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SAN JOSE ROUNDHOUSE OOPsies
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NEW 4-6-2023:
A rite of Spring
(this sort of thing happened more than you think) Ahh, spring! Life begins afresh, accompanied by the smell of rose blossoms and diesel fuel in the air. Yes, the (presumed) hostler who (presumably) created the depicted difficulty likely had plenty of time to smell the roses during his fresh, new life among the unemployed - until the federal appeals board eventually allowed him to return to work some years hence...presumably. |
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| This is only an educated guess, but I'll bet that roundhouse foreman Ron Hoop (orange hard hat, immediate right) knew the actual deal. It was hard to talk your way past him. Other photos show that the brake shoes were not in contact with the wheel rims, a sign that the brake system was either cut out, or that the hostler tried to move the engine before sufficiently pumping up the air. The roll towards the pit was either level, or reputedly slightly uphill when the tide in the bay was out, so there was active employee involvement in the affair. Otherwise, mitigation of surrounding issues has already begun. Note at far left that a Safety Committe type has already erected a barrier and warning sign to protect workers from the broken fence, apparently while several hundred gallons of diesel fuel leaked out of #2614's fuel tank. Observation: One does what one can do to act concerned. Stalwart Wx4 friend Ken Middlebrook discovered these 1986 photos in the San Jose Fire Museum collection. |
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Re Railing Southern Pacific #3029
In the fall of 1973, Train Master 3029 stubbed her toe while backing at the San Jose Engine Terminal (that's the roundhouse at extreme right). Amazingly, a M/W boom truck was able to lift up the locomotive enough to lift the rear axle off of the rail. Wx4 staff seems to recall that the loco was finally rerailed using wooden blocks, however. The big guy in the grey jacket and (yuck!) brown bell bottoms looks like Roadmaster Elmer Stone, a well-regarded gentleman who retired in early 1983. |
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