Re: Early Days on the C&TS / Hiway 17 grade crossing
| October 24, 2007 02:04AM |
|
Hi, John - I remember only too well:
One of the guys had a pickup truck, so three or four of us took a spike puller or two and a couple of wrenches and drove to the west side of town where the D&RGW hadn't yet pulled up all of their track. We unbolted and loosened up two (or three?) lengths of rail of the matching weight, left the joint(s) holding them together, chained the string to the back of the truck, and dragged it through town on the dirt street parallel to hiway 17, but one street north-west. We were in a bit of a hurry as the celebration & bar-b-que were already getting started and we wanted to get the crossing finished while we could still see, so we raised more than a little dust with 80 (or 120?) feet of rail whipping behind us on our way through town!
By the time we were done the bar-b-que was over, but Vera was still serving tacos, enchiladas and 'three-beer chile' at Kelly's [sic] Mexican Cafe' ... *
- Russo Loco
* 'Three-beer chile' means gringos like me needed three beers to wash down Vera's "mild" chile. I never dared to try her "hot" chile.
p.s. I ran out of film somewhere between Lobato and The Narrows, so I'm counting on Ernie Robart et al to fill in some gaps on Volume 2 of the "Help Save #483" Screen Saver (about half of which will be devoted to 1970-1972); here's the last shot on the roll ...
pps. I was the guy with the young german shepard, Nikki, whom one of you took home for the night and gave her a well-deserved meal and warm doggie-bed. Thanks!! About six weeks later, she joined me, a couple of my students, and a lawyer friend as one of the crew on X483 east, 10/16/70 - see my non-Hallowe'en avater next month ...
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/2007 02:33AM by Russo Loco.
One of the guys had a pickup truck, so three or four of us took a spike puller or two and a couple of wrenches and drove to the west side of town where the D&RGW hadn't yet pulled up all of their track. We unbolted and loosened up two (or three?) lengths of rail of the matching weight, left the joint(s) holding them together, chained the string to the back of the truck, and dragged it through town on the dirt street parallel to hiway 17, but one street north-west. We were in a bit of a hurry as the celebration & bar-b-que were already getting started and we wanted to get the crossing finished while we could still see, so we raised more than a little dust with 80 (or 120?) feet of rail whipping behind us on our way through town!
By the time we were done the bar-b-que was over, but Vera was still serving tacos, enchiladas and 'three-beer chile' at Kelly's [sic] Mexican Cafe' ... *
- Russo Loco
* 'Three-beer chile' means gringos like me needed three beers to wash down Vera's "mild" chile. I never dared to try her "hot" chile.
p.s. I ran out of film somewhere between Lobato and The Narrows, so I'm counting on Ernie Robart et al to fill in some gaps on Volume 2 of the "Help Save #483" Screen Saver (about half of which will be devoted to 1970-1972); here's the last shot on the roll ...
pps. I was the guy with the young german shepard, Nikki, whom one of you took home for the night and gave her a well-deserved meal and warm doggie-bed. Thanks!! About six weeks later, she joined me, a couple of my students, and a lawyer friend as one of the crew on X483 east, 10/16/70 - see my non-Hallowe'en avater next month ...
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 10/24/2007 02:33AM by Russo Loco.
Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.
488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter
The NGDF was started by Don Richter and is currently operated in his memory by Nathan Holmes and others. Others who have contributed to the upkeep of this board are (in no particular order): Charles McCandless, Everett Lueck, Ted Wilton, Cole Adams, James Bane, John Moellmer, Jon Bentz, Linn Moedinger, lloyd lehrer, Rod Jensen, John Craft, Steven Forney, Herb Kelsey, Bill Ramaley, Russ Sperry (El Russo Loco), Josh McNeal, John West, Jim Armstrong, Bob Bergstrom, Greg Scholl, Blake Forbes Doug van Veelen and Mark Fuller.