You know, reading all of this gave me a good chuckle. Anyway, I’m going to tell y'all a story when I asked a locomotive a question. Eventually, I want to work as a steam locomotive engineer at my happy place, Tweetsie Railroad. Anyway, it was on July 20th of last year, and I asked the engineer, “What do I need to do to get a job as an engineer with y'all?” Anyway, he said all I needed was to have had a job at the park previously before they would even considered hiring me, and having some mechanical experience was recommended, but not required. He also said they'd train me on site.

Welp, In that case, time to acquire an Accucraft Live Steam Locomotive to operate and maintain.

Well, Thomas wouldn't make his debut on television until 1984 in the UK, and in 1989 in the United States, So it's understandable why you didn't get that question.

It's not just RR stuff, trust me.
I know lots of people who restore and fly old warplanes, and they see this stuff all the time. "Hey, I think my Grandad flew in something like this 50-75 years ago, can I get a ride for free?" or, "Hey, what are those big spinning things on the wings for?"
I own a WW2 Jeep and I hear all kinds of stuff:
* "My uncle's next door neighbor's cousin knew a guy who bought one new in the crate for $50 last year" (no, he really didn't, that's been busted as an urban legend decades ago yet people still swear they know of someone who knows of someone who did)
* The guys who served in the cold war and want to tell you all about how boring running a floor buffer was in the 70s
* The ones who DEMAND you sell it to them right there (and never for any reasonable amount). I had to call a cop on one who wouldn't leave me alone at a car show with this once
* The ones who go on and on about how you should put a lift kit and new motor in it
* The ones who simply don't get that it's not a current military vehicle. I had to get an MP eject a family of four from my Jeep at Armed Forces Day at Fort Lewis years ago, who refused to get out of my Jeep while eating their lunch, arguing that their tax dollars paid for it
* The ones who declare I can't legally own it. A woman once even called a cop over to have him tell me she was right, that it was illegal to own any former military vehicle. He just laughed her and said, "read a book, lady" and walked off. I wish I could have taken a photo of the look on her face. I think that gave her a stroke

So, we all see stupid stuff like this.

I was viewing the cab of a small SP Steam loco in Lomita CA, one day. The Docent kept talking about the crew being an "Engineer" and a "Fireman", and this woman kept asking why a fireman was needed. I guess she thought they might encounter a burning building along the way!

Most people make "dumb" remarks out of ignorance not stupidity. When I was a child in the 1950s steam was on the way out and the Great Northern and Northern Pacific advertised their passenger service on TV. By the late 60s steam was nearly forgotten and jet aircraft had replace the passenger train for long distance travel. One poster here had no idea that the four cylinders on a locomotive were not a compound but piston valves. You don't know what you don't know. If people weren't interested they wouldn't be there asking questions.

In my tours at the Western Railway Museum, I have to answer lots of questions by people who have never rode an electric or a steam train. Sometimes it is hard not to laugh!

But the one that I believe is a real Champion is one heard at the Colorado Railroad Museum. A young mother pointed to the water tank and explained to her son that they were from the "Old Days" when they burned water in the locomotives.

Ted Miles, WRM Volunteer

My favorite was when someone asked if the mule train to the bottom of the Grand Canyon had a dining car.

All
It takes three pages of stupidity to get one post of real thought and understanding. most people have a life and do not understand "railroading" as well as we do. I have been asked does the train go around the canyon, into the canyon and a host of other questions. I have heard the comments like how do you burn the steam and comments that the diesel does all the work. But these ignorant people are interested enough to come up and spend time talking to people who should know to learn more about it. Mr. John T. tank you for seeing past the ego trip to understand the importance of these interactions with the public to educate them.

While it is easy for many to criticize those who are not as well educated as we expect them to be because we supposedly are educated. It appears that for many it may be impossible to see the importance of teaching the general public about the items we claim to preserve. By making fun of those who express interest in our endeavors because of their lack of knowledge we perpetuate the adage of adults playing with trains and drive out any development of the uneducated because of our own bias and ignorance. this arrogance only helps to hurt the growth of interest in railroading's past

Respectfully

Robby Peartree

Robby - I don't generally see the posts as criticism, just the relating of amusing anecdotes but I do see your point. If the response to the public at the time the comment was made was critical, then I'd say you have a problem. For me, when speaking with the general public, there's no such thing as a stupid question or comment - the trick is knowing when to keep one's pie hole shut....

But this forum in itself is public. It does not require membership to read. These comments can do as much damage as saying it to their face.

Robby Peartree

I'd guess over the many years I've heard just about all the crazy comments/questions regarding that big snorting beast pulling the train.

As SOP the engine crew would stand next to the 614 on the platform in Hoboken upon arrival back from Port Jervis and thank the guests ( on average about 1,000 riders) as they exited the train on their way into the Terminal. We'd get all kinds of questions from the daisy pickers ( who represented the vast majority) some of them REALLY off the wall.

One that I still get a chuckle from remembering was a middle aged woman and her daughter who came up to me and said " that's not real coal is it, what really makes it go?". I answered " you're so right, that coal is just a prop for show, there's a small nuclear reactor inside here ( pointing at the firebox) that produces the power, here come closer and you can feel its warmth". She did and then said to her daughter " see, I told you it was not really coal powered" as they walked away.

Different strokes for different folks !!!

Takes all kinds.

Ross Rowland

The best off RR topic question I recall was asked at Gettysburg, "Why is it that they chose to fight all of the major civil war battles in national parks?"

Followed closely by one asked at the Crand Canyon, "At what altitude do the deer turn into elk?" I'm picturing a popcorn kind of scenerio...

I've also seen this public cluelessnes deliberately 'played into' in a very lighthearted, yet educational way.

While it was operating out of Unity, ME, the B&ML crew of the Swedish 4-6-0 1149 (including my friend Leverett Fernald) put on an extraordinary turntable show, microphoned up, while the turning operation went on. I can't remember it word-for-word, but the comedy banter between engineer and fireman was wonderful. I can't type a deep Maine accent here, you'll have to add your own.

"Darn, it, we've lost the fuel pump. Where's the fuel pump??" Fireman scurries around. Engineer getting more upset. "Can't leave without fuel pump!" Fireman finally yells "FOUND IT" and holds up the coal scoop. Crowd around turntable erupts in laughter.

"Now I've lost the starter. Darn it all. Where'd you put the starter? Find the starter!" (frantic seaching in the cab, engineer stands in gangway, searches his pocket and produces a Bic lighter). "FOUND IT!" More laughter. And volunteers spin the locomotive on the turntable.... (which by the way, is now down at Bryson City on GSMR).

There was more, but you get the idea.

I've always thought that was one of the very best ways to communicate some basics like you have to shovel coal, and you have to burn it, rather than just reciting statistics.

This one was the hardest for me to hear. I'd heard jokes about this exact question from friends in the business, but blew them off as tall tales of sorts. Them one day I went back from the locomotive to the cafe car to get coffee for myself and the engineer and a passenger stopped me and asked this. I had to just walk away to keep from being rude!

I never got to ride the Ontario Northland Rwy., so I didn't get to ask "How far up the line do we go before the foxes turn white in the winter?"