Mike
I know what you mean by circus. When they moved me down from Galesburg the
company gerentted us covered parking to stay out of the HOT Texas Sun. In
the IDC(A dun colored warehouse((I don't care)))We had it. The company
built the new NOC(nest of confusion) we had it till they built the marketing
building on top and inside the parking garage. Then another building was
built and Grenstein headed for the hills because the DS do not have covered
parking. All the first shifters get it. With the red alert they closed the
parking garage. May be some one was going to bring something in they were
not suppose to. But you could still(if you got there in time)Park right up
next to the building ????
Must be the Santa Fe who replaced a Concrete bridge with a Wooden one. The
Q started to replace most wood with Concrete pile trestles starting in the
1920's
Really neat to railroad in the 21st Century with a 20th century plant.
sjh
----- Original Message -----
From: Mike Decker <mdecker@g...>
To: <BRHSlist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 10, 2001 1:00 PM
Subject: [BRHSlist] "Q" Bridges & Investigations
> Hi Folks:
>
> This year the Santa Northern has rebuilt/replaced two of the "Q" bridges
on
> the Third Sub. of the Alliance Division. The 1909 bridge over the Belle
> Fourche River at Moorcroft (MP-570.9) had the concrete deck replaced with
a
> wooden one. The old wooden trestle over a ditch at Newcastle (MP-518.8)
on
> what is now Main 1, was completely replaced with a steel-pile trestle with
a
> concrete deck. The Pile Driver and several cars worth of new concrete
> bridge parts are still sitting at Owens (MP-508), so there must be more
B&B
> work on the schedule.
>
> They had a 10MPH slow order on the Newcastle bridge while they were
driving
> the new piles. They built a piece of skeleton track to sit on the old
> bents, with shims and such to keep it level. Some of the boys were a
little
> nervous about that. It was a fairly easy place to have a 10, though. Wit
h
> a coal train, you just shut off as you're topping Newcastle and it would
> slow down to 9-10 by itself. It would drift for a while like that, and
when
> you had to get into dynamic, the motors were quite a ways off of the slow
> order. My theory about bad track anyway is: As long as the lead motor
makes
> it across, the rest don't matter :>)
>
> Speaking of my theories.....my investigation for "Failure to maintain a
dim
> headlight" (aka shutting off your headlight when you're setting still in
> CTC) was finially cancelled after three postponements. The officials at
> last figured out that we were going to beat them with "In case of doubt or
> uncertainty, the safe course must be taken". Also...the Ass't Sup't was
> reconsidering the wisdom of sending this thing down to Fort Worthless for
> review...that silly an investigtion probably wouldn't be a good career
move
>:>)
>
> Since I have considerable doubt that having the headlight shining in
> someone's eyes when you don't need it yourself is a safe practice, I'm not
> too concerned with the FRA/Company interpretation. Even though I can be
> trusted to operate mllions of dollars and thousands of tons worth of
> equipment, and look out for the safety and wellbeing of the people around
> me........the FRA thinks that I can't be trusted to turn the headlight
back
> on when I start moving. I really think that the only reason the Company
> wants the headlight on when the train is occupied is to save them getting
> out of their Suburban, putting on their Orange hats, and climbing up (in
the
> case of the wide-cab GE's particularly) the too steep steps into the motor
> to pester somebody if nobody's home :>)
>
> We're on "Red Alert" now. The Company has suspended most of the rules
that
> require the Conductor to get down on the ground and walk the train. We
are
> supposed to stay in the cab for our own security. We figured we ought to
> lock the cab doors too....to keep undesireables (officials and such) out.
> Last trip, we parked a train at Pedro. When the Con. was walking back up
> from tying brakes...a train went by and he stayed on the ground to roll it
> by. Now...we wonder if they'll fire him for rolling a train from the
> ground? :>)
>
> Most people have to pay to see a circus like this.
>
> Mike Decker
>
>
>
>
>
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