Engineers view

Painting "The Old Head" by author R. Gilbert



Engineers view

I sit gazing from the window of my iron horse making its way by the river and stream. Of course it's a miracle that I fulfilled my boyhood dream. But that's another story. To explain to you what it feels like to sit upon this royal thrown as a "Hogger" is beyond mere words.

The view from my window is a dream in it's self. As I throttle back for the curve ahead, I see young boys standing on a hill waving their arms with excitement in their hearts. I was once that boy experiencing the sense of overwhelming joy.

The sound of the drivers, cylinders, and side rods are beating out their rhythm, with the blustery billowing of the steam smoke escaping into the cold morning air. I feel the wind blowing in my hair. My nostrils are filled with the smell of the burning coal in the firebox, mixed with fragrance of the flowers from the field beyond. The country side passes quickly by, but not fast enough so that the view doesn't catch my eye. I snake through hill and dale and pass by farms, cattle and quail.

The locomotive talks to me with a thousand different sounds, like a musical tune. My ear can pick out any sour notes that would alert me to impending doom. To be here is enough, for it is my life of joy, its like a young boy playing with a toy.
The world outside is grandeur but the miracle of a million parts moving together in sweet succession is awe inspiring. And yet I a mortal man am controlling it all with a wrist motion here and there, and my eye on the ball.

My heart beat quickens when I see the crossing ahead and hope that the driver in the car sees the light is red. For there is no stopping this string of boxcars on a dime, the momentum dictates that it will take time. Maybe a mile or two before she slows down, this steed of mine with it's royal crown.
So here's to all the boys who dream of sitting in this cab, although the the work is hard its not at all bad. In fact you could hardly call it work from my point of view. That is, the view of an engineer.
-Roger Scott Gilbert