08/12/2006 Father, son get a rare treat By DIANE WETZEL , The North Platte Telegraph Charles and Randy Putman spending a hot August day riding a steam engine from Grand Island to North Platte sounds a lot like a busman's holiday. Between them, father and son have a total of 71 years working for the Union Pacific Railroad. Randy, 44, who is a signal design engineer for the U.P. in Omaha, arranged the trip for his father, who retired after 44 years with the U.P. in 1997. The two men boarded engine No. 844 at Grand Island at noon on Friday. The special train was traveling from a Railroad Fair in Council Bluffs, Iowa, back to its home base in Cheyenne, Wyo. "It was a great experience," Charles said. "It was hot, but great." Charles began working for the U.P. at age 17. His father, Frances, who worked as a train dispatcher in North Platte for 43 years got him the job. "We are a railroad family," Charles said. "We raised four kids on it, and it was our life. It was a good-paying job, and my checks never did bounce." Hitching a ride on old No. 844 was a rare treat. "It happened because my son is a good friend of the vice-president," Charles said. "He did it as a great favor to both of us and I am grateful." Both Putmans were impressed with the attention the train drew as it traveled. "People were chasing it everywhere," Randy said. "In every town, on bridges, and the overpasses, people were watching. The police department in Grand Island had to come in and keep people away from the tracks." The U.P. provides for the tracking of the train on its Web site, www.up.com; type in steam in the search box. Railroad fans can follow the progress of No. 844 through a Global Positioning System installed on one of the cars. "There were people everywhere," Charles said. "All the way, people waved and seemed tickled to see the train. The engineer blew the whistle a lot, and the steam engine whistle sounds very different. Horses and cows along the way got up and ran when they heard that whistle. It was a good time." :teeth:
