Re: The Jordan Spreader.

Russ489 Wrote:
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> Having spent some time on work trains with the
> spreader I can attest to the fact that the entire
> machine flexes and moves around quite a bit. When
> ditching, the entire frame will twist, raising the
> wheels of the rear truck off of the rail on the
> side where the ditcher is working. It is a bit
> disconcerting but we did not have any derailments
> because of it in my experience.

Yes, but the flexing is in the rear of the machine not in the front. Russ probably remembers the "Spreader-a-thon" we went on around 1983 when we Jordan-ed our way to Antonito and back in late October. We had the 19, the OU and 0503. One afternoon, we were digging our way down the hill toward MP 289 (Gravity Hill). Gary Getman was digging out the ditch on the up hill side of the track. Suddenly there was a huge BANG and everything stopped. I think Russ plugged the train, but we were stopped by the time he wound the brake valve around into emergency. Getman unloaded, screaming about going too fast (we were at a walk). It turns out in carving the roadbed out of the side of the lava-topped mesa, a large immovable boulder was encountered. Instead of attempting to remove it in 1880, they simply put the track on top of the rock and continued laying track toward Cumbres. OU found it, dug into it, and became airborne over the top. Gary said the back end of the OU jumped about a foot straight up. Luckily, it landed back on track and everything was still where it was supposed to be. I'm sure there lots of encounters with immovable object with the OU. Looking underneath of it there a lots of weld repairs done to the frame of the OU.