I was bringing a train out of Seattle one day on the UP. The dispatcher called and told us to stop due to a bomb threat. He didn't know where it was exactly. So I stopped, and the next thing I see is fire trucks responding to an automobile auction house located in between the UP and the BNSF. I was stopped right next to where the threat was. Geez...
@@genevarailfan3909 We just sat there and waited. The fire chief didn't want us to move in case the vibration set something off. It was over in 30 minutes or so.
I love the double-decker coaches Metra uses. I wish Metro North here in NY could use those, but they wouldn't make it through the Park Ave. tunnel leading to Grand Central Station.
I don't understand why a lot of people dislike the bi-levels. An extra level of seating, but the conductor can check tickets on both at once! Apparently Metra's new coaches that are coming are still double-decker, but the floors are fully separate.
Why does it seem to be left hand running? Being from the UK I'm used to it here (and also parts of Europe like France, Belgium and Switzerland), but it's weird to see Anerican trains on the left.
This Metra route is a former Chicago & North Western line. Far back in C&NW's history, when they added a second track the placement of the existing track and stations proved inconvenient for the usual US practice of right-hand running, so they adopted left-hand running instead. Metra continues this practice on former C&NW lines today.
@JoeRailfan. Well said. The specific inconvenience was that most passengers were spending time in the station while waiting to go to Chicago, rather than away from it. So it made sense to have the Chicago-bound trains be on the track nearer the station. Most of the stations were built on the north side of the track (to shield passengers from cold north winds), so the result was left-hand running. Metra continues it since the original reasons are still valid, and the signal system is set up for it.
I think that depends on how much traffic there is and whether there are other things (e.g. median or posts) to keep people from driving around the gates.
@@genevarailfan3909 Yes. This has none of those. But whathey have is more than enough warning. In EMS I oppose having allanes blocked. On emergentransports I have looked and gone through crossings before the train arrived 15 seconds later.
Why did they have to flip the switch? Wouldn't it be easier to go back on the same track you came from? Why did you have to cross over, if you hadn't already been on the other track to start with?
It technically could stay on the same track, but it would probably have to run at restricted speed. It would also be in the way of any outbound trains, which would be on that track. Additionally, the line is signaled for left-hand directional running, so the train needs to change tracks when it changes direction or else it won't have signals facing it (hence the need for speed restrictions).
@@genevarailfan3909I wouldn't expect there to be any outbound trains, if they can't get through to the next station. But the lack of signals facing it makes sense.
There were still outbound trains behind us--that's why we continued on as close to the incident as we could. Some terminate at Crystal Lake, the station we went back to, and others were keeping coming in the hopes of being able to pass by the time they got there.
It was August 2nd in Woodstock, IL. Basically, a guy who lived by the track decided the best way to ask his neighbors to quiet down was to threaten to unalive them. They called the cops, and the guy decided the best way to diffuse the situation was to threaten the cops as well.
Rail trains are so weird,you have to pull off for another train...now their going back to the previous station isnt there a way to go around the incident
This part of the line is very far from the city, so there really isn't an alternate route. Normally they can continue as soon as the police get the situation under control, but this time it took long enough that they decided it was better to let the passengers off where they could either get alternate transportation or wait for the track to clear.
Some of the furthest station branches from Chicago in sparsely populated areas have regular horn warnings at grade crossings, but for most of the network there's only two occasions I've heard them blow - for people, cars, or animals encroaching on the right of way, or more commonly, when two trains go through a crossing in opposite directions at the same time they will both blow the standard warning so that people don't just focus on just the one train that they see and are oblivious to the other train.
A guy living near the track decided the best way to ask his neighbors to be quieter was to threaten to unalive them. They called the police. The guy then decided that it would be a good idea to threaten the police too.
All very interesting, but why stop at all? Unless said incident is actually on the tracks there’s no need to stop. Or do the cops just walk all over the place and expect the whole world to stop for them? (Don’t laugh too hard, it’s happened a time or two before. One woman was almost killed because she got arrested and stuffed in a SUV which doofus driver had parked DIRECTLY ON THE TRACKS.)
Mainly because the platforms were originally built a long time ago, before high-level platforms were common. The coaches were then designed for the lower platforms, so now they can't raise them (which would be very expensive and involve redesigning many stations). The clunking was a bell that really needs some oil.
Believe it or not, that clunking noise is a muted bell mounted on the undercarriage and it's used at crossing and stations. It's not that it needs oil - they all sound like that by design. I don't know how the operators can stand it.
Yes. A guy living near the track decided to threaten to harm his neighbors. The police thought he ought to come with them instead, and he decided to threaten them as well.
US trains often run on the right, but it's not a hard rule. Lines are part of the former C&NW railroad run left-handed though, for reasons explained in another comment.
I was bringing a train out of Seattle one day on the UP. The dispatcher called and told us to stop due to a bomb threat. He didn't know where it was exactly. So I stopped, and the next thing I see is fire trucks responding to an automobile auction house located in between the UP and the BNSF. I was stopped right next to where the threat was. Geez...
Oh my! Did they have you move the train away, or just evacuate you and the rest of the crew?
@@genevarailfan3909 We just sat there and waited. The fire chief didn't want us to move in case the vibration set something off. It was over in 30 minutes or so.
The bell sounds like it's seen better days. 😀
Yeah, quite a few cab car bells sound like that. A little grease can go a long way.
sounds like someone banging on a bucket.
its not a spur is a track that leads to some factory called elite door llc 6:04
Isn't that basically the definition of a spur track?
Thank goodness it's a small train. If I have to walk 11,000 feet on uneven ballast, it might take a minute for me to protect the shove.
Very entertaining and fun to watch. Thanks for posting this.
Glad you enjoyed it! There's a lot more already on the channel, and some exciting new videos planned.
I love the double-decker coaches Metra uses. I wish Metro North here in NY could use those, but they wouldn't make it through the Park Ave. tunnel leading to Grand Central Station.
I don't understand why a lot of people dislike the bi-levels. An extra level of seating, but the conductor can check tickets on both at once!
Apparently Metra's new coaches that are coming are still double-decker, but the floors are fully separate.
Why does it seem to be left hand running? Being from the UK I'm used to it here (and also parts of Europe like France, Belgium and Switzerland), but it's weird to see Anerican trains on the left.
This Metra route is a former Chicago & North Western line. Far back in C&NW's history, when they added a second track the placement of the existing track and stations proved inconvenient for the usual US practice of right-hand running, so they adopted left-hand running instead. Metra continues this practice on former C&NW lines today.
@JoeRailfan. Well said. The specific inconvenience was that most passengers were spending time in the station while waiting to go to Chicago, rather than away from it. So it made sense to have the Chicago-bound trains be on the track nearer the station. Most of the stations were built on the north side of the track (to shield passengers from cold north winds), so the result was left-hand running.
Metra continues it since the original reasons are still valid, and the signal system is set up for it.
@mrbigbadtrev this thread has the full answer
Got it thanks, interesting. Cheers.@@genevarailfan3909
It’s going backwards!
Put some oil on that bell. Metal on metal. That would drive me nuts. Or more nuts than I am.
Grease, not plain oil. Plain oil falls.
When I ride a Metra train, never sit in first car of the direction you are traveling. All the constant clanging is irrating.
If the engineer has to hear it, you have to hear it too
I hate those bells.
@@katherinec2759 They hate you too.
9:31. Thoughthat Quiet Zone crossings had to have gates across ALLanes.
I think that depends on how much traffic there is and whether there are other things (e.g. median or posts) to keep people from driving around the gates.
@@genevarailfan3909 Yes. This has none of those. But whathey have is more than enough warning.
In EMS I oppose having allanes blocked. On emergentransports I have looked and gone through crossings before the train arrived 15 seconds later.
0:11 Would hate to find myself at the Pervious station
Wait, I didn't...did I? Oops. 😑\
Why did they have to flip the switch? Wouldn't it be easier to go back on the same track you came from? Why did you have to cross over, if you hadn't already been on the other track to start with?
Also, man you get up to some interesting cconversations on the train!
It technically could stay on the same track, but it would probably have to run at restricted speed. It would also be in the way of any outbound trains, which would be on that track. Additionally, the line is signaled for left-hand directional running, so the train needs to change tracks when it changes direction or else it won't have signals facing it (hence the need for speed restrictions).
@@genevarailfan3909I wouldn't expect there to be any outbound trains, if they can't get through to the next station. But the lack of signals facing it makes sense.
There were still outbound trains behind us--that's why we continued on as close to the incident as we could. Some terminate at Crystal Lake, the station we went back to, and others were keeping coming in the hopes of being able to pass by the time they got there.
@@genevarailfan3909Oh, okay. That makes sense. Thanks!
Standoff, when and Where? FILL US IN !
It was August 2nd in Woodstock, IL. Basically, a guy who lived by the track decided the best way to ask his neighbors to quiet down was to threaten to unalive them. They called the cops, and the guy decided the best way to diffuse the situation was to threaten the cops as well.
@genevarailfan3909 That's what happens when every yahoo has a gun and decides that he's Rambo. Such situations seldom end well.
great video 😍😍❤❤
How delayed was your train?
Rail trains are so weird,you have to pull off for another train...now their going back to the previous station isnt there a way to go around the incident
This part of the line is very far from the city, so there really isn't an alternate route. Normally they can continue as soon as the police get the situation under control, but this time it took long enough that they decided it was better to let the passengers off where they could either get alternate transportation or wait for the track to clear.
Cool video and channel just subscribed
Why no horns blasting at the road crossing? Or is my hearing that bad that I didn’t hear it?
Most of this line is a quiet zone, meaning trains don't have to blow horns at crossings unless there's a specific hazard.
Thanks for the explanation, I didn’t realize there are lines like that. I always assumed it’s universal to blow the horn at every grade crossing.
It's very common in cities in the US, since constant horns next to houses can get annoying.
Don’t buy a house next to the tracks…..
Some of the furthest station branches from Chicago in sparsely populated areas have regular horn warnings at grade crossings, but for most of the network there's only two occasions I've heard them blow - for people, cars, or animals encroaching on the right of way, or more commonly, when two trains go through a crossing in opposite directions at the same time they will both blow the standard warning so that people don't just focus on just the one train that they see and are oblivious to the other train.
What “Armed standoff”?
A guy living near the track decided the best way to ask his neighbors to be quieter was to threaten to unalive them. They called the police. The guy then decided that it would be a good idea to threaten the police too.
All very interesting, but why stop at all? Unless said incident is actually on the tracks there’s no need to stop. Or do the cops just walk all over the place and expect the whole world to stop for them? (Don’t laugh too hard, it’s happened a time or two before. One woman was almost killed because she got arrested and stuffed in a SUV which doofus driver had parked DIRECTLY ON THE TRACKS.)
@@tomhanna2714When an unstable person is threatening to use deadly weapons next to the tracks, it's not safe to bring a passenger train through.
How come the platforms are so low, and what was that clunking on the approach to a level crossing?
Mainly because the platforms were originally built a long time ago, before high-level platforms were common. The coaches were then designed for the lower platforms, so now they can't raise them (which would be very expensive and involve redesigning many stations).
The clunking was a bell that really needs some oil.
@@genevarailfan3909 Only the Metra Electric has high-level platforms.
Believe it or not, that clunking noise is a muted bell mounted on the undercarriage and it's used at crossing and stations. It's not that it needs oil - they all sound like that by design. I don't know how the operators can stand it.
Welcome to Chicago!
Dang could that lady shut up for more than 5 seconds????
Standoff?
Yes. A guy living near the track decided to threaten to harm his neighbors. The police thought he ought to come with them instead, and he decided to threaten them as well.
Armed holdup Wild Trump USA 😂😂😂
Omg 😮that woman's incessant yapping I had to turn down the volume to zero. 😅
Wow, women could talk with a mouth full of marbles underwater. Relieved to see women are the same in the USA as they are here in Australia.
where standoff?
It was near the track in the next town ahead.
timestamp?
Cachung cachung cachung
👍👍👍👍
?????? I thought American trans travelled on the right????? Puzzled (UK).
US trains often run on the right, but it's not a hard rule. Lines are part of the former C&NW railroad run left-handed though, for reasons explained in another comment.
Thank you, we live and learn.@@genevarailfan3909
Do the ladies ever shut up.
Boring
Don't worry, I won't force you to watch it again.
Maybe you'd find this one more exciting: ruclips.net/video/8UJbIBm9CBc/видео.html
what station is that you pull into at end of video ?????
Crystal Lake, IL