, 1900-01-22
ENGINE lI29'S SUICIDE.
Pumped Air in a Runaway Down a
Mountain Until She Blew Up.

Mr.. Henry Alquist, a prominent rail-
road man, relates in the Memphis
Scimitar the story of a curious wreck,
the facts in which he will vouch for.
1T is such a remarkable thing" says
Mr.. ADJUST. chat | fear many will be
inclined to brand it as pipe | have
been railrOading now for over twenty
years and never in all my varied ex-
p"ricncc have | seen such a unique and
complete wreck as the one | speak of
that of engine ll29 of the Rio Grandc
Western. Railroad men will tell you
that locomotives seldom explode nova
days, but 1929 did. and in a very pecu-
liar way.
AT the time this wreck occurred |
was holding down a job of train dis
patcher at Soldier Summit. Utah, and
a tough old job it was. Never been
there, | suppose? We'll, Soldier Sum
NIT is a station on the top of one Of
the Wasatch divides. a bleak and lone
ly place where the Rio Grande " estern
has a roundhOusc and a coal chute 10
Gated. At the summit are long snow
sheds covering the tracks. These sheds
protect the line from the heavy SHOWS
which fall continually the e in the win
ter. And it is only due TO this meth
cd that a train ever gets over the noun
tain. On both sides Of the mountain
The line winds down in a succession Of
winding curves to lessen the grade.
Running of from the railway are
switches. which, diyerging from the
grade run up into the hills and grad
ually come to a dead level. These
~switchbacks, as they are called, are so
constructed that they can be thrown
from any point IN the grade. And if
a train breaks in two while ascending
the steep grade. the track can be
switched on to one of these spurs,
where it finally stops after it has run
up the spun as far as the momentum at
tanned in its descent will take 1t.
"All heavy trains have an extra To-
conceive before the grade is tackled.
These are called helper engines and ar"
kept in roundhouses at each side Of the
mountain with steam up
One night | got word from Clear
Creek. a town in the western valley,
that the 800 freight would be thirty
minutes late on account of having to
pull out a crippled engine, 1929. It had
burnt out its fiues and had to be haul
ed to Grand junction for repairs.
THAT night about 10 o'clock, after |
had passed down the Salt Lake express,
| heard the freight coughing up the
long grade from Clear Creek. There
was a snow storm raging and the wind
howIed around the station like fury.
When the overdue $50 pulled into the
shelter of the big snow sheds on the
~wind-swept summit the first thing |
asked was Whereas the dead engine?'
Behind the d%oghouse,' shouted the
con- but as | held my lamp above my
head | failed to see it. | was just about
to call his attention to it when, during
a lull in the storm. we plainly heard
the familiar rattle of the rails as the
runaway engine flew at lightning speed
down the mountain. No. 1929 had
broken loose and was tearing down the
grade to destruction.
Il jumped and pulled the lever which
opened the spun switches. This knew
would prevent a smashup, as the en-
CINE would run up on a switChbaCk and
come to a stop. But | was too late.
Almost at the same instant | threw the
lever a terrific explosion was heard
from far down the mountain. The I'M
away had exploded"
Il thought you said a moment ago,
Mr.. ADJUST" interrupted the Scimitar
man, that the locomotive was a dead
one If it had no fire under its boiler
how could it eXplode?"
That was the only thing | couldn't
understand myself the railroad man