There are seven or eight different kinds of grease and oil required to keep the moving parts moving. "That's what doesn't come out of clothes," says McCoy. There's a lot of coal dust, too; and periodically, McCoy will pick up a broom to sweep some away. "A clean cab is a happy cab," jokes Schultz.

The engineer and the fireman must learn to work together, and when they do, a lot of camaraderie develops. But there are always three personalities in the cab. "If you let the engine be boss, it will kick butt," says Schultz. "We have to show it we are the boss, and then it will do what we want."

America once moved by steam. Invented by Thomas Newcomen in 1705 to remove water from mines, and perfected by James Watt in the latter part of the 18th century, steam engines and the railroads they could pull came into their own by the mid-1800s.

Trains moved freight and passengers across the country. Once-laughed-at predictions of people eating breakfast in Baltimore, lunch in Philadelphia and dinner in New York all on the same day had come true.

By the early 1900s, bigger, better, more efficient engines were coming down the line. "Steam engines were the NASA of the turn-of-the-century," says Craig H. Lacey, executive director of the Heber Valley Historic Railroad Authority. "The best minds in the country were occupied with improving steam engines."

Times change. Technology improves. Steam is replaced by electricity and diesel. Trains lose favor to airplanes. But for some people, steam locomotives have never lost their appeal. "Steam engines are the sizzle on the steak for anyone who loves trains," says Lacey. Just to see one puffing along the rails is an experience, he says; to ride one is even better.

"They are such a part of the American past. That's our whole purpose here to preserve history and present it to people in a viable way."

There are maybe 125 steam engines still running in the United States — mostly for tourists and history buffs. "There's a network; we all try to help each other out," says Lacey. "But the number shrinks every year. There's an amazing financial commitment."

For one thing, it costs around $35,000 just for average maintenance each year. Every 300,000 miles or so, an engine must be given a complete overhaul. "You can only do so much with bubble gum and bailing wire. When safety becomes a factor, you can't take any chances," says Lacey.

That's the position Heber Valley Railroad finds itself in right now. It is the proud owner of two steam engines, built in the early 1900s by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia. No. 75 is currently undergoing a complete restoration. It's scheduled to be back up and going by March, when No. 618 will be shut down.