roundhouse stalls and remained till completed.
Sandy and I were assigned a SW12 switcher for completion. The second trick, ( afternoon shift ) did the diesel engine requirements and the electricians did their electrical cabinet, auxilliary generator and main generator work. We were to complete the bottom end… Brakeshoes, truck maintaince, suspension bearings, lube the cooling fan bearings..and check or replace cooling fan belts, air compressor, lube the center bowls ( where the trucks meet the carbody of the unit ) and change out and air brake or air equipment not done and and filters not changed out or replaced.
We finished off the inspection and started on another…after lunch that was completed as well and they were “carded off” and ready for service. Sandy had me do the heavy work, and I will always be greatfull because I learned and I still remember to this day, and it served me well when I went into engine service.
