Anyone who’s been a child or has a child in this area probably has fond memories of Look Park’s steamer train. Since the 1940s, the miniature locomotive has been toting passengers around the one-mile stretch of tracks, past the park’s petting zoo, athletic fields and jungle gyms.
A string of fresh-faced high school and college students conduct the train and sell tickets out of the one-story train station fashioned to look like a Victorian house.
Camille Jasiorkowski of Southampton has been working at the park for nearly three years. Her first job was in the visitor’s center, running the cash register, renting out picnic tables and answering phones.
She always had her eye on the conductor position, she said: “This is definitely one of the more exciting places in the park.”
So, when she turned 18 (the minimum age required to be a conductor), she applied for the job. Training lasted just a few days and mostly consisted of “explaining all the knobs,” she said.
Now, she works eight-hour shifts 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. She and another conductor take turns driving the train, doing three rides on and three rides off. Camille gets minimum wage but said she likes conducting.
“It’s an awesome job in the summertime,” she said.
Camille graduated from Hampshire Regional High School earlier in the summer. This fall, she’s headed to the University of Vermont to study biology. She wants to work in genetics, either as a doctor or lab researcher studying incurable diseases.
Camille is certified in first aid and CPR, she said: “It’s not all required for the job — my school had me do it.”
In her spare time, Camille enjoys running, mentoring kids and getting involved with her church youth group.
Job hazards: “The other day we had a kid put a rock on the tracks.”
Best part of the gig? “The kids absolutely love it. They get so excited about the littlest things, it’s so cute … it’s not a hard job, it’s a fun job.”
Train regulars: “Lots of kids that I recognize week to week … There’s a few that come back weekly, and they always have their conductor hats on.”
Tips for working in the heat? “Stay as hydrated as you can.”
Train memories: “As a kid it’s like the thing to do, your parents bring you here all the time … when you’re little, you definitely think it’s the coolest job in the world.” As children age, she said they like to scream through the tunnel.