This is a slow day today, so I thought I’d register here. Kinda like chat forums, but never though I’d make it here.
I started life as a foamer, but almost 40 years later I’m not. Here’s why:
I’ll start with my model trains. It was my first love, along with model cars. My train layout filled my bed room from grade school to high school.
After that I went to college to become mechanic. Well that didn’t pan out so I worked for my dad for a decade. While there, I volunteered at a local railroad museum. We restored a 10 wheeler to operating condition and I was the museum brakeman for several years.
I thought this was a fun and easy job, so I tracked down a college in Kansas (Nation Academy of Railroad Sciences) and enroled.
2 year later I was the first along with 7 others that graduaded with an AS Degree in Railroad sciences.
Of the 7, 2 quit, 4 still work for the BNSF, and one died in a train accident.
Another decade later, here I am. I’ve worked from Washington to California-LA Richmond, Barstow, Stockon, Temple Texas, and Kansas.
8 different terminals, don’t know how many rail miles, Conductor and switchman jobs.
Now a days I just switch in the yard with RCO equipped engines.
It’s been a tough go, especially getting laid off years ago.
It is much better these days, now I just go to work just like everyone else, except the remote engines I work with are real not toys.
Breaker breaker, howdy, and welcome aboard. This is a crazy place, kinda like one big disfunctional family that somehow manages to not kill each other. Maybe thats cuz we are all seperated. haha
Well you’ all probably know more about RR’s than me, got no ego to share.
The steam engine is the Southern Pacific 2353. Unfortunately it saw it’s last steam some years ago. Most of the steam heads that rebuilt her in the 1990’ds, are dead now.
I was the young punk that hung around and spent many weekends rebuilding her. 2300 hour I spent, did all the brake work, and the tender.
I’m not affiliated with the museum anymore.
Boiler work is to extensive I heard.
Rent the move Peal Harbor, you’ll see her along with the SF 3751.
Welcome Ed. Sounds like you may be a fellow “right in the middle” of the US and BNSF fan. (I can’t say Great Plains States, since I think we are the Mid-West, but that’s another posting) You will find great variety on here - a person for just about any taste in railroading. And all age ranges, altho’ I think you will find a lot of gentlemen on here just about your age group.