Denis Godbout tugs on the brass knob of the bell, slides the black-handled throttle into position and releases the brake.

Amid loud hissing and clanging, the hulking green locomotive begins its slow rumble out of Uxbridge along the 140-year-old rail line that once carried grain to William Gooderham’s distillery in Toronto.

This isn’t Godbout’s day job, it’s his unpaid passion. After working weekdays as a financial analyst for a large hospital, the Mississauga resident heads for the hills of the Oak Ridges Moraine — at the controls of a 1950s diesel engine.

Godbout is one of 20 volunteers who operate the York-Durham Heritage Railway, which takes tourists on scenic, 20-kilometre rides between Uxbridge and Stouffville.

“Most of us don’t have a railway background. It’s a labour of love,” says Godbout, who’s also president of the non-profit railway association.

Bitten by the bug as a young lad, he worked his way up to his dream of driving a train after joining the heritage railway 10 years ago.

“It’s not much to look at, but it runs surprisingly well,” he says of the locomotive he’s piloting with the “second eyes” of engineer’s assistant James Clark.

The railway, which reopened the line in 1996 after Canadian National closed it 10 years earlier, owns a variety of rolling stock, including a refurbished 1919 Pullman coach and fire-engine red caboose.

“We always need volunteers,” says administrative coordinator Rose Powell, who got involved through her “train nut” husband, Brad. “I don’t know anything about trains, but I like to paint.” Her latest task was the exterior of a 1926 coach.

Initially taught by CN professionals years ago, crew members now train each other. Anthony Thompson, a computer programmer/systems analyst by day, has become something of a track jack-of-all-trades during off-hours.

“It’s different and it’s interesting, and it’s part of our heritage,” explains Thompson, who serves as conductor and board member when he’s not tending to crew scheduling and operations.

A well-oiled human machine keeps things on track before weekend passengers climb on board. On Friday nights, a two-man crew hauls out a gas-powered rail car to inspect the route, test crossing signals and check for damaged parts.

“It’s a never-ending story,” says Robbie Robertson, a retired heavy truck mechanic who spends two or three days a week on maintenance and repairs. “Everything around here needs TLC.”

Thomas Muir, who works as a forklift operator in Scarborough, didn’t know much about trains before he joined the railway two years ago.

“They go ‘toot, ding, ding,’” he offers. But by logging 15 to 20 hours a week with the heritage railway, he’s hoping to join a “real-life version” later.

“It’s a great way to learn things you didn’t learn in school,” says Muir, who now knows how to start a locomotive.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

They don’t call it “training” for nothing.

PHOTO GALLERY: Riding the heritage railway