Zach Hall - In The Seat
Behind the Throttle: Edition 2, Installment 5
“What we do cannot be learned in a book.”
Today’s spotlight tells the story of a dedicated person with a resume longer than a pharmacy receipt. Having spent a lengthy career at a multitude of outfits, we feature someone who’s learned best from first-hand experiences, and now works to give them back. Today on Behind the Throttle, we meet Zach Hall - In The Seat.
Zach’s interest in railroading transpired alongside his dad’s. His first memory with trains takes him back to 1992 when he and his family ventured to West Virginia to ride the famous “New River Train”, an annual excursion that boasted a parade of vintage railcars behind a steam locomotive through the New River Gorge. Zach’s father recalls that Zach wasn’t particularly excited about their family trip, not having much prior exposure to trains. Though Zach’s opinion changed and a smile formed when he detrained for a photo runby, where the famed Nickel Plate Road 765 roared past the crowd with the throttle on the roof. That spot where Zach stood and watched the steam-superpower show in front of him became ground zero for the industry that would become his life. Later that night, Zach’s father was invited to join the engine crew for their evening servicing of the massive 2-8-4 locomotive thanks to a mutual friend, which simultaneously started an interest in being involved with steam the same day as his son. Returning back home to Michigan from their trip, Zach and his dad were already looking to schedule their first weekend of volunteering with the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society, the organization that owns and operates the engine that lit their fire. Helping with various tasks in the shop, they also found themselves with seats along for the locomotive’s tours as Zach’s dad was handy in the kitchen and knew how to cook for a small army from his job at the fire station. Preparing meals for the crews and helping with tasks en route became status quo for the father/son pair, and a young Zach was overzealous to soak it all in.
As Zach grew up and was able to offer more help in the shop, he was frequently put alongside some of the steam champions of the early 2000s that would become his mentors. In 2004, Zach was volunteering some time with his dad at the Age of Steam museum in Sugarcreek, Ohio. At the time, the Age of Steam had several operating steam locomotives and was running excursions on the mainline track of the Ohio Central, adjacent to the property. One day - though an excursion was running just beyond the walls of the shop - Zach and his dad were neck deep on a locomotive project working alongside Gary Bensman - one such steam champion that Zach developed a close working relationship with. During their work session, the pair were noticed by Age of Steam founder Jerry Joe Jacobson, and he saw their work effort and took action by offering them a job. Fresh out of high school, Zach was blown away at the opportunity to work on steam engines and get paid! He remembers not having a clue for what the going rate of working on steam was, but blindly saying yes and starting into a work contract that would last him the better part of a year. At the conclusion of the contract, Zach had now worked up enough experience to feel confident in the industry and had enough of a resume to start broadcasting himself out to the railroad world in hopes of finding a career. His first offer for an interview took him out to Arizona with the Grand Canyon Railway. Zach’s father had joined him for the trip west, and before long he was riding in the cab of an excursion while Zach talked shop with the train master and chief mechanical officer. They reconvened after their individual experiences, each with a job offer. The two convinced Zach’s mom to move out to Arizona, and the Hall father-son duo found themselves in a new shop with two new steam engines to learn from. At the time, the Grand Canyon Railway was running steam frequently during the busy tourism season, giving Zach plenty of time in the fireman’s seat, engineer’s seat, and everywhere else around the railroad to learn what it took to make a steam operation of a grand scale thrive.
After three years, a leadership change at the Grand Canyon Railway saw a scaling back in steam operations which ultimately led to Zach and his dad’s jobs being cut. Grateful for the time he spent there, Zach was motivated to find another job in the same field. His dad moved with Zach’s mom to Chicago, but Zach stayed out west and began in the steam shop at the Heber Valley Railroad in northern Utah in 2008. At the Heber, their steam engine was operating rather frequently and Zach fell right back into the rhythm of working on and operating a steam locomotive on the daily. The Heber Valley 618, a former Union Pacific 2-8-0, was nearing the end of it’s current operational period, and Zach helped hold the engine together for it’s few final runs. This included one last photo freight event, where Zach remembers doing several-mile runbys as photographers stood on the other side of the Deer Creek Reservoir, capturing the snowcapped Wasatch mountains with plumes of coal smoke rising from the stocky engine. He spent two years at the railroad before seeking out a career change that would bring him closer to home.
Having relocated to where his parents were living in Chicago, Zach began to put out feelers for a new career path. He had offers from both Amtrak and Union Pacific for stable engineer positions on the respective Class 1 railroads, but felt a pull to stick with the older locomotives that he’d grown to love and respect. Having reconnected with his old friend and mentor Gary Bensman, Zach joined along for Gary’s travels in the historic railroad industry, working as his right-hand-man on the various contracts and projects that were then on the table. These travels took him far and wide over the east coast, lending a capable hand in keeping wheels turning and water boiling. In 2012, after two years of working together Zach and Gary were wrapping up a rebuild project on the Soo Line 1003, a locomotive based out Wisconsin. Around this time, Zach’s current engineer card was soon to expire, so he began thinking about finding a railroad to renew it on. He reached out to an old friend and coworker who was now managing a shortline in Central Pennsylvania, and discovered that they were soon to launch their own steam program with a little 2-6-0 engine in need of rebuilding. Talking the owner of the Everett Railroad Company, Zach struck a deal that would have him run the railroad’s freight job on a few odd weekdays when the regular crew was out, and was soon to be tasked with getting Everett No. 11 from a rusty boiler back into an operating locomotive. After wrapping up a work-trade agreement at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (have you lost track of how many places Zach has worked yet?), he moved to Cumberland, Maryland where the small but mighty No. 11 was awaiting it’s turn to be rebuilt. After two years in Maryland, the engine (and Zach) moved up to the Everett Steam Shop in Claysburg, Pennsylvania, just a few miles south of Altoona. As the little shortline prospered and profited from freight traffic, money was sent right to the steam shop so Zach and the team could piece the little engine back together. In April of 2015, the first scoop of coal was thrown and the engine simmered back to life slowly. Zach has been around a few dozen steam engines now and has had a hand in many restorations and efforts, but the 11 holds a very special place to him as he feels it was the first engine that he was mostly in charge of bringing back from a long period of inoperability. The walls of the Everett Railroad office bear a photo of Zach, the railroad’s general manager Jason Lamb, steam mechanics Dan Pluta and Barney Grambling, and track inspector John Hafer all standing with sly smiles and hands in their bibs, gazing at the engine with expressions that say “Yeah, we did that”. After 10 years of operation, the 11 has pulled all but one of the excursions that were scheduled to be steam powered, handled several thousand tons of revenue freight alongside it’s passenger duties, and even served as a testbed for a biofuel-coal substitute.
Even past coming into his position as steam shop supervisor at the Everett, Zach’s story and resume continues to grow. During his short stay at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum, he was introduced to Davidson Ward, who would go on to be one of the founding members of FMW Solutions, now a (round)household name in the railroad industry for performing contract work on historic equipment and managing operations in several locales. FMW reached out to Zach in 2019 where he then began talks with the Everett about having a split-time deal (it should also be noted that Zach had been making trips to Fort Wayne since coming back to the east coast to work on the 765, and took over the position of Operations Manager within the group in 2016) to help out his old friends in their new endeavor. With a tentative schedule outlined for Zach to assist with a major contract, the world was soon to be brought to a grinding halt as the Covid pandemic began making headlines. The timing worked in Zach’s favor though, as when the Everett put a pause on steam he was able to head down to Florida to aide in the lofty endeavor of starting a tourist railroad for the mega-corporation US Sugar, on behalf of FMW, and was made the general foreman for the whole company in 2020. Following five years of travels and restorations, Zach continues to be a liaison for steam across the country with FMW.
Jeez, I’m out of breath.
Through every project and milestone, the magic of historic railroading is yet to be lost on Zach and he feels grateful to now be ushering in a new generation of enthusiastic individuals with passion for the skills they are learning. Across every site that he’s been involved with, he feels there is a great willingness to work and learn in the employee/volunteer bodies, recognizing that “Railroading is more than a job. You have to be passionate about it, you could take your skills and make a lot more elsewhere.” Zach also likes to think back to the “naive, probably annoying younger version of myself” (his words, not mine), and keeps these memories handy for when he fulfills the role of teaching someone the the invaluable skills of the trade. As Zach continues to extend his reach and educate those now getting involved, he firmly believes that experience is the only way to learn how to do the trades needed within locomotive restoration and operation: “What we do cannot be learned in a book.” Personally, Zach recalled his first time in the fireman’s seat on a running locomotive, which happened to be the Grand Trunk Western 6325 at Age of Steam. The night before, he found himself reading several historical books about firing and some old enginemen’s manuals from the days of steam, and found that no specific numbers were used, but enginemen were expected to learn from their locomotive and respond to it’s needs. From this experience, he developed the philosophy that demonstrating the theory behind the operations with real-life examples and experiences leads to competent restorationists and railroaders, a method that has proven to be successful.
On the note of personal triumphs, Zach is grateful to have developed a passion that held him close to his father and gave them a chance to work together professionally. Similarly, Zach is very grateful for all of the mentors and friends that have come from the railroad world, including his now-wife, Samantha. When asked about some favorite memories, he brought up that first day in the fireman’s seat on a massive 4-8-4 that would go on to be a foundation for him learning how to understand a hot steam engine. He also mentioned the thousands of memorable experiences with the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society: “We’ve done a lot of cool things with 765.” 70 miles per hour into Chicago, trips across the Norfolk Southern system, and bringing 765 next to several of it’s preserved sister Berkshires all invoke pride and passion within Zach’s work with the group.
Thinking to the future of the historic railroad industry, Zach wants to stress the ideas of mechanical competence and safety as a new generation takes control. Understanding that this line of work is largely a labor of love and passion, Zach sees it crucial that those involved also understand the responsibility of operating and maintaining a locomotive, and see how crucial the commitment to safety and upkeep is: “You’re part of something bigger than yourself, this isn’t about number of likes on a post.” He is similarly excited about the modern technology entering historic shop spaces, and feels that advancements in CNC, 3D printing, and laser scanning will help ensure that steam locomotives stay hot for years to come. Overall, Zach has found a craft that he is proud to have dedicated his professional life to, and hopes it continues to be a safe and professional space where people can come together to learn from and appreciate the machines of the past.
Thank you all for reading this edition of Behind the Throttle, and thanks to Zach for coming on with us! Tune in May 26th, Memorial Day, for a special feature on Behind The Throttle dedicated to the military side of the railroad industry. Until then, I’m Max Harris and I’ll see you down the line.
I’ve had the privilege to work with Zach for over a decade and he’s truly one of the best in the business. All professional in the cab, on the ground or in the shop he’s got a sense of humor though that will grow on you🤣 Enjoy working with him and would encourage anyone to take a moment and shake his hand and those likewise that keep the iron horse spirit alive.