I never thought it would come to this when I joined IRM back in 1974, but Diesel Days is now one of our biggest attractions. This year there are three days, starting today. And I got to be on the crew of the Zephyr, which of course is the pride of the fleet, I think. There is nothing in existence quite like the E-5.
We had a bigger crowd than I would have expected for a Friday, and everybody seemed to be having a good time. I'm told both the Take The Throttle and Cab Ride options are sold out, or nearly so. That's a testimony to the success of our marketing operations.
Shelby the Zephyrette explains the details of luxury train travel back in the good old days to an appreciative audience. On most of our trips both coaches were pretty full.
A great variety of motive power was used during the day, but I was too busy to get pictures of most of it. There were lots of photographers around, so I'm sure good photos will turn up.
For instance, these two locomotives must have something in common, but I'm not sure what it is.
This RS-3 was used for exploring the south yards by the Take the Throttle participants.
We could use some more crewmen on both Saturday and Sunday, I believe. And you still have a chance to take in all the action.
What does it take to be a crewman?
ReplyDeleteIn order to be a trainman or car host, you just need to be a member. Trainmen who aren't involved in the actual operation of the train don't need to be rules qualified. It's good to show up with clean clothes that look something like a uniform; black shoes, black or dark blue pants, white shirt, do your best. We even have a large stock of used Metra uniforms that you can look through, and if you can find something that fits, it's yours.
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