Railroaders' Nostalgia > LA Division Brakeman Dave Klose

For all you LA and SJ guys that worked out of Los Angeles and West Colton...Dave (DM) Klose passed away last night in St. George, Utah. He just turned 66 on March 3rd. We all use to call him "Close Incounters." The end of his RR days he was working as a breakman/lookout on the West Colton Helpers.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/19 14:54 by HardYellow.

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Damn...Young...I didn't know him but may he Rest Peacefully...Steven

Seems as though many Rails go early after retirement. I think it's the life style we all had...nights, days, waithing for the phone to ring in the middle of the night. 

   Thanks for the news Paul, bad as it is.  I had Dave braking for me many times.  I tried I don't know how many times to get him to take promotion to conductor, but he just wouldn't do it.

Brian Black
Castle Rock, CO

I don't know it you guys had heard  that retired SP/UP engineer Kenny Thomson passed away a couple of weeks ago. He had worked way past when he could have retired. I believe he was 73 but had only retired a couple of years ago.-BMT

UPNW2-1083 Wrote:
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> I don't know it you guys had heard  that retired
> SP/UP engineer Kenny Thomson passed away a couple
> of weeks ago. He had worked way past when he could
> have retired. I believe he was 73 but had only
> retired a couple of years ago.-BMT

Yeah...knew Kenny well, Mad Dog. We all heard a few weeks back. I don't think non rails realize how hard the job is on one's health...living by the phone, long hours all times of day and night and poor exercise and eating habits. A railfan watching a 9am westbound at Walong (Tehachapi Loop) doesn't realize, that crew has been up all night and are dead on their ass. No doubt, went on duty at West Colton about  10pm. 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/19 16:24 by HardYellow.

tehachcond Wrote:
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>    Thanks for the news Paul, bad as it is.  I
> had Dave braking for me many times.  I tried I
> don't know how many times to get him to take
> promotion to conductor, but he just wouldn't do
> it.
>
> Brian Black
> Castle Rock, CO


Brian. You have to tell the story of Dave retraining at Newhall!

Posted from Android

SanJoaquinEngr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> tehachcond Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >    Thanks for the news Paul, bad as it is. 
> I
> > had Dave braking for me many times.  I tried I
> > don't know how many times to get him to take
> > promotion to conductor, but he just wouldn't do
> > it.
> >
> > Brian Black


> > Castle Rock, CO
>
>
> Brian. You have to tell the story of Dave
> retraining at Newhall!
>
> Posted from Android

Brian,,,,I remember that story, late 1970's, Dave fell off off the caboose trying to get on too fast. SJ Eng. Dick Brant (Stretch) coming east picked up a TO at Saugus. It read something like " Be on the lookout for Brakeman DM Klose in the vicinity of the west portal of tunnel 28." Dick kept the TO for years. I'm sure you remember all the details.
Dave was the rear (only) brakeman I had, on the last caboose I ever remember pulling, about 1992. I was called for the east Phoenix out of West Colton. They were totally out of ETD's, so they put on a cab and called a brakeman. OD Bennet, Jr. was the conductor. He had to ride the headend with me. Dave was in heaven, back there alone, smoking his cigars all the way to Yuma, 198 miles



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/19 08:36 by HardYellow.

Worked with both of those guys when I was on the West Colton engineers extra board.  R.I.P.
 

HardYellow Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> For all you LA and SJ guys that worked out of Los
> Angeles and West Colton...Dave (DM) Klose passed
> away last night in St. George, Utah. He just
> turned 66 on March 3rd. We all use to call him
> "Close Incounters." The end of his RR days he was
> working as a breakman/lookout on the West Colton
> Helpers.


I remember when the first Star Wars movie came out. Dave told me he had seen the film 26 times and could receit all of lines of every characters. Plus he wore large SW buttons attached to his jacket. Dave was unique.

Posted from Android

Jim G.

   You corrected one of my memory lapses in that story.  I remembered that Harold Chrisman  was my engineer, but after all this time, I could have been wrong.  I'll bet that was an interesting conversation between Dave and Brand.  Neither one of them liked each other.

Brian Black
Castle Rock, CO.

Old Dave was NEVER one of the Boys. But,  he was the kind of friend...if you had a flat tire at 2am, he would be there with to help. Dave would give you the shirt off his back.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/19 19:41 by HardYellow.