Railroaders' Nostalgia > Dangerous Dan

On the old SP LA/SJ Division days, we sure had some real characters.  One San Joaquin scennie Engineer was universally known as "Dangerous Dan" and he would be way up on the character billing.  I sure just about everyone who worked with him could add a story.

Dan was not called Dangerous because of the way he ran an engine but for his antics not approved by the SP's Scissor Bills.  Like one time when we were called on for a 10:00 PM extra out of Gemco for some hot move.  After taking care of whatever was so important to call an extra we were told to stand by for the next chore.  So in between assignments maybe, 2:00 AM we all fell asleep in the cab of the SW 1500 switcher.  Next thing we hear is the Trainmaster pounding on the door. He was really steaming, turns out he had been trying to call us for some move and we were not answering the radio. Found out that Dan had turned the radio down so it wouldn't disturb our nap. Not only that he locked the door to the cab so the TM couldn't just walk in on us catch us sleeping. [A firing offense in those days.]  Oh ya, did I mention, just so, "we wouldn't be in anyone's way", we had pulled maybe 3 miles up the Extension and parked under an overpass then turned off all the lights so we could not be seen.  Dan told the Trainmaster he was only thinking of the Companies interest as it would save electricity.  I still have a chunk of my ass missing from that adventure with Mr. Gaffney. 

There are more Dangerous Dan stores for sure.

UP crews would hide under the runways  in Denver on the KP line and do the same thing

Ah, hiding... another fine art lost due to the progress of time and regress of rights-of-way.

E. O. Gibson
I like to think of retirement as hiding.

hogheaded Wrote:
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> Ah, hiding... another fine art lost due to the
> progress of time and regress of rights-of-way.
>
> E. O. Gibson
> I like to think of retirement as hiding.
==========================================
...also lost due to GPS technology.

terrybaker Wrote:
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> hogheaded Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Ah, hiding... another fine art lost due to the
> > progress of time and regress of rights-of-way.
> >
> > E. O. Gibson
> > I like to think of retirement as hiding.
> ==========================================
> ...also lost due to GPS technology.

Which a piece of aluminium foil and some masking tape will cure very effectively.

PHall Wrote:
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> terrybaker Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > hogheaded Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Ah, hiding... another fine art lost due to
> the
> > > progress of time and regress of
> rights-of-way.
> > >
> > > E. O. Gibson
> > > I like to think of retirement as hiding.
Me too!
> > ==========================================
> > ...also lost due to GPS technology.
>
> Which a piece of aluminium foil and some masking
> tape will cure very effectively.

Which will effectively get you dismissed when they have the roundhouse check out why the signal was lost!
G

Cabhop Wrote:
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> On the old SP LA/SJ Division days, we sure had
> some real characters.  One San Joaquin scennie
> Engineer was universally known as "Dangerous Dan"
> and he would be way up on the character billing. 
> I sure just about everyone who worked with him
> could add a story.
>
Me too!
> Dan was not called Dangerous because of the way he
> ran an engine but for his antics not approved by
> the SP's Scissor Bills.  
>
> There are more Dangerous Dan stores for sure.
You're right, here's a couple:

 Dan had a problem, and he let it endanger himself and a whole lot of other people for some time before he finally got caught and forced into rehab.

One of his head brakemen came to me and said that Dan was mad at the SP, so he didn't blow the horn once on a previous trip between LA and San Luis Obispo (218 miles.)

He got himself barred out of the Frontier Motel in SLO for leaving the hot water running in the sink and the shower,  turning the heat on full, checking out and leaving the door open.

The LA-SLO Engineers pool had a different agreement.  At SLO, every other Eastbound train belonged to the San Joaquin Division, the other belonged to the Coast.  This was very inefficient, and resulted in a lot of  HAHT.  If the 1st train belongs to the SJ, then the 2nd train, regardless of departure time belong to the Coast, and the 2nd SJ Engr has to wait for the third train, etc, even if it isn't until tomorrow.  Deadheads TO the home terminal are allowed out of turn.

So, Dan has been 1st out all day, when the crew dispatcher tries to call him for about 8pm on duty, but can't get ahold of him.  20 min. later, the crew disp calls the 2nd out SJ Engr to take the train, and calls the RFE, the late Augie Jess to notify him of the disappearance.  Augie takes Larry Vernon the RR Policeman with him down to the East end of the yard where the train is just changing crews. Larry and Augie find Dan passed out on the 2nd unit, and of course the other engineer and the head brakeman don't have any clue as to how he got from unconscious at the motel to unconscious on the 2nd unit, (its a couple of miles, and the company carryall normally provided the ride.)

They took him off the engine, out of service, and over to French Hospital, as he couldn't even stand up.  I don't know how he got home the next day when he sobered up?

Actually this was a good thing for both him and the company, because he had to successfully complete a rehab before he could get back to work. 
G

ExSPCondr Wrote:
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> PHall Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > terrybaker Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > hogheaded Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > Ah, hiding... another fine art lost due to
> > the
> > > > progress of time and regress of
> > rights-of-way.
> > > >
> > > > E. O. Gibson
> > > > I like to think of retirement as hiding.
> Me too!
> > > ==========================================
> > > ...also lost due to GPS technology.
> >
> > Which a piece of aluminium foil and some
> masking
> > tape will cure very effectively.
>
> Which will effectively get you dismissed when they
> have the roundhouse check out why the signal was
> lost!
> G

Well, if you're dumb enough to leave it there after your shift then you deserve to get canned for stupidity.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/26/19 19:13 by PHall.

PHall Wrote:
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> Well, if you're dumb enough to leave it there after your shift you deserve to get canned for stupidity.

Except they'll still be able figure out when it happened and then match that to who was on the locomotive at the time. Remember big brother is always watching. And I sure wouldn't want to get charged with tamering with a safety device...

Only thing worse than Dan on a train was Dan and Jivy on the same train...

I doubt Dan ever minded having a fireman called for his train.

Allen

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/26/19 21:58 by bradleymckay.

bradleymckay Wrote:
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> Only thing worse than Dan on a train was Dan and
> Jivy on the same train...
>
> I doubt Dan ever minded having a fireman called
> for his train.
>
> Allen
>
> Posted from Android


The famous Dan Gaffney! I worked with Dan several times in my early career. He was a legend! I remember one day at Santa Barbara . Dan was working Amtrak 13 and 12 that particular day. Dan deposited money into the vending machine to purchase candybar. The machine kept his money and didn't bend his candy. Dan hit the machine a few times to no avail. He really got pissed off and ended up slamming the machine to the ground !
I think he was fired for a while by Bill Giles over that incident.
Before Dan worked on the railroad he was employed as a school teacher. Dan would read philosophy and history books. He was quite intelligent. I bet more RD stories will emerge. Last I heard he was living in Law Vegas.

From working with quite a few guys off the Espee, I get the impression that they hired some "interesting" characters.  The late Jack Krumwied, who was quite a character himself, told me about some switchman at Gemco who deliberately threw a switch under a moving tri-level auto rack because he "wanted to see it derail." 

Jack made a name for himself and helped get us kicked out of a particular hotel at our away-from-home terminal when he had a little too much "firewater" and threw a bar-b-que into the swimming pool.    

"When the cat's away, the mice will play."
Roseville crews working "the mountain" are away at Sparks Nevada, which was the closest casino until the California law change allowed Indian gaming.
The term "Firewater" brings to mind a Conductor with what some people would say had a hereditary susceptibility to "firewater,' which got him barred out John Ascuaga's Nuggett.
Then there was the engineer who had too much to drink after working a snow service job and got mad at the motel.  He relieved himself in the bathtub, which got him barred from the motel, and when the rest of the crews found out about it, the nickname "PooPoo."
G 

CA_Sou_MA_Agent Wrote:
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> From working with quite a few guys off the Espee,
> I get the impression that they hired some
> "interesting" characters.  The late Jack
> Krumwied, who was quite a character himself, told
> me about some switchman at Gemco who deliberately
> threw a switch under a moving tri-level auto rack
> because he "wanted to see it derail." 
>
> Jack made a name for himself and helped get us
> kicked out of a particular hotel at our
> away-from-home terminal when he had a little too
> much "firewater" and threw a bar-b-que into the
> swimming pool.    


Jack Krumweid. What a character to work with on a train. Jack was one of the first brakeman to participate when drug tests were initiated on the SP. Jack made up specialty t shirts that was a play on the SP slogan..Progress through Safety. His t shirts said Progress through Urinalysis ! Jack was either fired or left the SP to hire out as a brakeman with Amtrak. I would see him on occasion in passing. Sorry that he passed away. He was one of a kind!

Posted from Android