I'm part of the maintenance-of-way crew on a short line railroad, and I will say replacing switch ties is no easy feat! I wish you folks the best when it comes time to replace those, and excellent video!
I would say the easiest way to replace the ties on the switch is to buy a used turnout panel from a class 1. Normally they replace mainline switches before they are actually worn out. Normally they will sell them for scrap value, even though they are only 5-8 years old. You might have to buy a few pieces of 100LBS rail to bring it up to the 115 or 135 that the switch panel is, but it will save you the hassle of trying to pull one tie at a time out. I work for a railroad which also loans us out as a track maintenance company, and we have done this a few times. The customer of a grain company bought two switches from CSX, and we trucked them up from Mass, and installed them. That way at the same time you can correct any roadbed issues as well. And really the only heavy lifting you would need to do is to cut the 100LBS rail to go from the lighter rail to the heavier rail on the switches, as well as installing your ground throw switches. I would contact your states DOT, as they have a reasonable amount of funding for small operators like yours. Plus I would highly recommend using switches with heavier rail, since the possibility of rolling a rail, or breaking a rail on those light rail switches is pretty high.
Removing and replacing the switch as an assembly is a prudent idea. Problem will be to get the equipment in and out to do it. I'm sure you guys can handle that. Great suggestion, Ben!
@@johnd4101 Thanks! The company I work for doesn't have a excavator, so normally we rent something like a Cat 325 or 336, as well as using one of our loaders or a pettibone to dig out and remove the old switch, and replace it with the used one.
Back in my volunteer 🙋♂️ RR days we replaced ties by hand but we tried to have a gang of people to do it vs 1 or 3.... we marked out the ties, removed spikes.... placed the fresh ties in place on the rails, jacked up the rails knocked out the tie plates....used a pick ax to loosen the ground/ballast dig out the ends, pull pull with tie tongs and hammer with sledge the tie out. Put new tie in, replace tie plates use new spikes drop jacks, level track and repeat..... Fast forward to Shortline.... we had some equipment but much of the time it was just a Back-Hoe to ripple the ballast and it was used to push ties out.... I like idea of buying surplus mainline switch for what is essentially a Yard.
Was in asphalt business for many years. We sprayed our shovels, rakes and lutes with diesel fuel using 1 and 2 gallon pump sprayers to keep asphalt from sticking. Try diesel fuel to wipe down your bucket....if it works, fill a sprayer. Much, much cheaper than WD-40 and so much easier to apply...could even spray from operator's seat, without dismounting the machine. Give diesel a try. If it works, you should be way ahead of the game....if not, it was worth a try. Good luck........John M. (Linda's hubby)
I've been subscribed to this channel since part 1. It's awesome to be part of this journey to reactivate abandoned railroads. This is great stuff. Keep up the good work 👍😁
I would hope that the connecting railroad would be impressed with what you all have accomplished so far. Keep up the good work. If I lived near you guys, I would love to volunteer and help you all revive this terminal railroad. I know how to be a cog in a machine.
Thoroughly enjoyed this episode.great variety. You kept it moving. The dump bed on your flat car is truly ingenious. Just be sure it dumps to the side like an old DIFCO dumper. You will be able to easily change it out or remove it with your grappling. Can’t wait for the next episode
What if you could barter a deal with the railroad that wants to store cars on your track. More than likely that railroad has equipment for rail maintenance, repair, & replacement. What if you said to the railroad, okay I'll let you store your cars for 'x' amount of months for free in exchange for you replacing railroad ties at #2 switch, and what ever else needs fixing (for free or at a hugely discounted price)? It's a win-win for both of you. Little or no money out of your pocket, and the railroad gets a possible write-off of your track repair. Just a thought. Love your channel.
Consider a Masticator to deal with that brush. It would solve the problem of hauling off any of the brush. It leaves a shredded mulch on the ground. It eliminates all the hand work....I'm really enjoying the videos. I wish you guys great success....
That's what I was thinking, and it goes in the same spirit as mechanization. Try to avoid any unnecessary work, so grinding/mulching the brush at source and just spray it out over the adjacent ground. Chain the chipper on the cart, use the grapple to gently lower the brush into it, it sprays the mulch out sideways onto the ground
The Trackmobile looks like a backyard salt flats racer perched on a utility rail flat - what an intriguing beast! I’ve seen the recent versions and what yours lacks in creature comforts in comparison, it certainly makes up for in retro cool. Looking forward to hearing the 4-53 knock and scream 😁 Folks, your down-home get-it-done attitude is an inspiration. I admire you, wish you all the best with this project and look forward to future instalments 🤟🏼
Amaizing the gratifying feeling of bringing something of the past back and restoring it..... hey anything can happen. It could one day be a very lucrative short line lol. You'll seem very determined
That PC is for Pen Central and yes I heard the story. The one time we met and the story about the New York New Haven when they took over. Your rail yard is starting to come along. That was smart using East Terminal for a rail car Marshaling and maintenance yard a very good time for it. Now that MTD is being sold again and is starting to manufacture their tools and outdoor power equipment her in the US again. Moving product by rail is much more efficient truck,.
The local NFS rail yard by me has a dump truck with a rotating dump bed. Though they didn't look operational, it had outriggers and rail clamp. Balance/out riggers are something to keep in mind when you mount the dump bed on the kart.
I agree, but lets just hope little cupcake has enough horsepower to pull the hopper with a tie against the third axle when it comes to dumping ballast.
I have seen dump trucks with high rail gear on them where the bed will rotate 90°. Then you could just run up and down the track and dump where you want to. You might be able to find an inexpensive machine at an auction. Use it on the job until you are finished, then sell it.
When I was in highschool in Iowa I worked on tie crew for IC in Fort Dodge in the summer. When we needed to change out a switch tie we would cut the bad part out with chainsaw and only replace what was needed .this saved us about an hour per switch .We use 6,8 and 10 long ties when changing out bad ties .Maybe this will help you in the switch repair in number 13 video. We had a Case backhoe for pulling out and pushing in the new ties .But still a lot of shoveling and hand digging .
Several years ago I spotted one of these in St. Louis MO. I thought it would make a great street rod. I’m sure most train enthusiasts would of thought this idea insane.
Morning Guys. Can’t believe your progress so far 👍🏻 I’m on this journey until the end 🤣 Cheers for making an exciting project for us to watch 😄 Cheers Stevie 😎🏴
Love the journey that you guys have taken us on thus far! You should open a merchandise shop. I would buy a shirt or two with your logo on it. Keep it up! Looking forward to more!
I think what you're doing is amazing. Working out of pocket on a project like this with just you and your son for labor is to be commended. I've had to build some rail and install some switching in chemical plants I ran during my time, but I had someone else's bank account and experienced rail contractors with the best equipment on hand to do the work. I love your ingenuity and look forward to each of your new posts.
With mid sized dump truck bed with frame work and hydraulics a slide on slide off unit for your flat top car could be made. Also, consider putting retractabletrack wheels on a road self contained dump trailer... One move of the spoils, from track side to remote dump off, empty and repeat. Very interesting content.
Most dump units on 1 ton trucks are self contained units bolted to the frame of the truck and are easly removed and installed on other trucks. So it should be easy to take it off of a truck and install it on your cart. Great videos.
At the no longer existing railway company, we addressed switch ties as a "by hand" replacement. we/I would completely excavate the spaces between the ties, remove any trees in the way, knock the plates and straps off and slide the tie out. I was allowed to use a jack only to support the existing level, if I accidently "humped it" I'd be digging .....more. The railway never purchased panels, but had no problems with us burning time building panels of all types.
Its a labour of love! My local heritage line here in UK has a local contractor who has a tractor with a flail; they builta a ramp so thathe could drive onto a well wagon and then they take him to whichever part of the line needs trimming,the chips remain on the ground as a mulch/weed barrier and some gets bagged up and given to locals free! that flail makes very short work of clearing and of course has a good reach alround.
That dump body on the rail cart sound great . You need a turntable or mount it to dump a right angle to rails. The hinge point for the dump will need to be directly above the rail so the cart won't tip over. NS uses the high railer dump trucks with the turntable on their MOW crews .
Love these video, nothing is boring watching. Realtime is ok with me. I'm still trying to visualize the layout of your tracks, but cannot. Keep the videos coming, I love them all!
Dump Box on your cart perfect,use the pin box application from a container trailer easily removed. Now the dump you’ll need a leg that automatically comes down when lifting,say someone loads it on 1 side it’s unstable you see them on equipment trailers. As for the hydraulics plug and go to your power plant 👍
The dump bed is a good idea but turn it 90 degrees and shorten it so you can dump off to the side. It would mean easier cleanup later. Think about a self contained unit that slides into the back of a pickup, that way there is virtually no setup. The track truck looks cool but I'm past loud I like quiet, lol
Get yourself one of those sprayer bottles that they use to spray chemicals (the kind that have a hand pump to pressurize them). You could fill that with a light weight oil and just give a spritz from time to time. You definitely need some kind of dirt moving car. You have the machinery to dig the dirt but you need something to move the dirt around. In fact you should draw up simple plan of the entire line and figure out where you want to situate all the things you'll need just to do maintenance. In other words have one specific location for say a dirt pile. You might also have a pile for wood chips from chipping your trees. The wood chips would be handy as a ground cover anywhere your soil would be muddy. You might also locate the piles of stuff near road access in case you want to bring materials in from outside. I guess what I'm talking about is a maintenance yard. One central location with a small storage shed to keep all the small equipment locked up and organized. Then you could fence it in and put up some security cameras. This way you don't have equipment spread out all over the line. I'll bet on a small line like yours you'll spend a lot more time on maintenance then you will on ops.
Great channel...love it! You have motivated me to reactivate my railroad...just have to move a couch in the basement to set it up. I have a figure 8 track with 1 siding and a steam locomotive. 7 cars and a caboose!😀 Great ideas you have and keep us updated!!
Loved watching you guys work and loved the progress. As someone who's worked in Landscaping to get through college (and who lives in Illinois) let me know if you guys need help with the manual labor part. Would be happy to make the drive and just learn!
You may want to look into a HI-RAIL rotary dump truck? I volunteer on the Down East Scenic Railroad and they have one. It works great for ballast and clean up along the rail line.
This is my new favorite channel, we have track hoes and when we run into the sticky problem in Ohio we sometimes keep a rock with us as we are trenching and bang the bucket out on it from time to time.
Hey guys, great job and I know it’s hard work because I retired from Conrail years ago. I believe that the idea behind Pam or any kind of cooking spray is it’s environmentally safe. Keep up the great job 👏
Just wanted to tell you both I've been following your adventure and enjoying it. I'm up in the northeast and own three rail speeders/motorcars. I'm a NARCOA member (www.narcoa.org/), and a member of the Cotton Valley Rail Trail Club in Wolfeboro NH (www.cottonvalley.org/). In addition to helping maintain the rails our club has access to here in New Hampshire, our club has for years helped local railroads by volunteering some of our members time and labor to help maintain their right of ways with much of it being tree clearing, brush removal, and trash cleanup, so I can relate very well to what you guys have been doing. Looking forward to future updates - Scott.
I wish I could share a picture on here, but the museum I volunteer at has a cart with a dump body from a pickup truck that we use to move dirt, ballast, brush, all kinds of good stuff. All self contained hydraulics and powered by a car battery. Even have an extension chord with up/down controls on it to be back a safe distance when dumping! It works amazingly with the only downside being it is heavy! Especially when loaded (obviously).
The dump bed idea will work but it'll have to be mounted on a swivel so you can top left or right. the railroad is the only people that have swivel dumps that I have seen
I'm surprised I just watched a video where the tracks were so bad the train couldn't go no faster than 5 mph and they were ok with transporting cars on that line.
You really should have made your first investment in a track Bobcat. I have two on my property and about ten accessories. My Bobcat is a T-190 and adequate for loading trees etc. I have a grapple and two different backhoes. Great accessories among other attachments.
I've watched several of your videos so far and find this very fascinating. Best wishes on your endeavor and I look forward to seeing the final finished product. God bless!
I like the idea of "logging continued education hours." I think I will start to log your safety and job briefs as well as combine with my boots on the ground short line and military transport (the Army loves intermodal!). thanks for the advice
I would recommend using smaller box cars and small switch locos as the weight is less wear and tear on your line it will save your tens of thousands and time in repair.
Hey guys, just wanted to say I'm really excited by seen your progress since the first video, congrats! Also it makes me get more focused on my objectives and business way more than any coach could, I remember your videos and your progress every time a challenge is in front of me. May God bless you! best regards from Brazil.
I'd rent a skid steer with a mulching head on it. Lay that pile out some and grind it up then use the mulcher to take down the rest of the trees along the sides of the track and grind them in place throwing the trees from between the track to the side and mulching them too. No multiple handling then worrying about what to do with the brush. Great videos but still need to work on the sound. I'm enjoying this alot. Stay well. -Wil 👍
Just as a thought re a tipper or dump truck hopper, you might want to look at a skip bin setup, use as a tipper, or multiple pods, and might also be handy as a hoist for equipment later on. Cheaper and more versatile than a tipper if you are not doing bulk haulage
The RR I work for has built a Dump cart with an old dump body from a dump truck. It works ok but if the stuff sticks to it as you are dumping it it can tip over easy. This is just a thought. I wonder if you use chainsaw bar oil or steam oil to lube your bucket. Ill bet it would last longer than hydraulic oil.
With all the brush and trees that you have to clean up you should look for a local bulk mulch/sawdust hauler (They provide bedding for farm animals and mulch for nurseries), some have their own harvesting and mulching equipment and maybe you could work a deal on some level to clear the land for the trees / mulch that you need to get rid of.
*This channel is great and seeing you guys working on these rails is the main attraction of this channel. However, could you talk about the business side of your plans sometime? How will you get people to store rail cars with you? Does the railroad bring you business? Do you already have clients lined up? If not, how would you go about getting new clients to store rail cars with you?*
Well enjoyed today's video a lot of new information there to think about you still using that little chainsaw I was thinking about that and a lot of the videos that I watch they have bobcat backhoes with a little thumbs on them and they just pull them trees right up by the roots never have to worry about them growing back lot quicker a lot easier and a lot neater in the machine does all the work can't wait for the next video thank you
i think an old C65 grain truck would be your best bet for a dump system or any of the old chevy/gmc med duty trucks with a dump on it they are very moduler and easy to work with
The Hershey plant in Smiths Falls, Ontario (closed for over a decade now) used to have a model of Trackmobile similar if not exactly the same as the one you have. Except that it had a gasoline powerplant in it. I only saw it in operation maybe twice, due to timing, but they did use it.
That is not a bad idea with the dump truck bed on your little railcar. The only thing ya have to be careful with is that it does not tip over when dumping or if a load get stuck inside and it gets top heavy slide off the one rail. Since the rail is level this probably won’t happen but anything can happen. Also I would not overload that car and bend an axel or blow out a bearing so be mindful of how much ya load on it. Once again great video and best of luck.
Wow what a great job that your doing. Love watching your videos and checking out your progress. To help me and other follow along have ever consider flying a drone over the section of track you own. You can do a before and after of all the work your done. You could ask for a volunteer if you don't own a drone. Also how long is the track you own ? This would help us all follow your Adventure.
That dump truck idea sounds good only question is if you tilt straight up it will dump on the tracks. What about rigging it for a side dump operation and if you wanted to change it to straight up you reposition the hydraulic cylinder depending on what job you will be using it for. Our railroad has a side dumper but instead of hydraulic oil it uses air pressure front the locomotive to raise the piston up to tilt it sideways. Another old trick is the gauge bar, with the track mobile and cart you have a bar connected between the two so the track mobile can pull it well you can weld another piece of pipe straight up and down and then weld the track guage testing bar sideways on it and pull it along the track instead of walking and picking it up and down to test track guage. I believe the track mobile used to be at east Penn railroad in pa somewhere
Re the switch tie I would do the following: First cut up the old tie use the bobcat to remove it, dig a trench about 20 " deep where to lay the new tie, extend the trench 20' to one side of the track, lay the new tie in the trench, snake a chain under the rail from the other side, firmly attach the chain to the tie, use the bobcat to pull the tie through. Do you or Russ know how to weld? Railroads improvise all the time. You and Russ are the engineers here, so make it work.
If you put a bucket on top of the rail car you become top heavy and when you go to dump you will tip the bucket and rail car off of the rails. You will need a big counter weight to offset the load. Glad you like the suggestion of WD40 which is basically fish oil....Larry
ETRX great job guys! I wonder if u put a dump trailer on your train cart, roll it down and dump it? Possibly lifting it off/on with grapple? Either way it’s a lot of work. Keep it up keep the faith
Well i don't know what your financials are like but instead of making a homemade dump and losing that nice cart maybe look into a hirail dump truck with the turntable dump bed. Be useful for various things now and probably still useful down the road
That homemade dump sounds pretty small for your project. And I get a feeling if the spoils don't come out easy while dumping it would roll right over causing many more problems. I like your get it done ideas, just have to keep it to scale. Good luck!
Buy relay switch ties. 9' to 16' ties. Replacing them is a chore but not too difficult. I've done it many times. Anyways go cheap until money comes in. Then replace with new timbers. Just a suggestion
I love how not only we get to see the progress of the rail road but we also get taught life lessons throughout the entire thing.
i realize I am kind of off topic but do anyone know a good place to stream new tv shows online ?
I'm part of the maintenance-of-way crew on a short line railroad, and I will say replacing switch ties is no easy feat! I wish you folks the best when it comes time to replace those, and excellent video!
I would say the easiest way to replace the ties on the switch is to buy a used turnout panel from a class 1. Normally they replace mainline switches before they are actually worn out. Normally they will sell them for scrap value, even though they are only 5-8 years old. You might have to buy a few pieces of 100LBS rail to bring it up to the 115 or 135 that the switch panel is, but it will save you the hassle of trying to pull one tie at a time out. I work for a railroad which also loans us out as a track maintenance company, and we have done this a few times. The customer of a grain company bought two switches from CSX, and we trucked them up from Mass, and installed them. That way at the same time you can correct any roadbed issues as well. And really the only heavy lifting you would need to do is to cut the 100LBS rail to go from the lighter rail to the heavier rail on the switches, as well as installing your ground throw switches. I would contact your states DOT, as they have a reasonable amount of funding for small operators like yours. Plus I would highly recommend using switches with heavier rail, since the possibility of rolling a rail, or breaking a rail on those light rail switches is pretty high.
Removing and replacing the switch as an assembly is a prudent idea. Problem will be to get the equipment in and out to do it. I'm sure you guys can handle that. Great suggestion, Ben!
@@johnd4101 Thanks! The company I work for doesn't have a excavator, so normally we rent something like a Cat 325 or 336, as well as using one of our loaders or a pettibone to dig out and remove the old switch, and replace it with the used one.
Back in my volunteer 🙋♂️ RR days we replaced ties by hand but we tried to have a gang of people to do it vs 1 or 3.... we marked out the ties, removed spikes.... placed the fresh ties in place on the rails, jacked up the rails knocked out the tie plates....used a pick ax to loosen the ground/ballast dig out the ends, pull pull with tie tongs and hammer with sledge the tie out. Put new tie in, replace tie plates use new spikes drop jacks, level track and repeat.....
Fast forward to Shortline.... we had some equipment but much of the time it was just a Back-Hoe to ripple the ballast and it was used to push ties out....
I like idea of buying surplus mainline switch for what is essentially a Yard.
Volume is still an issue so you may want to keep trying to find a better wireless microphone. Thx!👍
Was in asphalt business for many years. We sprayed our shovels, rakes and lutes with diesel fuel using 1 and 2 gallon pump sprayers to keep asphalt from sticking. Try diesel fuel to wipe down your bucket....if it works, fill a sprayer. Much, much cheaper than WD-40 and so much easier to apply...could even spray from operator's seat, without dismounting the machine. Give diesel a try. If it works, you should be way ahead of the game....if not, it was worth a try. Good luck........John M. (Linda's hubby)
You guys should do a "cab ride" where you put the camera and tripod on the train car and push it down the line.
I've been subscribed to this channel since part 1. It's awesome to be part of this journey to reactivate abandoned railroads. This is great stuff. Keep up the good work 👍😁
Same here, saw them posted in a Facebook group and subscribed, good personalities and interesting topic
I would hope that the connecting railroad would be impressed with what you all have accomplished so far. Keep up the good work. If I lived near you guys, I would love to volunteer and help you all revive this terminal railroad. I know how to be a cog in a machine.
ditto... Vermont is too far away
Just discovered this - what a great series and project. Who doesn't want a train set? Look forward to more!
Thoroughly enjoyed this episode.great variety. You kept it moving. The dump bed on your flat car is truly ingenious. Just be sure it dumps to the side like an old DIFCO dumper. You will be able to easily change it out or remove it with your grappling.
Can’t wait for the next episode
Classic trackmobile! A good backhoe operator will make quick work of those switch ties. Thanks for posting
What if you could barter a deal with the railroad that wants to store cars on your track. More than likely that railroad has equipment for rail maintenance, repair, & replacement.
What if you said to the railroad, okay I'll let you store your cars for 'x' amount of months for free in exchange for you replacing railroad ties at #2 switch, and what ever else needs fixing (for free or at a hugely discounted price)?
It's a win-win for both of you. Little or no money out of your pocket, and the railroad gets a possible write-off of your track repair.
Just a thought.
Love your channel.
Consider a Masticator to deal with that brush. It would solve the problem of hauling off any of the brush. It leaves a shredded mulch on the ground. It eliminates all the hand work....I'm really enjoying the videos. I wish you guys great success....
How about a wood chipper mounted on the cart?
I guess you are past the stage of an excavator mulcher . Maybe a flail mower type?
That's what I was thinking, and it goes in the same spirit as mechanization. Try to avoid any unnecessary work, so grinding/mulching the brush at source and just spray it out over the adjacent ground. Chain the chipper on the cart, use the grapple to gently lower the brush into it, it sprays the mulch out sideways onto the ground
I agree rent or buy a larger chipper it will make short work of that pile. And get a real chain saw
The Trackmobile looks like a backyard salt flats racer perched on a utility rail flat - what an intriguing beast! I’ve seen the recent versions and what yours lacks in creature comforts in comparison, it certainly makes up for in retro cool. Looking forward to hearing the 4-53 knock and scream 😁 Folks, your down-home get-it-done attitude is an inspiration. I admire you, wish you all the best with this project and look forward to future instalments 🤟🏼
Amaizing the gratifying feeling of bringing something of the past back and restoring it..... hey anything can happen. It could one day be a very lucrative short line lol. You'll seem very determined
That’s really encouraging. Things are coming together. Great 👍👍👍❤️
My dad always said, work smarter not harder! Digging by hand is always harder and never smarter! Keep up the good work!
That PC is for Pen Central and yes I heard the story. The one time we met and the story about the New York New Haven when they took over. Your rail yard is starting to come along. That was smart using East Terminal for a rail car Marshaling and maintenance yard a very good time for it. Now that MTD is being sold again and is starting to manufacture their tools and outdoor power equipment her in the US again. Moving product by rail is much more efficient truck,.
The local NFS rail yard by me has a dump truck with a rotating dump bed. Though they didn't look operational, it had outriggers and rail clamp. Balance/out riggers are something to keep in mind when you mount the dump bed on the kart.
Greatly enjoying this ongoing saga. Educational, inspiring, and fun!
Being that you have a track mobile. I would recommend purchasing a ballast hopper.
I agree, but lets just hope little cupcake has enough horsepower to pull the hopper with a tie against the third axle when it comes to dumping ballast.
Yes but a fully loaded ballast hopper is very heavy and could derail it won’t be easy to re rail
Nice work! can't wait to see some trains on this line!
I have seen dump trucks with high rail gear on them where the bed will rotate 90°. Then you could just run up and down the track and dump where you want to. You might be able to find an inexpensive machine at an auction. Use it on the job until you are finished, then sell it.
Keep living the dream guys! You're doing a great job with it. Keep it safe!
When I was in highschool in Iowa I worked on tie crew for IC in Fort Dodge in the summer. When we needed to change out a switch tie we would cut the bad part out with chainsaw and only replace what was needed .this saved us about an hour per switch .We use 6,8 and 10 long ties when changing out bad ties .Maybe this will help you in the switch repair in number 13 video. We had a Case backhoe for pulling out and pushing in the new ties .But still a lot of shoveling and hand digging .
THANK YOU...for sharing. Moving right along.
Several years ago I spotted one of these in St. Louis MO. I thought it would make a great street rod. I’m sure most train enthusiasts would of thought this idea insane.
Morning Guys. Can’t believe your progress so far 👍🏻 I’m on this journey until the end 🤣 Cheers for making an exciting project for us to watch 😄 Cheers Stevie 😎🏴
Nice progress. I like your outside the box thinking 👍
I wish I lived over by you guys, I would help out just for the hell of it.
Really enjoying this series... living a bit vicariously through your efforts. Thank you for documenting and sharing!
Probably could get away with using a ge 44 tonner if he is not going far or moving too long a cut of cars
Love the journey that you guys have taken us on thus far! You should open a merchandise shop. I would buy a shirt or two with your logo on it. Keep it up! Looking forward to more!
Absolutely! Sell me a shirt, hoody or jacket!
Hello Gentleman,
Keep them coming guys really enjoying your hard work!
Love what you guys are doin.. Wish I lived closer to you guys. I would have loved to volunteer to help.
You can use the mini excavator to replace ties.
I think what you're doing is amazing. Working out of pocket on a project like this with just you and your son for labor is to be commended. I've had to build some rail and install some switching in chemical plants I ran during my time, but I had someone else's bank account and experienced rail contractors with the best equipment on hand to do the work. I love your ingenuity and look forward to each of your new posts.
What I’ve give to have a Father like you growing up.
Yeah.. he’s pretty great - graham. What are your options on our Heavenly Father?
With mid sized dump truck bed with frame work and hydraulics a slide on slide off unit for your flat top car could be made. Also, consider putting retractabletrack wheels on a road self contained dump trailer... One move of the spoils, from track side to remote dump off, empty and repeat. Very interesting content.
Most dump units on 1 ton trucks are self contained units bolted to the frame of the truck and are easly removed and installed on other trucks. So it should be easy to take it off of a truck and install it on your cart. Great videos.
Wow from an overgrown abandoned track you really cleaned up that brush quick. Awesome video. Can we see more brush cutting videos and the chipper
yes when it happens..
🚂🚃🚃🚃🚃👍
@@eastterminalrailway5975 did you have a crew work on the ROW clearing or did you do it all with that electric chainsaw?
At the no longer existing railway company, we addressed switch ties as a "by hand" replacement. we/I would completely excavate the spaces between the ties, remove any trees in the way, knock the plates and straps off and slide the tie out. I was allowed to use a jack only to support the existing level, if I accidently "humped it" I'd be digging .....more. The railway never purchased panels, but had no problems with us burning time building panels of all types.
Its a labour of love!
My local heritage line here in UK has a local contractor who has a tractor with a flail; they builta a ramp so thathe could drive onto a well wagon and then they take him to whichever part of the line needs trimming,the chips remain on the ground as a mulch/weed barrier and some gets bagged up and given to locals free! that flail makes very short work of clearing and of course has a good reach alround.
I love the grass-roots yeoman effort to make this railroad happen. Bravo - Boomer.
That dump body on the rail cart sound great . You need a turntable or mount it to dump a right angle to rails. The hinge point for the dump will need to be directly above the rail so the cart won't tip over. NS uses the high railer dump trucks with the turntable on their MOW crews .
Love these video, nothing is boring watching. Realtime is ok with me. I'm still trying to visualize the layout of your tracks, but cannot. Keep the videos coming, I love them all!
Keep up the great work! It’s awesome to see the progress you make and am looking forward to seeing some rolling stock riding those rails.
hello lads, I am in "lockdown" here in Lincolnshire - UK, I so enjoy watching your progress, my Granfather was a railwayman. Keep going!!
The dump bed is a good idea for the cart and if you can find a way to get the bed to swivel so you can spin it to dump on either side of the rail.
I have seen that done with a dump truck body on a rail flat car. You could even actuate it with a hand-hydraulic pump.
Dump Box on your cart perfect,use the pin box application from a container trailer easily removed.
Now the dump you’ll need a leg that automatically comes down when lifting,say someone loads it on 1 side it’s unstable you see them on equipment trailers.
As for the hydraulics plug and go to your power plant 👍
The dump bed is a good idea but turn it 90 degrees and shorten it so you can dump off to the side. It would mean easier cleanup later. Think about a self contained unit that slides into the back of a pickup, that way there is virtually no setup. The track truck looks cool but I'm past loud I like quiet, lol
Get yourself one of those sprayer bottles that they use to spray chemicals (the kind that have a hand pump to pressurize them). You could fill that with a light weight oil and just give a spritz from time to time. You definitely need some kind of dirt moving car. You have the machinery to dig the dirt but you need something to move the dirt around. In fact you should draw up simple plan of the entire line and figure out where you want to situate all the things you'll need just to do maintenance. In other words have one specific location for say a dirt pile. You might also have a pile for wood chips from chipping your trees. The wood chips would be handy as a ground cover anywhere your soil would be muddy. You might also locate the piles of stuff near road access in case you want to bring materials in from outside. I guess what I'm talking about is a maintenance yard. One central location with a small storage shed to keep all the small equipment locked up and organized. Then you could fence it in and put up some security cameras. This way you don't have equipment spread out all over the line. I'll bet on a small line like yours you'll spend a lot more time on maintenance then you will on ops.
Keep those good videos coming. Thanks
Great show and here is a idea rent a backhoe with a forestry mulcher on the back bucket. You can also get a backhoe with high rail
Great channel...love it!
You have motivated me to reactivate my railroad...just have to move a couch in the basement to set it up. I have a figure 8 track with 1 siding and a steam locomotive. 7 cars and a caboose!😀
Great ideas you have and keep us updated!!
Loved watching you guys work and loved the progress. As someone who's worked in Landscaping to get through college (and who lives in Illinois) let me know if you guys need help with the manual labor part. Would be happy to make the drive and just learn!
You may want to look into a HI-RAIL rotary dump truck? I volunteer on the Down East Scenic Railroad and they have one. It works great for ballast and clean up along the rail line.
This is my new favorite channel, we have track hoes and when we run into the sticky problem in Ohio we sometimes keep a rock with us as we are trenching and bang the bucket out on it from time to time.
Hey guys, great job and I know it’s hard work because I retired from Conrail years ago. I believe that the idea behind Pam or any kind of cooking spray is it’s environmentally safe. Keep up the great job 👏
Just wanted to tell you both I've been following your adventure and enjoying it. I'm up in the northeast and own three rail speeders/motorcars. I'm a NARCOA member (www.narcoa.org/), and a member of the Cotton Valley Rail Trail Club in Wolfeboro NH (www.cottonvalley.org/). In addition to helping maintain the rails our club has access to here in New Hampshire, our club has for years helped local railroads by volunteering some of our members time and labor to help maintain their right of ways with much of it being tree clearing, brush removal, and trash cleanup, so I can relate very well to what you guys have been doing. Looking forward to future updates - Scott.
As far as your custom dump cart idea goes, I say go for. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Cool video great job guys. Hard work will pay off.
I wish I could share a picture on here, but the museum I volunteer at has a cart with a dump body from a pickup truck that we use to move dirt, ballast, brush, all kinds of good stuff. All self contained hydraulics and powered by a car battery. Even have an extension chord with up/down controls on it to be back a safe distance when dumping! It works amazingly with the only downside being it is heavy! Especially when loaded (obviously).
Try diesel fuel in an old garden sprayer to coat the bucket.
The dump bed idea will work but it'll have to be mounted on a swivel so you can top left or right. the railroad is the only people that have swivel dumps that I have seen
I'm surprised I just watched a video where the tracks were so bad the train couldn't go no faster than 5 mph and they were ok with transporting cars on that line.
You really should have made your first investment in a track Bobcat. I have two on my property and about ten accessories. My Bobcat is a T-190 and adequate for loading trees etc. I have a grapple and two different backhoes. Great accessories among other attachments.
I've watched several of your videos so far and find this very fascinating. Best wishes on your endeavor and I look forward to seeing the final finished product. God bless!
Call "Dig Rite" to locate any underground utilities before digging
I like the idea of "logging continued education hours."
I think I will start to log your safety and job briefs as well as combine with my boots on the ground short line and military transport (the Army loves intermodal!).
thanks for the advice
I would recommend using smaller box cars and small switch locos as the weight is less wear and tear on your line it will save your tens of thousands and time in repair.
Hey guys, just wanted to say I'm really excited by seen your progress since the first video, congrats!
Also it makes me get more focused on my objectives and business way more than any coach could, I remember your videos and your progress every time a challenge is in front of me. May God bless you! best regards from Brazil.
brilliant ... keep up the good work.
I'd rent a skid steer with a mulching head on it. Lay that pile out some and grind it up then use the mulcher to take down the rest of the trees along the sides of the track and grind them in place throwing the trees from between the track to the side and mulching them too. No multiple handling then worrying about what to do with the brush. Great videos but still need to work on the sound. I'm enjoying this alot. Stay well. -Wil 👍
Just as a thought re a tipper or dump truck hopper, you might want to look at a skip bin setup, use as a tipper, or multiple pods, and might also be handy as a hoist for equipment later on. Cheaper and more versatile than a tipper if you are not doing bulk haulage
The RR I work for has built a Dump cart with an old dump body from a dump truck. It works ok but if the stuff sticks to it as you are dumping it it can tip over easy. This is just a thought. I wonder if you use chainsaw bar oil or steam oil to lube your bucket. Ill bet it would last longer than hydraulic oil.
With all the brush and trees that you have to clean up you should look for a local bulk mulch/sawdust hauler (They provide bedding for farm animals and mulch for nurseries), some have their own harvesting and mulching equipment and maybe you could work a deal on some level to clear the land for the trees / mulch that you need to get rid of.
Mix up some used motor oil in a pump garden sprayer. If to thick thin with a splash of diesel.
7:15 Good job Graham (sp?) getting up, picking up the brush and moving it to the pile on your own initiative rather than just dumping it in the ditch!
I can only imagine the excitement your feeling! Just a thought, the dump body may tend to be top heavy when dumping if not loaded properly,
Don’t worry about the snow! It will never be a problem!, The Cold?? Not sure about that either!
Graham, the unsung hero.
New mic has consistent level BUT input gain is a little to high. Distortion on the audio. Keep up the good work guys, love this project.
*This channel is great and seeing you guys working on these rails is the main attraction of this channel. However, could you talk about the business side of your plans sometime? How will you get people to store rail cars with you? Does the railroad bring you business? Do you already have clients lined up? If not, how would you go about getting new clients to store rail cars with you?*
Well enjoyed today's video a lot of new information there to think about you still using that little chainsaw I was thinking about that and a lot of the videos that I watch they have bobcat backhoes with a little thumbs on them and they just pull them trees right up by the roots never have to worry about them growing back lot quicker a lot easier and a lot neater in the machine does all the work can't wait for the next video thank you
i think an old C65 grain truck would be your best bet for a dump system or any of the old chevy/gmc med duty trucks with a dump on it they are very moduler and easy to work with
The Hershey plant in Smiths Falls, Ontario (closed for over a decade now) used to have a model of Trackmobile similar if not exactly the same as the one you have. Except that it had a gasoline powerplant in it. I only saw it in operation maybe twice, due to timing, but they did use it.
That is not a bad idea with the dump truck bed on your little railcar. The only thing ya have to be careful with is that it does not tip over when dumping or if a load get stuck inside and it gets top heavy slide off the one rail. Since the rail is level this probably won’t happen but anything can happen. Also I would not overload that car and bend an axel or blow out a bearing so be mindful of how much ya load on it. Once again great video and best of luck.
Wow what a great job that your doing. Love watching your videos and checking out your progress. To help me and other follow along have ever consider flying a drone over the section of track you own. You can do a before and after of all the work your done. You could ask for a volunteer if you don't own a drone. Also how long is the track you own ? This would help us all follow your Adventure.
That dump truck idea sounds good only question is if you tilt straight up it will dump on the tracks. What about rigging it for a side dump operation and if you wanted to change it to straight up you reposition the hydraulic cylinder depending on what job you will be using it for. Our railroad has a side dumper but instead of hydraulic oil it uses air pressure front the locomotive to raise the piston up to tilt it sideways. Another old trick is the gauge bar, with the track mobile and cart you have a bar connected between the two so the track mobile can pull it well you can weld another piece of pipe straight up and down and then weld the track guage testing bar sideways on it and pull it along the track instead of walking and picking it up and down to test track guage. I believe the track mobile used to be at east Penn railroad in pa somewhere
Re the switch tie I would do the following: First cut up the old tie use the bobcat to remove it, dig a trench about 20 " deep where to lay the new tie, extend the trench 20' to one side of the track, lay the new tie in the trench, snake a chain under the rail from the other side, firmly attach the chain to the tie, use the bobcat to pull the tie through. Do you or Russ know how to weld? Railroads improvise all the time. You and Russ are the engineers here, so make it work.
You need a dump truck on hy-rail. You can use it to haul away brush, dirt, old ties then haul back ballast. It been done on several small RR
Love the progress boys
you could use one of those dump inserts for a full-size truck.
If you put a bucket on top of the rail car you become top heavy and when you go to dump you will tip the bucket and rail car off of the rails. You will need a big counter weight to offset the load. Glad you like the suggestion of WD40 which is basically fish oil....Larry
ETRX great job guys! I wonder if u put a dump trailer on your train cart, roll it down and dump it? Possibly lifting it off/on with grapple? Either way it’s a lot of work. Keep it up keep the faith
Well i don't know what your financials are like but instead of making a homemade dump and losing that nice cart maybe look into a hirail dump truck with the turntable dump bed. Be useful for various things now and probably still useful down the road
That homemade dump sounds pretty small for your project. And I get a feeling if the spoils don't come out easy while dumping it would roll right over causing many more problems. I like your get it done ideas, just have to keep it to scale. Good luck!
I save motor oil, mix half motor and half diesel fuel in a pump sprayer. This has worked very well for me.
Buy relay switch ties. 9' to 16' ties. Replacing them is a chore but not too difficult. I've done it many times. Anyways go cheap until money comes in. Then replace with new timbers. Just a suggestion
I used to drive one just like that. Kind of miss hearing the old Detroit diesel.