On Sunday we had a gentleman come down for one of our locomotive rentals. He was 94 years old but had a valid driver's license and was very alert for his age and did just fine handling the controls of the engine (a GE 44 tonner). I had him make several stops and starts, reverse the engine and so on plus he ran it for 12 miles and maintained our 10 mph limit for such events with only minor corrections from time to time.

As always, we gave hime a certificate for his run which names him as an "honorary engineer" on our line. He then presented the museum with a "contribution", as he handed me an envelope. Inside was a check to the museum for $ 11,000! I almost fell over!

You just never know who you're talking to and what they might do for your organization. We had no previous contact with this gentleman but he's now a life member!
-Jim Herron
Florida Gulf Coast RR Museum


http://www.fgcrrm.org
hrvideo@mindspring.com