By Diana Fishlock
The Patriot-News
September 11, 2008

Lots of kids dream of getting to drive Thomas the Tank Engine.

Linn Moedinger is living the dream.
He has been working on the railroad — the Strasburg Rail Road — for 40 years. Moedinger, 57, is the president and chief mechanical officer.

For the next week, he’ll be one of three engineers helping Thomas on his visit on The Great Discovery Tour. The blue engine is taking a break from Thomas & Friends TV show, which airs at 11 a.m. weekdays on WITF-TV.

In addition to taking a 25-minute ride on Thomas, kids can meet Sir Topham Hatt; operate a hand-powered pump car; ride a miniature steam train; pretend to steer pint-sized Cranky Cars around a track; take in some storytelling, videos and live music; and do some arts and crafts.

Moedinger speaks about Thomas and about being a train engineer.

Q: Why is Thomas so hot?

A: He’s a steam engine. He’s supposed to be hot. Sorry. I couldn’t resist.

Q: That’s OK. Why do you think he’s so popular?

A: The stories are fun to watch. The characters are somewhat human in their foibles and they’re somehow real.

I just happen to like Thomas. Thomas is a neat little engine. He’s got a lot of power. He’s a pretty useful little engine.

Q: How is it different from other train trips?

A: The difference is it’s a whole event. We’re running everything, the regular train, Thomas and so on and so forth. We’re making sure everything’s in good mechanical condition and making sure everybody knows what they’re doing from an operational standpoint.

The people are usually in a pretty good mood, even when it’s crowded. There’s an aura at the event.

Q: What makes a good engineer?

A: I think you have to have a knack for it. Some people are very knowledgeable from a book standpoint. They understand the ins and outs of the locomotive, but they’re lousy engineers.

Running a steam engine, there’s an awful lot of seat of the pants to the operation. There’s a lot of anticipation. It’s not like you step on the brakes and you start to slow down. There’s always a lag time because you’re moving so much weight. You kind of have to sense that you have a tail. You’re riding the front end and you have to know what the back end is doing. You could have the back end going uphill while you’re going downhill.

Q: What do you do to prepare for the Thomas rides?

A: The entire railroad is mobilized. We set up all the queuing lines and signs and directional arrows and get up the tents and gift shop.

All the stuff we operate is ours. Thomas himself goes from one railroad to another, but we build them here.

Q: Wow. How does Thomas get from one railroad to another?

A: Steam Thomas weighs 55 tons. He goes on a truck. He gets a little cover over his face so he doesn’t get sunburned. He’ll be going to Spencer, N.C., after our event.

Q: Do you take a train when you go on vacation?

A: Yes, I do. I ride Amtrak as often as I can. It’s a much more civilized way to travel than anything except maybe the Delta Queen steamboat.