Aces of Trades: Tim Sposato's love of trains came first, then his career
SUGARCREEK – He’s spent a lifetime, literally, following his dream.
“I was about 2 years old when my parents said I showed great excitement when every train came into view,” recalled Tim Sposato. “This led into my early teen years when I started getting rides with friendly train crews on the Montour RR (MRR) that operated through my neighborhood.”
“I was well known on the Montour by all the employees and started track maintenance when I was 18 years old,” he continued. “I was then promoted to yardmaster at the Champion Coal Wash Plant near Imperial, Pennsylvania, until the MRR shut down in 1984. This extra work as a volunteer is what led me to where I am today.”
Sposato is now chief mechanical officer at the Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum in Sugarcreek.
“I oversee the restoration of all rail equipment,” he explained, “such as steam locomotives, vintage diesel locomotives, freight and passenger equipment. This position also covers restoration and reconditioning of vintage railroad tools, machinery, and building structures.
“I always try to immerse our visitors and guests,” he added, “with the feeling they’ve stepped back into the heyday of this powerful industry of railroading in the 1930s/1940s. This facility easily allows this to occur.”
Sposato, now 66, grew up in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, a suburb south of Pittsburgh. He graduated from high school there in 1974, then attended several technical schools for drafting, welding and electronics.
“I always worked in the railroad industry,” he said. “After the demise of the Montour RR, I worked briefly for CSXT and obtained a full-time job with the steam excursions of the Chessie Steam Specials and Operation Lifesaver steam powered excursions. This same company operated steam powered coal trains between Huntington and Hinton, West Virginia.”
Sposato also worked for the Norfolk Southern Corporation on all their steam powered excursions.
“I was fortunate to work with elder/retired railroad men from the steam era,” he noted.
“Then in 2008,” Sposato added, “Jerry Joe Jacobson asked me to help him create the Age of Steam Roundhouse as a monument to steam locomotives he owned. This was a unique opportunity to be part of history. Jerry wanted the best facility in the country to showcase his extensive collection.”
Bill Strawn is now president and chairman of the board of the Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum.
“Tim Sposato is one of a handful of steam experts in the country,” assessed Strawn. “He and his team work full time on numerous projects that are showcased in the main roundhouse of the museum. His painstaking attention to detail, combined with selfless dedication, keeps our growing collection in pristine condition. We’re blessed by the important contributions he makes every day.”
“This career is relatively rare,” Sposato responded. “A lot of others tend to go through a career just to be able to make a decent living. I’m fortunate to be able to have a rewarding career that I also enjoy.
“I couldn’t think of another industry that would have been as good as railroading,” he concluded. “Railroading has always been my calling. Steam locomotive operation and restoration has been my life dream.”
Age of Steam Roundhouse Museum is at 213 Smokey Lane Road SW in Sugarcreek. For information, visit www.ageofsteamroundhouse.org.
Aces of Trades is a weekly series focusing on people and their jobs – whether they’re unusual jobs, fun jobs or people who take ordinary jobs and make them extraordinary. If you have a suggestion for a future profile, let us know at ctnews@coshoctontribune.com.
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Tim Sposato lives his dream every day he's working around trains
