by jaymac
Despite the posting date, neither this post nor its subject is a joke.
Mike Enos's follow-up to The Railroad Was Our Life! arrived in the 03-31 mail, and it occupied a good amount of the rest of my day. The title -- I Am the Train! -- might seem a bit strange at first, but the author -- without ever using the word -- examines the gestalt of being an effective -- a "crackerjack" -- engineer by being aware of what all those cars in back of you; the rails and grade and curves ahead of you, under you, and in back of you; the feel and sound of your power: and all the other things that constitute what and where you are so that you are part of the train, not just someone attempting to exert your will over it.
This is a book of life lessons on how to work with people far more than it is a book about train-handling. Some of the confrontations hinted at in the first volume are covered in greater depth. Particularly significant is the role that insecurity can play in aggravating confrontations. Whether insecurity within the Fink 1.0 management played a role in its sometimes confrontational approaches to customers and employees is left unstated, but except when it comes to speedos, bulletin orders, train orders, and direct orders from superiors, we can all form our own interpretations. I strongly recommend it also as a document of how a sense of pride and productivity and utility can quickly become a sense of futility when some managers attempt to exert their will over their subordinates in the same way that some engineers might attempt to exert their will over their trains.
I got my copy through the B&MRRHS. Like The Railroad Was Our Life!, it may also be available from other sources. It is well worthwhile just for the photos and captions.
(Mods: If there any violations, feel free to do what you believe is necessary.)
Mike Enos's follow-up to The Railroad Was Our Life! arrived in the 03-31 mail, and it occupied a good amount of the rest of my day. The title -- I Am the Train! -- might seem a bit strange at first, but the author -- without ever using the word -- examines the gestalt of being an effective -- a "crackerjack" -- engineer by being aware of what all those cars in back of you; the rails and grade and curves ahead of you, under you, and in back of you; the feel and sound of your power: and all the other things that constitute what and where you are so that you are part of the train, not just someone attempting to exert your will over it.
This is a book of life lessons on how to work with people far more than it is a book about train-handling. Some of the confrontations hinted at in the first volume are covered in greater depth. Particularly significant is the role that insecurity can play in aggravating confrontations. Whether insecurity within the Fink 1.0 management played a role in its sometimes confrontational approaches to customers and employees is left unstated, but except when it comes to speedos, bulletin orders, train orders, and direct orders from superiors, we can all form our own interpretations. I strongly recommend it also as a document of how a sense of pride and productivity and utility can quickly become a sense of futility when some managers attempt to exert their will over their subordinates in the same way that some engineers might attempt to exert their will over their trains.
I got my copy through the B&MRRHS. Like The Railroad Was Our Life!, it may also be available from other sources. It is well worthwhile just for the photos and captions.
(Mods: If there any violations, feel free to do what you believe is necessary.)
"A gray crossover is definitely not company transportation."
