Another sample
My dad had been section foreman at Gypsum, Colorado when that section was abolished around 1959. At that time we were living in the railroad section house. My mom and dad were at a point where they decided they didn’t want to move every time my dad had to move to another section so they purchased a home in Gypsum. My dad would then spend the week at whatever location he was assigned and, if close enough, drive home for the week end. When my dad placed himself at Sublette driving home every week end then became a different proposition, especially during the winter. The times that he drove home during the winter he and the laborers would take the motor car to Antonito and he would drive between there and Gypsum. So, some of the letters he wrote while away from home were to my mom. This is an excerpt from one of those letters, dated April 4, 1963.
Need to set the scene a little more. My dad loved to grow plants and have a garden. He often would start the plants indoors and move them outside later in the season. While at Sublette he had many indoor plants and referred to them as “the nursery”. Also, a ground hog, or “whistle pig” lived near the section house and was given the name “Oscar” by my dad.
“April 4 ‘ 63
Thurs, it is, and here we go. Had a good trip back this time and got to Antonito at 12:30 AM.
You’ve heard me talk about Shorty, of course, the guy who worked here when I first came. His wife died Sat. Funeral was to be Tues. Frank wanted to go (he’s a first cousin of Shorty’s). Martinez, the Ant. foreman wanted us to help unload ties at Lava and Big Horn Monday. So we came up ahead of him and I let Frank off at Lava and came on to Sub with our stuff. Built a fire in the kitchen, ate dinner, tended the nursery, fed Oscar and sat around ‘till 2:00 PM. Went back to Big Horn, picked up Frank and followed Martinez to Antonito. Fairly nice day - not much wind. (My dad and Frank stayed the night at Antonito) Tues AM was very windy, with snow flurries. There was an x west called at Alamosa for 9:30 AM. The funeral was at 9:30, so Frank went. He got back about 10:45. The helper engine was already at Alamosa, so we started west at 11:00 AM. Had a hell of a time fighting the wind, nearly all the way. Got here, about frozen, at 1:00 PM. Built fires, ate dinner and rested till about 2:30 PM. Checked up on the train . He had left Ant. at 12:50 PM. So we started west. Still blowing. We found some rocks between here and Toltec. Derailed the car above Toltec and each of us put a kink in his back getting the god dam thing back on. Kept on west, finding more rocks. Finally found a big one about 3 mi west of Toltec. Had to dig behind it and use the jack to push it against the bank. We almost had it clear when the train got there. Came on to quite a pile of ’em a mile east of Osier. Stopped the train again. Got ’em clear and went on. Pearce (the road foreman of equipment I told you about) was running the head engine. He said he’d wait at the east switch at Osier while we went on to the high bridge (Cascade) and back (about 1 ½ miles). So we went on. Snow & blowing like 7 SOBs now. We threw out more rocks, finally got to the bridge, turned around and went back to east Osier, plowing snow as we went. Got in the siding, the train pulled up to take water and we came home. Got here about 7:00 PM, froze up again. As rugged a god dam day as I’ve had for years.”
(Track patrol positions had been eliminated years ago, so the Sublette section was required to patrol ahead of trains) Jimmy
