Community Response |
Locomotive Details |
Location/Date of Photo |
 | Views: 4,227 Favorited: 14 | Since added on November 20, 2010 |  |
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» KiwiRail (more..) » DX (more..) |
» Kaimata tunel » Stillwater, New Zealand (more..) » June 30, 2009 |
Locomotive No./Train ID |
Photographer |
» DX 5293 (more..) » 832 (more..) |
» Darryl Bond (more..) » Contact Photographer · Photographer Profile |
Remarks & Notes |
Into the Rabbit Hole. I've always been the guy on the outside taking the pictures, but over recent years I've had more chances to enjoy the view from the 'inside' and appreciate the profession of Locomotive Engineer. That unlikely mix of bureaucratic rules-and-procedures knowledge; the skill of juggling the laws of physics to get a train over winding and undulating territory smoothly, safely and efficiently - plotting and anticipating like a chess player with the upcoming curves and grades to hit that speed restriction three miles out at exactly the right speed without any need for a brake application; the mechanical prowess to know exactly 'what to hit with a hammer' when suddenly things come to a grinding halt; and that sheer bloody-minded-doggedness to get the job done against all odds when all manner of things go awry; whatever the time and whatever the weather. I was fortunate to get this ride when a passing LE happened to spot my improbable NZ-based railfanning machine - a 1970 Mini - up on blocks at a local garage as the blu-tak and woodscrews holding one of its wheels on-center failed, ending a trouble-free run of …about three days. Surely a record for an elderly British Leyland vehicle. |
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