It did not take me long to realize who the top operators on the 353 were. The ones that really had some things that I wanted to learn. One team that operated pretty much without flaw was Leo Huston and his son in law Gene Swanz. Gene had learned from Leo and could fire the engine as easily as wearing his gloves. As I spent time in the cab with them I picked up on a lot. They did not communicate much because each knew exactly how the other was operating and knew just by how the engine was performing how each other was doing. (I did not have an appreciation of this until I fired a couple of rounds for Leo.)
I learned from Leo in a totally different way than from others of the experienced engineer ranks.
When I first learned to start the engine from a cold boiler I was taught to get the electric blower started and get the fire roaring and then get the steam blower going as soon as possible. This system worked but it could create some real problems if you were not very careful.
One morning I was invited to join Leo in a start up. I arrived at 5:00 AM to Leo already with a stack of wood in the cab and ready to start putting it into the firebox. I asked about the blower and was told that it would probably not be necessary to do anything with that.
All of Leo’s efforts that morning were deliberate and all very purposeful. As the wood fire grew Leo would do a little of the oiling and then come back to the cab and sit and talk. Wow, the stories I heard of the days of real steam railroading. I wish I could have recorded them because I do not remember 10% of them now. I do remember a few of the most notable ones.
As the wood fire caught Leo kept feeding it with the giant cobs of wood a few at a time and then do a little more of the checks and lubes. Then he drew my attention to the fact that we were starting to make steam. “ See she’s singing to you now”, Leo said, “time to start giving her a little coal.” No electric blower, no steam blower, and in the end he had the engine ready to run at or near the time it would have been going if we had. Now however the fire was totally under control and ready for the first run.
Some time later I got to fire for Leo. I was SO nervous! I fired a round and then asked Leo to look over the fire for me and let me know how I was doing. His reply, “well I don’t have to look. I can see the pressure and I can see your water gauge – you’re doing fine.” I just about fell over but then it hit me that that is what I had seen Gene and Leo doing on that earlier ride.
Later that show, I was riding the caboose from the Hickson up to the locomotive building on Main Street. I was sitting on the front platform and I was watching the coupler knuckles. They floated apart and they floated together. They never banged together – EVER. When we came to a stop they stretched out and stayed that way. I told myself that this is how I wanted to learn to operate.
I asked Leo about it and he said, “ well that’s train handling and if you come up in the cab tomorrow I will try and show you a little about it.” That he did and that is how I started to operate.
To me Leo’s best statement about our show was at the end of our first show video “Steamers”?
Leo said, “ It preserves heritage. A people who do not know who their ancestors are, how they lived and that - certainly have no real ties to their country.
They don’t know where they come from and they don’t know where they are going”
I would say that Leo is a Gentleman engineer with more knowledge of steam and steam train operations than just about anyone else I have met. I am so blessed to have been mentored by him.
Thank you Leo!
I learned from Leo in a totally different way than from others of the experienced engineer ranks.
When I first learned to start the engine from a cold boiler I was taught to get the electric blower started and get the fire roaring and then get the steam blower going as soon as possible. This system worked but it could create some real problems if you were not very careful.
One morning I was invited to join Leo in a start up. I arrived at 5:00 AM to Leo already with a stack of wood in the cab and ready to start putting it into the firebox. I asked about the blower and was told that it would probably not be necessary to do anything with that.
All of Leo’s efforts that morning were deliberate and all very purposeful. As the wood fire grew Leo would do a little of the oiling and then come back to the cab and sit and talk. Wow, the stories I heard of the days of real steam railroading. I wish I could have recorded them because I do not remember 10% of them now. I do remember a few of the most notable ones.
As the wood fire caught Leo kept feeding it with the giant cobs of wood a few at a time and then do a little more of the checks and lubes. Then he drew my attention to the fact that we were starting to make steam. “ See she’s singing to you now”, Leo said, “time to start giving her a little coal.” No electric blower, no steam blower, and in the end he had the engine ready to run at or near the time it would have been going if we had. Now however the fire was totally under control and ready for the first run.
Some time later I got to fire for Leo. I was SO nervous! I fired a round and then asked Leo to look over the fire for me and let me know how I was doing. His reply, “well I don’t have to look. I can see the pressure and I can see your water gauge – you’re doing fine.” I just about fell over but then it hit me that that is what I had seen Gene and Leo doing on that earlier ride.
Later that show, I was riding the caboose from the Hickson up to the locomotive building on Main Street. I was sitting on the front platform and I was watching the coupler knuckles. They floated apart and they floated together. They never banged together – EVER. When we came to a stop they stretched out and stayed that way. I told myself that this is how I wanted to learn to operate.
I asked Leo about it and he said, “ well that’s train handling and if you come up in the cab tomorrow I will try and show you a little about it.” That he did and that is how I started to operate.
To me Leo’s best statement about our show was at the end of our first show video “Steamers”?
Leo said, “ It preserves heritage. A people who do not know who their ancestors are, how they lived and that - certainly have no real ties to their country.
They don’t know where they come from and they don’t know where they are going”
I would say that Leo is a Gentleman engineer with more knowledge of steam and steam train operations than just about anyone else I have met. I am so blessed to have been mentored by him.
Thank you Leo!