Throttle time?

[Granny74]

What a fun thing it would be to participate in "throttle time"
JIM: Congratulations on 4 stars! That's a lot of good posting!
Bob and Nance

[dkouz]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jhhtrainsplanes

Can you tell us which museum and what engines and such they have? [?]

Here at the Monticello Railway Museum we currently have in running or soon to be in running condition:

Wabash F7 1189
CN FPA-4 6789
CN FPB-4 6862
IC RS-3 704 (a fake, we needed a IC loco a couple years ago) It's really LIRR
MILW NW-2 1649
PRR E8 5764 (soon to be an IC unit) Currently in Tenn. Central colors.

And in 2007:
SOU 2-8-0 401

For a Throttle Time the train traverses about 2 miles of our former IC main, 4 times. The train starts at the middle of that section of track. To keep insurance to a minimum, we do not cross any public grade crossings. However, thee is one road to blow the horn at. The Throttle Time trains must climb 2 1.5% grades and one 1% grade. If any of you have bee here before, the trips are between the top of the hill to the North and Cemetery Road to the South.

To add some comparison as far as prices go, (if I remember right) IRM charges around $300 to go down and back on a straight track. Here you get curves, hills, and we don't chrage as much.

http://www.prairienet.org/mrm/ for more info on the Monticello Railway Museum.

[Anonymous]

dkouz [:)]

Welcome to the forums. [:D]

Thanks for the info. [8D]

Post more if you want to. This is interesting. [:)]

Can you tell us which museum and what engines and such they have? [?]

[dkouz]

Well, I have participated, still do on a regular basis. However, I don't pay for the time. Instead I am one of the many engineers that do the instructing. Some background:

I did do the operating at a Throttle Time for fun, once. Way back, when I was only 12 my grandmother bought her dad and me both throttle times. It was a blast, I had never even been in a locomotive before. That day was truly life changing, I now devote countless hours to restoring railcars & locomotives, doing my part on the trains or switching in the yard , and helping with whatever other projects come up.

A large number of people that come for throttle time are not railfans. For most it is somthing that they dreamed of as a kid and usually someone gives them a throttle time as a gift. I don't have the numbers handy, but a good number of people come from far enough away that they stay in the hotel down the road from the museum; those people usually come as a group of 5 or more to ride the cabose while one is at the throttle. That said, $100 (the main reason for comming) is not the most expensive part of the trip.

Does that mean it is worth it? No, it does not. The smiles on everyone's faces tells me that it is worth the cost.

When people ask me, 'what do you do for fun?' I answer, 'I'm a locomotive engineer and it all started one cold November day back when I was 12.'

QUOTE: Originally posted by EJEman

Has anyone here ever participated in the "Throttle Time" program at the Monticello Railway Museum? What did you think of it? Just wondering if it would be worth the $100 fee?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by EJEman

Has anyone here ever participated in the "Throttle Time" program at the Monticello Railway Museum? What did you think of it? Just wondering if it would be worth the $100 fee?

I never have. [:(]

There are also other places around the states that offer throttle time. Some of them offer both steam or diesel. I think it would be interesting to do both. I used to have a tape on how to run and fire a steam loco that was made at the Monticello Museum. Don't know what happened to it. I think I loaned it to someone and it never found its way back home. Anyway it looked odd a little 0 4 0 switcher pulling a coach down their main line.

I am sure that in the next few days other will add places to run engines here in this thread. So you can pick and choose where and when you do the throttle time. You may also want to check, if you haven't already, the Directory Of Tourist Lines and Rail Museums in the Trains mag. In the current issue (December 2003) this begins on page 84. They show some that offer throttle time.

Anyway if you go let us know what you think about it. Have fun and don't forget to blow the horn. [:D]

[Anonymous]

Has anyone here ever participated in the "Throttle Time" program at the Monticello Railway Museum? What did you think of it? Just wondering if it would be worth the $100 fee?