I had an uncle who was an engineer for the C & O back when I was young. He let me ride in the cab with him twice; once with a steam engine in the waning age of steam and once with a practically new first generation diesel electric. I really wanted to become a railroad engineer for the longest time when I was young. Had an interview the the C&NW for a job in the signalling department when I was graduating HS but my father convinced me to go to Uni instead. I wonder where I would be right now if I had taken that job.