The Little Prince that could (use some more engineers)

All aboard!

While the Little Prince is scheduled to shine up the Fort George rails starting the May long weekend, the 24-inch narrow gauge steam engine is looking for new engineers.

Having three engineers already certified to operate the train, another three to five are being sought after.

“When you’re talking about operating that train seven days a week all summer long, it gets tough to find individuals that want to work every day all summer,” The Exploration Place CEO, Tracy Calogheros told MyPGNow. “Our goal is to get six to eight certified engineers, and that makes the onus on them a lot less difficult to deal with, so by getting more people certified, we can operate the train for longer hours.”

As a result, The Exploration Place will be hosting an information session for all of those who are looking to plop their caboose in the Canadian Treasure’s engine.

Calogheros said the century-old engine has become quite the attraction in Prince George since coming to the Northern Capital in the 1970s and is the only 24-inch narrow gauge steam engine still operating in North America.

“We had so much interest in people wanting to get involved in certifying in order to drive the train, that we figured rather than doing this one by one, we would get everybody together in one go and get everyone’s questions answered at the same time,” Calogheros said.

The hope is to have enough engineers certified so they can operate on part-time hours throughout the summer.

Prospective-engineers will be required to complete the Canadian Railroad Operating Regulations course, which the museum will cover the cost for. A requirement of 160 hours training on the train will be voluntary before engineers then go on to earn a $25 per hour.