I suspect that it would get really old really fast.

I've had to get up that early on a regular basis for a short while. It REALLY gets old fast, especially falling asleep in your dinner at 6 or 7 PM.

But hey, don't let me stop you from sending your resume and moving to Lancaster County.

Depends on if a runby or two is offered.... ;)

Kelly, what kind of A/C are you putting on the diner? I'm guessing electric with an on-board genset but would be immensely pleased if you resurrected a Waukesha Ice Engine!

Steve

There probably won't be a combine or caboose on to start. We'll see as time goes on.

Car 93 has a seven-ton compressor powered by a genset. We calculated the amount of ice we would need to equal that cooling capacity and it was prohibitive.

YES.

I love steam locos as much as anyone else, and am blessed to have the experience of running them. However, when my schedule was to run 12 hours a day for 5 days a week, and do maintenance on the remaining two days a week.......all summer....and all fall.......Well, I can see how some of the "old head" steam guys liked the coming of the diesels........

It's very nice spending a day here and there on a hot dirty loco, but when you're married to it it's much different.

I'd be more interested and pleased in just watching from my coach or caboose seat, the movements and knowing how rare a treat it is to be part of it. We're too often more interested in the photos, than taking the experience in, then and there.

Too, asking them to provide run-by's while they are trying to get their days work done, is unnecessary and most likely why it won't be offered any time soon.

+1

I honestly think I enjoy seeing steam shop work at least as much as I enjoy seeing steam in operation.

Thanks again for posting.

That's very true. One of the nicest experiences I've had in a while was on the "Camp Five Museum" railroad... the former Laona & Northern. I was there at the end of a summer day, since I had permission to take some measurements of a coach, but had to wait for it to be "put to bed" for the night before I could start. The crew invited me to ride the train up to the logging camp museum on the last trip of the day. Since the purpose of the train is to take people from the parking lot on Highway 8 up to the museum and back, no one actually rides the last inbound trip of the day... so no screaming kids, etc. Instead we just sat in the caboose and BS'd, me and a a train crew with a combined age of about 150 years (and there were only two of them!), engine c huffing in the background, summer breezes blowing in the end door while we rumbled the couple miles up to the camp. Talk about a time machine... It could have been 1950, or 1930, or even 1910.

Then we arrived at the camp and the caboose filled up with screaming kids :-( It was nice while it lasted.

Dennis -

Because I'm an "old fogey", my experience with the Laona & Northern predates yours. When the family and I rode it, the last train of the day went all the way to the old Soo Line interchange at Laona Junction. There were a couple of boxcars being delivered back to the Soo that day, which added to the train of coaches and cabooses, and #4 had her hands full! The line to Laona Jct. had been laid up and down the hills, so the little Vulcan Prairie did a lot of I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, going up the hills and....I thought I could, I thought I could, I thought I could, going back down. Quite an interesting ride, to say the least!

Les

I can tell you, it does. My current job requires me to get up at 4:15 every morning. I actually have fallen asleep in my dinner (my fiancee gets a huge kick out of it!).

I don't think he's gonna be moving to Lancaster county anytime soon. He's too busy being a dispatcher and growing old! Happy birthday Mike, you old fart!

Watch it young man or I'll come out to Arizona and give you what for.

I've spent 6 years dealing with the public. A nice quiet early morning hostlers job sounds like JUST what I need.

Mike S.

Here are the results from Wednesday's freight train, powered by N&W 475: http://youtu.be/c4lUh2noIfk

I know it's not profitable on a larger line, but it's still awesome to see a railroad using steam to haul modern freight consists.

Well, that's just nifty!

Cheers, Jason

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