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