Chili at the engine house

The occasional bowl of hot chili is one advantage of working at the engine house on Saturday. With a railroading chef on "staff" at El Dorado Western Railway, the crew savors a noontime meal every two or three months.

Professional chef Steve Karoly prepared a spicy bowl of chili and beans for about 10 last Saturday. The meal was accompanied by sweet Dutch oven cornbread.

Here's what one diner had to say:

"What great chili!" said Bill Rodgers. "I loved it. We gotta make it a staple in our work parties at the rail park ... it was fantastic.

"I hated to leave today. The cornbread looked terrific. You really have those Dutch ovens down to an art, for sure."