Locomotive Engineers

Reading the comment from 13 year old gives me the chance to say I was a engineer for 15 minutes or so when I was 10 years old.
This was back in 1950-51 and the first prize for winning a model train race was the pleasure of running a PRR E-8 down through the yard.
It was in Altoona, PA.. I would still like to hear from the engineer on that engine...as we climbed through the center door and walked to the cab, he fired up the diesel. I almost jumped through the little round windows.
I got to sit on the engineer's seat, foot on the 'dead-man's' break (still called that? still such a thing?), then two toots on the horn and pulling out the throttle a couple of clicks I made that monster move.
I'm sure the engineer from that day is far retired .. sad, no one took pictures!
I guess I got the 'I want to be an engineer' out of my system that day, never went on to be one. Grandfather pushed PRR steam up the Penna. mountains.

...Eddie

 

Wow, reading eddielozier's post just above me brought back some interesting memories.
I was about 5 or 6, BTW I'm pushing 60, my parents dragged me along on a cross country trip to Tucson, Arizona. We traveled by train, OF COURSE, and I remember this scene as vividly as if it were yesterday.
It's about 2 in the afternoon, we're somewhere in Texas at a water stop. My dad and I walk up to the head end. The fireman, at least 100 feet above me, leans out of the cab and invites us up. I'm not sure of the size of the engine but I want to say it was a 8-27-8 or so it looked to a 5 year old. By the time I get on the footplate, my elbows, knees, hands and yellow jumper have acquired a smidgen of dust. The engineer says to step on that pedal, of course I do and I get a too close view of what my namesake was writing about. I try to be brave, the men all laugh and tousle my hair, my dad says say thank you, and I do. Of course when we get back to our car my mom keeps screaming about me rolling in a pile of coal dust. Trains just arn't a mom thing.

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When in doubt, empty your magazine.

 

Well that reminds me, when I was 40 and I went into the engineer program (late start to many years playing GI JOE), I got hooked up with my OOOOOOOOLLLLLDDDDDHead engineer trainer for my Familiarization run, and he says KID Ya ain't gonna learn nuttin sttin over thar. This is the bake, this is the throttle, this is the independent and this is the horn. (It was an Empty coal) so piece of cake-I didn't know it at the time though. So I gets the light and we head out, 100 miles latter, a few foul words, and a wide eyed conductor kissing the ground and he says KID ya did a fine job, now ifn ya just help pry my knuckles off the armrests...But I did realize one thing, you know theres a lot of flags, markers with them W's on them, permenant speed signs that I never noticed on the other side of the cab. Sure did on the right side though.....

 

Yeah it sure amazing how ones eyes open up when they sit and work on the other side of the cab.

 

Youse guys got me thinkin agin 'bout my other engine story. Fast forward to the mid '70s, when the US really was a kinder and gentler place. I owned a company that required me to travel from New Hampshire down to Wash.DC about 3X per year.
One time I decide to take the Montrealer south from Brattelboro. Since I signed the front of the checks instead of the back, I took a roomet. Did my business in DC, had dinner at Sam and Harry's and head out to Union Station.
Not being bashful I wander up to the headend and ask if I could take a look. It's a GG1, man, I grew up in NJ watch'n these Pennsy beasts glide in and out of Newark station.
I get the nod, and up I climb. It's something out of the the 1930's, the cab supports are done in web iron, looking like the inside of the Iffel Tower.
The gentleman in the right seat asks me how far I'm going. I tell him Bratelboro, he says well you can ride as far as the beltway, that being about 10min outside of Union Station. He gets the highball, and I gotta tell you, it was like the first time I got... well you know. He's got a stopwatch and clicking off mile markers to check his speedo, well,to this day I would swear that that GG1 was bouncing, talk about rock and roll. I knew that we would never make the first curve. 5,000 horsepower and a gazzillion tons, yea it really did bounce.
Of course the beltway station comes up in, what 25 seconds. I thank the drivers profusely, and bearly able to get my knees to get me down the ladder head back to my roomet. All things considered it was better than the first time I got...



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When in doubt, empty your magazine.

 

It would be neat if everyone could get a nice ride like that. Let me tell ya they all bounce some worse than others. Some vertical and some side ways depending on track. Sometimes when I see a fan taking pictures or watching and we hit a bad spot I wonder if they notice the bouncing.

 

Engineer, BNSF. Kansas City (Argentine) to Wellington, KS. (224 miles) 31 years total, 9 in the Topeka Shops car dept. Old Middle Div. at Emporia. Re-located to Kc in 1989. Working 5-6 trips per half...DDG

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by throttlejock:
So so far we have Amtrak,BNSF,NS,CSS,and one smart guy who retired where from ChooChoo conrail? and Pullin4u are you Soo or WC or isn't there some UP around there too.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Add onr more NS/Former Conrail Train dispatcher. I guess I'll try to keep you guys moving so we don't need a recrew

 

Trust me,

If I get employeed by an RR for anything other than guest services I will be extremely cautios as to where I go. LOL, at 13 I have ruled out BNSF/CN/SRYoBC/MRR and a few others.

I have heard terror stories from employees on the CN, and even though working for CN is a family thing, I think I will pass. BC Rail seems to be 'okay' with the employees I have spoken too, even if they transfer you, you stay in the same province ect.. They are also kinda old fashion in terms of how the RR is run, and last but not least I was looking at the average age of a BCR engineer, and right when I am fresh out of post secondary eductaion they will need people. Oh, don't you love planning that in most cases will never happen

Dane N.

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TAMR2860-AKA BC Rail King
TAMR2860@hotmail.com

 

Hi, I am a Train Driver (what you call an Engineer) for ThamesLink, the north/south cross-London service in the U.K. I started off on British Rail, went into Connex South Central when British Rail was privatised and now work for ThamesLink. My main interest though is U.S. railways, in particular DRGW and the Joint Line. I have been doing this for 10 years after 22 years service in the Royal Air Force. Anybody got a job in Colorado for a 52 year old train driver!!!!!!!

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Ron Carlisle

 

Ron,
To bad you didn't ask about a year ago. The UP in Denver was hiring trainman and they are going to start an engineer class around May 1. Don't know if you would like to come work out here especially with all the rock and snow slides the last couple days. Springtime in the Rockies

 

doh! last msg posted was at the end of april...ah well.
i'm 22 and i'm seriously considering being a train engineer.
but i have NO idea where to start! do you have to start as a conductor or....what? a conductor wouldn't be bad either. being on the train would be fine enough. but being up front would be sweet!
any point towards the right direction would be appreciated.

i'm sure there's training involved. any information about it would be appreciated too.
thank you

 

Hiring out is the first step. To gain promotions ability must be shown for greater responsibilities. I dont work for a mojor class 1 but I believe everyone starts as a lowly trainman moves up to conductor and then engine service. The idea is once you reach engine service the company has a multi-use employee. Anyone? Also everone sits up front these days since the demise of the caboose in regular mainline service.

 

cool thanks for the reply.
so i spoze i pretty much have to follow what it says on web pages under employment. like under UP they say i gotta send in a resume AND have like 2 years work history. i don't even have that...so....am i stuck or what. i guess i could wait.
but i don't want office work. i want to actually be on the train.

 

Hi all, got room for another ex-Conrail now NS engineer? Interesting thread here, I'd like to see a few more tales,(tall or otherwise) before it goes.