Passenger Trains > Tribute to a couple of great guys

As railfans we don't always notice the faces working behind the scenes, or behind the throttle so-to-speak. Here's a look at a couple of guys who worked behind the guys who work behind the throttle. It's my understanding that they are both retired now, and it's definitely Amtrak's loss. I (and the rest of my classmates) had the pleasure of having these two as our primary instructors at Amtrak's locomotive engineer training facility in Wilmington, Delaware. They were excellent at getting the material across to us in a very clear, understandable manner. I never learned so much so quickly before, and it was definitely thanks to Bill Morecraft and Bobby Ragland. Their voices still echo in my mind today whenever I'm trying to troubleshoot a problem, or explain something to one of my student engineers. "ICE CREAM BOX!" (That was their illustrative description of the high-pressure side of the lube oil strainer on an EMD.) "Do you need a crowbar? Sledgehammer? .......Reverser???" (Suggestion to a student engineer who was struggling to move the dynamic brake handle out of the "off" position.)

Photo #1: Bill Morecraft (a.k.a. "John Madden") walks over to round us up for a look at the innards of a few locomotives during a day trip to Philadelphia. He looked a little like Madden, but his voice and mannerisms sealed the deal.

Photo #2: Bobby Ragland inside one of the classrooms in Wilmington, energetically describing the finer points of the fuel transfer system of a P42 -- or maybe telling one of his old war stories, like the time he took a switcher out of the roundhouse way back when, without realizing that the brakes were cut out on both trucks. I think he said the engine ended up stopping partially submerged in a small lake. ;)

In any case, I hope these guys don't mind their faces being plastered on the internet. I just think that they deserve some recognition for all of their hard work over the years. I know I wasn't the only one who appreciated them.

---

---

Morecraft...a little bird told me that if you were in one classroom,say, doing a re-entry class, and he was teaching newbies in the one next to it, you could hear him right through the walls....I agree with you, he will be sorely missed. Just a hell of a great guy.