I'm working in the cab of an 85 year-old steam engine at The Northwest Railway Museum. She has not run in about 30 years but is cosmetically pretty good.

A blond, about 5-years old (I'm a push over for them), asks, "Why isn't it moving?"

How do I answer that to a 5-year old?

Fortunately her 8-year old brother answers, "Because it's old."

She is satisfied.

And I'm thinking, I like the idea of being old as a reason not to move.

I've heard that same answer given quite a few times. Those questions from the little ones can be so hard to answer. :)

That would have been the toughest train question ever if she was staring at PRR 1361, lol.

Especially if she donated some of her allowance and ice tea money.

I suppose "retired" is not a bad answer in the case of your engine.

/Mitch

hehe

years ago the old time steam threshers reunion had a 100 year old horse pulled engine, but they had it fired up and its big wheel spinning.

I think by now its 140 years old

Just tellem your waiting for the streetcar to come with the coal and water...

Toughest one I ever had was by an adult who ,with all seriousness stared into the cab and blurted "Is this real?" I still haven't answered him.

In a case like that, without saying a word, hand him a 4x6 print of this:

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lr7tz ... o1_500.jpg

translated: "This is not a pipe" ;)


Scot

I think we all occasionally have this experience. 25 years ago, I am shoveling coal into the firebox, engine is vividly under steam, patron asks, "Where is the engine?".

[quote]25 years ago, I am shoveling coal into the firebox, engine is vividly under steam, patron asks, "Where is the engine?"./[quote]

And that is how we know that we have a job to do. Sure, we've restored the Pullman to its former glory. Sure, we've documented every construction technique, paint color, and rivet in the car. Sure, we know the names of all the famous people who rode in this car. But if the patron is presented with all of this information thinking that "Pullman" is just the name of the town where Washington State University is located, well...

Let's just say that the "obvious" information is almost a foreign language to many patrons. We've got to come down to their level. We're not just a bunch of "train nuts". We've got to be docents (Which comes from the Latin "Doceo" which means "I teach").

("Why is this tour guide talking about different kinds of trucks? Trucks run on the road. I thought this was a train museum").

I overheard a father telling his child that #14, the Westside shay wasn't real, we had made it up out of a junk pile.

This summer we were running a full line charter run. Part way we were going to stop and pick up a car. the loco uncoupled and grabbed the other car. As the loco was coming out of the siding to return to the train you could see it well. I(as conductor) pointed it out and said "Look, there's our engine coming to couple up". A lady turned and asked "if the engine is over there does that mean we didn't have one before?" I responded Nope, we had just been rolling down hill for the last 45 minutes". She caught my sarcasm.

Not the "toughest" question, but the one with the most embarrassing answer: Back in the 70's I had a night job, and would go out to the museum on weekdays to help with school charter runs. In California, fourth graders traditionally study the history of our state, old missions, gold rush, the coming of the railroads, etc. One day I had just brought the streetcar back to the station, and one of the students, a girl of about ten years old, asked "Do you know what today is?" and I replied, "May 10". Then she asked, "Why is this special?". When I couldn't come up with an answer, she told me, "It's Golden Spike Day!" (Forgive me, Governor Stanford!)

Not a difficult or tough question, but one that makes you wonder why it took so long to hear it:

"What do you carry in a box car?"

That came after about 35 years in this railroad museum/preservation business.

By far the toughest question to answer, and I've run into it several times:

Underneath a locomotive or passenger car, in humid 100-degree heat, cursing the fact that we have to work on the sunny side and not the shaded side, wedged firmly in a tight place, covered head to toe in black dust, rust, oil, cinder ballast, sweat, and/or debris from the toilet line/tank.... Then, having had the tool slip or bolt break once again, busting a knuckle or nicking the forehead.............

........... looking at your co-worker, equally frustrated/sweaty/dirty/aggravated, and hearing him mutter, "Tell me again... why the #{*&%#@ are we doing this again?"

I mean, we already KNOW better than to keep coming back to this cr@p.........

"Because we're having FUN!"

Jeeze, ya really gotta ask???

Anyway, you left out the part about the yellowjacket nest that was in the body bolster...

Howard P.