Railroaders' Nostalgia > Protesting with fusees (SP El Centro)

How many of you guys worked SP branchlines with Block Register Territory in effect?  Were you opposed to it in principle?

Some branchlines were posted at 25 MPH but at least one was good for 40 MPH under BRT.  I got the impression this caused tension with the unions because it cut the train dispatcher out of the equation.  Anyhow, around 1996 or so, I visited the yard office in El Centro with a couple friends.  We asked an oldhead conductor where another local might be working and the topic of Block Register somehow came up.  He just about went through the roof saying how unsafe it was.  Apparently the branch to Plaster City was posted at 40 MPH with BRT in effect.  I remember him proclaiming that his job "sure as hell does NOT run 40 MPH in uncontrolled dark territory".  Well, that's good to know, now we have time to grab food.  They did about 20 MPH the whole way to Plaster City, but that's only half the story.  Looking across the fields west of El Centro, one of us noticed smoke coming from under the train.  None of us got a good look but the smoke quickly dissipated, so we figured maybe a farmer was burning some plant waste.  Nope, a minute later, more smoke and this time it was definitely a fusee.  The oldhead we talked to earlier was dropping fusees off the front porch.  Lots of them.  This continued on and on the entire way.  He waved at us with the biggest grin on his face. 

A few hours later, still grinning from ear to ear, he approached us and said if SP wasn't going to protect the track with a train dispatcher, he would provide his own flag protection, which is exactly what he was doing.  He said maybe they would finally get the message since El Centro alone was burning up "thousands" of fusees every month.  LOL

Anybody know who this was?  He must be long retired, if not deceased, by now. 
 

The end of Block Register operation on the BN Pacific Division:

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?11,3160439,3162194#msg-3162194 Date: 08/21/13 12:12 Re: The White Train 7/26/1984

TAW

This reference to fusees brings to mind a story about a certain legendary brakeman on the SP who was known for doing goofy things.  The old rule book used to say something about dropping fusees for protection when a train fell below the authorized speed limit in dark territory.  So this fellow wanting to live up to the letter of the rule did drop fusee's every 10 minutes.  However he did not light them.  Thereafter the rule was changed to read burning fusees.  I'm sure tehachapi conductor will know who I'm talking about.  The same guy used to patrol the engine consist of multiple units while in motion when he was working as the head brakeman and meddeling with things.  My job as a fireman was to find out what this guy was up to and bring him back to the head end.  He used to drive the hog heads crazy.

CRS

Was this the brakeman that would go back in your consist and isolate a unit?
Or maybe fiddle with the DB circuit breakers?

I am guessing this has to be the notorious "Niland Greg Jones"... More stories to come about him in the future,,,CR3 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This reference to fusees brings to mind a story
> about a certain legendary brakeman on the SP who
> was known for doing goofy things.  The old rule
> book used to say something about dropping fusees
> for protection when a train fell below the
> authorized speed limit in dark territory.  So
> this fellow wanting to live up to the letter of
> the rule did drop fusee's every 10 minutes. 
> However he did not light them.  Thereafter the
> rule was changed to read burning fusees.  I'm
> sure tehachapi conductor will know who I'm talking
> about.  The same guy used to patrol the engine
> consist of multiple units while in motion when he
> was working as the head brakeman and meddeling
> with things.  My job as a fireman was to find out
> what this guy was up to and bring him back to the
> head end.  He used to drive the hog heads crazy.
>
> CRS

SanJoaquinEngr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I am guessing this has to be the notorious "Niland Greg Jones"... More stories to come about him in
> the future,,,

​Could this be the same Greg Jones who transferred up to the Oregon Division? He told a few stories of working down there, assuming this is the same Greg Jones. If so he was certainly "interesting".

I knew of a hoghead who would  "cut in his air" in helper service if he didn't like the guy on the head-end or if he was annoyed
by the way the train was being handled.

Some of this sounds like LA Division Conductor "D.D. Burke"! Or as we rails called him "Double Dumb"! If you ever called him Crazy, he had a card in his wallet that stated he wasn't crazy, he got it from is Therapist! LOL!!!

Posted from iPhone

Plug it wasnt DD Burke he did not work in the El Centro area.  Dan retired in the early 80's... StarshipConductor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Some of this sounds like LA Division Conductor
> "D.D. Burke"! Or as we rails called him "Double
> Dumb"! If you ever called him Crazy, he had a card
> in his wallet that stated he wasn't crazy, he got
> it from is Therapist! LOL!!!
>
> Posted from iPhone

I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same character...  Greg was a daredevil and decided to try static parachuting on Super Bowl Sunday years ago.  He climbed to the top of a large electrical tower in El Centro. He decided to try out the parachute all went well until the parachute was entangled in the electrical wires and shorted out the whole town's electrical feed.  Meanwhile he was trapped in the harness and the local residents were pissed off and began stoning him !  Railbaron Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> SanJoaquinEngr Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I am guessing this has to be the notorious
> "Niland Greg Jones"... More stories to come about
> him in
> > the future,,,
>
> ​Could this be the same Greg Jones who
> transferred up to the Oregon Division? He told a
> few stories of working down there, assuming this
> is the same Greg Jones. If so he was certainly
> "interesting".

SanJoaquinEngr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same character...  Greg was a daredevil and decided to
> try static parachuting on Super Bowl Sunday years ago.  He climbed to the top of a large electrical
> tower in El Centro. He decided to try out the parachute all went well until the parachute was
> entangled in the electrical wires and shorted out the whole town's electrical feed.  Meanwhile he
> was trapped in the harness and the local residents were pissed off and began stoning him ! 

​Yep, absolutely the same person. Kept the same "death defying" actions when he came up here and on a couple of occasions (at least) came close to fulfilling his destiny. Retired now and making flutes - even has a web page. People who knew Greg could probably start a thread about his craziness.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/10/16 18:54 by Railbaron.

Thank You "SanJoaquinEngr"! I was only making a comparison. A lot of the Crazy Stuff mentioned 
in this thread reminded me of "Double Dumb"! LOL! He too would walk through the Engine Consist
and take power off the line. Not mention 1000's of other stupid stuff! 

I remember hearing once about when he was flagging on the rear of a train, instead of using regular
railroad supplied Fusee's, he had a Flare Gun and fired it off to protect his train from closely following trains.
I also heard he set the hillside on fire! 

And how about that Switchman (me) that was lighting Fusee's at 55th & Alameda Street's and throwing them 
into the intersection to protect his train movement from automobiles. Not once, but twice when he thru
a fusee into the intersection, he was able to make a direct hit into the backseat of a passing car!!! LOL!

When I was working the Alameda Street "Rat Hole" job, I would go through an entire case, if not more, of
fusee's protecting our job from street traffic in one night. I'd have that street so full of fusee's, it's a miracle
I didn't melt the pavement! 

As far as "Protesting with Fusees", if I got pissed off enough, I'd lite one (or two) off and throw it at 
the Yardmaster's tower, like at the Shops (LATC) or the "C" Yard Desk. I hate double or triple handling cars! 
Hahahahaha!
 

SanJoaquinEngr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Plug it wasnt DD Burke he did not work in the El
> Centro area.  Dan retired in the early 80's...
> StarshipConductor Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Some of this sounds like LA Division Conductor
> > "D.D. Burke"! Or as we rails called him "Double
> > Dumb"! If you ever called him Crazy, he had a
> card
> > in his wallet that stated he wasn't crazy, he
> got
> > it from is Therapist! LOL!!!
> >
> > Posted from iPhone



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/10/16 14:04 by StarshipConductor.

Plug, you were right.  I was thinking of D.D. Burke and I heard that story also about using the flare gun.  Apparently there was more than one person like him on the system but on our division, one was enough.

CRS

Hey Plug, remember when a certain wife ended up sprawled out on the floor of what was that, the Powhatan when afew hundred torpedos went off under the firecracker special in Fillmore? Now THAT was the way to celebrate the 4th, watching the train disappear in smoke and 2 "citizens" high jumping the block wall across the street thinking they were under fire.

StarshipConductor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thank You "SanJoaquinEngr"! I was only making a
> comparison. A lot of the Crazy Stuff mentioned 
> in this thread reminded me of "Double Dumb"! LOL!
> He too would walk through the Engine Consist
> and take power off the line. Not mention 1000's of
> other stupid stuff! 
>
> I remember hearing once about when he was flagging
> on the rear of a train, instead of using regular
> railroad supplied Fusee's, he had a Flare Gun and
> fired it off to protect his train from closely
> following trains.
> I also heard he set the hillside on fire! 
>
> And how about that Switchman (me) that was
> lighting Fusee's at 55th & Alameda Street's and
> throwing them 
> into the intersection to protect his train
> movement from automobiles. Not once, but twice
> when he thru
> a fusee into the intersection, he was able to make
> a direct hit into the backseat of a passing car!!!
> LOL!
>
> When I was working the Alameda Street "Rat Hole"
> job, I would go through an entire case, if not
> more, of
> fusee's protecting our job from street traffic in
> one night. I'd have that street so full of
> fusee's, it's a miracle
> I didn't melt the pavement! 
>
> As far as "Protesting with Fusees", if I got
> pissed off enough, I'd lite one (or two) off and
> throw it at 
> the Yardmaster's tower, like at the Shops (LATC)
> or the "C" Yard Desk. I hate double or triple
> handling cars! 
> Hahahahaha!
>  
>
> SanJoaquinEngr Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Plug it wasnt DD Burke he did not work in the
> El
> > Centro area.  Dan retired in the early 80's...
> > StarshipConductor Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Some of this sounds like LA Division
> Conductor
> > > "D.D. Burke"! Or as we rails called him
> "Double
> > > Dumb"! If you ever called him Crazy, he had a
> > card
> > > in his wallet that stated he wasn't crazy, he
> > got
> > > it from is Therapist! LOL!!!
> > >
> > > Posted from iPhone

Posted from Android