I made it to ENGINEER!!!

[thegrindre]

Congratulations!!!

He, he, he, should we call you gabby, now?

Nice going, Ruth...



This one's on me.

Is Wolve next?

[Grandma Ruth]

Thank you, thank you, one and all!
and here's a real one:

https://www.itfglobal.org/transport-int ... ionden.cfm

[wsherrick]

Very good, Grandma Ruth. Be at the engine house at 4:30 AM and get ready to get dirty.

[thegrindre]

He ain't kiddin', Ruth!!! You should have seen what I looked like when he got done training me.

Congratulations to you Grindre. Now that you've made it you need to report to the enginehouse at 4:30 AM to break the bank in the firebox, shake down the ashes, top off the tender, rake the fire after breaking the bank, throw in a few scoops of coal to get her going, open the turret valve, blow down the water glasses, check the water level in the boiler, crack open the blower valve to start a draft for your fire, check the fire again, put on about 20 or 30 scoops of coal, wipe your hands on your pants, bitch about how crappy the coal is they keep buying, open the engine house doors to let in some fresh air, fill the lubricators on the air compressor, fill the hydrostatic lubricator in the cab, oil the other hundred places that need oil, oil the driving wheel boxes, oil the pony trucks, check the journal boxes on the tender, fill with oil if necessary, get some more clean rags, shoo away the annoying railfans who distract you with the same endless questions they asked you the last time they showed up, put some more coal in the firebox, turn up the blower to raise steam, start the air compressor pumps, after you get enough air to blow the water out of the reservoirs, shut the drain cocks, your fireman should be showing up about now to do half of this stuff, but it's okay because you've done it already-tell him to sit up in the cab to watch the pressure gauge so he'll stay out of the way, now that you've got steam and air pressure up for the brakes, take the engine out to the ash pit, make the fireman shake down the grates, take coal, run up to the plug to top off the tender again, blow down the boiler, put the engine on the train, do your terminal inspection, your brake test, have your meeting with the other members of the crew to work out the days activities, climb into your exhalted seat on the right hand side of the cab, and get ready to start your day.

[Grandma Ruth]

Ready and willing, William!