Even though I worked with Marty during my short time on the C&TS, It was during our time on the Grand Canyon Railway that I had the privilege of working with her on the locomotive. Russ and Marty were kind enough to let me stay with them in their home for several months as housing was scarce in Williams, AZ in those days. After the mad scramble to get former LS&I No. 18 ready to go for the inaugural run on September 17, 1989 (that is another story), we settled in to operating daily steam powered trains to the canyon, 64 miles each way.
The majority of our small crew immediately started work on former LS&I No. 29 and setting up the shop. Marty and I were assigned as the engine crew for the daily train and were also responsible for servicing, light maintenance and anything else we needed to do to keep No. 18 operating so the others could focus on No. 29.
These days were long, especially as we approached the cold weather season. The 18, being recently rebuilt (in a hurry) didn’t have all the comforts that an engine crew would like. The seats were primitive “box seats” with a thin foam cushion. There were no arm rests to lean on or awnings to help keep out the elements. In addition, the locomotive had a driver set that was just slightly out of quarter, and between 30 and 40 MPH (our average speed was 35), the locomotive rode like a log wagon on a rutted road. Marty and I swapped off running/firing and we would have to grip the seat box with our legs with one arm hanging on to the throttle (or firing valve) and the other gripping the side of the cab window cell…..just to hang on! We would work something like 14-15 straight days, get a day off, then start all over again. At the end of the day, we were exhausted, but you never heard Marty complain. She always maintained a good attitude and focused on getting the train to and from the canyon safely. I would get frustrated and grumpy, but she had a way of making that all go away and keeping me focused as well.
On one of our rare days off, we had just enough time to get some laundry done and catch up on other chores. Marty and I were at the house doing laundry in an old machine that wouldn’t stayed balanced on the spin cycle. I was in my room when I heard the machine go into “spin” and started bouncing all over. I went in to the laundry room to see Marty, all 115 pounds of her, sitting on the washing machine with her arms and legs in a “death grip” trying to hang on and keep the machine still. She had the same determined look on her face that she had when hanging on to run the No. 18 to the canyon. I started laughing and said “what is this….the new GCRY No. 18 steam locomotive simulator? Haven’t you had enough?”
We laughed so hard that we didn’t get much done for the rest of the day…..she was incredible and I miss her terribly.
Mike Ramsey
