Menu

Show posts

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

Show posts Menu

Messages - Judge

#16
I found a video reporting on a firebox backblast.  Really close call.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TJPmkcPer8

And here is a video on how to bring a steam locomotive up to steam. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx9Q8PphAVo
#17
Saturday Report – January 8, 2022

There is no Saturday Report this week due to the hospitalization of the A&S's CEO after open-heart surgery.  Happily, the surgery was successful and he is either out of ICU or will be moved this afternoon.

Last week we took a look at safety during the steam era and learned that boiler explosions were the main cause of death due to problems running the locomotive.  Today, we will take a look at other causes of death and injury.

                                                                                                         Danger Beyond Boilers

      It might surprise you to learn that the second cause of injury beyond boiler explosions was the squirt hose.  This gadget was a rubber extension hose for use to periodically clean coal off of the engine deck and to lightly wet down the tender coal pile to control the dust.  The hose came off of an injector and the water was scalding hot, which caused needless injuries.  The ICC reported the scalding hot water injured up to 80 employees (mostly firemen) a year.  The injuries declined when hoses were improved after 1945. 
   The third most common source of injury was the grate shakers.  Non-standard shakers and ill-fitting shaker bars caused most of the problems.  Firemen used the grate shakers to clean the ashes from his fire.  The fireman would insert an iron shaker bar into a hole and "rock" the grates back and forth, causing the ash to fall onto the ashpan below the firebox.  If the shaker bar came loose from the grate operating lever, it could throw the fireman severely.  Different engines had different grate shakers and often the shaker bars from different engines got mixed up.
   Slightly less frequent, but far more hazardous were bursting flues and arch tubes inside the firebox.  When these items failed, steam pressure and boiler water was released into the firebox.  If at that instant the fireman was standing back beyond an open firebox door, a large quantity of burning coal from the firebed would blow into his face.  Serious burn injury or death inevitably resulted.
   Installation of "butterfly" firebox doors, many steam-operated, reduced other firebox problems. 
   Up until 1925, the fireman's job was the second most dangerous job in railroading, after the brakeman.  The installation of the automatic stoker, a steam-driven mechanical device that used an augur to convey coal from the tender to the firebox significantly reduced the fireman's risk of injury due to firebox dangers.  Stokers were invented and installed because by 1925 locomotives had gotten so large that a single fireman could not maintain boiler pressure under normal operations.  Thus, the safety aspects of stokers were a secondary reason for their installation.  Interestingly, the ICC regulation requiring stokers on heavier locomotives met with objection from both the fireman's and engineer's union, but the railroads agreed to install stokers and they became standard on most engines. 
   The stokers themselves presented problems.  They would jam if rocks or other trash was loaded in the tender along with the coal. 
   The advantages outweighed the problems.  The cab of the locomotive became safer and cleaner when stokers were installed and steam-powered grate shakers reduced other hazards.
   Other hazards included broken axels, blow-off cocks failure, injectors failing, steam pipes cracking, crankpins failing, and side rod failure.  The latter hazard could be particularly deadly if the failure occurred on "Mother Hubbard," or center cab locomotives.  The side rod could wipe out the cab, killing its occupants.
   This short review of the dangers to crew members barely begins to cover the topic. 
   Next week we will turn to the story of locomotive development.
   Your reporter is surprised to report that the Saturday Report received over 1400 visits from last Saturday until this Saturday's posting. Who would have thought?         
#18
Baggage Car - Daily Chat / Tom Langford
January 07, 2022, 06:43:14 AM
Thank you, Greg, for the update.  They have this open-heart surgery down to routine nowadays.  It is still an ordeal and I imagine recovery time will be a slow ordeal.  Especially when you are in your 70's instead of your 20's.  However, I expect Tom will kick it as much as he can and we will be working on the railroad again within four to six weeks.   
#19
There were a number of trades working at the Lima Locomotive Works in Ohio.  They were often in friendly competition with each other.  Sometimes there was an argument as to whether a particular task belonged to one trade or another.  I remember some reported banter between trades at Lima describing the boilermaker trade - "He doesn't have a trade, he only has a habit."  I assume the speaker was referring to the thousands of rivets/bolts that held a boiler together.

I have a book describing the shops at the Lima Locomotive Works.  The shop was divided into several sections, all of which were deafeningly noisy.  The boiler shop was one of the worst, although the shop that had the huge presses used to stamp out locomotive parts, such as side rods, must have been right up there.  Imagine OHSA inspecting the Lima Works today?   

Here is a link to a video taken of the Lima Works in 923-24.  It is of poor quality (typical of the times) and accurately gives the impression of a dark, dangerous environment.  Look at all those bolts on the boiler!

                                                                                        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXzXoMnGVKg
#20
Saturday Report - Friday, December 31, 2021.

    The Board met at 0930 this morning - an hour late due to a prior appointment.
    Last week, we noted that 1559, a USRA Pacific, would run for about 20 feet and stop.  It would run again when given a little throttle.  Your reporter suggested that we try resetting the decoder to the factory default and see if that would fix the problem.  NO NEED!  The decoder fixed itself during the week (A&S decoders often do that) so we decided to run 1559 on a mixed freight at Summit. 
    The engine ran without a problem but it would short out when it ran through the Summit freight yard.  After much testing and a few expletives, it was discovered that the problem was a Kay-Dee freight car.  We did not have time to figure out why the car caused a short when it ran over a turnout but that is a problem to be solved when next we meet.
    The A&S CEO is scheduled for surgery on January 6 and will be out of action for a few weeks.  Your reporter will post information about his progress. 

    The stories posted for the last few weeks have been derived (but not plagiarized) from a book entitled "American Steam Locomotives - Design and Development -1880-1960.  As I previously explained, the book has a lot of information in it that engineers and physicists might understand, but that stufff is all Greek to me.  (Lawyers go to law school when they realize they are mathematically challenged.)  Anyway, there are sections of the book that are of interest to the readers of this report so I have decided to devote two or three weeks to the subject of railroad safety.
 
                                                                                                   Locomotive Safety and Regulation
                                                                                                                         Part I

   Those of us who are old enough to remember steam locomotives when they were still in service look back in amazement at just how dangerous the iron horse in particular, and railroading in general, could be.  The subject of safety in railroading is all too broad a topic for a report such as this one, but your reporter has opted to pick and choose a couple of examples of how steam crews risked life and limb on a daily basis, especially before enactment of the Locomotive Inspection Act of 1911.  This week's topic has to do with boiler safety.
      Modern investigators from OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) would no doubt be appalled at the conditions inside the cab of a steam locomotive.  Temperatures up to 130 degrees F, constant vibration, noise levels exceeding 90 decibels, noxious gases laden with particulates and sulfur, tripping and head bumping hazards everywhere, and no sign of safety concerns and crashworthiness.  Crews regularly worked in these conditions up to 16 hours at a stretch.  One engineer remarked, "You parboiled in the summer and froze in the winter.  It was part of the job.  We loved that job.  Sure, we had a union.  That was to get us better pay.  Safety?  I always thought the job had its dangers. But it was as safe as any other."
Boiler explosions were not uncommon and occurred at alarming frequency.  Interestingly, boilers in steamships came under federal inspection in 1852, largely because explosions on a ship tended to cause mass casualties.  Explosions on steam engines usually only killed a couple of crew members, so these catastrophes did not attract the same public ire as explosions on steamships.
      The fireman and the engineer manually controlled the flow of boiler feedwater and visually monitored its level.  If the crew allowed the water level to fall too low, a boiler even in the best condition would explode due to catastrophic structural failure of the firebox from overheating.  Without adequate water surrounding the firebox, steel in its walls failed from softening by the 2,000-degree fire. The pressure containment of the boiler then ruptured, a couple of thousand gallons of superheated water flashed almost instantaneously into steam, and the consequent explosion generally ripped the boiler off its frame and sent it flying a hundred feet or more into the air and several hundred feet down the track.  The damage was generally so severe that the cause of the explosion was unclear – whether it was crew error (no surviving cab crew), faulty water monitoring devices, or some prior flaw in the boiler.
      While crews were generally hesitant to admit that common practices on board risked dangerous consequences, in situations where the engine was being worked hard, a fireman often "traded water for steam."  This trade occurred when the fireman saw his boiler pressure falling – from poor coal, inexpert firing, or poor running technique by the engineer.  In such case, the fireman could aggressively tend to the fire while cutting back temporarily on the water supply.  Feedwater cooled the boiler, thereby lowering boiler pressure.  Cutting back on the water rate allowed the boiler pressure to recover, preventing a loss of power.  In cases where the locomotive was working at full power on a steep hill, cutting back on the water could prevent a stall, the worst professional embarrassment for both fireman and engineer. 
      Well-experienced crews were able to trade off the firing rate and the water supply against each other and keep boiler pressure steady while anticipating the ever-changing power demands on the boiler due to changing grades and train speeds.  Whether the trade-off was bad or good depended upon the skill of the fireman, familiarity with the road, and the tolerance of the engineer. 
      The Locomotive Inspection Act of 1911 required periodic inspections of boilers and significantly reduced boiler explosions caused by defective boilers.  It did little to reduce explosions caused by negligent operation, which remained a problem until the end of steam. 
      Next week – Danger Beyond Boilers

   
#21
Layout Tours / Re: PRR Bellevue Sub Build
December 31, 2021, 01:44:23 PM
Curt - Your little part of the Pennsy is really coming along.  Looking good!  Happy New Year! Tom and I look forward to seeing you on the A&S property after its CEO recovers from surgery.   
#22
Saturday Report on Friday, December 23, 2021.

The Board of Directors convened at an unscheduled meeting at 9:40 a.m.  Since the meeting was not advertised, no business was conducted.  However, the Board did discuss various matters of interest, including the A&S Video Collection, which has disappointingly not received any awards or other recognition.

This week finishes the information on the United States Railroad Administration.  It is a fascinating subject for steam enthusiasts and its short life had lasting effects on steam locomotive construction.

We at the A&S wish all a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a fun Festivus for you Seinfeld fans.

                                                                                               SELLING THE USRA DESIGNS – (Part III)

During the second and third decades of the new century, railroads spent some considerable effort acquiring "dual service" locomotives.  Railroads blessed with level routes or minimal grades discovered that larger boilers and slightly smaller drivers could convert a passenger locomotive into a satisfactory engine capable of adequately handling both freight and passenger trains.  Perhaps the most famous examples of these dual service engines were the 1600 series of Pacifics on the Atlantic Coast Line. 
   The ACL had seventy P-5-A (USRA light Pacifics), numbered 1500-1569, which appeared during the first world war and it used these locomotives in both freight and passenger service.  They developed 40, 750 lbs. in tractive effort using 25" x  28" cylinders and 73" drivers and steam pressure of 200 psi.  The advantage for these engines was their ability to pull passenger trains at a sustained speed of over 70 mph.  Naturally, a locomotive with such speed capabilities had its drawbacks as an efficient freight engine.
   The Baldwin Locomotive Works and ACL mechanical engineers set out to design a true dual-purpose Pacific to replace the 1500 series, resulting in the design of the P-5-B.  Baldwin built 165 of these engines between 1922 and 1926.  They became the standard mainline freight locomotive and were also capable of making fast running time with heavy passenger trains.  The size of their drivers was reduced from 73" to 69" and steam pressure was raised to 210 psi.  The cylinder size remained the same, but the tractive effort was increased to 45,275 lbs.
   Some of the engines of both classes were equipped with disc-type main drivers, which increased their maximum speed to 75 mph.
   The overall appearance of the P-5-B class engines closely resembled the original USRA design to the untrained eye, the addition of a delta trailing truck on later deliveries being a notable difference.  The P-5-B class weighed slightly more (less than a ton) than the P-5-A class.

Following is a complete list of the twelve designs and the number of original locomotives built and sold:
Type Name                   No. Built
0-6-0 6-Wheel Switcher             255
0-8-0 8-Wheel Switcher             175
2-8-2A Light Mikado                625
2-8-2B Heavy Mikado             233
2-10-2A Light Santa Fe             94
2-10-2B Heavy Santa Fe            175
4-6-2A Light Pacific               81
4-6-2B Heavy Pacific                20
4-8-2A Light Mountain             47
4-8-2B Heavy Mountain             15
2-6-6-2 Mallet                  30
2-8-8-2 Mallet                        106
  Total 1856
Note:  A number of railroads ordered copies of the USRA designs. A total of 3251 copies were built.

THE FIRST USRA ENGINE
The first USRA engine produced was the 4500 for the B&O.  The 4500 was built in only 20 days, which is a record for any locomotive of similar capacity. This was the result of the wishes of Samuel M. Vauclain, then the Senior Vice President of Baldwin, who wanted his company to have the honor of completing the first USRA engine. In accordance with his orders, the engine was finished on July 4, 1918, and was decked out with American flags

THE LAST USRA ENGINE
The last road freight steam locomotive constructed was a N&W 2-8-8-2 (Y6B), which was a development of a USRA design.  The last steam locomotive constructed in America was a N&W 0-8-0 of USRA design based upon the original 1917 blueprints, with the addition of some modern appliances.


For more information on USRA locomotives see:

https://www.asme.org/wwwasmeorg/media/resourcefiles/aboutasme/who%20we%20are/engineering%20history/landmarks/147-baltimore-ohio-4500-freight-usra-2-8-2a.pdf - Or Google number of USRA Steam Locomotives.



#23
The A&S does not have a "run late rule."  Our trains run on time or not at all. 
#24
Saturday Report - December 18, 2021

The Board of Directors met at 0830 hours as usual.  The main topic this week was the production of two new videos designed to complement this week's continued story of the USRA (United States Railroad Administration).  The A&S movie production studios are somewhat limited technologically in that editing is not an option.  This limitation required several "takes" before the videos met the standards expected by the producers. 

After the videos were completed, an ACL mixed freight powered by an A-B-A lash-up of ACL F3's made its run through the Midlands, and dropped local freight in route.  Then the train climbed the Ovalix and traveled through the main freight yard at Summit before being spotted on the mainline in anticipation of lunch at Del Dio's. 

This week's story is a continuation of the abbreviated story of the USRA.   

                                                                   Federal Takeover – The U.S. Railroad Administration (Part TWO)
                                                                                                         1917-1920

   By April, 1918, the USRA's locomotive committee had finished most of its work.  The committee was composed of locomotive users rather than locomotive builders.  As a result, the committee grappled with common problems as well as operational issues limited to one or more railroads.  The committee sought to achieve the best result possible while being under tremendous pressure to reach consensus quickly. 
   The committee first decided on three basic wheel arrangements for road locomotives, with a "light" and "heavy" version for each.  The choice for freight was the 2-8-2; for passengers, the 4-6-2; and for heavy passenger and fast freight the 4-8-2.  The light and heavy versions differed primarily in boiler size and in axel loading.  The heavy versions were limited to 30 tons per axel while the light versions were limited to 28.5 tons.  The light versions were designed for use by the smaller railroads with their lighter rail.  Two switchers, an 0-6-0 and an 0-8-0 were also approved.  Later, the wheel arrangements were expanded to include a light and heavy 2-10-2, and two mallet designs, a 2-6-6-2 and a 2-8-8-2.  Notably absent from the list of wheel arrangements were the workhorses still popular with many roads, the 4-6-0 ten-wheeler and the 2-8-0 consolidation.  These engines were simply too small to be considered adequate for the needs of the day.
   From this far remove, it is easy to imagine the heated arguments over designs among the various committee members.  One member, Robert Quayle, had this to say about the discussions that ultimately lead to consensus:
   "I was a member of the committee of nine that was called on to prepare these designs.  It was a big job to reconcile every member of the committee to each particular thing that was adopted.  All the roads represented had their own standards and they were all different.  Many had to give up fancy notions of someone else in order that the committee might agree.  We saw that we could not bring localism or sectionalism: what we did had to be for the good of the nation.  It was essential that we get together and do what we could to help out." 
   Imagine the chances of that kind of spirit of cooperation in today's political climate.
C. A. Greenough, Vice President of Baldwin Locomotive works, and who was not a member of the committee, had this to say on the subject of standardization:
   "The capacities of the locomotives are based upon average conditions; hence there is no provision for the extreme requirements which these locomotives do not cover.  Where even the light locomotives are too heavy - - and where the heavy locomotives are not sufficient capacity, then special locomotives will have to be provided. Those roads requiring heavier locomotives must change their system of operation so as to use the heavy standard government locomotives.  In such instance where railroads have been equipped from one end to the other to use power of maximum capacity for the purpose of reducing train movements, such action would prove a negative economy." 
   Greenhough's dissenting opinion on standardization expressed one of the main reasons dieselization occurred so rapidly thirty years later.  Moving people and goods efficiently required efficient use of both capital and labor.  Capital is wasted when crews operate locomotives that are bigger than the need.  And when crews operate locomotives that are even slightly too small, more crews have to be paid for the same total traffic.  Greenhough's dissent focused on the labor-cost dimension:  changing 'their system of operation" or arranging an operation "for the purpose of reducing train movements" is code for labor cost implications.  Greenhough could not have visualized the increased efficient use of both labor and capital by the use of multiple diesel units back in 1917.
   The committee agreed to recommend the use of the best of the proven devices and appliances of the time.  Devices that had been proven over time were included, while experimental devices were rejected.  The USRA designs included combustion chambers, firebox arches, superheaters, mechanical stokers for the large road engines, mechanical coal pushers for the smaller engines without stokers, mechanical grate shakers, air-operated power reverse gear, mechanically operated firebox doors, dual water glasses, gage cocks mounted on a water column, and better in-cab lighting. 
   The boiler proportions were quite advanced for the day.  Boiler capacity was generous, with large fireboxes.  The adoption of "flexible stay bolts" allowed the simi-controversial use of combustion chambers without appreciable increase in the cost of maintenance.

        The attached videos are of various USRA Steam Locomotives found on the roster of the Atlantic & Southern:

         The first viedo illustrates the "light" version of the USRA Pacific featuring the ACL P5A 1559, one of many copies of the original design acquired by the ACL

                                                                              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZMHbrOqhrk

        The second video illustrates the "light" version of the USRA 2-8-2 Mikado, ACL's 835

                                                                             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLk50mPWfbU

        The last video illustrates the Seaboard Air Line's version of a USRA copy with air pumps mounted on the smokebox and sporting a Vanderbilt tender.

                                                                              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2emuCOQSYi8

NEXT WEEK – SELLING THE USRA DESIGNS
   
#25
Scratchbuilding / Re: School house build
December 17, 2021, 02:56:47 PM
Bob - I am sure some modelers are thinking about how sad it is that the schoolhouse is built right by the railroad tracks.  The noise from the engines and freight cars would be most unpleasant.  Howsumever, I should say that my elementary school was built right next to the Seaboard Airline RR tracks and, in those days of unairconditioned classrooms, we got to enjoy the train music several times a day.  I don't feel deprived a bit.  Seaboard's road switchers were Alcos and they struck up quite a symphony several times a day.  I always tried to get a permanent seat next to the window so I could watch the action during class.
#26
Saturday Report - December 11, 2021

No Saturday Report today due to the A&S's CEO having a date with his medical team in anticipation of his surgery scheduled at the first of the new year.

    There is a story this week.  Your reporter's wife of 47 years, Cindy, recently bestowed upon him a book entitled "American Steam Locomotives - Design and Developmnet 1880-1960.  This book of over 450 pages contains more information about the engineering and physics involved in manufacturing and operating steam locomotives than a lawyer with no engineering background can absorb, but it is interesting reading nonetheless.  The chapter on WWI's United States Railroad Administration is most interesting for its historical aspects and the highlights will be presented here in at least two installments. 

    Wouldn't you love to have been given a chance to sit in on the meetings when the USRA Committee adopted the designs of the famous USRA locomotives?  Hopefully, you will get the flavor of what that may have been like.  Imagine, the motive power bosses of most of the major railroads sitting down and agreeing on standard designs?  The group included such luminaries as J. T. Wallis, architect and designer of Pennsy's K4.  Fortunately, no one who was familiar with the words "internal combustion" was included.

    The USRA was formed due to wartime necessity.  Many railroads were relying on outdated locomotives that simply were not up to the task to handle wartime traffic.  The USRA locomotives provided much-needed relief to railroads needing modern motive power.
   
                                                                                Federal Takeover – The U.S. Railroad Administration (Part One)
                                                                                                                   1917-1920

    In December 1917, President Wilson entered an executive order federalizing the railroads.  He claimed authority for such a move to be in the declaration of war and the Mobilization Acts of April and August of that year.  Treasury Secretary William G. McAdoo became Director-General of Railroads in addition to his other duties.
   The first item of business was to reduce the log jam of freight trains transporting military equipment to ports in the east. Next came the standardization of freight cars.
   McAdoo, being impatient with the failure of the railroads to adopt standard designs for steam locomotives, appointed a new committee on engines.  The locomotive manufacturer's committee recommended several basic designs based on popular general types, including both freight and passenger locomotives. 
       Ultimately, a board of nine members was appointed. Three members were appointed by each of the three USRA Regional Directors.  The Chicago and Northwestern, a major but not dominant line, had two members, including the chairman and the road's superintendent of motive power; New York Central and Santa Fe were represented, while the Pennsylvania, Southern Pacific, Union Pacific, and Baltimore and Ohio were not. This "oversight" was eventually corrected and representation became more equitable.  J. T. Wallis, superintendent of motive power for the western lines of the Pennsy, and leading architect of the design of the K4 Pacific, simply showed up at the initial meeting of the committee and stayed. The B&O, the Milwaukee Road, Erie, Norfolk and Western, Southern Pacific, and Illinois Central gained members and the committee went to work.  The builders had limited, unofficial participation in the process.  The railroad mechanical engineer staff knew just as much about the theory and practical issues of locomotive design as did the builders.
   McAdoo let his own views be known.  He envisioned a kind of "flying squadron" or "circulating reserve" of government-owned engines sent out as needed to railroads experiencing motive-power shortages.  These locomotives needed to be of standard design in order to be interchangeable from road to road. 
   "There was more than a purely engineering or operational agenda here.  McAdoo was a Democratic Party progressive and spokesman for the view that an activist government should intervene forcefully to correct capitalist abuses.  He foresaw his new locomotives – with a big "U.S." emblazoned on their tenders – as symbols of government-to-the-rescue, bailing out a failed private industrial empire and thus helping reassert citizen control over that industry's former oppressions."  Unfortunately, for McAdoo, the war ended before he could "transform all the railroads, these separate competitive systems, into one great unified transportation system."

   To be continued.  Next week – Successful Locomotive Designs.

   

 
#27
The Babe has advised that Tom's surgery has been postponed until Thursday due to a minor infection that is being treated at the hospital.  Looks like he will be out of contact for at least 10 days.  Probably longer. 
#28
Baggage Car - Daily Chat / Tom Langford's surgery
December 07, 2021, 04:48:33 PM
The Babe advises that Tom's open-heart surgery has been postponed until Thursday due to a minor infection that is being treated at the hospital.  So, Tom is out of circulation for at least 10 days.  I will try to keep you posted on his situation. 
#29
Dave - Thanks for your thoughtful question.  I suppose, in 1950, when the freight passed a station, the engineer would receive orders to "go into the hole" until the passenger train passed. This would have been coordinated by "brass pounders" who acted as dispatchers along the line.  At least that is the way stories are told in my old copies of Railroad magazine.

And thanks to all of you who take the time to read my whimsical missives.
#30
Saturday Report- December 4, 2021

The Board of Directors met at 0830 hours.  The agenda was limited to discussion of the director's various medical issues, mainly the CEO's upcoming surgery scheduled for Monday.  Estimates are that he will be home from the hospital by a week from today.  All of the employees of the Atlantic & Southern Railroad, both management and labor join hands in wishing him the best of luck. Please do not send flowers - Send money instead.  The ticket agent needs to upgrade his office.

After the board meeting, the team adjourned to run trains.  An ACL freight, powered by a purple and silver brace of F3's was brought up from The Bottoms and it climbed up the Ovalix to The Midlands without difficulty.  The mixed freight made its way around the area, dropping off and picking up freight cars and generally showing her stuff.  Along the way, she was turned on the wye located near the Ovalix and she worked the industries located on the Tahope Penninsula.

A movie company hired by A&S management shot a video of the beautiful train.  The video was shot several times due to various glitches but it can be seen with the link located at the end of this report.

The story this week has its origin in tgh April, 1938 edition of RAilroad Magazine.  The caboose was part of the lore of railroading in the day before technology and managerial concerns about the cost of labor.  This week's story is about one of the ACL's crummys which was the home of Donny "Short Stack" Turner and his cousin Newton (Newt) Ray Lee Fisher on their regular run until the wreck occurred.

                                                                                                     THE LITTLE RED CABOOSE

The crew that drew the trip from Tampa to Tahope that foggy December morning included "Fatso" Johnson, as engineer, Newton Ray Lee (Newt) Fisher, as fireman, Willie Hatch as head shack, and Newt's cousin, Donny (Short Stack) Turner, as hind shack. 
   Newt and Short Stack were just about at the end of their rope living in The Bottoms so they decided to make the caboose used on their regular runs their home.  It beat paying for an apartment they would sleep in six nights a month. 
The caboose was a standard M-3 ACL crummy, manufactured after the war with steel sides.  It had a cupola where the con or the hind shack could observe the train, a desk for the con to use to flip tissue in route, racks for waybills, and an order hook hanging from a peg near the desk.    There were also cabinets for tools, chains, knuckles, wrecking frogs, jacks, and buckets of dope for hot boxes. 
The desk was located right across from the coal-fired stove.   The stovetop provided heat for fried potatoes, corn beef hash, and fried eggs at breakfast time and for a variety of delicacies at lunch and dinner.  During the winter, even in Florida, the crew kept a smoldering fire going all day and night.   
Newt and Short Stack painted over the drab sand color paint on the interior of the crummy and gave the walls a couple of coats of light green.  They painted the ceiling dark green and hung pictures on the walls.  They swapped out the oilcloth cushions and replaced them with real mattresses.  White curtains decorated the windows.  The galley was much improved, with an ice-cooled refrigerator and a vegetable bin. 
They oiled the suspension springs on the trucks and adjusted them to where the crummy rode like a Pullman.
The boys liked the caboose so much they took up residence there and quit going out at night to howl in the local joints. 
The conductors began fighting for assignment to the caboose's runs and, on the day in question, Bud Millstone pulled the duty. 
Things went well for the first part of the trip.  However, Millstone got busy with his waybills and Short Stack fell asleep on his bunk as the train reached Auburndale.  That is where the ACL rails from Miami join the rails to Jacksonville via Lakeland and Orlando.  The Miami-Chicago Floridian was scheduled with right over Fatso's freight, but if was running behind time so Fatso was given the clear to run ahead to Orlando. "Fatso's" freight sped past Auburndale with the Floridian close behind.  Fatso slowed for a herd of cattle crossing the track near Kissimmee and the Floridian plowed into the rear of the train, derailing the caboose and causing it to be destroyed by fire from the overturned stove. 
The investigation that followed blamed Short Stack for not flagging the Floridian in time to avoid the accident and he was awarded brownies and demoted to the job of car tonk.  He took the demotion in stride.  After all, he had been demoted before. 
Newt, who suffers from a fear of accomplishment, said, "After this adventure, I feel like I can accomplish anything.  I've always wanted to say that and now I've accomplished it."   
   And both Short Stack and Newt, after being barred from entry to any of the railroad's cabooses, moved back to The Bottoms.

    Here is a link to a short video of the mixed freight coming out of downtown Tahope - before the incident that destroyed the caboose.

                                                                                       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsi4N4nWmFA



Powered by EzPortal