When Was The FIRST Time You Operated Or Fired A Locomotive? What Was It Like?

Are we only talking 1:1, or will any scale work?  I've operated a 1:4 scale 16" gauge oil fired Atlantic for about a year.  Oh how I miss her.

The first time was the last time.

I fired the #765 and then took the engineer's seat. When the locomotive, tender and most of the train went on the ground Rich Melvin put his arm around me and suggested I be out of the state of Indiana by sundown. In those days my handle was "Scherbear57." Rich officially changed it to Scrapiron Scher.

Scrappy

Use to fire ten wheelers and a mogul at the Mid-Continent Ry. Museum when we had steam years ago. It was great fun, I'd rather fire than run!

I have had the privilege to fire and run both a crown model 4-4-0 and a 2 truck shay in 1/4 scale, 15" gauge. I also fired and ran a full scale HK Porter . The porter started out as a 4 wheel saddle tanker and was a 2 4 0 with a tender by the timeI got in the cab. I really enjoyed them all.

I started out on IRM's J. Neils Shay back in the 1980's.  The exact date is long lost to history.  My foamy views about steam locomotion disappeared almost instantly.  It was work, but I loved it.

When I moved up to Frisco 1630, I thought I had a pretty good handle on firing.

Wrong... 

Took a lot of shovel learnin' to fire a chooch with a firebox over 4 times as large as the Shay's.

Rusty

I started learning, by cleaning fires and hosteling PRR K4s/K4sa locomotives at South Amboy, New Jersey in about 1956 or 1957. It was hard, demanding WORK.

Next in 1962 & 1963 I fired 2-8-0s on the Buffalo Creek & Gauley RR in West Virginia. I also made a trip or two firing Kentucky & Tennessee #12 (now known as Southern 4501), which was darned near impossible because of the crap coal they burned, or tried to burn.

As many know, I was the main engineer on our local park railroad from 2010 - 2013. 2 (now 3) locomotives, 10 cars, 3/4 mile of 2-foot gauge track. Fun for the first few weeks of the season but almost 16 runs a day, Saturday and Sunday (and some weekdays) in the sweltering summer heat got old rather quick. Rather monotonous as well. I think we all had the most fun doing the "unusual" operations that had to be done occasionally. 

I had the opportunity to operate one of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad EMD GP30 locomotives. 

I was also given the opportunity to operate former TTC (Toronto) PCC trolley #4602, one of two identical cars at the National Capital Trolley Museum. 

During my short-lived time as a volunteer at Walkersville Southern, I was able to be fireman on the Lehigh Valley Coal Co. #126, an 0-6-0T. This is a beefy little engine. Has a lot of "get up and go". Kept me very busy on three 8-mile round trips to Frederick, MD and back! She is a coal burner and owned by the Gramling Family in Indiana. I had never fired steam before. The Gramlings were excellent teachers. Very kind. Upon completion, I was told to visit their RV on the property. Loco owner John Gramling told me I did a "**** good job" and handed me a rare prize - a "Lehigh Valley Coal Co. 126 - Engine Crew" hat. WS is offering throttle time for sale this year but I will not be able to participate. 

In 1968 growing up in Milwaukee, Wi. Dick Jensen's GTW #5629 was pulling the circus train into MIlwaukee from Baraboo, Wi. 5629 developed a hot axle in the lead truck. The engine ended up laying over in Milwaukee. My Dad talked to the C&NW tower operator and found out the engine was only a few miles from our house. We found the engine, and Dick Jensen, and I was welcomed aboard. Later I helped fire up the engine using anything that burned until we could use the blower and get her entirely on coal. For a young kid this was quite the experience. I was asked if I wanted to go back to Chicago with them, but I had no idea how to get back home, so reluctantly declined...but that was quite the day for yours truly.

The first steam locomotive I ever fired was also an 0-4-0 narrow gauge Porter with a tender. It was privately owned and wood-fired. While I had a lot of "book learning" regarding firing, putting that knowledge into practice was a fun challenge. But I was lucky enough to have experienced folks with me to show me the ropes.

It was a complete blast to fire. It had Sellers injectors and a hydrostatic lubricator.

Reaching across what turned out to be a steam line, my bare forearm contacted that pipe for a split-second, and left a scar that I was proud to show off for years!

That engine was also the first engine that I ever ran solo.

Later I also qualified to fire our 1941 Vulcan standard gauge 0-4-0.

Same location, locomotive, and seat as the OP - just 10 years prior.  Not the best picture, but proof I was there at least.