Railroader Appreciation Day

. . . and, thanks to you, the QA&P was also represented.

Looks like GN was also represented with the cab in BN colors.

"Motorman" Townsend sent me this via his phone.  Jim (right) and I worked together the most.  He is now 88.
This is inside the shop of the ORM.

Years from now, once all the crews who ran steam locomotives originally are gone, historians will slap themselves in the face and collectively ask, "Why didn't we record their experiences like we did, say, the WW2 vets in the 1990s and later?"

I've talked with a few old steam guys over the years and all of them have said that very few people have ever picked their brains except those running real steam today.

There was one engineer I worked with named O. O. Martin who ran steamers, worked in the Railroad Corp. in WW 2, and a lot more. He was very personable, and I listened to every word he uttered but I never asked any questions...when you're the new kid on the board the only way you can impress someone is to display good manners and respect.  Since my career was so short, that will always hold true for me.

I rarely have anything to add to the conversations on this forum due to the fact that I am a short-timer.  Marking up in 1981 when the train service pool was shrinking exponentially makes me feel fortunate I worked at all. So when I am given "the time of day" by, for example, No. 90 or HW,  it is very gratifying.