My username “sigengr” refers to my career in railroad signal engineering. The avatar is a dwarf signal in the LA Metro yard fot the B and D lines.
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Karol is my name. Also my son’s name, so I am Sr and he is Jr.
The avatar pic is Florida Railroad museum’s GP-7 number 1835. I get to operate this locomotive on a regular basis. Also operate a CF7 (former Santa Fe F7) pretty often as well. Running real trains is my passion now, even though I have G scale and HO scale trains in abundance-but no active layout.
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N&W to represent the Norfolk and Western, which I model.
Kasskaboose is for my last name and the end of a train, where to take a nap!
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I am a doctor, and I am Canadian. The office where I was assigned to practice was known as “The Fowler Clinic”, so I became known as “Doc Fowler” to the locals, even though that is not my name. When I transitioned to teaching university students the name followed me somehow.
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My avatar is a SD80mac.
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My moniker came from my NFL team, the Carolina Panthers. My wife grew up with the Richardsons who brought the team to existance in 1993. After a few years my mother gave me a Panther flag. I took it to the games and cheered on the team. My section mates gave me the nickname FLAGMAN. My section was 515, so I adopted the Flagman 515 as an online name, distinguishing me from any other Flagmen.
I found a picture online of the hat worn by a Southern Railway Flagman and voila, an avatar was born!
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Nice!
Regards, Chris
My username is the phone number we had growing up, when in Brit the exchange (in this case Derwent) was abreviated as the first part of the ‘number’
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My avatar is a PECO 0-6-0 loco on the N30n section of my N Scsle layout. I decorated it snd added the hand grabs etc. I now have s second, and it’s psle blue, so Oxforx and Canbridge, if you will…
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The username is “OldEngineman” because that’s what I am.
I started out as one of the last to be hired into the craft of “fireman” by Conrail in New Haven in 1979. Got promoted in 1981. Worked for Conrail (freight, passenger and commuter back when they crewed it all), then for Metro-North a while as a hostler in the Harmon (NY) shops. Went back to Conrail, then to Amtrak (for the first time) in 1985. Federal law gave me equal seniority on both AMT and CR, so I would work for one company for 6 months, then move over to the other for 6 months or a year, then back. Did this for about 6 years – I think I might be one of the last of the old-time “boomers”. When 1991 came around, I decided to stick with Amtrak.
Worked territory from New York to New Haven to Springfield to Boston.
Up and down both sides of the Hudson River and into North Jersey.
Worked the old Erie from Oak Island to Port Jervis. I’m the last engineman who hired in New Haven to run an engine in Maybrook yard – won’t be any more. I even worked on the New York, Ontario & Western in Middletown, taking cars to the Middletown and New Jersey (see story by Scott Hartley in Trains magazine, Dec. 1985, p.54 – that was me).
Ran passenger trains up the old Central Vermont from New London to Palmer, MA (Amtrak’s revived Montrealer). There were nights when I was on my regular job bringing #60 in from New York to New Haven (on an AEM-7), and they didn’t have anyone to take the train “further” from New Haven to New London to Palmer. So… when I got to the platform, I got off the electric, got handed some paperwork, and got back on the F-40 and just kept going… 'til I “got there”. Long nights, indeed.
Eventually I did “get there” – to retirement, in early 2012.
So that’s where the name comes from.
I picked the avatar because some of the best memories of the job were from local freights. Most of the time the engines would be GP-38’s or B-23’s, but the engine in the pic is a GP40-2. It just happened to “fit” best into the available space…
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Very interesting career. You must have hours of stories to tell.
Regards, Chris
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Thanks sir. Wish I could have been at the auction for the hat😕
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To All,
FWIW, my Moniker and Avatar are explained in my profile, should one be interested…
Till going along that track, having great fun doing it all…
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I think we all have. 
David
Maybe, but I sure don’t have any that could compare to OldEngineMan.
Regards, Chris
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reference OldEngineMan: When I retired from a career of teaching, driving a van for crew transport seemed a good retirement job. After all I’ve been a foamer since age 13. My story is an incident I observed.
I took a crew to re-enact a rules infraction incident. Just so happens on the crew was probably the oldest fireman still employed by Uncle Pete. Unfortunately while the officials were onsite, THIS crew ALSO incurred a rules infraction. The officials, younger people, started taking names. I watched the fireman being questioned. When he answered what his job was in the crew, he said, “Fireman”. The young man looked at him and said, “What does a fireman do?” My friend said nothing, except to re-enact the motions of shoveling coal into a firebox. What a hoot. endmrw0320251830
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I remember when I graduated from college and started working I would pay very close attention to the more experienced employees. There was an “education “ available there that wasn’t taught to me by my professors. I knew then they knew much more than me. It seems now, at least 10 years ago when I finally retired, younger people”knew everything” and could care less what I had to say. Things surely change I guess but I was certainly ready to retire to get out of the culture.
Regards, Chris
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As a HS instructor of Phycics, I taught prospective Professional Engineers. And some day this ole timer will offer a suggestion. If you are the “certified expert” on a job and this construction superintendant who is old enough to be your grandpa, suggests…Listen very carefully to him. He knows more than you will ever read or be taught. The problem, probably is not even in a book. But he’s been there and done that. All those little things that might turn out to be a big deal, HE HAS seen them. Experience is NEVER to be taken for granted. endmrw0320251859
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I agree with you 100%
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MP104 said:
“I watched the fireman being questioned. When he answered what his job was in the crew, he said, “Fireman”. The young man looked at him and said, “What does a fireman do?” My friend said nothing, except to re-enact the motions of shoveling coal into a firebox”
When I started (1979), the fireman still had a job making steam, at least in passenger service.
The FL-9’s had steam boilers and the old New Haven coaches had steam heat.
So you had to go back in the engine room and make sure the old steam generators were still working.
In Danbury yard, there was also an overnight “steam heat job” in the cold months, keeping the steam generators going, refilling the engine water tanks, etc.
So… even without steam ENGINES… there was still “steam”…
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