Railroad Brakeman

Last summer we took a day trip to Georgetown, Colorado to experience riding the old steam locomotive train of the Georgetown Loop. The historic Georgetown Loop Railroad is a narrow gauge train that was completed in 1884. The three-foot wide track covers the two mile distance between Georgetown and Silver Plume, and gains an astounding 600 feet in elevation. The scenery was spectacular especially when crossing the Devil’s Gate High Bridge.

Besides the breathtaking scenery I was fascinated with watching the train's brakeman go about his activities. The brakeman's primary job was to assist with braking the train when the engineer wanted the train to slow down. His duties also included making sure the couplings between the cars were secure, and signaling the train during switching operations. Remember when you were a kid and waved at the guy in the caboose and he waved back. The brakeman did that too. Who doesn't like this guy!

Brakeman
The railroad brakeman in his colorful blue shirt and jaunty conductor's hat represents a bygone era of the Georgetown Loop Railroad.
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Train Signals
The brakeman of the narrow gauge locomotive signals the oncoming train engineer at Georgetown, CO.
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