Nostalgia & History > Who is/was your favorite steam locomotive engineer?

For those of you who have been fortunate enough to experience a ride in a steam locomotive cab, who is your favorite steam engineer?

Mine is Eduardo Benavides’, who worked the Guyaquil and Quito Railway in Ecuador. I was constantly amazed by his ability to smoothly start a train on the 5 to 5.5 percent grades on the G&Q.

Africansteam

I'm a fan of anybody who can fire and/or run steam locos safely and efficiently today. Doyle McCormick, Steve Lee, (UP's guy?) Joe Dale Morris, lately of the Rio Grande Pacific Corp, and whoever is fortunate to drive the 634 of the WMSRR. I could go on, but I won't here and now.

Con

Steamjocky, what a guy!!!!!

Never got to visit that line, Jack. But I bet your friend was pretty talented to get trains over that awful road.
I have a couple of nominations:
Pete McGovern of MacMillan Bloedel Ltd. on Vancouver Island. He was a practitioner, an artist & an absolute professional at his craft. I rode with him a few times out to camp & back & witnessed how well he handled a train of logs. The old cars were a mix of K & AB triple valves. He taught me the parts of Walschaert motion by walking me through it on engine 1077, his Montreal-built 2-6-2. He only said it once to me, but it stuck...eccentric crank, eccentric rod, link, link block, etc.. A wonderful gent of the old school.
The other was a Guatemalan fellow by the name of Gustavo Loyo. He was a senior engineer on the Atlantic Division of the old I.R.C.A., later named FEGUA. His nephew, Roberto, was also a friend who I rode with a few times on steam.
In 1973, Al Shelton & I spent a day on 2-8-2 180 with him & his fireman. For the last 60 miles, he gave up his seat & let me handle the mixed train, up & down 3.3% grades. He knew when to stand behind me to give help & when to relax on the sandbox. Another man who was skilled at his craft.

My favorite engineer is 85 year old Tommy the Rocket Dela Rosa, who qualified as an emgineer in steam on the SP in 1955, just in time to spend a buncha time ferrying old steam locos to the scrap pile. He ran the Coast Starlite for Amtrak until 4 years ago when he had to retire for health reasons (colon cancer) which, as it turned out, he beat and is good enough shape that he could still be running the old Starlate today!! Tommy knew steam, big time. He was fireman on the 4449 and still wishes he had made the grade in enough time to have run it from the right hand seat.
C.
PS---Jim Abney, ATK engineer out of Portland runs the SP&S 700-------he is right up there on "the llst"

Casey Jones, King of the Throttle. (No stinkin' rule book for JLJ.)

CarolVoss Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My favorite engineer is 85 year old Tommy the
> Rocket Dela Rosa, who qualified as an emgineer in
> steam on the SP in 1955, just in time to spend a
> buncha time ferrying old steam locos to the scrap
> pile. He ran the Coast Starlite for Amtrak until 4
> years ago when he had to retire for health reasons
> (colon cancer) which, as it turned out, he beat
> and is good enough shape that he could still be
> running the old Starlate today!!

Been there, done that with the CC bit. Would love to meet Tommy some day.

Cheers,
Africansteam

There is a whole new generation of steam engineers that have learned their skills in the space age. All of them deserve our respect. But my favorite is a young man named Jeremy Garcia who runs on the C&TS, which is arguably the most challenging steam railroad still in existence. He takes trains up and down the 4 percent with old ET6 brake valves like an artist. Man and machine work as one. It is truly an art form. No pressure maintaining, no dynamic, just a man using ancient air brake technology the way it was intended to be used. With maybe a bit of help from some brakemen setting retainers.

CarolVoss Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> PS---Jim Abney, ATK engineer out of Portland runs
> the SP&S 700-----

Jim gets the two mixed up. Every Saturday he takes Cascades Talgo #507 south and comes back north on Sunday morning with #500. I hear him on the radio after a conductor calls out a slow order. "OK, 500 out." Last month, on a Saturday, the SP&S 700 came down to Salem for the day and went back north on Sunday. Jim took the 700 back north on Sunday morning and on the radio his response was: "OK, 500..........er 700 out."

jb

It's really good to know Tommy Dela Rosa is doing well! I fired quite a bit for Tommy and my ears are still ringing to prove it! He set new records in whistle blowing volume! God help those passengers in the sleepers when Tommy was at the throttle of the short lived Spirit of California! He's a great guy though and was always fun to work with. The fireman always got some running time with Tommy.

I guess my favorite steam engineer would be Neil Vodden, like Tommy another SP Coast hoghead whose last steam runs were on the SP 2472 after he'd retired from the SP. He was probably the most professional engineer (steam or diesel) I ever saw in my career, and a real gentleman too, always a pleasure to work with. I don't think I ever saw him make a mistake. Neil passed away at about age 70 some time ago.

Well, I have not had the pleasure of meeting him yet, but Steve Sandberg, on the Milwaukee Road 261 is now a favorite of mine. Rcently when the 261 was heading back to St. Paul, MN from Duluth, MN and I was chasing it, a few of us heard on the scanner him making an annoucment to the crew of the amtrak P40 diesel that was trailing. and I quote "If you guys don't back off the throttle a bit with that diesel I am going to come back there and take away the reverser!". Certainly a man not afraid to let the steam engine do the work.

Craig

Currently favorite hostler; when he marks up this summer in the seat; MONGO!

Mine are A.P. Brock and the late William "Billy" Byrd, both of whom I had the pleasure to work with as trainman and conductor. Paul hailed from the Southern Railway steam excursion program and Billy fired and ran on the Old Reliable (fired steam and ran diesel). My favorite diesel engineer was J.K. Frazer (not "Fraiser"). I got a long fine with Ken and he certainly knows his business.

Mine would be Jack Elwood, from the Santa Fe Days. A true gentleman who I rode behind when Santa Fe brought 375i out for the special in the 90's

Wayne Crabb
San Gabriel, CA