Another time I can relate that had to do with how fast things ran on the Narrow gauge, now that most of the principals have gone on to the Great Beyond...
One fine day I was again firing for Bill Holt on an Extra east out of Durango. I've forgotten which engine we had now, one of the 480's.
Unbeknown to us, Trainmaster Hubert V. Meek had climbed on the caboose as we left town. Him and Punk Blackstone was back there, don't remember who the trainmen were.
Once we topped Bocea Hill, ol' Bill hooked 'er up and let 'er loose.
We were rolling along in fine shape with a good train behind us and not a care in the world. It didn't seem to me at the time that anything was amiss.
Got over to somewhere east of Falfa and the rear end set the air and stopped us. Conductor waved a back up signal and made Bill back the whole train length clear back to where he and Meek were standing.
Hubert climbed up in the cab and proceeded to ream Bill out but good for running too fast with copious amounts of Anglo-Saxon four letter words interspersed for effect . He claimed he had timed us back there a ways at a whole TWENTY SIX miles per hour!
Ol' Bill sat there and took the chewing out with a suitable "hangdog" look on his face...I was sitting over on the other side trying to look serious and stifle a huge chuckle at the whole episode...The head brakie stayed hid in the doghouse up top on the tank.
Old H.V. really let Bill have it and told him the next time he caught him over 15 mph, he was fired.
Finally Meek got done with his tirade and climbed down and got in the car he'd had arranged come out to get him and went on back to Durango. Punk had walked back to the hind end, waved us a hiball and got on the caboose.
Ol' Bill began to laugh so hard I thought he was going to fall off his seat as he whistled off and we got things rolling again.
Our rate was only slowed a very small amount on the rest of the trip.
Bill liked to run fast.... He was a real character and I enjoyed firing for him.
