No. The reason I went up there was to meet the CMO Mike Grimm. I was hired on the spot. Actually I was hired before I got there I think because when I went to see the GM she talked like "Okay well when can you start?". My first day of work is March 20th. I got a nice little apartment directly across the street from the yard. They want to try and put me on salary by 2007 that way I get benefits. Hell of a run up there. The steepest grade on the hill is 5 1/2% and its right outside of town. They call that "tin-mill hill". I dont know what the reference is or the history on that. Uphill both ways. Out of Keystone it's pretty much constant 3 and 4% then downgrade into Hill City. They dont have any place to turn in Keystone, so they have to run backwards back to Hill City. The other prairie #7 which is a tender locomotive and the mallet run forward out of Hill City, and the #104 which is the engine in the picture I posted, runs backwards up out of Hill City and then runs around the train at Keystone and runs forward out of there. Thats what i've gathered. They actually have two old turntables on their property though. I think one of them is the old CB&Q one that used to hold the Q's mallets that ran on the same line.
All are Baldwins. The mallet has a power-reverse. The others have big johnson bars just like in the D&RGW 480's. Actually I'd be willing to bet they were the same inventory number or something. They look identical. The crosshead and crosshead guide assembly on the #104 looks very similar to a K-36.
Last year their ridership was 92,000. So...anyway it's a pretty substantial operation and I think they like me and they want to keep me around...otherwise they wouldn't have given me a fulltime position. I'm closer to home too.
My title is fireman but I will be doing just about everything that needs to be done except from June to August. Even then I may do some work on the locomotives and track. Just a very wide range of experience is offered there. Beautiful country too. Reminds me of west of Chama somewhere.
Kevin Bush
