I’m actually more thrilled to be working with seemingly normal people than anything else.
For probably the next couple of years I’ll be getting all the extra jobs which means I’ll get to see a whole lot of the region (tri-state area)
But so far I’ve seen two deer and one fox run off the tracks as we aproached. I’m a city boy and don’t get to see much of that stuff. 
Be careful of that wildlife if you’re off the engine! I laughed my butt off at a story about a conductor (in Canada if I recall correctly) having an ernest discussion with a wolverine that badly wanted to eat his boot.
By the way, #1218 and #611 were steam engines - only used for railfairs and excersions - so I doubt if they would be on the regular locomotive rosters.
Ain’t it the truth. To a train fan, standing at the railroad summit of Cajon Pass just north of San Bernardino and watching those four diesel locomotives pull a mile long train up the grade is great.
Train fans a nuts. Coming home of San Bernardino in a cold rain one time I saw a couple of guys at Cajon summit standing around a camera tripod in the rain, holding a plastic sheet over the camera to protect it while they were soaking wet. They were filming a freight coming up the Cajon Pass grade. Nuts I tell you.