The control panel for MoPac SD40-2c #6044 - Jay Glenewinkel Photo

From Behind the Throttle
The Engineer's Perspective

Take a seat behind the throttle controlling 1,000 horses, and see what real railroading is -- from the MoPac Engineer's seat.

The People
Our aim here is to bring you the both the people, as well as the nuts and bolts of railroading from the point of view of the people that ran it. It's something that you won't find too much of on the Web. This isn't just a railfan page, but a place dedicated to the former employees who tell of their lives on the railroad in their own words.

Two individuals who have contributed greatly to this page and who I'd like to personally thank are Bob Currie and Tuch Santucci.

JD "Tuch" Santucci, a former MoPac Engineer, has generously allowed me to quote many of his stories and is a frequent poster at the MOPAC group on Yahoo and publisher of his own online newsletter, "Hot Times on the High Iron" -- it is always worth stopping whatever you're doing to read.

Bob Currie, also a former MoPac Engineer that I've frequently corresponded with has built an excellent website filled with experiences of railroad life. Bob probably has more tales to share than he will ever get written down.

Both men put a face on railroading like nobody I know.

The Stories
There's is nothing that breathes more life into history than the firsthand accounts of those people involved. Twenty years after the MoPac was swallowed-up, it's an unfortunate fact that so much has been lost already. The railroaders were people just like you and me, were asked to do much for little pay. Their stories are filled with danger, sometimes tragedy. Yet they retained their good humor, in fact practical jokes and playing pranks on one another was all part of being a member of the rail crew.

We will continue to add more stories as told by former employees of the Missouri Pacific, material by engineers, and any interesting information we come across. Enjoy!

Many of those who have contributed have their own excellent websites and organization -- we've provided links to some of these sites at the bottom - we highly recommend that you pay each a visit.

The crew pose with pride with Missouri Pacific #152 for the camera at Hermann, Missouri in 1877. Though all are unidentified, it is clear everyone wanted to be included in the historic moment. - W. A. Anderson Photo / T. Greuter Collection

From Behind the Throttle
JD "Tuch" Santucci

While most didn't know it, MoPac was very quietly and conservatively one of the richest railroads in North America. It was indeed a great railroad. I was fortunate and got to operate all the new power as most of it was delivered to Yard Center and placed into service there.

Favorites for road power were the SD40 series. In the yard the GP15 and MP 15 series and the GP38 series for much of everything else.

I didn't care for the B23/30 series as their ride was extremely rough and would about kill your kidneys, although they did pull well on dry rail.

The U30C's were bastard red-headed step children that were real oddballs and poorly maintained as a result. They seemed to be prone to failure.

The GP50's were pretty good high speed units, but were poor performers on heavy tonnage trains. They tried them on some coal trains with dismal results including burning up main generators and traction motors.

The GP15-1's actually had some remanufactured components. They required a trade in unit towards them. This lowered their purchase price and also offered the MoPac some tax breaks on the price of them as well. I liked them as they were really good units and performed well. Their only drawback was that some of them seemed to have excessive vibration when idling in regular idle.

JD "Tuch" Santucci is a former MoPac Engineer, having worked in Dolton and Villa Grove, IL from 1978 to 1985.

Visit the BLE Division 10 Web site at http://div10.tripod.com/homepage.html
and Tuch's Hot Times on the High Iron

The Job

Engineer: Operates the train safely
Conductor/Brakeman: The eyes and ears for the engineer during backward movements.
Fireman: Help perform the daily startup/shutdown and inspection of the locomotive.

In the days of steam, passenger and freight trains were operated by train crews, each consisting of at least four men: a conductor, a brakeman, a locomotive engineer and a fireman. The brakeman is the conductor's assistant, just as the fireman is the locomotive engineer's assistant. On many trains two or more brakemen are employed. When a baggageman is employed on a passenger train, he also is considered a member of the train crew.

Rail Terms and Slang
Bob Currie

Names for the caboose included hack and crummy.

The switchman (or head brakeman on road trains) that pulled the pins during switching operations was called the pin man.
The switchman (or rear brakeman on road trains) that lined the switches and caught handbrakes during switching operations was called the field man.

If a crew kicked cars during switching operations, that was called "flat switching". If cars were shoved over a mound (hump) and the cars rolled down into tracks under their own momentum, that was called hump switching.

Another name for train orders was "flimsies."

A yard clerk was called a mud hop (I started my railroad career as a mud hop).

On a freight train, the conductor is in charge of the work on the ground. On a switch engine, the footboard yardmaster is in charge of the work on the ground.

Powerbraking - The Missouri Pacific did not have dynamic brakes on its engines. The MOP was a powerbraking railroad. The engineer kept a steady hard pull on the train with his engine, often leaving the engine in run 8 almost to a stop. If you had a train running 50 mph, if the throttle was not in run 8, you put it in run 8, and then about 1.5 to 1.25 miles from where you wanted to stop you made a 6-pound reduction of the train line. The MOP carried an 80-pound trainline on its freight trains. Some railroads carried the minimum 70 pounds, while many carried the maximum 90-pound trainline. A 6-pound reduction made with the automatic brake valve (keeping the engine brakes released) caused the car brake valves to put 15 pounds of pressure into each car brake cylinder. Each additional pound of trainline reduction put 2.5 pounds of pressure into the car brakecylinders. After making the initial reduction of 6-8 pounds, we followed with 2-pound reductions. Often, a 6-2-2 combination was sufficient to stop a 100-car train in 1.25 miles, even with the engine pulling hard to keep the train stretched. We had a saying for when we got a knuckle- "I got 6, 2, and 2, and when I stopped I was in two." I told that to the road foreman of engines on the occassion of my getting 2 knuckes at once, and he made me drive 150 miles to Baton Rouge to discuss it after I tied up. The advantage of power braking was that it was very smooth for the people riding the caboose- no slack action. Also, when we started the train moving, you could put the engine in a much higher throttle position, say run 4, because as soon as the engine moved, the caboose moved. I have had a train so tight that my engine moved only 1 foot and the conductor said "all moving." With the new EMD power (GP35s, GP38s, and SD40s), you could start a train without having to take slack. On a long, heavy train with the GP7s and GP9s, and sometimes with the GP18s, you may have to take slack to get the train moving. When taking slack, you either took just a little (4 or 5 cars), or you took slack on the whole train. This was so prescribed in the Air Brake and Train Handling Instructions, and was on the engineer's exam. Wheel slip was an engineer's worst nightmare when starting a train. If the wheel slipped and then grabbed, the train would be yanked in two if you were not quick on reducing the throttle. We always stopped the engine on sand (except within interlocking limits) so that we would have some good traction when starting.

- Jay Glenewinkel Photo

Controlling One-Thousand Horses

An engineer may work daytime or night -- the railroad never sleeps.

To become a locomotive engineer, the trainee begins by pushing and pulling cars back and forth and making up trams in railroad yards with a Switch engine. After proving himself with this assignment he moves on to a local freight run. Finally, with more experience and seniority, he'll earn a fast or long distance freight or passenger run.

The engineer's left hand is on the throttle, by which he controls the speed.

To start the engine, he releases the air-brakes and pulls the throttle slowly toward him.

To stop the engine, he applies the air-brakes and moves the throttle in the other direction.

Braking takes considerabe time and distance to stop a train which can be a mile-long. For braking, the engineer releases sand when it is needed to prevent the wheels from slipping on the rails.

The engineer is also responsible to signal his train crew and sounds warnings upon approaching crossings, stations and persons or animals on the track.

When the train is approaching a grade crossing or a station, the engineer sounds a few blasts on the engine's horn (MoPac liked to use 3-chime Leslie airhorns on most modern diesels) by pushing a button.

The engineer also uses the brass bell (usually mounted high behind the cab) which rings slowly as the engine moves at slow speeds or reverse direction.

"I am here to save the day"

Reportedly seen bustling around North Little Rock in the late '70's and early '80's, a GP7 with Mighty Mouse on it's side has the distinction of having it's own mascot. MoPac railcrews had their share of practical jokers, and one such joker applied the cartoon to the long hood of MP #180.

Horns & Whistles

The 50 Rock Island GP38-2's acquired from the Rock estate all had the Nathan five chime horns. All still had them intact when I left the MoPac in 1985.

An interesting note about these units and their whistles, they had what appeared to be dead man's pedals on the base of the control stand. These pedals were actually connected to the whistles and could be used to sound them instead of pulling the whistle valve. This was a very handy item to have as it freed up a hand when having to brake and sound the whistle at the same time.

Also, a couple of SD40-2C's were retrofitted with a five chimer. If I recall correctly, they were the 6019 and 6047. They had the same model as the Family Lines System (SCL/L&N/Clinchfield/AWP/GA) units built in the late 70's and early 80's had installed at the factories. While I do not know which model of whistle it was, it sure made a great sound, more of a growl than a chime. The whistles on both were in primer red instead of the traditional blue the last time I saw these units in its original blue paint.

I would guess that maybe these units had the whistles damaged while operating in run-through service on the Family Lines and they were replaced with what the shops performing the repairs stocked. (Tuch)