11/10/2025
The Brakeman on the Train - November 2025
by Dawn Phelps, RN/LMSW
It was a clear day with blue skies, sunshine, and a bit of chill in the mountain air when my husband Tom and I boarded the Durango Train on a narrow gauge railroad in Colorado. We had been looking forward to our ride through the San Juan Mountains, a route that led from Durango to Silverton and back. The trip would give us a chance to see the beauty of the mountains, and we would also be “unplugged” from the rest of the world for a while with no Wi-Fi or cell phone coverage through the canyons.
The narrow gauge railroad began in 1882 with the Denver & Rio Grande Railway, and the 45-mile excursions have continued until the present, allowing its passengers to experience what it was like to ride a mountainous narrow gauge railroad as in the past. Our old locomotive still ran on steam, and we could hear the engine slow down and strain as it slowly pulled the railroad cars up the mountainside. From time to time, the sound of the steam whistle echoed through the canyons.
We chugged along, and our trip was going well for the passengers on the train. Thinking back, I am not positive how we found out, but we discovered the brakeman for the train was riding in our car. Maybe he had a name tag that identified him, or maybe it was a conversation that we overheard. But the brakeman was there, and I remember him seeming quiet and reluctant to converse with the passengers in our car.
I knew his job had something to do with brakes, but I would have never guessed how important his job would be for our train ride. Since that day, I have learned a little about what brakemen used to do and how they were essential to passenger safely.
Brakemen had one of the most dangerous jobs of the entire train crew. They had to climb on top of the cars in all kinds of weather and turn a wheel to adjust brakes. Sometimes they slipped and fell. Their job was so dangerous that many life insurance companies would not insure them!
As our train chugged up the mountain, we were in awe of the beauty surrounding us. At one point, the train track was so close to the edge of the cliffs that I could look straight down into the deep ravine below without seeing any land beside the train!
When our train finally reached the top of the mountain, the engineer stopped the train and called for the brakeman. When the brakeman left our car to talk to the engineer, we surmised that there might be problems with the brakes, and we knew we had to have brakes to get us safely back down the mountainside to Durango. For a while those in our train car sat and talked quietly, wondering. If the brakes on the train had failed, our situation might be serious—we could be stranded. We wondered if we would need to be rescued, and if so, how would the engineer call for help, and if another train could be sent.
Then out of the blue, someone started singing “I’ve been working on the railroad, all the live-long day. I’ve been working on the railroad, to pass the time away….” And the mood changed. People from the other train cars joined in, and the singing continued—mostly old songs from the past. In the distance, we could hear reassuring pounding noises—the brakeman must have been working on the brakes—he knew what to do! After a bit, when the train slowly began to move, the passengers began cheering for the brakeman! He had done his thing, and what he had done was sooo important!
I do not know the brakeman’s name, but he was a man of few words. Earlier he would not have won a popularity contest, but we learned how much he had contributed to our train ride and our safety. His knowledge and skills were invaluable and appreciated! I have never forgotten the brakeman. He taught me an enormous lesson that day as we sat on a mountainside, when I was wondering if we were going to be stranded. He was so needed!
Regardless of our personalities or who we are, every one of us has something we can contribute to someone else. My memory of the brakeman reminds me to be thankful for the people who have helped me in the past, sometimes in unique ways, especially after the death of my husband. Maybe the Thanksgiving season is a good time to remember and express gratitude for those important people in our lives who have helped us through the tough spots.
We are all needed to make this world go round—like that brakeman on a train.
