Railroaders' Nostalgia > Another of Our Ranks Sits Down at the RRR Table...

the rest of 'yas-  BACK TO WORK! (we need your cash flow)

Dale (SP 4360) and I go back a long way. We hired out with the American Freedom Train in Jan 1976 (were we met TO members SP 3204, Stevo_W, co614, hotwater, and... Jeez Tom- I can't remember your "handle")
Our adventures since have been near continuous- and a fun ride indeed!
Dale asked me to post this for him...

SR Bush (BoilingMan)






Bad Ordered

After 38 years of signal service with a little engine service sprinkled in, I lined into the RIP Track with BO wheels. It’s been a good run starting with the American Freedom Train in 1976 and then going to work with the SP out of Palmdale with the CTC, project on the Colton Cutoff. Then it was off to Oxnard on the signal gang, then Carrizozo, NM maintaining semaphores.
1984 brought 15 years of the Ventura County Railway as a 1 man signal dept and backup engineer/electrician/mechanic helper. Learned Alco S6’s inside and out, pretty cool stuff. Also contracted to Fillmore & /Western Rwy during the same period doing signal and track inspections and DSLE.
When VCRY was bought out by Rail America I stepped over to FWRY full time. Working the movie trains with Stan Garner was a lot of fun, along with working and running theF7’s and RS32 . When we bought theS6’s from VCRR, the best part was running them on the point of the Oxnard Local from Oxnard to Montalvo up the main past about 20 white hats at Johnson DR during the construction of the new overpass. I forgot who the Local crew was, but when we came around that curve, they were no where to be seen, the headend crew were on the floor. What a hoot, run 8 with 1 S6 pulling the other 2 plus the entire local which was a fair sized train.
After being burned out in 2003, it was time to get back on the big iron. A call was made to a fellow rail who hired out the same day in 1979 at SP. He was now a Supervisor with Mass Electric doing signal maintenance for Metrolink. 2 weeks later I was hired as a signal maintainer out of Saugus. Then Signal Supervisor of the Valley/Ventura/Montalvo Subs for a few years, then moved over to the construction side of Mass and off to Mesa, AZ for the light rail extension, then back to the Gold Line extension.
Enough was enough. After various surgeries, new parts and overhauls, it was time to pull the plug. Gots to enjoy life, so , with permanent flat spots, I’ll rumble off into the sunset, working on Fubar Flats. I have the fortune of Boilingman to post the occasional photo as the Flats progress.
Hiball y’all , OOOOOOOVVVVVVVEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

A great retirement letter.

Thanks for posting SR. The song that just keeps going through my 3 remaining brain cells... Another one bites the dust!
This Railroad Retirement stuff is okay, why do they have to kill us for 30 to 40 years before we can draw it. Anyway,
pass on to Palmdale my congratulations, and welcome to the club!

Congratulations Dale!

Big congrats Dale! Enjoy it.

Congrats Dale. We had some good times on the F&W.

I seem to remember a tale about Roundup on the VC that brought a few chuckles too.

Of course there was the VC flat with the flat wheel that brought the Back to the Future III time machine loco to the filming location. We could hear that car coming for miles.

If you get to AZ let me know.

Stan

Enjoy your retirement. . I guess no more overtime on signal 4088 East spring switch at Oxnard ! Now that it's ctc..

Posted from Android

SanJoaquinEngr Wrote:
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> Enjoy your retirement. . I guess no more overtime
> on signal 4088 East spring switch at Oxnard !
> Now that it's ctc..
>
> Posted from Android

Now you're really digging deep, that was what like 1980 lol

trainjunkie Wrote:
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> Big congrats Dale! Enjoy it.

Oh yeah, long time coming. Now it's full time working on Fubar Flats, when the wheels and back allow.

px320 Wrote:
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> Congrats Dale. We had some good times on the F&W.
>
> I seem to remember a tale about Roundup on the VC
> that brought a few chuckles too.
>
> Of course there was the VC flat with the flat
> wheel that brought the Back to the Future III time
> machine loco to the filming location. We could
> hear that car coming for miles.
>
> If you get to AZ let me know.
>
> Stan

I was surprised that wheelset even turned. You didn't need to tie the handbrake, just park it on the low spot. 4th of July was always a "bang" at the F&W with the 500 or so torpedoes under the fireworks train. Always fun working with Mike, the late JDE, Jimmy and a few others. A good extra board it was.