RideTheRails posted:Hot Water posted:RideTheRails posted:It's a little bit more complicated than BNSF just giving permission (if you meant that literally). My understanding is that BNSF requires a steam qualified BNSF engineer to operate the locomotive on BNSF track. That skill set is probably becoming less and less in the BNSF ranks. Couple that with scheduling track time AND the qualified BNSF engineer, the chances get less and less.
Steve
Interesting. Were do you hear THAT? The BNSF obviously requires a "steam qualified" Engineer to be at the controls for operations, but that individual may very well NOT be a BNSF employee. I know for sure about operations on BNSF with SP 4449!
From my son who talked to the BNSF engineer when 3751 was in Fullerton a few years ago.
Steve
Well, maybe it was simply miss-communication, or it is possible that one or two of the Engineers that were/are qualified on 3751, are members of the 3751 group, and may still be employees of BNSF (I know of two men that are now retired former Santa Fe steam qualified Engineers).
However, the simple fact remains that BNSF RR does NOT require a "BNSF Engineer" to operate any steam locomotive on the BNSF system.
