Bocea Hill Derailmant

Bill Holt told me about the accident on Bocea Hill. He said it was "the fault of the section foreman that put a dutchman on the curve instead of a new rail." He said he saw it way ahead and went out the cab window and stood on the "little ledge outside the window" until the 483 started over, then he jumped.

Someone else, I forget who it was, said he was in a big hurry to get in and was running too fast.

On the Rio Grande you learned quick never to call an accident a "wreck" because it could get you fired. Everything was a "derailment" on the D&RGW, even the time a 3600 turned over in Gore Canyon and killed the engineer.


> > Earl Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > I had no idea that Bill Holt was around
> then...
>
>
> Bill was not a well liked guy. He boasted about
> running the San Juan when it got hit by the slide.
> He wasn't. He might have been fireman on the
> relief train though. Where were some comments
> about this train handling ability. He was running
> 483 when it wrecked on Bocea Hill in 1958 killing
> Paul Mayer. No one would ever come right out and
> say it, but they thought Bill's train handling was
> to blame.