Running a steam excursion train on a Class I railroad in 2016 is a demanding job. This year with Norfolk & Western 4-8-4 No. 611, the job falls to Adam Auxier, a private car operator. I posed 10 questions to Adam, and here's what he told me.
1. Tell us about your role with the excursion train in 2016? In 2015 Virginia Museum of Transportation brought me onboard to manage mechanical issues and overnight servicing for the excursion train. In 2016 I was upgraded to excursion train manager. In this role I will oversee the safe operation of each of our excursions. My goal is to offer a flawless operation and minimize any stresses on the volunteers, crew, and Norfolk Southern.
2. How did you prepare for the 2016 season? I selected and leased the railcars for the consist, scouted the boarding and detraining sites, and developed the operating plan. However, as we progress we all find ourselves doing whatever it takes to get the job done.
3. What will you be doing on the days when the train will be running?I will be overseeing most aspects of the onboard operation. Hopefully, we go into these trips with a polished operating plan that we can execute flawlessly. I will be there to help troubleshoot, whether it is a mechanical issue, customer service question, or boarding issue. As long as you go into these trips knowing that you wont be sleeping for 48 hours, you will do fine!
4. What’s your background? I was in operations and logistics. Before working in the railroad world I spent 8 years in the children’s toy industry in sales and operational roles. My wife, Allycia, and I live in Eden Prairie, Minn., and have a new baby on the way this June. We both travel extensively for fun and for work, which will be slowing down once baby is here.
5. How did you get interested in railroading? Railroading has been a permanent fixture in my life. My early years were spent in Centralia, Ill., where my family worked for the Illinois Central and Amtrak. In those pre-internet years information on trains was scarce. I was blessed to have an excellent local library with piles of books on railroading. When I was a teenager my mother remarried and we moved us to Minnesota, where, low and behold, my step-dad turned out to be a railfan. He took me on a trip behind Milwaukee 4-8-4 No. 261 in 1999 and introduced me to many of the local players in the steam and private car world. From there my friend Justin Sobeck and I became involved in the planning and operating private railcar trips. My big break came in 2013 when my company, Altiplano Rail, landed the contract to operate the Station to Station event as a producer. Station to Station was a nomadic art exhibit involving a 4,000-mile, coast to coast special train that operated in 2013. A feature film chronicling the event premiered at Sundance last year and is now available on iTunes.
6. What makes a good excursion train in your mind?For an excursion to tick all the boxes for a fan of steam railroading, you need to make sure the customer leaves the excursion train feeling as if they were fully immersed in the world of steam. They should be able to hear the locomotive, and see the locomotive while enjoying good food and great service. The riders of the 21st century aren’t going to be satisfied with boiled hot dogs and Mountain Dew.
7. What’s different about the 2016 season that gets you excited? I am thrilled at the amount of time we were given to plan the trips. This allows us to better sketch out the operating plan, consist, and on board experience. We are also looking forward to the Greensboro, N.C.-Roanoke, Va. trip immensely as it involves mileage that hasn’t been covered by an excursion in more than 20 years over for the former Virginian “V” Line.
8. The Asheville trip sold out in 2 hours. Did that surprise you? For a number of reasons the sell-out didn’t surprise me. The N.C. Transportation Museum has a long history of running 611 to Asheville and that market for steam has been left dormant since 1994 years. The trip is spellbinding: the Old Fort Loops are more like a donkey trail than a railroad. Imagine taking a Ferrari down a crooked country road. For many 611 fans, this trip is a bucket list item, which may or may not be repeated.
9. Some people have said they wouldn’t ride the excursion train because it has sealed windows with air conditioning. How do you respond to that? There were people who said they wouldn’t ride cruise ships once they got rid of trap shooting from the deck, or who threatened not to ride Amtrak if they banned smoking onboard. The experience of riding behind steam has changed, but the fundamental draw of steam power will always be there.
10. What is the one thing that you hope people will come away with after riding the train in 2016? I hope everyone that rides has a fantastic experience riding behind the 611, and are able to appreciate the immense effort undertaken by the Virginia Museum of Transportation, N.C. Transportation Museum, and Norfolk Southern to host these trips. The work done by the engine crew to keep the locomotive in top shape is a herculean effort. Also, it takes a special breed of volunteer to help clean coaches at 2 a.m.
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