El Coke-
I definitely agree that how an engineer uses the Air brakes is definitly an indication of his skill. Even in the flat running of Indiana, one can tell if the man in the right side of the cab really knows what he is doing. Even on flat track, bringing in a train to a station stop, on your mark, without slack action takes skill. Albeit the stakes for skill are much larger on long steep grades, like that of Hermosa Hill and west of Cumbres.
I do not know who the engineer is that you were reffering too, and it really doesn't matter. I would be curious to see how much training time he had before being fully qualified as an engineer. There is just so much more than pulling back the throttle and tugging one the Whistle rope. Especially with 400 passengers behind you.
Ryan Scott