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| The engineer on East Broad Top Railroad #15 intently looks ahead as he cracks the throttle to proceed. (click to enlarge) |
Sitting behind a huge boiler hundreds and hundreds of degrees hot, filled with thousands of gallons of boiling water to generate steam, in some cases up to 300 psi and on a hot summer day cannot be called a dream job. Yet, there are men (and women) lined up today at a chance to be an engineer on an old steam locomotive. I know I would.
Join me over at my website, https://www.dennismook.com.
Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
Dennis A. Mook
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And I would be lined up right behind you! Still, I've often thought that being a fireman on a coal locomotive during an Arizona summer must have been hell on earth. Those old Southern Pacific and Santa Fe trainmen were a tough bunch!
ReplyDeleteBob, I had a close friend, now long gone, who was an engineer on steam locomotives for the old Virginia Railway. When they were swallowed up by Norfolk & Western, he qualified on diesel locomotives and move to Chesapeake, VA to run locals. He told me a lot of stories about his time running through the West Virginia and Virginia mountains pulling coal trains. The highlight of all my years with him was when he was allowed to run Norfolk & Western’s 4-8-4 #611 and he received permission for me to ride up in the cab with him. I’ll never forget him nor that ride. Oh! By the way, at 70mph on the 75 miles or so of straight track between Suffolk, VA and Petersburg, VA I thought that locomotive was going to shake my kidneys right out of my body! The roughest ride I’ve ever experienced. But I loved every minute of it! After the locomotive derailed in 1985 (I think?) in the Great Dismal Swamp, the company reduced its speed limit and wouldn’t allow the #611 to run that fast any longer. Great times. ~Dennis
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