Re: Congratulations

Casey Akin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Earl,
>
> A most innocent question: Was it your intention to
> be a steam engineer, or was your first train job
> just something to do?
>
> I've never had a smoother ride than behind Yertl
> Couplings....
>
> If only someone would document their history in a
> paper registry, topped with a hard cover,
> available to all....
>
> Casey
>
> edit:

Initially, it seemed like something fun to do for the summer. I had given up on college (and visa-versa), and was going to enroll in drafting school in the fall. The intent was to become an architectural draftsman. In AZ, back then you could work in the field for 4 years then apply for an Architect's License - that was the plan. Big flaw with that was when I graduated in 1978, a recession was coming on and there were no jobs. I had a couple of dead end gigs for the rest of '78 and into '79. In the spring of 1979, I decided I had a enough of a Crown Locomotive and a mile of track and went looking for a job on the real thing, I ended up working for Roaring Camp & Big Trees in April of 1979.