August 10, 2005
Doctor operates zoo train
Retired physician trades white coat for overhauls to run Clinch Park Zoo train
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Nurturing a different kind of patient keeps Don Frost busy all summer, not quite 24/7 but close.
Since June of 2004, the retired OB/GYN has been part of a five-person team that maintains and runs the steam train at the Clinch Park Zoo. The endeavor is a family affair as Frost works with his son, Jeff, and daughter, Rebecca, both in college. Moving from catching babies to locomotive mechanic and operator is no big deal to Frost, who has been captivated by steam trains since he was a young child.
Steam engines are merely a different kind of patient that requires a different kind of problem solving.
"It's a challenge to get the things to work because they always have something that is just not right, that's just they way steam engines are," Frost said. "You almost have to love doing it because they take a lot of time and effort."
Diagnosing problems is still crucial, determining the necessary treatment when something crops up.
"There are things that occur and you have to be aware of what they are to recognize and that can be problem if you don't know how to recognize it," he noted. "We've spent a bit of time to get it to work this well."
Running since 1948, the zoo's current steam train has been in operation since 1982; the previous train was a gas-powered circus decorated train sold to Fun Country in Interlochen and subsequently discontinued. Many zoos include trains, some required because of the size of their facilities, such as the Detroit Zoo where it is a long walk to get from one end to the other.
The Clinch Park Zoo train runs on a track around the perimeter of the facility daily from Memorial Day until Labor Day. After Labor Day, the train runs on weekends for two weeks afterward. Admission is sold separately from the zoo's, making the train an independent attraction.
"It's a lot of fun and we're closing in on one million tickets sold," noted Lauren Vaughn, the parks and recreation superintendent for Traverse City, of the train's history.
This is the second summer that Andrew Wheatley has run the train and he agreed that it usually brings smiles to riders' faces. Sometimes younger children balk at the gate while others do not want to exit after the ride.
"Kids love it but at least once a day someone cries," said Wheatley, who is studying communications at Michigan State University. "Or they'll get half way on it and want to get off. Or when they have to get off after a ride, they'll start crying."
Before his retirement five years ago, steam engines to Frost were merely a hobby, albeit an intense one as he and his son built three engines in the 1:8 scale. The zoo's train is 1:4 scale, which is double the size but eight times the mass.
Steam locomotives need a lot of work and that is just the nature of the beast, noted Frost. Besides ongoing maintenance and engine babying duties, the job includes driving the train, fueling every hour or 90 minutes, adding water and putting sand in the flue. Done every time they fuel, the sand scours the carbon out of the tubes and helps efficiency.
"Instead of having a brush when it's 1,900 degrees, you use sand," he noted.
Donning striped overalls and hat instead of a white doctor's coat or scrubs, Frost said the duties can sometimes be monotonous - especially after working five days straight. Driving the short track hour after hour, shift after shift, is broken up by refueling stops and constant tinkering with the engine.
"But we keep fine tuning the engine, so there's always something going on that's different," he said.