In 1999 I spent one day a week for several months in NC photographing the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad's steam engine no. 1702 with a 4x5 camera. I became friends with the engineers by giving them photographs I had made the week before. They offered me rides in the locomotive when I wasn't shooting somewhere trackside. This is one of my favorites.
This is excellent - it really captures the spirit. I just get lost in this one. It's just fantastic. I hope you took the ride. There's nothing like being in the cab of a working engine. I've only ever gotten to ride in diesels - I'm green with envy.