| Posted by Matt L on February 16, 2009 | |
Cool photo. And the guys on top are doing what?
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Great story and great picture. Thanks. Almost like Disney Land.
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John, Since the late 1990's funding for the railroad has been erratic or non existent. Employees have sometimes gone months without pay. When tour operators run special trains, this is an opportunity for the crew to get paid real money. The tip envelope often represents several weeks worth of income to each worker. Also, when one of the frequent derailments occur, all those extra workers come in very handy for lugging ties, frogs, tools, etc.
Back in service days, the crews were still rather large, an engineer, fireman, head brakeman, a couple of brakemen up top and the conductor. There were usually a couple other people on the tender who could have been employees or just friends of the crew!
The trains were indeed air braked, but break in two's were frequent, and with 5.5% grades in the mountain districts, the hand brakes served as retainers. In the US, the Cass Scenic uses the same system. Hand brakes are set up, with the engineer using the air for fine control and to stop. Less chance of losing your air and having a runaway that way.
I watched a break in two while on a train climbing the Devils Nose and the crew in the passenger car that broke away had it tied down and stopped before it had rolled back a half car length.
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