I’ve always been interested in trains. When I was growing up in Cincinnati, my family lived two blocks from the circus grounds and from the railroad tracks. I’d go down to the tracks to watch the circus cars being unloaded.

I started working at Mid-Continent Railway Museum 20 years ago as a brakeman. It takes four years of training to become a brakeman. In order to be promoted to the next rank of fireman, I had to work as a brakeman for two years. Fireman training takes one year of classes in order to receive certification.

To become an engineer, I attended classes and had to spend a specific amount of hours in the shop and at the throttle. I learned what makes the diesel engine work.

Before coming to work at Mid-Continent in North Freedom, I had a career in the Coast Guard for 20 years. I was an operative engineer and ran and repaired machinery. During my last seven years with the Coast Guard, I was a chief petty officer.

I operate the train Monday through Friday on the seven-mile round trip from North Freedom to LaRue during the summer. It’s a scenic route through the Baraboo Hills that lasts 50 minutes. Passengers ride in restored steel coaches that were built in 1915. Two coaches and a caboose are used for the three daily trips. A conductor and a trainman also are aboard for each trip.

Mid-Continent Railway Museum is celebrating 50 years this year. It was originally named the Railroad Historical Society of Milwaukee. The museum moved to North Freedom in 1963. Mid-Continent re-creates the golden age of railroading from 1880 to 1916. The outdoor museum contains operating trains and exhibits and displays of restored trains.

We don’t use block signals, so I have to maintain a timetable schedule and cannot arrive at given points along the tracks before the time on the schedule as there are people working on the tracks that know the train will be coming through at a specific time.

I’ve met visitors from throughout the United States as well as from England, Russia and Japan and the Slavic nations. People are always taking my photo with the train and I joke that I’ve had my photo taken more often than some fashion models. 

What I Do invites people to tell in their own words what they do to earn a living. The column runs every Tuesday. To suggest someone to feature, contact Jill Carlson at jillcarlson1957@gmail.com.