In 1977, when this line was still active, I jumped aboard an empty freight car in Eureka and rode all the way to Willits, a distance of about 150 miles. This entire stretch had speed restrictions, so it was a long but quite beautiful ride with lots of tunnels. It is unlikely this line will ever be repaired because the maintenance costs were huge with constant rock slides/washouts, and there are no longer any timber products to move. A number of the tunnels also have now collapsed. I feel fortunate to have caught out while this line still existed. You video brought back memories. Thanks.
I Had a Friend who Told me a story about Him and His Brother Worked For a Railroad Line at one Time , basically Just As Laborers Cleaning out Boxcars or Unloading Freight by Hand , Well His Brother Had Fallen asleep in Some Type of Railcar , and Woke Up Confused as Hell and 4 States Away !!! Needless to say The Rail Line Company Didn’t appreciate that at All Because They Had to Send a Vehicle To Where He Was For A Return Trip Home , I Guess Legally They Had To Or Something , But as Soon as He Arrived Home , They Fired His Butt !!! HaHa !!!
I used to hop the NWP (SP) from Napa to Cloverdale in the mid 80s while in high school. It was my dream to ride to Eureka but never got the chance. I always held out a slight hope to manage it somehow, until the tracks finally washed out in 98 and that was it. Congrats on the memories - I'm envious!
everyone wants to be Blessed for the slightest thing. It's not Biblical. Who is a blessed person according to the Bible? From a Biblical point of view, a blessed person is first and foremost a man or woman who is in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and who no longer submits to the world but now submits to the word. Nothing about riding in a modified rail car suzuki. that would be satan the father of lies.
@@JohnSmith-uy7sv There are many scripture about those who are blessed and it does not take much to be blessed from our heavenly Father. We can see in this one scripture alone that even an evil person can be blessed with forgiveness! 🥰 Blessings come in many shapes and forms and are not just for the righteous. Luke 11:13 KJV [13] If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
@@JohnSmith-uy7sv There are many blessings from God. Food, shelter, and water are merely the basics, let alone the entire planet. Further blessings are numerous such as having a decent guardian to raise one. Having good friends and family. The Book of Job explores all this along with several other questions, even why God allows evil to seemingly flourish and good to suffer.
Hello Tom: Old Willits boy here, my parents and grandparents were long time residents back in the 30's, 40's, and 50's, so I have known about the NWP and the abandoned line since I was a youngster. Even though you shot this 17 years ago, I'm so appreciating the fact that you posted it. Most of us will never see any of that right of way, so it was way cool. Thank you!
Elk CA person here. Wonderful area. Miss the skunk train. Heard a Chinese conglomerate bought the eel river right of way to ship coal to a port in eureka
Had ancestors in that area. My great-grandfather, a Missouri pioneer, built the first horse race track in Willits...but it was called Little Lake back then I believe
AMCguy I live in central Utah. After 50 years of two major trucking companies having the coal hauling rights to a mine a new bid changed everything. A new company got the contract and the other two companies lost and now are subcontractors to the new bid winner if they want to haul coal. The reason why is the coal mine is part owned by Chinese and the new trucking company that won the bid owns a train loading station and port in California. The coal mine needed to get a partner to help export coal. Some people hate China owning things, but I think it’s better for China to own things and keep them running. Otherwise politically the government would probably have already shut down the coal mines in central Utah. They employ a lot of people and basically keep the economy of the area alive. Without the few remaining coal mines property values would continue to crash and like six counties would die. It’s definitely interesting even the U.S. military depends on inputs from China. Maybe one day things will change if the debt bubble ever collapses in the U.S. Social security needs a bailout in 2034 cause social security can only buy government bonds. But bond yields pay way less than inflation. Shadowstats.com shows inflation today vs using inflation metrics from the 1970s. Using real estate for the inflation rather then consumer surveys for rent is one big reason the government can under report inflation today. My mom I had to explain all this to her when they only adjusted social security by 6% the one year when reported inflation was 8% but using 1970s metrics inflation that year was 15%.
What she shouldn't forget was the scolding she received for touching rotating machine parts... Sadly no such scolding was given or it was done off camera.
Wow really, oh you mean the days when civil rights were non existent. When there were less advances in medicine. When we could freely polute the environment. No smoke detectors or CO2 monitors. When domestic abuse ran unchecked for fathers and priests. When residential schools were killing indigenous children. No thank you.
Brings back a fond memory, walking along rusty tracks. Long abandoned & almost forgotten if not for the curiosity of a boy who followed ties & timbers hidden by the tall grass; lured by the faintest scent of creosote carried on the summer breeze. The rail stretched on & the tall grass turned to young trees as the rust grew thicker on the old steel. Alas it was getting late & I had to turn back or I'd get into trouble. The tracks may have disappeared as the forest reclaimed them but my curiosity remained. Thanks for taking me along for the ride 🥲
My boyhood line had a "trestle" over a gully that was probably 10 feet below, but to us young'uns it could have been the grand canyon! The smell of hot creosote in the summer sun as we carefully stepped from tie to tie on that bridge will be with me forever, and the memories of my little gang of fellow travelers.
My girlfriend thought this seemed like the most boring thing to watch, got up and walked out. I said, Where's you sense of adventure? Your idea of adventure is sitting at a nail salon for 2 hours... I grew up hiking northern New Jersey line's. And it was about every boy's dream to make a vehicle to ride on some of abandon railroad line's. This is so cool 😎
Your front wheel apparatus for your Jeep is nothing short of genius, I gotta say. This is something I've been wanting to do for most of my life .(60yrs) living here on Vancouver Island and as of yet never made it happen. I've toyed w/so many ideas over the years but when I saw this my brain exploded. Wow!!!!....thanks for sharing and if you ever want to bring that rig to the island, I'd be honored to have a ride. So cool!
I had a Samurai, not on rails , but on Québec's trails...with my young daughter. She mentions the adventures to her friends to this day, 30yrs later😊. Good job!
I had an SJ410 which I flipped on cote de liesse in the late 90's. Hydroplaned..road was flooded I wound up on my side in 2 feet of water,,in a winter ice storm ..
unfortunately you are assuming that she'll look back at that day with an adults. perspective. but she won't. sadly she probably won't even remember the day. :(
@@ljpublic3938 Well speaking for myself I have many things I kinda remember as a child and wonder what actually happened. Like an old lady I was convinced was a witch but was actually just a nice old lady.
I have an abandoned Union Pacific line & ancient bridge running through my property, never considered this over walking the tracks! Active trains 24/7 on adjacent tracks still shake my house daily. Amazing video, you just unlocked a new life goal to solve ❤️🤠
Even if it was built in an awful location, the amount of lumber traffic in the 50's and 60's justified keeping up such a maintenance headache. After the 1978 tunnel fire, lumber shipments dried up overnight as the NWP was closed for weeks unable to put out the fire.
The floods and subsequent landslides in 1997 were the kiss of death for this line. The canyon is so heavily erosive that many of the old tunnels are collapsed and stretches of the railway look like a rollercoaster now.
@@danielmenten4403 Even 101 was hard to keep open. It's funny driving on the new section that bypassed the rock slide area and looking at where the road used to be and is completely covered in places. I never expected that when it closed. We were up there one time when 101 was blocked by a big land slide, north of Garberville if I remember right. We had to go round through Alderpoint and Blocksville to get back on 101, as we were doing that we saw another very big landslide coming down into Larabee Creek. I wish we had taken video but we were afraid we'd get trapped.
This is very interesting and all, but .. more encouraging is that.…. Dudes just living their lives )) and good at that Think about it: you mount appropriate wheelset on more or less alive off-road vehicle … And now you can visit so many places inaccessible by ground transportation period (nearly exclusively), that’s so cool, at least as an idea
Every now and then, y/t throws us a bone to keep us coming back, hoping for another bone. How many of my fellow Americans are dumbed-down to the point that they can't/wont see what's about to drop on their head's?
Tom, 25 years of youtube watching, best ever! Watched the whole video, nail biting! Beautiful views, treacherous washout ties, relentless plowing trees. Great job
All I can say is Awesome. To think it was 17 odd years ago, increadable. What an adventure. That young girl has probably experienced something that very few have but many would have given anything to do that trip. Thank you for sharing an increadable adventure. Regards from South Africa
One of the coolest videos I've seen on RUclips. Imagine how much more growth has taken place since 2007. I'm assuming you wouldn't be able to do this anymore because of the size of the trees growing on and near the track.
Yes, the overgrowth is well established now. Also, the landslides have devoured sections of the track. This video was the end of the line, so to speak.
This brings back a memory of my off roading days in the early 80’s. One Sunday morning I was wheel’n in my early gen 1 ‘77 Bronco along a recently abandoned RxR line. I was crisscrossing from side to side over the rails negotiating the tough brush and terrain. Then all of a sudden the steering wheel felt kinda odd then the entire truck was pulled up on the rails by itself! I was only going 2 to 3 mph. I advanced along about 50yrds with my hand off the steering wheel. It stayed on the rails all by itself! If I approached 14 to 16 mph the steering wheel would wobble and the truck would derail onto the ties. So I climbed up on the rails again. And the eire extreme smooth auto pilot feeling returned. My rider and I were very surprised. We stopped and got out of the Bronco to check out the new found discovery. The tires were purposely low on air for better all terrain traction. The truck’s wheel width and track was perfectly centered for the rails and the low air pressure let the tires hug the rails! We rode for about 10 miles on the rails before we rolled into town. Funny how we never went back before the rails were torn up 😢 What a fond memory…..🚂
What keeps the Suzuki Samurai rear wheels centered on the tracks? There is no steering with the front wheels in the air. Come to think of it with them blasting thru so much bush why did the front wheels also not get derailed sometines? What keeps them on the track? Just their own weight and gravity? I see videos of home made rail karts and they keep derailing. Of course the truck is heavier.
@@randyandtheretreads3144 The wheels he made for the front are conical like a trains wheels, they steer automatically towards the center of the track without having to do anything but give it gas just as if he were a train. And since they are looked in position the back wheels just follow the same line, pretty cool stuff!
You bet. There were definitely no cows around. We were actually able to overcome the brush at the time, but eventually the tracks became impossible because they were washed out or the trees just got too big in the rails. This was definitely the end of the line, if you know what I mean.
Hello from New Zealand, what an adventure, absolutely enjoyed this video, great home built machine for this rail exploring, I am surprised at how good a condition the track is in for having been closed for so long in a tough environment 're weather, A 6 ton or 8 ton excavator rail adapted would open the section you traveled on easy , it's sad to see it getting over grown , great potential here for light train or cars such as your for tourist potential etc, beautiful looking countryside for what I could see of it 're smoke, no doubt bush fires burning somewhere, At 70 years of age I am still working during the Northern Territory of Australia dry season operating a caterpillar 16 H grader in the outback on a large 1.2 million acre cattle station, this season we have had numerous fires which are started by dry lightning, we fight them with graders, bulldozers and loaders cutting breaks in front of them then back burning into main fires, all flat country , so I'm well used to smoke , Have subscribed to you and looking forward to seeing more of your videos , Chèers from NZ
Thanks for the wonderful comments. I believe that when I shot this footage it was smoke from fires, as you noted. The fires weren't as common then as they have been in recent years. The big problem with the rail line is the obvious maintenance on a large scale that would not only impact the line regularly, but would be expensive and hard for the operators to justify the expense. The geography of northern California always challenged those who wanted to develop the redwood empire in its early days. Only 3% of land in Humboldt County (where this is) is flat. It's one reason why Eureka didn't ever really become a major California city like San Francisco or LA. I love the mental imagery of your Caterpillar in the Northwest territory and the rugged Australian country. There is a cattle ranch all around where this footage was taken, a very large land holding by California standards. the Fort Seward Ranch, but is tiny compared to 1.2 million acres at a mere 28,000 acres. Stay active! Cheers.
Most of our old, unused rail lines are ripped up and the rail bed is used for cycle & walking tails. It is a shame, but at least people can still access them.
Epic! My father-in-law, Ralph Aubrey worked this section for years. Him and his wife would ride it into Fortuna every Friday. When the baby came along, one would hop on the slow moving train while the other one handed-off the baby. It's a damn shame that this line was shut down.
No problem. It's just that my grandmother was a teacher and she (her) and my mother hammered proper English into us so we would be influenced by dust bowl migrants. 🙂@@aribpm
Loved this video, brings back many memories of exploring as a youth in Oregon. Thanks for sharing this with the world. I can't think of a video I have enjoyed more.
I'm so jealous! I've ALWAYS wanted to ride the rails like this! In my own vehicle to see places in the country only a select few have seen and just get off in any town I choose to eat and get gas and so forth! Thanks for sharing this!!✌🐢
As a kid school project I wrote to the state capital and got tons of information about the state access to everything from the trails to the bike paths and everything in between. I believe that there is a national route map available online somewhere.
The young lady has been on a true once in a lifetime ride! I sure would like to speak with her,The positive affect on her life this has been would surely be reflected in her personality ! Thank you for sharing this wonderful story. I'm looking for a Suzuki to make my own adventures with!
Thanks for posting this. It really shows what northern California is like in the summer. I can feel and smell that just looking at it. For twenty years while I lived in the Bay Area I had the run of a ranch out behind Willits. I regret not spending more time there now.
She probley got over it really quick. Most kids dont have the attention span it takes to really appreciate exoeriences like this. Shame...but she will alqays enjoy and learn from it in her memory in the future
American here. I thoroughly enjoyed your comment, seeing it through your/an outside perspective. When I think of the US I just think of some national parks but mostly the big cities, even though I love the outdoors and go to west Yellowstone often. America really is great when you visit these types of places that are so wild and raw. Especially the PNW in my opinion. Endless open space and adventures to explore. And for me personally, building and making your own contraptions is another avenue of my idea of freedom in my spare time, kinda like this guy and his rail mobile but definitely not to that level…. Yet. 😏
Apart from being a very dangerous trip to take a kid...in the spirit of adventure and coming out of it alive....I vote this to be THE most interesting video on RUclips.
@pgnandt look at the tressel bridge and the drop offs....I'm sure the former Railway company or the State wouldn't allow him to do that...if not then than these days for sure....
@tomproctor8233 that's great...not saying anything other than it was a great trip and a lifetime experience but...I know those Suzukis and they are like the old CJ5 Jeeps....tippy like crazy....although everything looks like you were safe....it isn't much different than my dad driving us on the sea to sky highway from Vancouver to Whistler in the 70's...narrow road and scary level drop offs....the Jeep I'm taking about was a CJ5 from the mid sixties and it's wheel base was intensely short front to back. It would tip or lean to one side cornering.
What a great ride thank you for posting bring back memories of train car days as a teen abandoned in Wisconsin.Makes me think of the story the boxcar children .
I would love to see more of these kinds of videos. Old abandon rail roads are one of my favorite structures. Super cool when you went over that bridge.
Gosh, I remember poking around those old abandoned tracks and railbeds around the Eel when my uncle lived up in Willits. Gotta say, a Samurai-turned-rail speeder is a classy way to explore up there.
I honestly wish there were restorations to the tracks in some places .. I'm not sure of how it all works .. cutting the growth and supporting the old wooden structures ect .. I'm so glad to get to see this. .. I hope it remains accessable for you all
What an amazing landscape, Western US is one of the most gorgeous place on earth, the dry grass gets me every time, Thank you for sharing your unique experience with us.
They run and run even if you don’t take care of them. Those guys never change the oil on that rig for years and it just kept going. It finally died, but it put in nine lives of service that’s for sure.
What a Cool adventure!! Back in the day, I made a couple of Motor Cycle trips down 101 and then to California highway 1 from Tillamook Or. to San Francisco. Great memories and beautiful country and I remember traveling along the Eel River. Thanks for posting and bringing back some great memories. Russ
Great Video! Thanks for giving all the details in you description area. Most video people never give the viewers all the Facts like you did. Looking for more videos from you Tom..thanks..BB
I lived in Scocia from 1961 until 1964. I remember when the trains used to come to the town. I was even in Rio Dell during the 1964 Christmas flood of the Eel River. It is sad to see those rails looking old and abandoned.😢
Nice Piece Of Engineering! How smart you are using a short wheel base 4X4, manual transmission, power winch with large all terrain tires to climb onto the rail or four wheel around a compromised section. But the really great idea is the adapter wheel assembly that lifts the front end completely in the air! The front weigh (Body + Engine) on those two steel wheels commands the Samurai to follow the rail through the harshest vegetation. Heavy enough, but not too heavy where one could slice a side wall of a tire on the side of a rail. Again, such a great yet simple design. You can handle virtually any issue that comes up along your thrilling Disneyland ride. Thank you so much for sharing this. If I were to improve your design I would include Lockers on all wheels for temporary situations.
Love your comments. I wish I could take credit for the ingenious designs here, but it was the late great Johnny B. He grew up in a logging camp back in the 30s and became a local hobo of sorts. He was the one that put this together in the 90s. He wasn't real popular with the railroad operators I heard. Anyway, you made me laugh out loud when you mentioned the Disneyland ride. My friend there used to comment that this was better than an E ride at Disneyland. (Not sure what that is but it sounds thrilling). It was indeed better than anything they could offer.
Great you took advantage of that resource...could have been a billion dollar tourist industry if folks in power had the vision and the balls to do it. What a beautiful ride, and a hell of a waste.
Could have even had plenty of timber had they managed it well. With the port and the railroad, if there was some forward thinking in Humboldt County, there'd be plenty of business and work up there - even in non-manufacturing/fishing.
Brings back memories and mixed emotions! We took the last Eureka Southern passenger trip on this line, back around 1990, when I was a kid. The line was already in terrible shape, washed over in places, and the trip took twice as long as expected. At one point the caboose derailed and we had to abandon it. Your way seems better!
That was cool glad I watched! Next, mount a bush hog to keep those evergreen trees from growing up and destroying the tracks. back in the late 70s, a friend had an old strip-down car and we would let the air out of the tires. On active two trains a day track. Brings back memories.
Thanks for the ride along you are the man!! ever since I was a little kid? I always wanted to have a vehicle that you go on the tracks as well, born and raised on Union and Southern Pacific tracks.
I'm amazed it's in this good of shape. At the Scotia trestle it would be impossible. Sections near the PG&E plant are completely undermined. Cool video! Glad to see videos of our area. Thanks for posting.
Yes, I agree, they are really hard to find because no one that still has one would sell it. I wish they would make a new version of it. I would buy one immediately.
What memories. In the late 70''s rode empty boxcars from Eureka to Willits. The train used to leave at about 7:30 every morning. Hobo'ed that ride with a sweet young lady, now we've been married 45 yrs with 5 grandkids..
What I like about your rig is instead of all the janky thrown together with duct tape and hope, you've built a pretty robust rig that's prepared for whatever may come.
Actually, it's the only way to go now that the tracks are overgrown with trees, and in terrible shape otherwise. It's a nice trip if there's enough water in the river. Plenty of great little beaches to stop and not too many people out there.
At 45:37 - 45:40 exactly, and in a few frames after that, you can just see the entrance to Tunnel 34 (3 miles from Eel Rock) that we never made it to because of the rockslide we encountered here. Look just to left of the big tree and down river. Do you see it? It's very hard to spot and I only know about it from a comment here. I'm so bummed we never made it to the tunnel. We would not have gone in without exploring it's length and condition since we could not turn around.
@TomProctor WOW.. WOW The only video I have ever stopped midway just to comment. I can’t explain it, I feel it. This rattles my core..thank you for sharing this beautiful piece of history.
@26:05 the reason, if you dont know, you dont get "power" off on all wheels is because most 4x4's have. "limited slip" differentials. some 4x4's have "locked differentials". all 4 wheels pull thats great for 4 wheeling but bad when turning on dry ground or pavement. when turning or steering the truck will jump, tires chirp, at least the Toyota trucks ive had did. my 85" had limited slip then I got a 88' and it pulled all 4 wheels.
...It's good to have a Krazy Daddy. 😉 Most excellent. I can't believe how well yer Zuk mod rain through the shrubs etc. Ain't doing that on no rail bicycle. I have an old VW. Puts my mind to it. Good stuff. Great area. Tire pressure...?
This is so cool! What a GREAT memory for everyone involved! When I (72) was a kid, I'd see the railroad workers cruising down the tracks in their service trucks and always thought it would be a really neat way to travel cross-country and all around. Think about some of the places you could go if you could drive the old, rusty, narrow-gauge tracks that still exist in some of the out-of-the-way places in the States.
That’s crazy how vintage this footage looks. Mesmerizing stuff!
It was filmed 17 years ago
@@fivespeed42I wonder how it looks today?
I thought maybe they used an old camera lol@@fivespeed42
@@fivespeed42 - Add to that, there was smoke in the air (especially the first trip).
Yes, good old (most likely) analog video tape.
In 1977, when this line was still active, I jumped aboard an empty freight car in Eureka and rode all the way to Willits, a distance of about 150 miles. This entire stretch had speed restrictions, so it was a long but quite beautiful ride with lots of tunnels. It is unlikely this line will ever be repaired because the maintenance costs were huge with constant rock slides/washouts, and there are no longer any timber products to move. A number of the tunnels also have now collapsed. I feel fortunate to have caught out while this line still existed. You video brought back memories. Thanks.
well done mate. good job.
I Had a Friend who Told me a story about Him and His Brother Worked For a Railroad Line at one Time , basically Just As Laborers Cleaning out Boxcars or Unloading Freight by Hand , Well His Brother Had Fallen asleep in Some Type of Railcar , and Woke Up Confused as Hell and 4 States Away !!! Needless to say The Rail Line Company Didn’t appreciate that at All Because They Had to Send a Vehicle To Where He Was For A Return Trip Home , I Guess Legally They Had To Or Something , But as Soon as He Arrived Home , They Fired His Butt !!! HaHa !!!
Priceless trip 🎉
I bought my first box in Willits in 2018. What a cool place.
I used to hop the NWP (SP) from Napa to Cloverdale in the mid 80s while in high school. It was my dream to ride to Eureka but never got the chance. I always held out a slight hope to manage it somehow, until the tracks finally washed out in 98 and that was it. Congrats on the memories - I'm envious!
😻 That little girl is so blessed to have such an adventurous father!
I agree
everyone wants to be Blessed for the slightest thing. It's not Biblical. Who is a blessed person according to the Bible?
From a Biblical point of view, a blessed person is first and foremost a man or woman who is in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and who no longer submits to the world but now submits to the word. Nothing about riding in a modified rail car suzuki. that would be satan the father of lies.
@@JohnSmith-uy7sv There are many scripture about those who are blessed and it does not take much to be blessed from our heavenly Father. We can see in this one scripture alone that even an evil person can be blessed with forgiveness! 🥰 Blessings come in many shapes and forms and are not just for the righteous.
Luke 11:13 KJV
[13] If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
@@JohnSmith-uy7sv There are many blessings from God. Food, shelter, and water are merely the basics, let alone the entire planet. Further blessings are numerous such as having a decent guardian to raise one. Having good friends and family. The Book of Job explores all this along with several other questions, even why God allows evil to seemingly flourish and good to suffer.
@@JohnSmith-uy7sv lol. give them hell!
Hello Tom: Old Willits boy here, my parents and grandparents were long time residents back in the 30's, 40's, and 50's, so I have known about the NWP and the abandoned line since I was a youngster. Even though you shot this 17 years ago, I'm so appreciating the fact that you posted it. Most of us will never see any of that right of way, so it was way cool. Thank you!
I was thinking this looked like old footage
Had family in Willits. I'm from Fortuna personally. I sure miss that river and those mountains!!
Elk CA person here. Wonderful area. Miss the skunk train. Heard a Chinese conglomerate bought the eel river right of way to ship coal to a port in eureka
Had ancestors in that area. My great-grandfather, a Missouri pioneer, built the first horse race track in Willits...but it was called Little Lake back then I believe
AMCguy
I live in central Utah. After 50 years of two major trucking companies having the coal hauling rights to a mine a new bid changed everything. A new company got the contract and the other two companies lost and now are subcontractors to the new bid winner if they want to haul coal.
The reason why is the coal mine is part owned by Chinese and the new trucking company that won the bid owns a train loading station and port in California. The coal mine needed to get a partner to help export coal.
Some people hate China owning things, but I think it’s better for China to own things and keep them running. Otherwise politically the government would probably have already shut down the coal mines in central Utah. They employ a lot of people and basically keep the economy of the area alive. Without the few remaining coal mines property values would continue to crash and like six counties would die.
It’s definitely interesting even the U.S. military depends on inputs from China. Maybe one day things will change if the debt bubble ever collapses in the U.S. Social security needs a bailout in 2034 cause social security can only buy government bonds. But bond yields pay way less than inflation. Shadowstats.com shows inflation today vs using inflation metrics from the 1970s. Using real estate for the inflation rather then consumer surveys for rent is one big reason the government can under report inflation today. My mom I had to explain all this to her when they only adjusted social security by 6% the one year when reported inflation was 8% but using 1970s metrics inflation that year was 15%.
That little girl will remember that ride her whole life
she is a young lady now. ha ha.
im gonna remember this video for my whole life xD
What she shouldn't forget was the scolding she received for touching rotating machine parts... Sadly no such scolding was given or it was done off camera.
@@mankihonda983I'm sure any scolding was done off camera. People did not film that kind of shit back then.
Doh! Life used to be so simple back then.
A video of better days for society.
Thank you for uploading!
Wow really, oh you mean the days when civil rights were non existent. When there were less advances in medicine. When we could freely polute the environment. No smoke detectors or CO2 monitors. When domestic abuse ran unchecked for fathers and priests. When residential schools were killing indigenous children. No thank you.
Brings back a fond memory, walking along rusty tracks. Long abandoned & almost forgotten if not for the curiosity of a boy who followed ties & timbers hidden by the tall grass; lured by the faintest scent of creosote carried on the summer breeze. The rail stretched on & the tall grass turned to young trees as the rust grew thicker on the old steel. Alas it was getting late & I had to turn back or I'd get into trouble. The tracks may have disappeared as the forest reclaimed them but my curiosity remained. Thanks for taking me along for the ride 🥲
My boyhood line had a "trestle" over a gully that was probably 10 feet below, but to us young'uns it could have been the grand canyon! The smell of hot creosote in the summer sun as we carefully stepped from tie to tie on that bridge will be with me forever, and the memories of my little gang of fellow travelers.
Poetry!
@@87minisounds like a "Stand by Me" scene lol
Good job!
Beautiful antidote. Thanks for sharing.
My girlfriend thought this seemed like the most boring thing to watch, got up and walked out. I said, Where's you sense of adventure? Your idea of adventure is sitting at a nail salon for 2 hours...
I grew up hiking northern New Jersey line's. And it was about every boy's dream to make a vehicle to ride on some of abandon railroad line's. This is so cool 😎
hahaha
@@OzArt
😂 Hehehe now THAT'S really funny!!!
Good thing shes just a GF. ✔️🚩
@@rushfan9thcmd
YEA RIGHT !!!
Glad you either survived Stag hill, or lat least didn't go into that encampment!
Your front wheel apparatus for your Jeep is nothing short of genius, I gotta say. This is something I've been wanting to do for most of my life .(60yrs) living here on Vancouver Island and as of yet never made it happen. I've toyed w/so many ideas over the years but when I saw this my brain exploded.
Wow!!!!....thanks for sharing and if you ever want to bring that rig to the island, I'd be honored to have a ride. So cool!
My”M 38 A1 was exactly the same size and all that was needed was to lower the air pressure. It was designed.that way,
Samurai!!
@@jeffferguson4632
Your right, I said Jeep. My bad.
I had a Samurai, not on rails , but on Québec's trails...with my young daughter. She mentions the adventures to her friends to this day, 30yrs later😊. Good job!
I had an SJ410 which I flipped on cote de liesse in the late 90's. Hydroplaned..road was flooded I wound up on my side in 2 feet of water,,in a winter ice storm ..
@@Peterswarahed Every Peter I know drives like a maniac. *Slow Down, Peter.*
This is going to be one of those memories for her that she will question if it actually happened or not.
unfortunately you are assuming that she'll look back at that day with an adults. perspective. but she won't. sadly she probably won't even remember the day. :(
@@ljpublic3938 Well speaking for myself I have many things I kinda remember as a child and wonder what actually happened. Like an old lady I was convinced was a witch but was actually just a nice old lady.
Ah some Awesome, but Very cloudy memory of that childhood experience. Just made me remember a whole bunch of my own.
I have an abandoned Union Pacific line & ancient bridge running through my property, never considered this over walking the tracks! Active trains 24/7 on adjacent tracks still shake my house daily. Amazing video, you just unlocked a new life goal to solve ❤️🤠
Even if it was built in an awful location, the amount of lumber traffic in the 50's and 60's justified keeping up such a maintenance headache. After the 1978 tunnel fire, lumber shipments dried up overnight as the NWP was closed for weeks unable to put out the fire.
The floods and subsequent landslides in 1997 were the kiss of death for this line. The canyon is so heavily erosive that many of the old tunnels are collapsed and stretches of the railway look like a rollercoaster now.
❤❤❤❤❤❤
@@danielmenten4403 Even 101 was hard to keep open. It's funny driving on the new section that bypassed the rock slide area and looking at where the road used to be and is completely covered in places. I never expected that when it closed. We were up there one time when 101 was blocked by a big land slide, north of Garberville if I remember right. We had to go round through Alderpoint and Blocksville to get back on 101, as we were doing that we saw another very big landslide coming down into Larabee Creek. I wish we had taken video but we were afraid we'd get trapped.
I remember big floods in 55-56 and 65-66. One of them took out the Island Mountain bridge. It's tough terrain for a railroad.
This is very interesting and all, but ..
more encouraging is that.…. Dudes just living their lives )) and good at that
Think about it: you mount appropriate wheelset on more or less alive off-road vehicle …
And now you can visit so many places inaccessible by ground transportation period (nearly exclusively), that’s so cool, at least as an idea
Don't know how this ended up in my algorithm, but I'm glad it did. Cool video. great idea to get out and explore.
Every now and then, y/t throws us a bone to keep us coming back, hoping for another bone.
How many of my fellow Americans are dumbed-down to the point that they can't/wont see what's about to drop on their head's?
@@InOppositiontotheNewWorldOrder
Best comment so far tonight.
Awesome! ...
Great Dad you are !
She will remember this time and cherish it forever ...Cheers!
Tom, 25 years of youtube watching, best ever! Watched the whole video, nail biting! Beautiful views, treacherous washout ties, relentless plowing trees. Great job
No shit!
So you started watching RUclips before it existed? COOL!
What an amazing memory she will carry, having done this with Dad. Very cool.
All I can say is Awesome. To think it was 17 odd years ago, increadable. What an adventure. That young girl has probably experienced something that very few have but many would have given anything to do that trip.
Thank you for sharing an increadable adventure.
Regards from South Africa
You definitely win the best Dad award bruv this is awesome❤
@duckiest4332 Translate to English!
At least you know there is no Amtrak blasting towards you.! Train ride of a lifetime . What fun.
This takes off-roading to a new level! Great video!
One of the coolest videos I've seen on RUclips. Imagine how much more growth has taken place since 2007. I'm assuming you wouldn't be able to do this anymore because of the size of the trees growing on and near the track.
Yes, the overgrowth is well established now. Also, the landslides have devoured sections of the track. This video was the end of the line, so to speak.
Iconic part of America right there. Outstanding!
This brings back a memory of my off roading days in the early 80’s.
One Sunday morning I was wheel’n in my early gen 1 ‘77 Bronco along a recently abandoned RxR line.
I was crisscrossing from side to side over the rails negotiating the tough brush and terrain.
Then all of a sudden the steering wheel felt kinda odd then the entire truck was pulled up on the rails by itself! I was only going 2 to 3 mph.
I advanced along about 50yrds with my hand off the steering wheel.
It stayed on the rails all by itself! If I approached
14 to 16 mph the steering wheel would wobble and the truck would derail onto the ties.
So I climbed up on the rails again. And the eire extreme smooth auto pilot feeling returned.
My rider and I were very surprised. We stopped and got out of the Bronco to check out the new found discovery.
The tires were purposely low on air for better all terrain traction. The truck’s wheel width and track was perfectly centered for the rails and the low air pressure let the tires hug the rails!
We rode for about 10 miles on the rails before we rolled into town. Funny how we never went back before the rails were torn up 😢
What a fond memory…..🚂
What keeps the Suzuki Samurai rear wheels centered on the tracks? There is no steering with the front wheels in the air. Come to think of it with them blasting thru so much bush why did the front wheels also not get derailed sometines? What keeps them on the track? Just their own weight and gravity? I see videos of home made rail karts and they keep derailing. Of course the truck is heavier.
@@randyandtheretreads3144 The wheels he made for the front are conical like a trains wheels, they steer automatically towards the center of the track without having to do anything but give it gas just as if he were a train. And since they are looked in position the back wheels just follow the same line, pretty cool stuff!
Outstanding video. That Suzuki is amazing. You put the shine back on those rails.
Heck now you need a cow catcher to be safe and not get derailed. That looks like so much fun and thank you for the video of your fun.
You bet. There were definitely no cows around. We were actually able to overcome the brush at the time, but eventually the tracks became impossible because they were washed out or the trees just got too big in the rails. This was definitely the end of the line, if you know what I mean.
Hello from New Zealand, what an adventure, absolutely enjoyed this video, great home built machine for this rail exploring, I am surprised at how good a condition the track is in for having been closed for so long in a tough environment 're weather, A 6 ton or 8 ton excavator rail adapted would open the section you traveled on easy , it's sad to see it getting over grown , great potential here for light train or cars such as your for tourist potential etc, beautiful looking countryside for what I could see of it 're smoke, no doubt bush fires burning somewhere, At 70 years of age I am still working during the Northern Territory of Australia dry season operating a caterpillar 16 H grader in the outback on a large 1.2 million acre cattle station, this season we have had numerous fires which are started by dry lightning, we fight them with graders, bulldozers and loaders cutting breaks in front of them then back burning into main fires, all flat country , so I'm well used to smoke , Have subscribed to you and looking forward to seeing more of your videos , Chèers from NZ
Thanks for the wonderful comments. I believe that when I shot this footage it was smoke from fires, as you noted. The fires weren't as common then as they have been in recent years. The big problem with the rail line is the obvious maintenance on a large scale that would not only impact the line regularly, but would be expensive and hard for the operators to justify the expense. The geography of northern California always challenged those who wanted to develop the redwood empire in its early days. Only 3% of land in Humboldt County (where this is) is flat. It's one reason why Eureka didn't ever really become a major California city like San Francisco or LA. I love the mental imagery of your Caterpillar in the Northwest territory and the rugged Australian country. There is a cattle ranch all around where this footage was taken, a very large land holding by California standards. the Fort Seward Ranch, but is tiny compared to 1.2 million acres at a mere 28,000 acres. Stay active! Cheers.
Hi
Also from nz
I wonder if you fitted an horizontal v shaped blade on the front side bogies to clear those saplings as you traveled
My allergies would be off the chain riding on this.
Most of our old, unused rail lines are ripped up and the rail bed is used for cycle & walking tails. It is a shame, but at least people can still access them.
Good choice using the Samurai those things are great little trucks
Epic! My father-in-law, Ralph Aubrey worked this section for years. Him and his wife would ride it into Fortuna every Friday. When the baby came along, one would hop on the slow moving train while the other one handed-off the baby. It's a damn shame that this line was shut down.
He and his wife.
@@jimprice1959did you just assume his pronouns?
"Me and him" just frys me. Our 5th grade teacher told us it was "he and I" I hear many semi illiterates use objective pronouns as subjects.@@aribpm
@@jimprice1959 I was making light of your corrections and the current state of affairs in this world. Also, I am horrible at proper English.
No problem. It's just that my grandmother was a teacher and she (her) and my mother hammered proper English into us so we would be influenced by dust bowl migrants. 🙂@@aribpm
That's a real DAD right there, these moments she will cherish forever !!🎉❤😊
Thanks for the view. I rode from San Rafael to Eureka and return back in the day. I'm an old fart.
Why is no one talking about that Samurai? What an incredible machine. Little beast.
The best backyard playground ever!
Loved this video, brings back many memories of exploring as a youth in Oregon. Thanks for sharing this with the world. I can't think of a video I have enjoyed more.
It was a helluva adventure! 👍
Awesome. I like how part of the track is still clear then other parts are so over grown.
Thanks for the video. I miss my Samurai 😢
Brings whole new meaning to owning a weekend track car
This is so cool. Thank you for sharing this piece of history with us!
I see you have a helper aboard. 😂 Shewill never forget that presious moment. Very cool. My grand daughter would love that.👍👍✌️❤️🙏🙏🙏🙏
I'm so jealous! I've ALWAYS wanted to ride the rails like this! In my own vehicle to see places in the country only a select few have seen and just get off in any town I choose to eat and get gas and so forth! Thanks for sharing this!!✌🐢
As a kid school project I wrote to the state capital and got tons of information about the state access to everything from the trails to the bike paths and everything in between. I believe that there is a national route map available online somewhere.
The young lady has been on a true once in a lifetime ride! I sure would like to speak with her,The positive affect on her life this has been would surely be reflected in her personality ! Thank you for sharing this wonderful story. I'm looking for a Suzuki to make my own adventures with!
Very cool, I couldn't look away. You guys can go where nobody else can...that's what makes it so captivating. Now I want rail wheels on my Jeep.
Quality family time right here. I wish my dad had taken me on adventures like this.
Thanks for posting this. It really shows what northern California is like in the summer. I can feel and smell that just looking at it. For twenty years while I lived in the Bay Area I had the run of a ranch out behind Willits. I regret not spending more time there now.
Yes, I too imagine the aroma and dry heat. Freshly abraded vegetation of the coastal CA woods has a memorable scent.
The ride was inexplicably soothing.
Such an amazing experience for your little girl that will probably be a cherished memory she will always remember.
She probley got over it really quick. Most kids dont have the attention span it takes to really appreciate exoeriences like this. Shame...but she will alqays enjoy and learn from it in her memory in the future
That was a most excellent adventure! Thank you so much for recording and sharing this epic ride.
It would be neat to take camping gear and camp along the way. Beautiful scenery. Thank you for sharing this.
What an absolute amazing adventure. I would pay good money to go on this beautiful ride. So very cool. Thank you for sharing this.
I was just thinking that.
You can rent rail bikes not too far away and pedal the rails
Wonderful. I could,do that all day..combine the ride with a few hours fly fishing. Heaven. Thank you
@@GS-xt8fu unfortunately they mostly ruined that amazing river for fishing by cutting down all the trees and taking the water for the Russian River.
Creating forever memories with Dad... what could be better?
This is the most freedom and fun man can ever achieve, this is exactly what I as europian imagine america beeing
👍👍
Freedom is going to make a triumphant return world wide. Over there ill start in France and spread. Be ready. The best is yet to come
American here. I thoroughly enjoyed your comment, seeing it through your/an outside perspective. When I think of the US I just think of some national parks but mostly the big cities, even though I love the outdoors and go to west Yellowstone often. America really is great when you visit these types of places that are so wild and raw. Especially the PNW in my opinion. Endless open space and adventures to explore. And for me personally, building and making your own contraptions is another avenue of my idea of freedom in my spare time, kinda like this guy and his rail mobile but definitely not to that level…. Yet. 😏
Apart from being a very dangerous trip to take a kid...in the spirit of adventure and coming out of it alive....I vote this to be THE most interesting video on RUclips.
Why is this dangerous?
She was only on the first part. We didn’t take her on the crazy sections. This is a compilation of two days.
@pgnandt look at the tressel bridge and the drop offs....I'm sure the former Railway company or the State wouldn't allow him to do that...if not then than these days for sure....
@tomproctor8233 that's great...not saying anything other than it was a great trip and a lifetime experience but...I know those Suzukis and they are like the old CJ5 Jeeps....tippy like crazy....although everything looks like you were safe....it isn't much different than my dad driving us on the sea to sky highway from Vancouver to Whistler in the 70's...narrow road and scary level drop offs....the Jeep I'm taking about was a CJ5 from the mid sixties and it's wheel base was intensely short front to back. It would tip or lean to one side cornering.
@@ARCOFJUPITER Well some people don't need the railway or government to keep them safe. Jus'sayin'.
What a great ride thank you for posting bring back memories of train car days as a teen abandoned in Wisconsin.Makes me think of the story the boxcar children .
You needed the Mach 5's twin saw blades for that one section! 😄
Rock On Speed Racer!!
I would love to see more of these kinds of videos. Old abandon rail roads are one of my favorite structures. Super cool when you went over that bridge.
Gosh, I remember poking around those old abandoned tracks and railbeds around the Eel when my uncle lived up in Willits. Gotta say, a Samurai-turned-rail speeder is a classy way to explore up there.
I honestly wish there were restorations to the tracks in some places .. I'm not sure of how it all works .. cutting the growth and supporting the old wooden structures ect .. I'm so glad to get to see this. .. I hope it remains accessable for you all
Check out: eelriver.org/projects/protecting-the-eel-river-canyon/great-redwood-trail/
What an amazing landscape, Western US is one of the most gorgeous place on earth, the dry grass gets me every time,
Thank you for sharing your unique experience with us.
Love the Suzuki Samurai those little warriors will run forever if you take care of them ❤
They run and run even if you don’t take care of them. Those guys never change the oil on that rig for years and it just kept going. It finally died, but it put in nine lives of service that’s for sure.
That was epic, just amazing to see you go through the overgrown rail line. Exciting because you never know what lies ahead
What a Cool adventure!! Back in the day, I made a couple of Motor Cycle trips down 101 and then to California highway 1 from Tillamook Or. to San Francisco. Great memories and beautiful country and I remember traveling along the Eel River.
Thanks for posting and bringing back some great memories.
Russ
Great Video! Thanks for giving all the details in you description area. Most video people never give the viewers all the Facts like you did. Looking for more videos from you Tom..thanks..BB
What a Awesome ride, thanks for letting me tag along for the ride in this video.
an
I lived in Scocia from 1961 until 1964. I remember when the trains used to come to the town. I was even in Rio Dell during the 1964 Christmas flood of the Eel River. It is sad to see those rails looking old and abandoned.😢
Yeah, the legendary flood of 64 really took a huge toll on things here. It was the beginning of the end.
thank you for the ride along! 👍👍
That was a truly great ride. Thanks for taking us along 👍
Nice Piece Of Engineering! How smart you are using a short wheel base 4X4, manual transmission, power winch with large all terrain tires to climb onto the rail or four wheel around a compromised section. But the really great idea is the adapter wheel assembly that lifts the front end completely in the air! The front weigh (Body + Engine) on those two steel wheels commands the Samurai to follow the rail through the harshest vegetation. Heavy enough, but not too heavy where one could slice a side wall of a tire on the side of a rail. Again, such a great yet simple design. You can handle virtually any issue that comes up along your thrilling Disneyland ride. Thank you so much for sharing this. If I were to improve your design I would include Lockers on all wheels
for temporary situations.
Love your comments. I wish I could take credit for the ingenious designs here, but it was the late great Johnny B. He grew up in a logging camp back in the 30s and became a local hobo of sorts. He was the one that put this together in the 90s. He wasn't real popular with the railroad operators I heard. Anyway, you made me laugh out loud when you mentioned the Disneyland ride. My friend there used to comment that this was better than an E ride at Disneyland. (Not sure what that is but it sounds thrilling). It was indeed better than anything they could offer.
Great you took advantage of that resource...could have been a billion dollar tourist industry if folks in power had the vision and the balls to do it. What a beautiful ride, and a hell of a waste.
Could have even had plenty of timber had they managed it well. With the port and the railroad, if there was some forward thinking in Humboldt County, there'd be plenty of business and work up there - even in non-manufacturing/fishing.
this is actually incredible. views that we may never get again
Just imagine a hundred years ago being on a locomotive riding through those hills ❤
Brings back memories and mixed emotions! We took the last Eureka Southern passenger trip on this line, back around 1990, when I was a kid. The line was already in terrible shape, washed over in places, and the trip took twice as long as expected. At one point the caboose derailed and we had to abandon it. Your way seems better!
i had a good time never saw anything like it,,,Thank you.
That was cool glad I watched! Next, mount a bush hog to keep those evergreen trees from growing up and destroying the tracks.
back in the late 70s, a friend had an old strip-down car and we would let the air out of the tires. On active two trains a day track. Brings back memories.
holy heck
Huell howser would have loved to put this on californias gold! Miss that guy.
Such a cool video. Stuff like this is what makes RUclips still bearable. Thanks for posting!
Now this looks fun!
Thank s for share; when the rail is not in used, the nature claim it back, so sad, but nice to see, 👍👍.
Thanks for the ride along you are the man!! ever since I was a little kid? I always wanted to have a vehicle that you go on the tracks as well, born and raised on Union and Southern Pacific tracks.
Really amazing, imagine walking along the tracks and hearing you come along, would be pretty scary
I'm amazed it's in this good of shape. At the Scotia trestle it would be impossible. Sections near the PG&E plant are completely undermined.
Cool video! Glad to see videos of our area. Thanks for posting.
Well... I doubt it's in this condition today. 17 years later. Would be interesting to see and compare.
Those Suzuki Samurais, what a car. Wish I still had mine.
Yes, I agree, they are really hard to find because no one that still has one would sell it. I wish they would make a new version of it. I would buy one immediately.
This was surprisingly satisfying to watch!
What memories. In the late 70''s rode empty boxcars from Eureka to Willits. The train used to leave at about 7:30 every morning. Hobo'ed that ride with a sweet young lady, now we've been married 45 yrs with 5 grandkids..
Aww, man. My old stomping ground in the 80s n 90s. Humboldt to Reno. Some of the best memories
I'm 57 I was born and raised in reading my dad was a logger. The most beautiful place on Earth as far as I'm concerned.
Redding
That's one of the best rail carts I have ever seen it gives you a choice when you run out of track.
Best. Dad. Ever.
What I like about your rig is instead of all the janky thrown together with duct tape and hope, you've built a pretty robust rig that's prepared for whatever may come.
The best way to see the canyon and historic rail line is from the river, in a raft. The modified railcar is pretty cool though!
Actually, it's the only way to go now that the tracks are overgrown with trees, and in terrible shape otherwise. It's a nice trip if there's enough water in the river. Plenty of great little beaches to stop and not too many people out there.
After clearing all that brush, the RR might decide to use the tracks again. Great video thanks.
I wish we could do this in the uk !
Best abandoned track video.
Wow what an incredible vintage footage brother! Thank you for spending the time and energy to bring this to the world.
I like the fact that the adapted vehicle is an old Suzuki Samurai.. interesting mechanical choice! 🤔👍
Fué fantástico amigo!!,todo un viaje de aventura!, gracias! 😊
Too cool. Even though it's a dated, must be great memories. Thanks for sharing.
Dude this is so cool. Great vehicle creation. Such a beast! Talk about getting off grid.
Excellent video!
Based dad, I would love to have this experience. Thanks for sharing.
You sir, are a awesome dad. I wish for life to ALWAYS sing you and your family, such wonderful tunes 🎶🤠🎶 GOD bless
At 45:37 - 45:40 exactly, and in a few frames after that, you can just see the entrance to Tunnel 34 (3 miles from Eel Rock) that we never made it to because of the rockslide we encountered here. Look just to left of the big tree and down river. Do you see it? It's very hard to spot and I only know about it from a comment here. I'm so bummed we never made it to the tunnel. We would not have gone in without exploring it's length and condition since we could not turn around.
@TomProctor WOW.. WOW
The only video I have ever stopped midway just to comment.
I can’t explain it, I feel it. This rattles my core..thank you for sharing this beautiful piece of history.
Yes, really cool video. how'd you find the track? Oh, one thought "metal detector"
@26:05 the reason, if you dont know, you dont get "power" off on all wheels is because most 4x4's have. "limited slip" differentials. some 4x4's have "locked differentials". all 4 wheels pull thats great for 4 wheeling but bad when turning on dry ground or pavement. when turning or steering the truck will jump, tires chirp, at least the Toyota trucks ive had did. my 85" had limited slip then I got a 88' and it pulled all 4 wheels.
Did the Samurai have a name?
...It's good to have a Krazy Daddy. 😉
Most excellent. I can't believe how well yer Zuk mod rain through the shrubs etc. Ain't doing that on no rail bicycle. I have an old VW. Puts my mind to it. Good stuff. Great area. Tire pressure...?
This is so cool!
What a GREAT memory for everyone involved!
When I (72) was a kid, I'd see the railroad workers cruising down the tracks in their service trucks and always thought it would be a really neat way to travel cross-country and all around.
Think about some of the places you could go if you could drive the old, rusty, narrow-gauge tracks that still exist in some of the out-of-the-way places in the States.