I have been going over a large lot of paperwork from the agent/operators at
Cheyenne and Chugwater, Wyoming that originated in 1917. In addition to a large
number of train register slips, there were numerous copies of train delay and
other roll-by reports as to the consists of #29 and #30 as they rolled by
Chugwater. There were also numerous copies of Form 22, which detailed the
freight train consists out of Cheyenne. Each report lists the engine, cars,
conductor, brakeman and flagman as well as any delays or problems en route
(passenger got a finger caught in the vestibule door of a chair car. Two
things, albeit trivial, that stand out is #1 Every single passenger train that
went by Chugwater had an 800 consolidation on the head end (all these reports
were from April, 1917) so did every freight train except for 1 trains with more
than 11 cars which had #706 on the head end, two of those trains (18 and 21
cars) were double-headed. If I remember correctly, CB&Q 2814? appeared on #29
once. Sometimes the registers or reports listed tonnages, other times the
number of cars were shown instead. On every single report on #29 or #30 the
word "Coach" was never used once by an agent or conductor. It was always "Chair
Car" or "Chair" never "coach" Reminds me of how we and ATS&F people always said
"Way Car" while UP and D&RGW people used "Caboose." Another oddity is the fact
that most of the passenger train roll by inspections showed at least three
heavyweight Pullmans, usually four, and one time there were six. One has to
wonder how a 2-8-0 made time with an rpo baggage, an extra baggage car, two
chair cars and six Pullmans over that roller coaster line. Most of the Pullmans
originated in Denver, while one or two were added daily in Cheyenne for
connections to the Pacific NW, going in the opposite direction, one or two were
dropped in Cheyenne, the rest seemed destined for the Gulf Coast via the FW&DC.
Many of the "better" Pullman cars such as the "Bruges" made their way onto
these two trains. One other interesting footnote to the operating history of
the Wyoming lines is that operators and agents often sent unuusual requests as
part of some train orders. I found operators requesting that track forces watch
for pieces of broken wheel flanges between mileposts and to retrieve same. As
an ex railroader, I can tell you they did this to recover evidence to be used
in an investigation for somebody who missed a thin or broken flange during a
running repair or inspection. Not that I ever faced an investigation, I can
assure you, really, I never, ever did, really! I repeat this is all one form of
trivia or another but it does give a bit of life to the familiar books we use
and enjoy as students of railroad history. Best regards, Bob M
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