Mainline Steam Engineers

I know a few... 

I fixed your post and embedded the video.

Since I started "learning" about locomotives and railroading, about 1954/1955, I certainly have met LOTS of "Mainline Steam Engineers". Even during my early EMD career (1962) I still met and conversed many, many, originally steam qualified Engineer's.  

Specifically relating to only mainline steam operations in the "modern era", beginning in 1975 for me, I have met, worked with, and fired for quite a few now "famous" Engineers, involved with SP 4449, UP 844, UP 3985, AT&SF 3751, Milwaukee Road 261, and NKP 765. I no longer maintain my FRA Engineer ticket, but previously I have run NKP 765, SP 4449, and UP 3985.

Thanks Rich!

Does a retired engineer on the little East Broad Top count?

The man that taught me how to catch trout in little Pennsylvania streams when I was young ... my mother's father.

He worked in the mine during the night, and many days ran trains when he got out, dragging coal up to the PRR. He smelled of both aromas, and was constantly filthy. I vividly remember it.

The man never slept ..... and had thick, weathered leather for skin. He grew about a quarter acre of potatoes each year .... in his "spare time."

And, of course .... never a complaint or a bad word out of his mouth.

Those old immigrants make me feel like a very soft wussy.

This past  June when I was staying in Raleigh I met the engineer of the  611. He was in the cab while his kids played in the tender. I forget his name !!  Anyone know what it might  be.  Before the B&LE was sold to the Canucks I had made friends with the asst. yardmaster in Butler, Pa., Paul, who had run steamers at the end of their career.  His attitude of diesels, "Anyone can run one of those". He was 18 when he started.

I met Jack Showalter during his time running on the Allegany Central in 1989 (today's WMSR). He was certainly a colorful person and had very strong opinions. 

Yes !!  Forgot him. He let me ride in the cab and video going up to Frostburg.  Good man.

My dad was a steam engineman and just about everyone else   in our small town worked for the railway.

Unfortunately most have moved on  (passed) 

I did make a few mainline trips with him  as a kid..  they worked most holidays without holiday pay and irregular hours. I never heard how wonderful  he was or  hear him complain about the job. They just did their job.

When I hired out on the Santa Fe Los Angeles Division in 1970, all the Engineers were steam Engineers.  The oldest  seniority date was 1923 and the Youngest  date was 1951.  Those were their Fireman seniority dates, and they were all promoted to Engineer three years after establishing Fireman seniority.  Sometimes it took years for a promoted Fireman to get a regular Engineer assignment, so, if you discount the ones promoted on steam but not establishing an Engineer date until later, only about 3/4 of the Engineers were steam men.

I knew too many to mention here.

. . . And, there was Uncle Roland, who had a 1922 date on the Los Angeles & Salt Lake, and ran UPRR passenger trains when I was a young fellow.

The story from my You Tube Channel............

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZt83PevSyM

About 70 miles Northwest of my trainroom.

Gary

I've had the honor of meeting Rich and Ross Rowland.

When I marked up in 1981 there were a couple of steam engineers still active on our board.  One of them was O.O. Martin.  He used to talk about the virtues of Frisco 2-8-2's that he operated.  He was in a railroad corps during WW2 and sometimes told stories about those adventures. 

Years ago I used to own a photography book by Don Ball which included a picture of the callboard inside the Frisco Tulsa roundhouse.  There were names on that board that I recognized from listening to "Double O"'s railroad tales.  All these years later that is still a hair-raising memory for me.