A group of former CRRM volunteers, including myself, offered to assist Don Drawer with the building of the Sundown & Southern project east of Fort Lupton. We began in the fall of 1973 and continued for many years thereafter.

At the time, Don had nearly half a mile of track extending south from the Flying “D” Ranch Airport. All 18 pieces of rolling stock were lined up on this track. The only structure at the time was the partially reconstructed La Boca water tank.

Only one completed switch existed and it was for the unloading ramp at the airport. This made it useless for switching. The partially finished turntable lead switch existed by the water tank, but it had standing equipment on it. Don did have the parts for a third switch on hand.

Shortly after we arrived to help out, Don decided to remove the trackage from the airport property. This gave us the materials to use to lay the first yard tracks. To begin with, we laid out a yard in the shape of a “W”. Besides the existing mainline, we added the turntable lead, most of yard track No. 1, and the carbarn’s east rack. This gave us the ability to sort out the rolling stock and park problem cars and locomotive 111 out of the way.

Moving the 60-ton 2-8-0 required the use of a winch truck in the beginning. It was always a time-consuming chore to move cables around and to block the winch truck and locomotive. Once we got the 111 parked on the end of the turntable lead, it started there for more than a year.

Switching around the other rolling stock was a much easier chore. The southern half of the yard lay in a natural bowl. If Don’s old Case tractor was running, we’d chain a car to it and drag it up the grade to the point we needed it at. Or we’d roll the car down the grade using the car’s hand brake to control it.

However, if the tractor was unavailable, we’d use my Bronco as the motive power. We’d use a crew of three or four to perform this stunt. One person would man the hand brake. Another person would hook and unhook the tow chain. Finally, I’d drive my Bronco beside the track, towing the car. To get around switches and the water tank, I’d have to get the car rolling at a good clip before turning away from the track at a right angle short of the switch or water tank. The person handling the tow chain would drop it off the car so that it would roll beyond the switch or water tank. Then I’d drive around the obstacle and we’d repeat the process on the other side.

This worked okay for the most part. However, a couple of times the person handling the chain failed to unhook the chain from the rolling car when I stopped. This would result in the Bronco being spun around and dragged backward until I got the car stopped. Luckily, we never got hurt or damaged anything.

Within a year, Don acquired a little 5-ton Plymouth from the old DuPont powder works at Louviers. The little locomotive greatly improved switching, but brought a whole new set of problems. The frame of the Plymouth was so low that a coupler would pass over it. To protect the cab and radiator, a tie would be used as a buffer. Cars would be simply chained to the link and pin pockets on the Plymouth and hauled around. The Plymouth was so narrow that you couldn’t see around a car from its squat cab, either. No matter how careful we were, the buffer tie damaged the sheet metal on the rear of the cab.

So when we switched cars around, we normally had a five man crew. This gave us an engineer, someone to pass signals to the engineer, someone on the switch, someone on the car’s handbrake, and finally someone to couple and uncouple the car(s). This wasn’t the most effective way to switch cars, but it sure beat the use of my Bronco!

By early 1975, the S&S began to enjoy the effort of an Explorer Scout post that was sponsored by the BN. The scouts, along with other volunteers, were trained using standard railroad safety and operating rules and practices in use by the BN at the time. They learned all the hand signals, lantern signals, how to read switch lists, and train orders, among many other things.

The first of 1975 also marked the arrival of the 5-ton Rogers hydromotive. This little locomotive is the same one that the Friends of the C&TS have at Antonito. Being able to equip it with standard couplers advanced switching at the S&S to the point it looked like any other railroad crew.

As time progressed into the late 1970s, the yard expanded with a RIP track in front of the shop building, the west carbarn track, yard track No. 2, and the extension of the mainline around the loop. The south end of the yard was finished with a 3-way stub switch. After the little Rogers switcher was equipped with airbrakes while the little Plymouth was sidelined with a broken radiator and because it was a gas hog. The only time the Plymouth was really needed with when the 111 was handled. By doubleheading the two little locomotives the 111 could be moved.

Switching by this time had taken on more meaningful purposes. Most of the cars were run through the shop for repacking, center plate lubing, and airbrake cleaning, testing, and adjustments at least once. But most switching, and operations, remained in the realm of instruction or fun.

Most of the volunteers and explorer scouts at the S&S learned old school style switching there. Many went on to be successful railroaders. In all the years I was involved with switching at the S&S we derailed the switcher only once (see Flying Switch in CTT issue 176), derailed one truck of a boxcar, and slightly cornered a stock car (doing a little damage). There were no injuries to any crew members other than occasionally someone’s pride. A pretty good safety record considering how we decorated the tops of moving cars and mounted and dismounted moving equipment at all hours of the day or night and in any weather.

I think back and remember sitting behind the operator’s desk in the depot at sunset watching a crew at work. It was satisfying to watch a new crew member passing signals to the engineer with clarity and confidence. Or watching someone counting down to making a smooth joint. Or maybe, even, someone riding a hand brake on a kicked car rolling down the yard lead to a joint. At night, I’d watch them using lanterns correctly amongst the lit switch lamps and lit markers on the caboose.

The day of the big switch crews seems to have disappeared with the new technology of today. Rarely do you see a skilled switch crew kicking cars in a yard with each switch stand lit by lamp. Or a crew passing signals by hand while spotting a car along some industry track. I miss the old school days.