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A Whole Lot Of Events Going On!

I know, it’s been a while since I posted here but I have been so busy between the regular train rides and the themed train rides we’re having.  So, let’s get right down to what has been going on lately here at the Florida Railroad Museum!

First of all, we had our first themed train ride in early February, which is the Hole In The Head Gang Train Robbery.  Let me tell you, this is edge of your seat fun as US Marshals (played by actors, of course) see to it that the shipment of gold is put on the train and secured.  However, when we get to just south of Dickey Road the fun begins when the train stops only to find out that someone made off with the gold!

In addition to the Train Robbery event, on the Saturday part of the Train Robbery weekend we also had our Hobo Campfire Cookout.  It consisted of a train ride to our Willow facility and event grounds where participants were given a hot dog to roast over an open pit fire.  Believe me, those hot dogs tasted awesome when roasted over the open fire!  (However, it got a little chilly as the sun sets to the west so I ended up getting back inside the train before we boarded our passengers for the return trip).  By the way, I only had one and that was practically my meal for the evening, as I was watching my diet closely.  In addition to the hot dog roasting, participants were treated to music by a local Bluegrass band.

After the dust settled on the Train Robbery and Hobo Campfire Cookout events we had two more regular ride weekends before our next event which would take place over three weekends, one weekend in late February and two weekends in early March:  Murder Mystery Express, and this year’s theme was Murder in 3-D.

I had an opportunity to be a crew member on many of the Murder Mystery Express runs as well as assisted in other activities related to the Murder Mystery Express, specifically assisting on the ground at Willow and assisting staff at the ticket office in Parrish distributing will call to our passengers who had purchased tickets for the Murder Mystery show.  That being said, here’s how a typical Murder Mystery show played out:

1.  The passengers board and there is assigned seating, similar to North Pole Express.  As Car Hosts we direct the passengers to their seats and in case of any seating problems we contact the conductor on the radio.

2.  As soon as we are boarded, we Car Hosts have to retreat to areas on board our assigned cars – once the show starts, the actors have full control.

3.  Just before we get started we hand out appetizers to our passengers.  This means wearing disposable gloves; after all, food safety is very important!

4.  The show is in three acts:

Act One takes place on the train headed north towards Willow.

Act Two takes place in Willow while you are having dinner.

Act Three takes place on the return train to Parrish.

5.  During the short intervals where there is no acting the passengers are trying to solve the whodunit and writing their thoughts on a clue sheet given to them as they came on board.

6.  While the passengers are enjoying their dinner we car hosts and the rest of the crew also get dinner too!

I had a great time working the Murder Mystery Express, no matter being a car host on board or working on the ground either in Willow assisting in setup and cleanup or in Parrish assisting in ticket sales and will call. It was the best time I have had yet!

Now that Murder Mystery Express has come and gone, it’s time to change gears and get ready for Day Out With Thomas.  That’s right, one of my favorite Florida Railroad Museum events in addition to North Pole Express, Day Out With Thomas, and this year’s theme is The Thrill Of The Ride Tour 2014!  A lot of preparation goes into making sure that the Day Out With Thomas event goes so smoothly and without a hitch; therefore, I had the honor of being in Parrish for a couple of days setting up the computer equipment both in the event gift shop tent and the ticket tent among the many other things.

Now did you get your tickets for Day Out With Thomas?  Advance purchase is highly recommended and you can do that by going to the Florida Railroad Museum’s website and clicking on the Day Out With Thomas graphic on the left side of the page.  Once there you can find a good wealth of information and a link to purchase your tickets.

Your ticket entitles you to all day admission on the grounds plus your train ride at the time you select.  The time you select for your train ride is printed on your ticket.  Allow ample time to get to the museum in Parrish so that you and your family can participate in the events including your train ride.  Speaking of your train ride, you may want to make your way to the boarding area at least 30 minutes before your train’s scheduled departure time.  Again, your train departure time is printed on your ticket and believe me, Thomas does indeed depart on time; doors close three minutes before departure for the mandatory safety check.

Day Out With Thomas takes place on 15 and 16 March 2014 as well as 22 and 23 March 2014.  Admission is $18 each for all guests ages two and up.  After all, Thomas is for all ages!

So, we got an exciting two weekends coming up at the Florida Railroad Museum!  After Day Out With Thomas we got the Cottontail Express coming up on Saturday, 19 April 2014 at 10 AM, 1 PM and 4 PM.  Again, check the Florida Railroad Museum website for details and to purchase tickets.  And while you’re there, you can purchase tickets for our regular train rides we have on the weekends at 11 AM and 2 PM; just after the Cottontail Express in April we will be back to our regular ride fare for the summer – and plenty of time for this now certified car host to train for the next step.

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Let the Trainman games begin!

Here we are for yet plenty of fun weekends on the rails here at the Florida Railroad Museum!  Sounds like a great time to get a jump start on the more responsibilities that are to come as far as being on the train crew is concerned. 

It’s Saturday morning, 18 January 2014.  Believe me, it was a nice yet cold morning in the Willow yard as I got ready to meet the day’s crew including the conductor for our regular train rides.  Just after I put my stuff away in the ACL 250 lounge car I got a preview of more responsibilities that are yet to come being a train crew volunteer.

When we returned from our two week hiatus over the holidays, I finally became a certified Car Host, which essentially paves the way for me to train to move myself up in the volunteer train crew hierarchy, and that would be Trainman.  Now I don’t have to write the word “training” as a Car Host in my service record!

That said, let the Trainman games begin.

My first task was to start the generator in the ACL 250 car.  Starting it is very simple, but you got to know what you are doing.  First, unplug the extension cord in order to avoid backfeed when the generator is started.  Second, check the oil level in the generator to see if it’s sufficient, which it is.  Third, flip the switch and wait for the lights to flash.  Fourth, press the Manual button and hold until the generator starts.

In two seconds, the generator springs to life.  So far so good!

Finally, flip the breaker switch to the left of the generator.  That turns on the heater on board the ACL 250, which was desperately needed due to the bitter cold weather outside.  Within a few minutes we had a comfortable temperature in the ACL 250!

And one more thing:  Plug the cord into the receptacle on board.  Now we’re ready to go!

Time for me to go back inside the train and review the conductor’s logs.  Make sure that the cars have been filled with water, which has already been taken care of.

Once we were on our way south to Parrish, I get my next responsibility while under the supervision of a certified Trainman on duty:  Operating the tail hose while we are in a reversing mode from Willow to Parrish.  First order of the day was for me to connect the tail hose to the rear of the train:

1.  Connect the tail hose to the air hose.
2.  Open the angle cock, a valve that permits air to pass through.
3.  Test the tail hose when air pressure from the locomotive is good.

Then it was back on the train for the six and a half mile trip to Parrish.  Using my radio, I have to communicate to the engineer all the mile posts from Willow to Parrish:

Mile Post 855.  Clear track.
Mile Post 856.  Clear track.
Mile Post 857 (Nichols).  Clear track.

Then I get my next task as we approach Mile Post 858:  How many cars to Dickey Road?  As we had five cars in our consist calling those car lengths can get a little tricky at first, but it takes practice.  And practice I must.

So, I prepare myself for Dickey Road 1,500 feet prior at the whistle board.  After all, this is equivalent to around 15 cars; after all, a typical passenger railroad car is 85 feet.

Get to a landmark and announce on the radio to the engineer:

Five cars to Dickey Road.
Four cars.
Three cars.
Two cars.
One car.

And…

Clear Dickey Road, clear track southbound.  Sound the tail hose whistle in the format of Morse Code Q, long, long, short and long – the last long is sounded on the crossing itself.

My car counts were good on the first try, but I still need practice.  Continue south to Parrish.

Into the curve.  Once out of the curve, go on the radio and tell the engineer “out of the curve, clear track”.

Mile Post 859 clear track.  Engineer replies clear track.  (We’re under the Florida Power & Light power lines coming from the Manatee Power Plant here).

Next up, the Parrish switch where we store our cabooses on the side track near the Parrish station.  Do the car length calls again:

Five cars to the Parrish switch.
Four cars.
Three cars.
Two cars.
One car.

And…

Clear Parrish switch, clear track to standing equipment.  Standing equipment?

Yes, there is standing equipment on the right hand side as you approach Parrish coming south.  First, you got the two cabooses, then the Bradenton sleeper and the ticket office/gift shop.  Get on radio and advise of standing equipment.

Once past the standing equipment, the conductor takes control of the train as we approach the Parrish ramp.  I pass control of the train over to the conductor so that the train can be properly lined up with the ramp.

After we align with the ramp properly, we come to a stop in Parrish.  My next task is to disconnect the tail hose from the air hose, but I have to call the engineer for a three step prior to turning the angle cock closed.

Three step?  What is a three step?

Well, a three step is a Trainman’s best friend as far as safety is concerned.  When a three step is called, the engineer will do the following in the locomotive:

1.  Set the generator field switch off.
2.  Apply the independent brake.
3.  Set the reverser in neutral.

Now that three step is applied, I can go ahead and turn the angle cock the other way to closed so that I can remove the tail hose.  Turn the angle cock closed and wait a minute or two.  Then disconnect the tail hose from the air hose.  Mission accomplished, return tail hose to conductor’s office!

Don’t forget to release the three step when done!  It’s simple as calling the engineer on the radio and requesting the three step release.

Back on board, I change gears into my certified Car Host mode and head to my assigned car, ready to take on the morning’s passengers!

To be continued…


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Our first regular train run of 2014!

We wrapped up our first weekend of regular train rides here at the Florida Railroad Museum since coming back from our two weekend break for the holidays following our successful North Pole Express 2013 run.  Believe me, after three weekends of plenty of Christmas fun those two weekends over Christmas and New Years were well deserved.

Our first weekend back went without any problems, especially in the new ACL 250 lounge car which is the museum’s new concession stand.  When I came in to the Willow yard I noticed that the train consist has changed:  We had not only the ACL 250 but the SAL 821, the 6324 Baggage Car and the open air flat car.

But what was missing from the consist was our open air gondola car and the 5416 New Georgia car!  After all, the New Georgia was the museum’s concession stand for years and it had air conditioning to help beat the heat on those summer days!  Now with the ACL 250 lounge car as the museum’s newest acquisition that has a concession stand utilizing a counter and the fact that the ACL 250 is air conditioned, the museum wanted to update the consist we use not only on our regular ride days but at our themed train ride events.

Speaking of the open air gondola car, that car is the best open air car for our passengers that come out and ride with us.  Not only passengers get a view of the Florida countryside as we roll along to Willow from Parrish and back, our passengers can watch the runarounds we do on the siding just before the Willow yard and examine our Willow yard from the comfort and safety of the train while at the same time we volunteers like me can give a great talk about Willow and the town from its beginnings as a lumber mill in the 1920’s.

It was sometime after 8 AM Saturday morning, 11 January 2014.  We had a new crew member starting out with us, doing his volunteering as part of an intern project.  I got to walk the train along with the conductor to make sure that the brakes were applied, and within a short time it was time for crew briefing.

My assignment of the day was the 6324 Baggage Car.   Right after the crew briefing I walked over to the 6324 to check the overall condition of the car including the cleanliness of the two restrooms on the northern end of the 6324.  By the time I checked things over it was time for us to begin our trek south to Parrish; the sun was shining despite the overcast sky as we made our way on the rails out of Willow.

Once in Parrish we get set up and ready to board our 11 AM group of passengers.  The assignment was very simple:  Check and pull tickets and welcome the passengers aboard.  Unlike our recent North Pole Express, seating on our regular train rides is anywhere you want, first come, first served.

Now that everyone’s on board, I give the mandatory safety briefing in the 6324.  Then, at 11 AM, it’s “all aboard!” and we are on our way towards Willow.  I keep the passengers in the 6324 entertained and informed with what is going on as we make our way north to Willow.

Just a mile north of the Dickey Road railroad crossing at milepost SW 857.0 the train slows down.  At this location is what we call Nichols Station; Nichols is actually a members memorial for those members who have passed away.  In fact, there is one plaque honoring a member at the moment at Nichols.  The train slows down here at Nichols out of respect for the members who have passed on.

We resume our normal pace after Nichols as we head towards Willow.  In a short time we see the Florida Power & Light (FP&L) Manatee Power Plant in the distance, which is also known as Santa’s Workshop during North Pole Express.  Just after the FP&L plant and the curve is the siding where we do the runaround and Willow, but we do not do the runaround today because of the length of the train.

Once in Willow I give the speech about the history of Willow back to its heydays in the 1920’s as a logging mill operation for the benefit of my 6324 passengers who wanted to remain in the car.  After that I answer any questions that my passengers have and in a short time I have my passengers take their seats so that we can be on our way back to Parrish.

Within a few minutes we were on our way back to Parrish!  I walk around the 6324 baggage car and answer any questions the passengers may have.  After six and a half miles of railroad including the railroad crossing at Dickey Road we were back in Parrish.  Once back in Parrish I thank the passengers for coming and to return back soon!

Right after our last 11 AM passenger departs then it’s time for lunch with the crew!  We have our lunch and discuss what we did for our first regular train run since North Pole Express.  An hour or so later it was time for me to board our next group of passengers for our 2 PM run.  The assignment was very simple:  Pull the stubs from the tickets and give the stubs to the conductor for number checking.

As soon as our 2 PM passengers board it’s time for the safety briefing, which I do shortly before departure.  At 2 PM we finally depart for Willow, where I do the same thing like I did with the 11 AM run.

The 2 PM run went smoothly just like the earlier 11 AM run.  Once our 2 PM passengers departed it was time for a clean check of the train which meant empty the trash and make sure that my 6324 car was clean, which it was.  In addition, the restrooms on board also have to be checked, as is with every run.

After I get these items taken care of I assist the crew in other tasks as needed as we get underway back to home sweet maintenance and crew base in Willow for the evening.  Once in Willow I collect my stuff and head on over to the crew bunk for the night, as I would be on duty the next day.  But first, I head on over to a nearby Subway to pick myself up dinner for the night to bring back to the crew bunk, as I was so tired but I needed to have my dinner early.

Saturday evening gave way to Sunday morning, and I got myself ready for the run of the day.  We had a different conductor and I was assigned to run concessions in the new ACL 250 lounge car.  Let me tell you, the concession counter on board the train in the museum’s newly acquired lounge car is much more organized than the little concession stand we had for many years in the 5416 New Georgia car.

It’s the same thing as the day before:  Head on south to Parrish to pick up our 11 AM passengers.  But first, we do a test to see if we can do our pre-Willow runaround as we were a long train, and we passed!

Once in Parrish I had to fill the ACL 250’s water tank as we were running low, not to mention a huge group of passengers coming on board for our 2 PM run.  I managed to get the hose into the fill nozzle of the ACL 250 but once the tank was full, I had a hard time getting the hose out of the fill nozzle of the 250 as the hose was catching on the inside latch, making removal difficult.  After some assistance we got the hose out of the nozzle and we were able to board our 11 AM passengers.

When we returned to Parrish it was time for crew lunch and our 2 PM passengers.  We had a group from the Manatee Garden Club come with us for a ride on the train.

We did our runaround on the 2 PM run.  What I mean by the runaround is that just south of Willow is a siding where the locomotive will disconnect from one side of the train, then run on the siding over to the other end of the train and connect onto the train from there.  Once connected the train will make a backward move into the Willow yard, similar to what you see on Amtrak’s Silver Star Trains 91 and 92 as they have to be backed into Tampa’s Union Station due to the station being a stub-in as opposed to a run-through facility.

After the runaround we backed into the Willow yard.  Once in the Willow yard I give my talk about the history of Willow tracing back to its lumber mill heydays in the 1920’s and answer any questions my passengers had.  Then it was time to head back to Parrish.

Once in Parrish I thank my passengers for coming out and riding with us.  Then it was time to do a clean check of the ACL 250 car including emptying trash and servicing the restrooms among other things.  Then I assisted the crew as we made our way back to Willow where we would park the train for the week.

For me, it was time to begin unloading my crew bunk and put the stuff back in my car for the trip back home to St. Petersburg via Tampa and Interstate 75, the Selmon Crosstown Expressway including the new Selmon Crosstown to Interstate 4 connector, Interstate 4 and Interstate 275 through downtown Tampa to St. Petersburg, passing by Tampa International Airport on the way.  After all, I had to be at my regular day job the next day but I had some time to get a few things accomplished in the short time that I had.

All in all, our first weekend back after two weeks of holiday fun I think was a great success.  And I am looking forward to the special events that are coming up here at the Florida Railroad Museum, such as the Hobo Campfire Cookout, Hole in the Head Gang Train Robbery, Murder Mystery Express and Day Out With Thomas.  I am especially excited for Day Out With Thomas that is coming up in March!
 
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Upcoming Events at the Florida Railroad Museum for the first part of 2014

As you probably know, we are on our two weekend break for Christmas and New Year’s, which is highly deserved after a tiring three weekends in December with the North Pole Express.  But we did a great job, especially for me being my first North Pole Express.
According to the Florida Railroad Museum’s website, we will be resuming our train operations on Saturday, 11 January 2014 beginning with our regular rides at 11 AM and 2 PM both on that Saturday as well as Sunday, 12 January 2014.  If you haven’t been out on the train with us, or you could not get tickets for the North Pole Express as the event was sold out, you owe it to yourself to come out and experience not only a train ride but an educational experience including the history of the town of Willow among other things.
Remember, you can purchase tickets online at the Florida Railroad Museum’s website for all of our regular train rides as well as our themed train rides scheduled throughout the year.  Tickets for the themed train rides go on sale well in advance, so you may want to keep checking the website for availability as the event draws closer.
This is very important if you want to consider getting tickets for North Pole Express 2014.  Tickets for that event go on sale around Labor Day weekend; you will want to keep checking the museum’s website as Labor Day weekend gets closer for dates when you will be able to purchase tickets for that event.
With that said, here’s the upcoming event schedule through March 2014, according to the Florida Railroad Museum’s website:
25 January 2014:  Hobo Campfire Cookout at 5 PM.
1 February 2014 and 2 February 2014:  Hole In The Head Gang Train Robbery at 11 AM and 2 PM.  Also on 1 February 2014 we will also have the Hobo Campfire Cookout at 5 PM.
21, 22, 23 and 28 February 2014 and 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9 March 2014:  Murder Mystery Dinner Train, and this year it’s Murder in 3-D.  Trains depart at 6 PM on Fridays, 2 PM and 6 PM on Saturdays and 2 PM on Sundays.  Tickets for the Murder Mystery Dinner Train are $47 for the 2 PM matinee and $55 for the 6 PM show.
15 and 16 March 2014 as well as 22 and 23 March 2014:  Day Out With Thomas!  Your children will love a day out on the train with Thomas the Tank Engine.  In fact, Day Out With Thomas is the museum’s most popular event!
Tickets are on sale now for the events described above.  The best way to get your tickets (and hopefully avoid sold out shows) is to order your tickets online; for the Day Out With Thomas event there is a different ticket vendor that handles ticket sales for that event.  It’s very simple as going to the Florida Railroad Museum’s website and clicking on the date you would like to attend.
Now for one word of advice:  Events, dates and times and ticket prices are subject to change.  Again, you will want to check the Florida Railroad Museum’s website for specifics, especially as the date of an event gets closer.
Whether you come out for one of the regular train rides or for any of the themed train rides like the ones that I just mentioned, we’d like to have you on board.  Be sure to buy your tickets in plenty of time and welcome aboard!
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A Regular Ride Day at the Florida Railroad Museum

Here we are, the weekend before Thanksgiving, and one of two regular ride weekends before the North Pole Express!  Being a regular ride weekend, things are a little more relaxed but we have to keep to a schedule, as we schedule our regular train rides for 11 AM and 2 PM on Saturday and Sunday.
We start our day at the Willow yard right around 8 AM in the morning.  Right after I get settled in I pick up my radio with my push to talk microphone and get started assisting the crew as needed.  I assist in filling the SAL 821 car with water as it is needed for the two bathrooms that are on board; I learned that in order to fill the 300 gallon water tank in the SAL 821 that the locomotive should not be in operation.  After all, getting the water from the tank to the restrooms is dependent on the train’s air pressure coming from the locomotive.
Filling the water tank is simple:  Connect the water hose first, then turn a lever to the right.  Turn on the water and the water tank fills.  When it’s all said and done, excess water will come out of the tube adjacent to the lever; the lever has to be closed and the pressure has to be right as shown in the gauge to the right of the tank.
After the SAL 821 was filled we were getting ready to fill the New Georgia 5416.  Unfortunately, by that time it was time for our crew briefing and we had to set off the open air flat car onto the lead track that led into the nearby Florida Power and Light (FP&L) Manatee Plant.  After all, the track we run on is owned by FP&L but FP&L is very generous.
After the briefing we headed south to the FP&L lead to drop off the open air flat car.  After that it was time to connect the 8330 locomotive to the other end and have a crew member ride the point (the end of a train) to Parrish.  Now that everything’s said and done, we’re on our way to Parrish!
Once we get to Parrish, trying to line up the passenger loading ramp with the vestibule takes plenty of skill and practice.  Once we were lined up with the ramp we chained the ramp to the safety gates and, in due time, we were ready to board our 11 AM passengers.
But before we load our passengers I had to make a quick clean up of the New Georgia 5416 coach.  The New Georgia along with the other cars in the consist were decked out for the Christmas holidays, especially the North Pole Express.  Unfortunately, the floor was a little messy and I could not let our passengers see a dirty car!  So, a quick sweep and clean was in order which I did enroute to Parrish.
We had a great group of passengers for our 11 AM run.  My assignment:  Assist in taking tickets, give the mandatory safety briefing, let our passengers know where all the amenities are located, and so on.  With that in mind, we were on our way to Willow.
Once we got to Willow we do what is called the engine runaround:  We have a double track siding that connects to the FP&L lead as I discussed earlier.  Just before the north switch we stop the train and disconnect the locomotive from the train.  Next, the locomotive is taken north of the switch and a crew member will go out and rotate the switch so that the locomotive will go onto the siding.  Now at the same time another crew member will rotate the switch on the other end so that the locomotive will be able to get back on the main track.
The locomotive is allowed to proceed to the other end of the train.  Once the locomotive is clear of the switch on the other end we can turn the switch back to the position that will allow for movement on the main line.  The locomotive is carefully backed into and coupled onto the train.  Once the air lines are coupled and everything’s OK we can make our move into Willow as a backing move.
The backing move into Willow can be compared to Amtrak’s backing move into Tampa Union Station.  Even though Tampa is a station stop for Amtrak’s Silver Star service (Train 91 southbound and Train 92 northbound), Tampa Union Station is what is called a stub-in facility.  As such, all Amtrak trains have to turn off the main CSX A Line onto a wye track (a triangular track used for turning railroad equipment according to Wikipedia) located east of Tampa’s Ybor City historic district called the Neve Wye.  As the Amtrak train approaches, all the locomotive engineer has to do is to slow down the train for the sharp curves ahead:  There is no need for the conductor or the engineer to have to get out of the train and manually set the switches as the switches are controlled by CSX dispatchers 200+ miles away in Jacksonville.  Once in the spur track of the Neve Wye the switches are changed to allow for reverse movement of the Amtrak train for its last couple of miles to Tampa Union Station, and the Amtrak conductor (or his or her assistant) rides the rear end of the train all the way in, guiding the train as it makes its slow move.
We’re at Willow, and one of the crew members opens the gates to allow access into the Willow yard.  Once at Willow, a crew member stationed in the open air gondola gives a talk about the history of the town from its early heydays as a company town for a logging mill.  For those passengers that remain in the other cars, I give a good history of the town of Willow and answer any questions the passengers may have.
After a good ten to fifteen minutes in Willow, it’s time to head back to Parrish!  The concession stand gets plenty of business, especially on the return trip.
Speaking of our concession stand, we have prepackaged drinks and snacks for your enjoyment.  All snacks are $1.00 and all drinks are $2.00.  Cash and credit cards are accepted.
Once we arrive in Parrish, it’s just a matter of lining up the vestibule with the ramp.  Once the ramp is in place the locomotive engineer gives the horn signal saying that it’s OK to detrain the passengers.  We thank our passengers for riding with us and we tell our passengers to come back and see us again soon.
After the last passenger has departed it’s time for lunch on board the train.  Lunch time is a great time to chat with fellow crew members and think about what we did on the train today.
By 1:30 PM it’s time to begin boarding our passengers for our 2 PM run.  Take the tickets, greet the passengers, and give the mandatory safety briefing before departure.  Make sure the passengers are seated, and we’re off to Willow!
It’s basically the same thing as the 11 AM run.  Do the runaround, back into Willow, give a brief history of Willow from its early heydays.  Once all is said and done, head back to Parrish.
Being our last run of the day, I assist in the closedown of the concession stand as we get closer to Parrish so that everything is in order.  Once our passengers have detrained I do another quick sweep of the train to make sure everything’s clean.  This means all the trash cans are emptied, restrooms cleaned and everything’s in order for the next day’s work.
Now that everything’s said and done, I ride with the rest of the crew for the trip back to our home base in Willow.  For me, I have a place that I can stay overnight which enables me to be at the train the next day at 8 AM.
Dawn breaks, and I am ready to go.  Back at the train at 8 AM and assist the crew in getting the train ready to go.  But first, we have our mandatory crew safety briefing and I get my assignments for the day; for Sunday (11/24/13) as we were short staffed on crew I got to wear several hats while being a Car Host.
After all is said and done we head south to Parrish in time to board our passengers for our 11 AM run.  However, we had the party caboose on this run because someone chartered the caboose for a birthday party.
Speaking of the party caboose, have you thought about making your child’s birthday extra special?  Or a wedding reception?  Or even a corporate function?  The possibilities are endless when you charter the party caboose for your next get together – it will be the best get together you have ever had!  It only costs $200.00 on regular ride days (pricing for party caboose use on themed ride days varies by themed ride; you may want to check the Florida Railroad Museum’s website for details and pricing and reserve early – themed rides such as the North Pole Express tend to sell out quickly).  The charter fee covers 16 admissions plus your very own Car Host for the trip!
It’s basically the same as the day before:  Give the safety briefing, welcome everyone aboard.  Then at 11 AM we get underway for our six mile trip to Willow including the train runaround and the reverse move into Willow.  At the same time, our party caboose passengers are having a great time on board.
Then it’s back to Parrish.  Bur before we go to lunch and our subsequent 2 PM run we have to detach the party caboose as we didn’t have a rental on the 2 PM run.
We get a lot of passengers on the 2 PM run, more than what we had on the 11 AM run earlier.  It’s the same thing all over again:  Mandatory safety briefing for the passengers and welcome everyone aboard.  Right at 2 PM we get underway for Willow once more.
After Willow it’s back to Parrish.  Being the last run of the weekend, I help get the concession stand organized and put away and assist in cleaning the train after our passengers have departed.  Then it’s a ride with the crew back to Willow, get my service record signed off by the conductor and I am on my way home!
The only thing I did not have to worry about was having to go to my full time job this particular week, for it was Thanksgiving week.  I decided to take a ride over to Plant City to check out the new rail viewing platform under construction which will enable everyone including area railfans to watch passing trains from a safe distance.  I got to Plant City just in time for CSX’s most famous unit train, the Tropicana Juice Train headed back on the S Line towards Tampa and Bradenton.
Then it was time to head home, and get things ready for Christmas.