Heavy freight has always been the basic work of railroads, generating
the majority of train miles. Throughout the first half of the twentieth
century, railroads were the veins and arteries of the North American
economy.

And steam locomotives in particular were the backbone of rail
operations for 120 years (1830-1950), the period in which our
industrial economy reached full maturity. Skill of the steam-era crew
member – engineer, fireman, conductor, or brakeman –was key to this
growth.

Glamour may have gone to the crew on the fast express. But it was
the crew on the heavy freight that earned the railroad’s keep.

This image is my acknowledgement of what happens behind the
scenes. If freight is what pays the bills, then the engineer’s office is
where the work was done.

The boiler idles at 150 psi; the throttle is the diagonal lever; two brake
handles are at the lower right; and the water glass and gauge cocks
are at upper left.