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 Post subject: 48 years ago this week, where does time go?
PostPosted: Fri Dec 06, 2019 11:00 pm 

Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2011 11:23 am
Posts: 436
Location: Sheboygan County, Wisconsin
It was right after Thanksgiving 1971, that I got on a Pan Am flight and ventured South to Guatemala.

I had been told by my friend Chris Holombo (still around and an engineer at Roaring Camp in CA) that although 18 new G.E. diesels from Spain were ordered, not all were on the property and set up yet. I took a chance that I'd see some steam on the vast n.g. operation.

The sight of a large roundhouse full of steam in the distance was really rewarding so I bargained with the guard at the gate and went in "for just a few minutes" as there was no way to obtain a pass on a Saturday. Left my cameras in the rented Volks as I'd be right back out, right?

Well, after walking around the back wall to view all the engine numbers, I came upon one Mikado that had a fire and her engine crew on board. Carpenters were replacing the canvas sunshade on the engineers side. I asked them where they were going and the reply was Zacapa. I knew this to be some 90 miles distant on the Atlantic Division. By now, the wheels were turning and I wondered about running back to the car to get my cameras, but decided not to take a chance on not being allowed back inside the fenced area.

I was invited up and thought, boy this should be good. I had no idea just how much. When the awning work was complete, we backed out onto the table and straight across to take oil. I got up on the tank with the fireman while he was doing this and in conversation, told him that I was a fireman. This was a bit of a stretch as most of my steam experience was on stationary boilers at that time. He nodded and smiled. After topping the tank, the engine, a 1939 Krupp, was turned and we backed through the yard to our mixed train.

While pumping up the air, the engineer Roberto Loyo, nodded to his fireman, Hermenegildo Tobar, then got off the engine and walked back to the caboose. Hermenegildo gestured for me to take the firemans seat. Right quick, we were ready to depart. Not much to worry about, the left side was straighforward except that there was no real adjustment for a damper and the Sellers injector was missing the valve handle on the water regulator. No problem. I was encouraged to really get after the atomizer and did. To my mind, there was nothing really foreign about this locomotive and she remains my favorite narrow gauge machine to this day.

All of the locomotives that I ever rode down there responded well to heavy use of atomizer. Out the yard we went and right down a small street with vendors carts and tents sitting within inches of the tie ends. The exhaust rattled off the buildings and I was in heaven. We arrived at the station of Ermita and stopped. Roberto got back on the engine, so I sat on the sandbox. As we accelerated across the 240' high Puente de Vacas (bridge of cows), the fireman waved to me to stand next to him. There was a group of 4 American fans shooting the mixed. If anyone here has a copy of The Twilight of World Steam by Ziel and Eagleson, look on pages 288-289. Both of us are visible in the cab. What made this consist even more interesting besides being a mixed with wooden side door caboose is the addition of the wooden paycar at the end of the train. It was guarded by soldiers with M1A1 Thompson submachineguns.

The 174 was a great machine, she held the rail well, was in time and easy to fire. We managed better than 20 mph on her 40" drivers in places. I got to fire more that day and did OK. What made it rewarding is that word got out around the railroad and I was allowed to fire more and even run once by myself on a helper. That's another story.

Guatemala was a wonderful adventure if you loved steam. The rails there would welcome you if you showed an interest in their work and were capable.


Last edited by tom moungovan on Wed Apr 15, 2020 1:19 pm, edited 5 times in total.

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 Post subject: Re: 48 years ago this week, where does time go?
PostPosted: Sun Dec 08, 2019 10:20 pm 

Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2013 1:14 pm
Posts: 205
tom moungovan wrote:
It was right after Thanksgiving 1971, that I got on a Pan Am flight and ventured South to Guatemala.
I had been told by my friend Chris Holombo (still around and an engineer at Roaring Camp in CA) that although 18 new G.E. diesels from Spain were ordered, not all were on the property and set up yet. I took a chance that I'd see some steam on the vast n.g. operation.
The sight of a large roundhouse full of steam in the distance was really rewarding so I bargained with the guard at the gate and went in "for just a few minutes" as there was no way to obtain a pass on a Saturday. Left my cameras in the rented Volks as I'd be right back out, right?
Well, after walking around the back wall to view all the engine numbers, I came upon one Mikado that had a fire and her engine crew on board. Carpenters were replacing the canvas sunshade on the engineers side. I asked them where they were going and the reply was Zacapa. I knew this to be some 90 miles distant on the Atlantic Division. By now, the wheels were turning and I wondered about running back to the car to get my cameras, but decided not to take a chance on not being allowed back inside the fenced area.
I was invited up and thought, boy this should be good. I had no idea just how much.
When the awning work was complete, we backed out onto the table and straight across to take oil. I got up on the tank with the fireman while he was doing this and in conversation, told him that I was a fireman. This was a bit of a stretch as most of my steam experience was on stationary boilers at that time. He nodded and smiled. After topping the tank, the engine, a 1939 Krupp, was turned and we backed through the yard to our mixed train.
While pumping up the air, the engineer Roberto Loyo, nodded to his fireman, Hermenegildo Tobar, then got off the engine and walked back to the caboose. Hermenegildo gestured for me to take the firemans seat. Right quick, we were ready to depart. Not much to worry about, the left side was straighforward except that there was no real adjustment for a damper and the Sellers injector was missing the valve handle on the water regulator. No problem. I was encouraged to really get after the atomizer and did.
All of the locomotives that I ever rode down there responded well to this. Out the yard we went and right down a small street with vendors carts and tents sitting within inches of the tie ends. The exhaust rattled off the buildings and I was in heaven. We arrived at the station of Ermita and stopped. Roberto got back on the engine, so I sat on the sandbox. As we accelerated across the 240' high Puente de Vacas (bridge of cows), the fireman waved to me to stand next to him. There was a group of 4 American fans shooting the mixed. If anyone here has a copy of The Twilight of World Steam by Ziel and Eagleson, look on pages 288-289. Both of us are visible in the cab. What made this consist even more interesting than the mixed with wooden side door caboose is the wooden paycar at the end of the train. It was guarded by soldiers with M1A1 Thompson submachineguns. The 174 was a great machine, she held the rail well, was in time and easy to fire. We managed better than 20 mph on her 40" drivers in places.
I got to fire more that day and did OK. What made it rewarding is that word got out around the railroad and I was allowed to fire more and even run once by myself on a helper. That's another story.
Guatemala was a wonderful adventure if you loved steam. The rails there would welcome you if you showed an interest in their work and were capable.


More stories please!

C.


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 Post subject: Re: 48 years ago this week, where does time go?
PostPosted: Mon Dec 09, 2019 12:49 pm 

Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2011 11:23 am
Posts: 436
Location: Sheboygan County, Wisconsin
Thank you for the encouragement I will start by adding some background info to my post.

The train that I referenced was on the schedule board in Guatemala City as an Extra Local. It ran as a turn, 6 days a week. Guatemala City to Zacapa on T-Th-Sa and Zacapa to Guatemala City on M-W-F. The layover in Zacapa worked out well for the crew who lived there. This train made all stops, I spent a lot of time in sidings when I rode it.
This stretch between G.C. and Zacapa had 3 summits with grades up to 3.3%. I also remember a pair of tunnels.

Mileposts in Guatemala started in Puerto Barrios on the East Coast. Zacapa was Mile 103 and Guatemala was 197.4, West of here was the Pacific Division with the Mexican border of Tecun Uman being at Mile 374.6

Krupp 2-8-2 174 was the last of 13 that came to Guatemala in the late 1930s. 162 to 168 had dome throttles. 169 was the only one that had a front-end throttle with the rods and bell crank on the fireman's side, a very unusual feature. 170-174 had the throttle linkage out to the front end arranged the normal way on the engineers side.

Most FEGUA steam locomotives used the backup position on the sander to ring the bell. Most FEGUA steam locomotives had a 5" flat top 3 chime whistle. Late exceptions were 2-8-2s 167 with a cast 5 chime and 182 with a Lunkenheimer round top 3 chime whistle.

I remember at one of the many stops that we made that day, we were waiting on the daily passenger to overtake us. The crew got off the engine to enjoy the shade. While sitting in the engine, I noticed that the compressor was gradually starting to groan on the air side. I motioned to Roberto and he came over, made a set and released it. Soon as the compressor started to stroke, we both got off on the fireman's side and he put the spout of his oilcan right up to the horsehair filter and quieted it down that way. It was here that the pair of enginemen split their lunch with me as I had not brought anything to eat. A simple but thoughtful gesture that I have never forgotten.

When it came time to get out of there, I looked back and saw that we were strung out through an ess curve. I was ready for the slip and caught it with the firing valve. This prompted smiles from both Guatemalans.

One sobering moment was when Hermenegildo came over and pointed for me to look ahead. There in the river was the overturned wreck of Mike 195 which left the rails here right after a shopping. Both of the crew were killed.

We met the other passenger from Barrios at Cumbre and I asked the crew if they could please stop so I could get back to Guatemala City. We shook hands and I thanked them for the wonderful day.


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 Post subject: Re: 48 years ago this week, where does time go?
PostPosted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 7:04 pm 

Joined: Sun Sep 05, 2004 9:48 am
Posts: 1531
Location: Byers, Colorado
Yea, Tom,

Why isn't this posted on Interchange ??? I think it's being overlooked here. I know you must have taken some pictures down there, too, sometime.... MUCHO BUENO SABOR !!!! How about a little more ???

VIVA FEGUA !!!!

_________________
Ask not what your locomotive can do for you,
Ask what you can do for your locomotive,

Sammy King


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 Post subject: Re: 48 years ago this week, where does time go?
PostPosted: Tue Dec 10, 2019 7:27 pm 

Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2011 11:23 am
Posts: 436
Location: Sheboygan County, Wisconsin
I was politely asked to confine this type of thread to Railfanning. No matter to me, I'm not out to tip windmills.

As far as photos, I apologize as I have no way to add them here. John West did help me on the ngdf a few years ago with a FEGUA 174 image from this trip and it was well received.
I think the title of the thread was something like "favorite locomotive".

In the meanwhile, I'll try to keep going with this. I still have a notebook from the trips to
Guatemala and it helps.


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