Fireman for CP&LE Railroad

Hello all,

I am going to be a fireman for the CP&LE working in Area 3 for Steve. Has anyone else done the job in the past or are going to get the job this year? How is the working conditions? Thanks.

Thomas McGowan

Did you ask for the position, or did they just assign you there? Firing a steam locomotive is a hot, dirty , physical job that carries a lot of responsibility. Besides keeping the fire properly trimmed, you are also responsible for keeping the water at the proper level which is crucial in the safe operation of a steam locomotive. You must also keep an eye on the track ahead and the train behind you as well( this is the responsibility of both the engineer and fireman). In the mornings you top off the coal pile in the tender which is done by filling five gallon buckets with coal, lifting them up into the tender and depositing it in the coal pocket. You are also expected to keep the locomotive clean and polished, as well as keeping the area inside the cab clean. This isn't a cushy job, you'll earn your keep on this job.

Well it does sound like I have my work cut out for me. I do enjoy trains, so this will be the real test of whether I can stand working on them full time, especially being steam. And yes, I did ask for a position on the railroad. It was that, Ride Operations, or Arcade Operations that I most requested. By the way, were you a former fireman? If so, what year(s) did you work on the train?

You'll have to go back forty years for my era on the CP&LE. We ran solo (sans firemen) in those years. The locomotives fired real easy so it wasn't much of an operational issue. The year after I left the head of safety at CP made a point that it would be better if there were a two man engine crew in the event that one of them became incapacitated. If you haven't found it already, there is a site that is devoted to the CP&LE. http://www.cplerr.com/
We have a lot of alums frequent there and some current engine crews as well.

Welcome to the crew! The fireman is responsible for polishing the brass, washing the engine, and lubrication in the mornings. Mind you the engine is hot! Throughout the day you will be repsonsible for watching the tracks on your side of the locomotive, keeping a clean hot fire, filling the tender with water, blowing down the boiler, and as needed lubrication. You will also have to fill coal buckets to be dumped in the tenders at closing, split wood, poke tubes, wash boilers, track work as needed, and other various task as needed. You won't normally have to open and close an engine. On the other side the engineer duties include cleaning out the previous days fire, emptying the ash pan and lighting a new fire to raise the boiler pressure up to operating level. During this time the engineer will check for leaks, try the injectors, blowdown the water glass and so on. The engineer also helps the fireman and preforms all the various as needed jobs as well. Everyone works together! There is a lot to learn but you will have fun! This will be my 10th season.

I really hope the park pays you guys well for all that...

Hey we do it for the love of it, right Cory?

They hired you back Cory? What were they thinking? lol

Well I'm sure I'll be quite sore for the first couple weeks, but once I get the hang of, it won't be too hard. I'm sure I'll be working with you Cory and I look forward to this summer.

At this point its a hobby for me! Getting paid for it is a bonus! Bill they hired Matt so we know they will hire anybody! I only work saturday and sunday but Im sure we will work together. Check out some the CP&LE RR vids on my youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/cple1?feature=mhee

You're funny Cory. May even get to see you this summer. Looking forward to seeing Randy again.

Thomas McGowan said:
Hello all,

I am going to be a fireman for the CP&LE working in Area 3 for Steve. Has anyone else done the job in the past or are going to get the job this year? How is the working conditions? Thanks.

Thomas McGowan

I thought that the engine crews were no longer under the control of the zone managers, that they answered to Randy first? I can tell you horror stories about a zone manager who thought he was an engineer and would commandeer the throttle whenever he felt like it.

We do answer to Randy first! Steve does hiring, transfers, and disipline.
Randy
Zone Sups
Area Manager
Dir. Park Op
Most sups now are affraid to even get on the engine. They are not supposed to do anything without an engineers supervision, they are more than welcome to ask if they can run and we will let them unless we are training somebody. Hildebrandt rides with us alot and I offer to let him run but he hasn't taken me up on the offer yet! He likes to blow the whistle though!

Greetings!

What relative mechanical experience is preferred for the railroad? Having serviced automobiles constantly, knowledge about steam and adapting skills toward railroad do not seem to be enough.

There really is no preferred skill for the railroad other then steam. The biggest thing to have is fondness for steam trains and a willingness to learn! Work on cars is good, I worked on lawn mowers and snow plows. Only thing is some of the tools are a lot bigger!

I should make it known for newbies that there is a strong possibility that you will spend the first few weeks working on platform until we start running two trains. All depends on how we are for staffing.

Fondness for steam trains, willingness and confidence to learn new things and experience working on cars encouraged me to apply.

I know there are other parks and railroads and those lacking railroads, but there is something fascinating about CP&LE.

I thought about working there, just to young to get a job. I might not but I love trains especially steam engines. I have been studying and following up on the history of CP&LE RR. Sounds like a hard job especially since its hot in the cab. Who knows maybe I'll work their one day.

Are Ride Hosts assigned to the Cedar Point and Lake Erie Railroad? I think no, but wanted to inquire in the event one wants to gradually work his way onto Judy K.

For platform yes they are ride hosts. As a ride host on any ride you can request to be transferred to the engine house or you can apply for the engine house when you apply for CP. The engine house is somewhat separate from the rest of the ride. We have our own boss and supervisors.

Question, if he reports to Steve, is CP&LERR considered an area 3 attraction or is it split between Brian and Steve?