Hi Pete and folks:
When Bob Richardson got the C&S Mechanical Department files out of the
Denver roundhouse, there were also some old personnel records. In the old
days, the Engineers and Firemen worked for the Master Mechanic, not the
Operating Department. So...included in all this stuff were Investigation
transcripts. Some of them were really interesting, like the time the Engr.
and Con. on the passenger job got in a fistfight because....in trying to
find a pocket in the Colo. Springs coal bunker that had coal in it, the
Engr. got to "rough handling" the train. The verdict was that "while the
fact that other people had given him good cause, by not turning the tags
(that told either how many tons, or mty., the pocket was) he still shouldn't
have rough handled the passenger train." The Hogger got several "brownies".
The C&S had not only demerits, (brownies), but also merits for good deeds,
like: "bringing in an engine with cracks in the backhead so bad that the cab
was full of steam", and thus avoiding an engine failure on-line. Over your
career, you would accumulate merits and demerits....we counted up one
fellow's, and he had a net loss of 78 demerits over 40 years :>)
Anyway....there was one investigation that had the classic Fireman's excuse,
I still use it to screw with officials. One Monday morning, the
Fisherman's Special was coming back into Denver from the Platte Canyon.
They were running late, and got on the outbound passenger's time. The two
of them met on the little trestle over Clear Creek (under the US6 overpass),
causing damage to both locomotives. The location is on a reverse curve, and
apparently the Engineers didn't see each other in time to avoid a slow speed
collision. When testifying, the Fireman on the Extra explained: "I was down
on the deck attending to my fire, and when I heard the Engineer put the
train in Emergency, I looked out my front cab window and saw the other train
coming. I jumped out of the gangway into the Creek, which was dry, and
broke both my ankles." "I was down on the deck putting in a fire, and I
didn't see a thing". Nowadays....it's like the Belle Ayr Helper Engineer
said when they "T-boned" the loading train: "I was down in the nose
(toilet)." Which, of course leads one to wonder why the motor was moving in
the first place:>)
There was also some correspondence in the 1930's, which I copied (by hand,
Bob didn't have a copier), with Edwards Mfg. and others about three-foot
gauge gas-mechanicals, or conversions of passenger cars, to replace the
steam passenger service to South Park.
Mike Decker
----- Original Message -----
> Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2002 17:48:51 EDT
> From: PSHedgpeth@a...
> Subject: Re: E-5 B Units (Was: Re: Digest Number 1429 (New CB&Q E7A)}
<snip...
>
> Warren and list
>
> I was just discussing with another ancient railroader today re what you
> mentioned about location of fireman whenever anything amiss occurred. He
was
> ALWAYS back in the engine room.
>
>
> Pete
>
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