Pretend Runaway

A true story as told by Jim Bullard, veteran NG railroader in the Black Hills

Spring, 1903; Ruby Basin area; Deadwood Central RR. 

Al Gavin, the dispatcher, put his little railroad speeder on the back end of an ore car and went up with us on the ore train.   He went around with us as we switched the various spurs.  While we switched the Sundance Mine, Billy Thomas and I hatched up something to put some thrill into the job.  We told our hogger, Jimmy Beers, when we started down the mountain with the loads of ore we picked up at the Sundance, to call for hand brakes and make like they were about to get away from us. He said okay.  Away we went with Al sitting on the back end of the rear ore car.

We clambered over the cars, tieing 'em down.  Beers was screaming for brakes.  Then we broke a brake chain on one of our cars, and we really had all we could do to hold them.  Beers had the little hog in reverse, and the fireboy tied down the hand brake on the tank. Anyway, we finally got stopped and we all said never again.  Our friend the dispatcher never paid any attention to what had been going on.  He got his speeder back on the rails and said "Good-bye boys, going back to Deadwood.  Been a nice trip, see you later."