Riding the "Dead Emma"
I started my East Pool trips on a Sunday night . It was 130 miles to Texline .I stocked up on energy drinks(a.k.a."crack in a can").The training conductor talked like Yogi Bear. After a few days he started to look like the cartoon character so I will call him Yogi .Yogi was a better conductor than JS ,on the West End - technically .He was thorough and careful. He taught me how to transcribe track warrants ,and to be thorough wit h all paper work which was going to be most of my job .Like everyhing else on the mainline ,it had to be done in an exact fashion . I had a "Reach out and choke someone" monent a t 3:30 one morning with Big AL , a dispatcher in Topeka .He made me start over and repeat the track warrant three times till it satisfied him .My feathers were ruffled ,but such things are "life or death" propositions on any railroad ,and,like it or not Big AL was right to demand precision . Yogi was from an old railroad family in the Denver area (In fact , many of the men I worked with had started their railroad careers in Denver).His grandfather was an engineman on the C&S narrow gauge .Like many conductors , Yogi was somewhat overbearing .He ,unlike JS , would not allow me to do any hands-on stuff .He would not even allow me to "lace up" the air hoses or m.u. connections . He would wait till the last 100 feet into the Trinidad Terminal to criticize the engineer's spotting of the train (the enginemen were all very good to excellent) . On the road the crews generally were quiet ,keeping their mind on the job . One enginemen cleaned the whole consul with Lysol "because those sick, dirty bums ride in these units" .After that , I noticed the units ,though basically clean ,were a little grimy .Most of the guys I worked with smoked .The enginemen were good to me ,perhaps because I wasa former engineman myself .One engineman and I hit it off .He reminded me of my friend and former C&TS engineer Tom Atkinson ,so I will call him Tom .He had been railroading since the late 1960s .He was on wife #4 .
The East Pool is perhaps the most obscure mainline in the Southwest .It skirts the eastermost spine of the Rockies for 40 miles before crossing these foothills east of Branson , Colorado .The railroad encircles the beautiful ghost town of Folsom ,NM. Below that is a gravel pit , one of the few industries a long this line .We were on the only freight train (Everything else is Powder River coal) ,the Denver-Amarillo local , symbol DANAMA. SInce it was not a through train ,it was called the "Dead Emma". We stopped at the pit and added some gravel ,and could not move the train upgrade . A westbound train cut off an engine to help us out the hole there near Folsom .No air or mu lines were hooked up .When we were moving, Yogi cut the helping unit on the fly---COOL ! From Des Moines the hills petered out to prairie grassland .
Texline makes Antonito look like Paris ! A typical dying town on the High Plains ,it has 500 souls, a couple of beaneries (including the 24 hour beanery subsidized by the BNSF) a couple of gas/convenience store and ,of course the frowsy motel; we were billeted .We always were stuck there ofor 20+ hours .After I walked around town ,watched cable, did art work and visited the gym three times I was ready to go west .As one fellow put it "after you jack off ,the day in Texline is kinda shot".But Tom and Yogi regaled me with stories of the wild old days in the 1970s when the motel at Texline was Gamorrah on the Plains .Behind door 1-all the booze you care to drink .Door-2 -"controlled substances" .Door 3-some good old down-and-dirty ride-'em- cowboy lovemaking with any of the 300 pound waitresses from the railroad beanery ! After some wrecks and a general crackdown on bad behavior ,railroaders now are a sober bunch ,and such talk is reminisces of mature men remembering the wild kid in them . Now it was quiet ,as I worked on a painting in the afternoon sun refracting out of the bullet hole in my window glass.
Yogi rode me .He didn't like little things .I dozed in the sidings .The railroad allowed this ,but Yogi didn't like that , noting I missed the number of the opposing train .That could be life or death .In the meantime Tom showed me how to operate the locomotive . While he did that Yogi stepped out of the cab for a smoke .Tom turned and looked me in the eye and said "John ,you are a good man . You are a smart and talented guy .If I had your talents I would not be here . Get the hell out while you can .I hate this place and I know you will too in time DOn't let this ruin your life ". I understood everything he told me . I knew I was not going to adjust to this work . it was not at all like working on the old Narrow Gauge . My body wasn't making the adjustment .I was not ever as alert as I knew the job would demand . All I saw ahead was that I was trading one set of uncertainties for another .I would have trouble holding a job for years ,and by the time I could I would be of retirement age . It was not worth it for me to try to trade my life for security .
We got in to Trinidad about 8:30 one morning .Yogi admonished me for leaving the last time early .I was tired of him . after 4 hours' rest I went up to Pueblo to see an old friend ,a boozy artist living in a subsidized apartment ,on disability from the state . He said ,"Coke, you always worked on the Narrow Gauge .This simply ain't you"
I went home about six .I get a call from Bob , the supervisor .I missed a call by 15 minutes .He told me to call the crew caller in Topeka , and call him back .I call , I give my employee number and password . "Sorry ,the password has expired" the recorded me ssage said . I call Bob back ,and ask him to meet me at the yard office in the morning .I wanted to turn in my keys ,radio , etc .and resign . The next day I meet Bob , and he asks what happened .I told him I decided I was not cut out for this kind of work .He replied , "you are a good railroader , John .Please don't quit" .It was the ONLY time in my 29 years of railroading that any supervisor cared enough to say that to me . I will always remember that .I felt aalittle exhiliarated and a little "now what,John?" . It was the wrong decision for me financially ,but the right one personally . I am not a quitter ,but I knew this was not going to work for me. Poverty will no doubt stalk me for the rest of my days , but I will be doing what I love doing ...art and maybe a little railroading .
The BNSF is a great railroad .I was always impressed at what high quality railroaders work there .There was little nonsense , and whether employees loved the company or not ,they cared about the job they did . I am glad I had the experience ,and now I have a better understndiong ,and ,I hope ,a better railroader and human being . I hope you enjoyed this tale of low adventure .Thanks for the many supportive comments .
