Battling Heavy, Wet Snow On The MLBK
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- Опубликовано: 6 янв 2023
- What a way to start winter! We got socked with a heavy, wet snow on the 16th and 17th of December, which took down trees and power lines across the region. After the snow, the forecast said it would drop well below freezing, which meant that the snow would turn to concrete like ice.
Mill Brook Railroad's snow fighting team sprung into action to keep the line as clear as we could to try to beat the freeze.
This is part 1 of 2.
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He breaks apples with his bare hands and now he is traction weight you have a multi-talented employee there
Your plow run went very well, especially given the snow conditions. Seeing the 70 ad 71 run together was a real bonus.
I didn’t realize that the 71 was that much larger than the 70. I enjoyed watching the MUed effort to get up the hill. Oh, and when all else fails, get out and push.
❤ to see the 70 back out! PA has no snow on the ground. Nice your son helps you out in the railroad. Keep warm
Looking forward to next video
Yep the 70 still has character! Still derails whenever it can during filming :D
Winter Wonderland...I remember your comment about why you like this gauge because you have ever changing scenery. WOW it DID change! And the new plow angles are fun. I kept wiping the snow off my glasses.
They look better when there’s two put together.
Yes, Jonathan. Your father is the Bob Ross of miniature railways 😎❤
I was going to comment about making the entire trip without a derailment. Well the 70 just had to burst my bubble Ha Ha ! All in all I would say that was a good run.
I like the vids to no end and weight is the key as I told you before. Ice is a problem at the rail point to no end. For I love watching your problems to know end. Keep them coming my brother as I would like to see what is next.
Just wait until the next video.
Man, when I saw the 70 again I got a childish grin on my face. So cool seeing the two units working in multiple. Fantastic!
Loved this video! Looking forward to the next one. :)
Always look forward to your next videos, hopefully more once spring comes & installation on the ballast short spur & beyond.
Congratulation! You did it in one shot.
Wonders never cease.
Thank you and watching that 'heavy wet snow' from Australia.
Heavy because it weighs a lot. Wet because it's in that in-between spot where it can't decide if it wants to be a solid or a liquid and is both melting and freezing at the same time on different levels.
Glad you enjoyed the video. Come back for more on Wednesday!
Like the snow videos bro because it's hot, very humid and wet here in NZ. Safe travels
Great to see both of you on the railroad, plus 2 engines!
That looked like real rough driving... reminds me of trying to drive back to the depot with no sand, wheels were slipping like crazy. Funny but not fun.
Love watching your videos, as always 😊❤
One of these days, I'll install sanders.
@@MillBrookRailroad What are your thoughts on gravity-fed vs compressed air fed sanders for 7.25" ?
The 71 did a great job with the big Russell plow and that wet snow. Wow! The 70 looks great! Neat seeing the doubleheader. Can both engines be operated with the one controller? I never realized the 71 was that much bigger than the 70. Thanks for another great Mill Brook experience!
Running two engines off one controller is a simple as turning off the transmitter, power cycling the receiver, clicking the reset button a few times, and turning the transmitter on that you want to use.
It's so sad, we had no snow in the last winters here in Germany.
This year has been a lot of rain and warmer temperatures, so far, than what we usually get in winter.
Wow! that was awesome.
Must be time to build a snow shed to store the train between runs. Perhaps built over the switches to keep snow of some of those too. :)
A second track in the engine house would do the job.
@@MillBrookRailroad this is true of course, and importantly, less costly. :)
Lucky I didn't go with my other thought of heaters to melt the snow on the points. ;-)
Yes, I'm one of these people from warmer climates. My railway shall likely never see snow. :)
@@MillBrookRailroad or time to connect the track to the basment....
@@beyer6029 Only disadvantage to that is the plow would then be at the bottom of the grade, making the plowing of it much more difficult.
@@MillBrookRailroad I'm also going to make two tracks in my "engine house", even if I'll build the second locomotive probably some ten years later...
Have you thought about building a salter car? It is a modified hopper car that pours salt out onto the rails behind it, making for a strange railcar that would only be useful in the winter, right? Well, you could also fill it up with sand, and run it ahead of a heavy consist when you do not have sanders installed on the locomotives!
I tend not to use salt on the railway unless it's unavoidable. Salt corrodes the steel that holds the track together. Sand, on the other hand, is not a bad idea.
@@MillBrookRailroad Thanks, I had forgotten about the effect that salt has on steel.
That's a lot of snow!
We've been known to get more than that.
The last time I visited Vermont in the winter time was in 1973 to take the state police exam. When I discovered the rate of pay I couldn't justify leaving the railroad for a starting salary of $7,500. Back then I was earning $15,000 per year. My aunt, uncle, and cousin owned and operated Open View Farm on Rt. 7 outside of Vergennes. I normally visited during the autumn. My aunt also ran a bed and breakfast in the main farm house which had 7 bedrooms. They were located close to Pittsford.
It's changed a lot since then.
yes the wet snow is a pain to deal with. both on the rails and in the drive way.
it does not take much snow on the rails to to be slipping and sliding with no
movement. nice video it seems that the V-blade does a good job removing
the snow off the rails. freeze and thaw forms the ice and it always finds any
area of opportunity especially the switches!
Very true.
Thanks
What you should design is a system that can use heat in a way to both clear the snow off the tracks but also De -ice them at the same time. Also unlike your plow, i would also design one using a snow blower. Or you can design one system that can do it all.
And a chain repair, oh great I mean goodie 😂
Thankfully, that was an easy one.
Nothing is prettier than seeing your snow plow working. Wow you guys got a lot of snow! It really looks great. The snowplow through the snow on the other track. How did you clean that off again without throwing the snow back on the other track? By the way, I love snow as long as I don't have to get out and go somewhere. Oh, I don't like real low temperatures and windy cold weather. Haha! Have a great weekend; great watching your videos here in Ohio.
Never a dull moment :)
That's for sure!
A plow is just so "mehh.." You need a tiny snowblower! =)
We haven't had enough snow to dig out the snow blower.
get yourself some used tire weights and cast yourself a removeable weight for the plow,
the outriggers need to have a curve and angle to roll the snow away from the plow
(maybe a couple blow torches on the wheels to keep them hot and stop them icing up)
Have you thought of putting a sander inside the plow? Sand would also act as weight. Keep the videos coming.
A sander in the plow? It is put to better use on the engine.
Need a sand box. Great video
Thanks!
Try the Turtle Wax ceramic on the plow.
IMHO the coupler plow does a better job that the push-plow. Maybe extend the outward end of the coupler plow about 4 to 6 inches(each side), giving it a wider swath. As always, great job 🙂
They are different tools with similar purposes. I wouldn't use the coupler pocket plow for deeper snow than this. The same way you wouldn't use a ball peen hammer to build a house.
After your 1st pass you should start little fires around your points and frogs for the day.
You should get a Ber of wax and what I do is melt it an use a cheap paint brush then brush it on all you plow's shelve so the snow will slide off
Need to make little smudge pots to keep the switch points warm and melt the snow and ice.
Sounds like work.
Wow, Amazing how slippery those rails become. Too bad you can't make working sanders like real life to get you through. It was cool to see doubled headed engines. So what is your plans for that Tank car that I have never seen move? :) Hope you have a great day today. HA HA HA SNOW=stuff no one wants. Love it. so true! I don't know why I live still live in NE Ohio as much as I hate snow and we are in the Lake Erie secondary snow belt!
I do plan to make working sanders. It's just not a priority when compared to other things, like finishing the weed sprayer car that sits in the siding.
@@MillBrookRailroad Ah...weed sprayer. Ok! :) And wow, that would be cool to have working sanders.
Cover the plow and other outside cars with a tarp. That would keep the wetness off. If you do a proper job it should reduce the maintenance and wear and tear on the plow considerably. Thus your engines will be inside and get recharged.
Not a bad idea. Thanks for the suggestion.
Do you ever think about spraying something on your snow plow blades like silicone to keep the snow from sticking on your blades people do that with their snow shovels
The snow isn't sticking to the plow. It's sitting there because of the mud flap edge at the front of the blade. I need to cut the blade off the plow and lower it an inch or so and extend the center sill so I have a coupler pocket at the front of the plow. I wish it were something I could solve by spraying something on the blade.
have you thought about putting some polish on the plow to Keep the snow from sticking?
I'm planning to rebuild the plow in the spring. A wax will be one more thing to clean off the metal before welding and painting.
have you tried smearing where the snow is supposed to slide with sterol so that it can slide more easily
I thought the snow was sliding off quite well without it.
The plow is due for a rebuild in the spring. It needs a LOT of work.
plough really effective. you were lucky to find it or build it.
The plow found me. I was at a train show, displaying the 70 and a bobber caboose I had for a very short time, energy a man walked up to me and said he had a plow for me. I traded the caboose for the plow, and we both were happy.
@@MillBrookRailroad yoiu were really lucky.
Time for a 6 axle road locomotive. 😂 I enjoyed the two running together, are they MU'ed or do you operate two remotes?
I would first extend the enginehouse...
Both should operate off one controller, since they use the same receiver
A six axle loco would be nice. Definitely need a bigger engine house.
The locos are M-U'ed together. I can pair multiple receivers to a single transmitter.
Cover the plow with a tarp. Do you ever spray the plow blade with silicone?
Covering the plow isn't a bad idea. I don't use silicone on the plow, but I do paint it periodically.
This is borderline creepy playing with trains like this
What's borderline creepy about it? I use the railroad to bring in my home heating fuel.
I love what you've done here. What powers the pushers? Car battery?
Deep cycle marine batteries.
When you are double heading do the motors sinc as one?
I run them with the same radio control. They have the same type of motor, the same gearing and the same type of motor controller. I'm simply pairing two R/C receivers to one transmitter.
I'd think it would be fun to take a battery powered snow thrower and modify it look like the larger scale ones that your unit can push around! Obviously with dry snow and not that heavy wet stuff.
I have a 1977 Simplicity Snow-away 1005 that would be perfect for the job. It's got engine problems, so I may stick a big electric motor on it and mount it to the rails.
@@MillBrookRailroad I would love to see that build video!
Why don’t you get some deicer and put it all around your switches to keep the snow and ice from accumulating around the switches , you may have to who is this several times throughout the winter
Time to turn on the sanders for better traction on the wet rails
That is a great idea! Unfortunately, I haven't built them yet.
Hey Millbrook RR, since repainting 70 why not to green Chevron pattern on the cab?
I'm not finished painting it.
Right still got the stripe on the sides to add
Are you using both engines to run? I only see a single controller
They're M-U'ed.
Thanks RUclips for sending me a whole entire grown man playing with toy trains in his backyard. So, absolute beyond weird; as far as I’m concerned. This is not normal.
I agree with you Robert. At first glance that guy is playing with toy train, for unaware eyes. In fact is just removing snow of its road to later carry fuel to heat its house. He just choose a different road or path as a railroad that is a more efficient way to carry loads. As you probably saw, removing that wet heavy snow isn´t easy. Without that maintenance that you interpreted as "play", carrying its fuel would be impossible.
Train size is tiny for sure. Sadly modern trains that we usually see in town are big machines and big affair. We can laugh at that tiny 7 inches 1/4 betwen rails. It seems ridiculous. Just a little bit more than half a foot betwen rails,...rails that can carry up to a ton ! Still toy train you think ? How much can usual car on the road can carry ?
That little more than 6 inches betwen rails, is just half the size used by US Army. Yes Robert, the big proud US Army that appeared in so many countries in the world, went to fight in Europe, and builted railways line to carry soldiers, wounded, ammunitions, supplies and all the rip rap essential for its own army during world war 1 ! Space betwen rails was 30 cm or just less than a foot !
US Army went to fight in a world wide war with toy trains just twice as big at that guy in its backyard !....
Like i told you Robert we´re not accustomed today to those sizes.
In Pine tree state of Maine, for more than 60 years, remote hamlets depended in their daily life with 24 inches betwen rails. Their big steam locomotives were just a bit taller than you or me. Slates from quarries, all sort of lumber out of the wood, the official mail service for post offices...in just 3 times wider track than that train player.
Coal in Pennsylvania, and minerals in the Rockies and many other states on 3 feet wide track. In many countries "mini size" is still used. Nasa used train track from Gemini era to Space Shuttle, just in a different gauge. A lot bigger that will make our usual train miniature too.
In train world there is no "one size fits all" . Hoping Robert that you´ll smile at it.
Maybe not normal, but that's not why you come to RUclips. Normal is boring to watch.
The guy who goes around unclogging culverts isn't normal, either, but he's getting millions of views doing something that seems boring on the surface, but is surprisingly interesting. He's making a comfortable living at it, so who am I to judge?
19:10 Being from warmer climes, I would never romanticize snow. It's too cold and I like my toes on my feet, where they should be. ;D
maybe put the other plow on the other end of the train would help the return trip 😀
I'm still figuring out when to use the coupler pocket plow. It's a new tool to me. Thankfully, it's on loan for the rest of the winter.
How about building a snowblower locomotive
Locomotives are not cheap to build. I have a snow blower I use on the track when the snow is deep enough. This snow wasn't deep enough.
Looks like a piano wire is needed on the leading edge of your main plow
I think a coupler on the front would be better.
I can understand a receiver, but wouldn't more snow just pile in front of the blade then?
Might need to get some osmium to have more tractive effort on your trains.
That would not be very good for the aluminum rail.
3.5 % ?, pfff, that´s as flat as a pool table Aaron !. Should see Ferronor trackage from Barquito (sea level) to Potrerillos Chile at 9 200 feet altitude about 70 miles apart in straight line. Maximum grade was 3.9 % on meter gauge track using EMD export G12 U locomotives. Line took 10 years to be builted and opened in 1928. That cooper mine and sulfuric acid track was closed years ago. Too many washouts and landslides. It started in sea harbor at Barquito, followed the mostly flat valley at Chanaral, El Salado, Pueblo Hundido, Llanta, Diego De Almagro, Montandon and to mine and smelting in Potrerillos that is a company town more or less abandoned with only smelting and sulphuric acid been made. It looks like planet Mars.
Real freaking photos can be found.
Un billard? Tu dois fumer de la bonne merde là-bas, eh? Ils rendent ce truc légal au Canada et la prochaine chose que vous savez, même M. Fantino est "toking en le number," eh? LOL!
@@MillBrookRailroad i don´t touch that shit. All my career we fight it.
Did you look at pictures i emailed you ?
That´s freaking to think that a track was builted there. You don´t have totally vertical ravine 500 feet tall (or more). That´s why i compared you to a pool table.
unrelated question. will you be cladding your house?
Yes! When I have the money to do so, which is hopefully soon.
@@MillBrookRailroad as a home holder myself know how much it all is. Lots of overtime sounds like and get the boys to chip in too!!
Too bad you can't put a sander on your locomotive for the uphill climb or a little icy on the tracks
I probably can at some point
What you could do is get your miniature jet engine use it the blast the ice off the switches... Or build you some miniature heaters like they have here in Ohio that run off of propane to keep your switches free of ice and snow....lol
You need a sponsor.
I need a couple sponsors for that kind of expense.
Ha! Ha! Ha! This is a kids railroad. This is NOT the snowblowing trains that blow snow several hundred feet in the air over Donner Pass, California.
Nobody claimed it WAS Donner pass.
@@MillBrookRailroad, you're right! The last part of my comment was a joke.
Looks like you might have some rough days ahead of you 🏔 I am guessing salting would mess up the rails ? Remember, I know nothing about SNOW 🤣(Florida boy)
You are correct that salt would mess things up. Not the rails themselves but the hardware that holds everything together.
As far as the snow goes, every storm is different.
Lucky ass Florida boy lol
As the snow melts the salt that's in it gets wayyy concentrated and corrodes metals like nuts. I believe these small rails are aluminum, which has an easier time of it, but the fasteners certainly aren't!
If you ever hear a mechanic griping about "Northern Rust" they're talking about the nasty rust that road salt causes 😉
you need to figure out how to hook a snowblower on the front of the engine or build yourself a rotary snow plow
My snow blower broke down clearing this storm. It was too much ice for it.
🚂🎅🏻
Actually rain is melted snow.
You can think of it both ways.