Prospect Junction Denver South C&S Rennix Yard in Tales of the Jointed Track

In my early career, we’d catch a train out of Prospect. The Junction was Prospect, and then called Rennix. I don’t know, we knew it as Prospect, in my early railroad career. The C&S to Cheyenne, WY came through here. The Rio Grande was lined into and out of FOX Jct to access North yard, via the Tom Cat. We, us Santa Fe’s caught off slough tonnage, either run thru, or an odd extra, to make room at 31st Street, for Pueblo to switch out.

The Prospect Jct was an oddly laid out building, a shack , made of a car and an add on. It had one purpose, to route trains, and deliver train orders as needed. Most of the train orders were for the C&S, either to Cheyenne, WY or the Beer Run, to Golden CO+. The Rio Grande got theirs at North Yard. We’d get ours at Rice Yard.

When you’re new, and haven’t run out of here, it was an odd operation. “Ya run out of Prospect Kid??” “NO” “Well look for the Yellow Flag (Days), or the Yellow Bulb-ed Lantern (nights), after ya call 31st Street Yardmaster and get permission to depart Prospect JCT”. My first time out I was terrified, but ya called the Operator at Prospect, he lined the route and got the Flag or lantern to proceed.

This was old school railroading, but something I’d miss as “Technology” came about. The power may be on it, or ya had to bring it out of the house. Past times, never to be repeated..

Last updated May 29, 2018