Riding The Rails To A Possible Career

By Tanjua Damon

The GP35 Housatonic Railroad train did not pass by James Whigam. Instead the Newtown High School junior jumped aboard for the ride of a lifetime, shadowing the train’s engineer inside the cab of the train.

James picked up the train in Canaan on May 29 and rode the train with engineer Neil Mann into Pittsfield, Massachusetts. The yellow and green train carried boxcars, lumber cars, and limestone cars. It traveled ten miles per hours due to speed restrictions, James said.

The junior hopes to pursue a career as a train engineer when he graduates from high school. He loves trains and spends a lot of time at the Danbury Train Museum just to be around trains.

“Being an engineer seems like an interesting career,” James said. “I can see the country, go to different places, and live in hotel rooms. I think it would be good for me.”

James will have to learn the jobs of brakeman and conductor as he works his way up to engineer, but that is fine with him. Being able to be on the inside of the train was a great experience for him.

“It was pretty interesting,” he said. “There was a lot of power.”

Trains are pretty loud as the move along the track, and when the horn blows, James says, make sure you are holding your ears.

“I cannot describe to you the sound of a GP. They leave the engines running throughout the night,” he said. “It’s pretty loud when you get in and especially when you get to a crossing. The horn is pretty loud.”

James has been on a train before, but had never ridden in the cab of one before he took the ride on the Housatonic Railroad.

“It made me feel pretty cool, the power behind it,” he said. “He [Mr Mann] showed me how it runs and what each control does.”

The mechanics of the inside of the cab were interesting to James. There is a lot of space and the engines are huge, James said.

“They’ve changed over the years,” he said, “from being steam operated to fuel to electric. In some locomotives they do have computers.”

James admitted that the ride was a bit boring at times as the countryside passed him by. The train left Canaan about 8:30 am and did not arrive in Massachusetts until about 2 pm. By car the trip probably would have taken about an hour.

“I just like the feel of the power of the train,” James said. “The sense of responsibility. When you are the engineer, the people or the products are your responsibility. You have to get them there on time.”

Newtown High School students have an opportunity to shadow professionals in various careers. Students who are interested should contact the Career Center at the high school.