The Naked Railroader - Going Off The Rails

thenakedrailroader
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I became fascinated by trains as a young’un when I saw my first steam locomotive and train being used on a movie set in Inglewood, CA. I have worked on 4 railroads for over 40 years and I have a lot of stories to tell. Trains would always be a part of my life, even after I retired as an Amtrak Engineer in 1994. I have also worked on the tech side in live theater for more than 20 year, most of them with my wife, Susi who is the actress. I will be sharing these stories with you as well every so often.

Episodes

  1. 4D AGO

    8 Hostler Jobs...What in the world is this?

    Tommy talks about what a hostler job is and a few good times he had when he worked them.   Intro and Outro: Sounds of Santa Fe Steam Locomotives by Stan Kistler Track 14 At Riverside, October 16 1950, 4-6-2 1369 is on No. 54.

    49 min

  2. AUG 17

    7 Learning How To Fire A Steam Engine

    How do you learn how to fire a steam engine? Well, according to Tommy, you stand outside the Train Masters door until he hires you. Then you find Engineers who will take you out on training trips. In this episode, he talks about learning how to fire over the Tehachapi Loop, one of the most intense grades in the United States.  Intro and Outro: Sounds of Santa Fe Steam Locomotives by Stan Kistler Track 14 At Riverside, October 16 1950, 4-6-2 1369 is on No. 54

    29 min

  3. AUG 3

    6 Movie Trains!

    When you see trains in the movies, they are run by railroaders like Tommy. He always managed to figure out when the movie trains were running and position himself so that he was available. Tommy's knowledge about theater also helped to make the train look perfect and steal the show (in his eyes!) Intro and Outro:Sounds of Santa Fe Steam Locomotives by Stan Kistler Track 14 At Riverside, October 16 1950, 4-6-2 1369 is on No. 54

    34 min

  4. JUL 20

    5 Cab Cars

    In the late 80's, Amtrak started using Cab Cars on their trains so that the train wouldn't have to be turned around at the end of the line. In the beginning, they had many problems and you could leave it to Tommy to be the voice that let the powers that be know this! Also, what would you do if you saw the engineer lying in the middle of the isle of your passenger car when he was supposed to be running the train???   Intro and Outro:Sounds of Santa Fe Steam Locomotives by Stan Kistler Track 14 At Riverside, October 16 1950, 4-6-2 1369 is on No. 54

    32 min

  5. JUL 6

    4 The Caboose and Crew Dynamics

    What was the purpose of a caboose? They haven't always just sat, abandoned, in train yards or used as restaurants or B &Bs. In this episode, Tommy will tell you who used the caboose and what it was used for.     Intro and Outro:Sounds of Santa Fe Steam Locomotives by Stan Kistler Track 14 At Riverside, October 16 1950, 4-6-2 1369 is on No. 54

    24 min

  6. JUL 6

    3 Who runs the train?

    It takes many people to run a train. Passenger trains take additional people that you might not think about. What are their titles and the jobs they do? Tommy tells us in the episode of the Naked Railroader.    Intro and Outro:Sounds of Santa Fe Steam Locomotives by Stan Kistler Track 14 At Riverside, October 16 1950, 4-6-2 1369 is on No. 54

    32 min

  7. JUL 6

    2 Tehachapi Loop and The Naked Railroader

    One of the most iconic pieces of track in the United States is the Tehachapi Loop. Tommy worked there when he was just starting out on the railroad. He shares how it was designed and what it accomplished. We also learn why Tommy is called the Naked Railroader!    Intro and Outro:Sounds of Santa Fe Steam Locomotives by Stan Kistler Track 14 At Riverside, October 16 1950, 4-6-2 1369 is on No. 54

    25 min

  8. JUL 6

    1 The Beginning

    There is always a beginning. Tommy will share with you how he became interested in railroading, and theater, even though his parents weren't really happy with his decision.  Spoiler alert: they were happy later when he would go by San Juan Capistrano on the way to San Diego and wave to them from the cab of that big engine.    Intro and Outro:Sounds of Santa Fe Steam Locomotives by Stan Kistler Track 14 At Riverside, October 16 1950, 4-6-2 1369 is on No. 54

    35 min
  • 8 Episodes

About

I became fascinated by trains as a young’un when I saw my first steam locomotive and train being used on a movie set in Inglewood, CA. I have worked on 4 railroads for over 40 years and I have a lot of stories to tell. Trains would always be a part of my life, even after I retired as an Amtrak Engineer in 1994. I have also worked on the tech side in live theater for more than 20 year, most of them with my wife, Susi who is the actress. I will be sharing these stories with you as well every so often.

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