I'm glad you posted this "how to" video. I need to do this job on my AC6000... I think I have everything I need, I just need to find the safety vests. It looked to me like they put an axle in where a motor and axle used to be.
@ETOPSOf course, the most efficient option was to install a non-working axle until the locomotive could be taken to the shop. My remark was about the non- truth that said they changed a traction motor.
The thing that impressed me the most was how you could tell that everyone knew exactly where *not* to be during each phase of the operation. Like, you can see in the video how people are taking really wide routes around when they're walking to avoid crush zones
That was AWESOME! A very dangerous operation considering the weights involved! Did anyone notice the LARGE dozer was bobbing from the weight of that electric motor when it was lifted off the tracks? Thank you for sharing this video of the electric motor removal from the CSX AC6000 5006. I love these big toys! :)
A lot of copper in that motor, must be expensive and its not a "large dozer" lol its a regular bucket dozer you see on most construction sites in America, good scooper. An average dozer is a D9 D8 close to 50 tons and its also common, a large Dozer is 100+ tons , this is a consumer grade scooper haha , pretty common to find Here you have pipe line equipment used to lift and a scooper all of those are cheap and easy to find with exception of the equipment installed on the pipeline dozers, those cables and motors are expansive.
@@aleksankazakov D-8s are only about 20 ton (40,000 lbs) while the D9s average 50 ton (100,000 lbs) depending on attachments. But yeah, the dozers in this clip were not too terribly large when measured against the weight of that power unit. Kinda reminds of a pair of pickup trucks attempting to pull a loaded 'pup' trailer loaded with lumber.
@@katawa5268 The whole operation is relatively cheap, the reason I comment on it because some make a big deal about it, they use outdated equipment, basically whatever they had laying around. These pipe dozers are out of 70s so no need to say how a bucket loader is overwhelmed by a 5 ton motor assembly.
@@aleksankazakov The other overlooked tidbit was the reach of the sling while lifting. That same weight lifted within a foot of the body would not have caused so much sway as this. Or, had there been a tail mounted counter weight the whole lift would have been more stable as well.
The gentlemen from RJ Corman are true professionals. This type of coordinated work solving real time problems is gained only through experience and a willingness to learn. This cannot be taught in school. On the job training learning to work with smart people that KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING makes true professionals.
I worked for CSX and saw them fix a yard derailment lickety split. From the time of derailment 'til they got there was less than an hour. It was an amazing ballet to watch them at work.
Back in the olden days, we used to rerail minor mishaps in the yard with our own people and equipment. But after they cut the forces to the bone, contractors became the way. The contractors are good at it now.
Most definitely more involved than an engine swap on a car. A very instructional video of exactly what is involved in maintaining these monsters. Thank You for posting and Thank You as well to the workers allowing you to record this
Been in excavating business for years...small 2 man show...but I forget sometimes how amazing "Man And Machine" is. I am impressed that someone built these big machines...someone has to repair them...good video...reminds me to be proud of America's Great Achievements along with other Great countries...but I love America First. Great Men and Woman built great wonders over the last 100 years or so. To me...the Steam Locomotive is still an impressive machine for the time. A few years ago I was on a small excavation job at our airport...a 1950's DC7 Fire Retardant planes were in the hanger. I asked if I could look at the cockpit. I was amazed at this "Dump Truck Of The Sky". I marveled...again at mans ingenuity.
I’ve been a union operator for 5 years now and pipelining for 8 years and have been running a side boom or trachoe on very job since I started operating and I had no idea they used side booms for railroad maintenance. Mind blown
+hawkeye0248 You can tell a lot about their professionalism from the way they communicate. I saw one re-railing video where the men were yelling and whistling at each other over a lot of engine noise, absolutely disgusting.
Looks to me.... and I'm no train expert..... but they removed a complete motor and wheel assembly and installed a roller to get it back to the yard for a full repair. It has 5 traction motors
Title is off, still a good vid. That traction motor is clearly seized, easier to slip an idler axle in and replace when you have access to shop facilities.
The GP9 that's parked at Horseshoe Curve actually has all unpowered axels like that one they replaced the bad traction motor with- incase anyone was ever wondering.
How many traction motors are there? And why did they reinstall with dummy wheels on this locomotive? Those traction motor wheels must draw one helluva lot of amps when there working, don't they?
The phrase "change out a traction motor," does not mean to remove and replace with same. Meaning another traction motor. Change is exactly what they did! They removed the traction motor, most likely because it locked up, and replaced with a wheel set sufficient to allow the locomotive to be moved to a shop facility. I know what I am talking about. I am an AAR writeup inspector for Union Pacific, I have 38 years of service.
That was so satisfying. I wish I’d chosen a career that allowed me to work with others to complete a task of this size. I, instead, restore vintage cars. I could totally start a new career doing this and I’d sleep so well at night.
I just applied. Coming from the service tech Dept. Seeing how things go. Car restoration would be my go to, got an 82 four eyed fox body(mustang) I'm trying to restore. Imo, just try applying. 🤘
The real artist of this master piece is the person in the cab of the locomotive that can use the throttle to harness and control the power those traction motors put out. I know, I am an retired artist.
for those who never knew, RJ CORMAN was a genius. Kentucky native. started his passion in the back of his truck. I don't remember 20010-2012??? corman was ate up so bad with brain cancer, it killed him. his company is handled well thanks to knowledgeable employees, investors and everyone who plays apart to make it run. big company to be from a pickup😃😉
You want to know how heavy that motor is? Watch the rear end of that D9 as it is lifting the assembly! I used to work with a company where I called on a railroad mechanical shop and I would see these things being torn apart all the time. Very cool The head mechanic got me in "close and personal" with the engines. It was way cool!
+eifeldude1 Of course there are things on the globe that weigh a 100 tonnes. Doesn't mean that 12500 pounds isn't heavy. Such a weight needs very heavy lifting equipment, and people need to be very careful. 12500 pounds won't stop for a microsecond for a bit of flesh and bone.
They replace the traction motor with a dummy axle however the train should still be able to be powered by the other traction Motors. Excellent job by these guys they are so efficient and organized and intelligent and it is very dangerous work I'm sure they are being paid correctly
Well,,kind words.I was a master fabricator/machinist in logging. My favorite beast was the 124 Madill cable yarder .Big beast,high maintenance and depending on operators(engineers) many parts to be made. There is a down side to retirement .
I totally agree. I was an equipment operator in the Seabees until my retirement. I miss playing with my toys. But I still get to be around them from time to time hauling a cement tanker in my civilian job. Still not the same thing, though.
My better half is an assistant superintendent for Rj Corman and oversees a crew that does this. They took the loco out of service, pulled the traction motor and slid in wheels so the locomotive could be towed to the shop for further service inspection and put back into operation.
Not really very dirty. Somewhat dangerous, though, especially if the people doing the job don't watch what they're doing. It obviously requires a lot of training and a good safety culture. (Having a 5-ton motor, or a 500-ton locomotive, dropped on one can be injurious or fatal.)
about 100 tons of pure muscle being lifted, amazing, i see when that thing crashes a car(bus/truck, whatever, ir doesn't even drop speed in the crash, it's great banter
Yup! This loco weighs around 430,000 pounds. Lifting one end gives you roughly half, which is a good estimate because they try to balance the weight on each of the two bogies when they design locomotives.
@@BenjaminEsposti It is pretty amazing how they make it look like they are changing a tire on the side of the freeway! LOL. Now imagine that a grossed-out 747 weighs close to 875,000 pounds, -and it flies! It is simply amazing what we can do, -isn't it?
Wow! What an incredible TEAM job! Thanks so much for filming...this is what being human is all about. Working together for the common good (and a little bit of green $$). Ha! KP
That faulty traction motor looked like it had seized up as its axle wheels were not rotating. Great video, just temporary conversion from CoCo to CoA1A with loss of about 600 Hp.
I can't believe all the comments complaining that they didn't a traction motor going back under the engine. I wanted to see the set-up and break-down of the RJ Corman equipment. I know those Cats could not have been hauled on the highway with those crane booms still attached.
Mr. Reynolds, I agree it would be interesting to see. I worked for Hulcher, a few years, err, I mean a few decades ago. At that time you would remove the counterweights, counterweight rack, boom, and all the slings, chains, and hardware for transport. I seem to recall it would take around 30 minutes to rig up two tractors. Each tractor has a lowboy to haul it, plus another tractor/trailer for all the extras. As I recall the counterweights are like 15-20,000 pounds.
I work for winters Rigging and Bradley is correct....we do the same work in derailment....25-30 min to set up and tear down two low boys,flat deck and crane truck and box truck to haul all the chains and books.
For all those saying why replace with an idler rather than just sticking a new motor in it. The have idlers, which fit multiple locomotives stored and ready to go in various places, to allow for quick changes. The motors are expensive, and fitment is more specific, therefore they don't just leave a bunch laying all over the place in case they need them. The motors sit in the repair depot.
Yeah, the traction motor was definitely seized. You can see that the wheels aren't turning when they pull it. No way to get it to the shop w/o pulling the motor. And no way CSX would spend that kind of money if they didn't have to. So why all of the second guessing? Really cool video. Thanks!
+William Taylor If that was in fort Montgomery ny it is a hard area to work at the bottom of a big hill/ mountain along the Hudson river single I think in that area, track heavy usage by freight & passenger . It is just above the fort / school West Point. I thought it is a major train usage along with another track on the other side of the hudson river. I would think taking a chance of derailment would not be smart.
I agree if they couldn't if they had to do the damn work in the field get it movable they had to do the work in the field to get it movable sometimes you got to spend the money commit to get the damn things doneyou have to be able to move it to get it back in to get fixed if it won't move you got to do the work in the field simple as that
H thing that surprises me is how they let it out of the yard with one wheel with one wheel locked up somebody did not inspect things properly I bet you
wow, been a long time since I've seen a Side booms working. probably because I've been retired for a long time . I used to work for Hulcher Services... RJC's competitor :) I kinda miss it but I don't miss waking up at 2am for some kind of fast response emergency That turns a 9 hour day into a 15 hour day :( you youngsters can have it, great video, stay safe.
HOW are you going to do it when the train is not straight? You would lift it and then what? LOL its like saying a car lift in the car shop isnt needed because they could have done it with 2 jack stands just as you would on your own driveway. This is rail they have to have industrial equipment and a bunch of guys they have to pay 10 times of world salary doing exactly same thing but dummer than lets say what they do in China or Europe or South America, On this I agree with you. Yeh they like to spend money, its all ensured by the big corp. $ dollar and backed by the FED but the fact is to hire John is expensive in the U.S. so as the rest because John rather not work and get paid by his own gov getting fair law pay, watching this on RUclips from home drinking bud light.
So this was mainly a patch job to get the engine to roll with out damaging the rails or the trucks. The wheel set that they rolled under didnt have a traction motor on it. Loved how the dozer that picked up the dead traction motor/wheel set was very nose heavy and looked like it was about to tip up. Very heavy critter there!
I noticed the same thing. I've read all the posts here but no-one seems to have the end answer. Interesting video though. I hadn't realized that there were contractors out there that do this sort of work. I had assumed the railroads had their own crews.
suffolk6311 : Re "...a free axle set was installed only. No motor.": Yes. If the motor of a pickup seizes-up on the side of a highway, would one install a new motor on the spot? No; one needs proper facilities, equipment, and tools for that; so instead, one would tow the pickup to a repair shop and replace the motor _there_ . Which is what these trainmen decided to do with this locomotive: they elected to replace the bad motor with an axle only in the field, then tow it to a repair shop where it's safer and easier to replace the motor.
@@falrus : What's happening in this video is, the railroad folks removed a bad traction motor from a locomotive, replaced it with an axle only (no motor), then towed it to a repair facility which has all of the tools and supplies they need to do a proper repair. The same would be done if the motor in your car froze up: AAA would tow it to a repair shop. They wouldn't try to repair or replace the bad motor on the side of the road, for multiple reasons: too dangerous, too difficult, and the proper tools and supplies and environment are not present.
The traction motor _does_ get "replaced" in this video... just, not with another traction motor (they use a plain axle instead). They probably figured it would be safer and easier to install a new motor in the shop rather than in the field.
Amazing! I assumed that job requires the locomotive to be taken to a shop, because all of the equipment to lift the trains were in a large building with heavy lift equipment was there, and it will be in for days.
nice footage! They didn't replace the damaged traction motor, they swapped it with an "empty" axle (you can tell from the geared inner ring that that is a traction motor axle).... I guess they'll have to rebuild the damaged e-engine first .... it's weird to me that they don't have any "swap meat" ready to go ....maybe it's just cutting down costs as everywhere else too, nowadays .... sadly
Makes perfect sense to me. Do the minimum amount of work in the field and send the job back to the workshop where they have all the gear to do the whole job easily. Always costs far far more in the field than in the workshop.
+peetre yes, yes... sometimes it helps to loosen a tight bolt by tightening it just a bit, then backing it out.. To those who don't do this kind of work it may sound strange, but it does help sometimes.
It is called a "locked axle." These locomotives are routinely inspected so something like this is a rare,(perhaps once /year) A locked axle occurs when the lubricant in the pan of the motor escapes from a seal going bad , or perhaps a tooth on either the drive pinion of the motor or wheelset chipped off and became jammed in turn locking the axle. At any rate, a locomotive cannot be moved to a repair facility without a high probability of a derailment, so a "field repair," with an idler wheelset gets the locomotive moving to a proper repair at a locomotive shop. (in this case, probably Selkirk is closest) Corman gets BIG BUCK$ for a derailment or field repair like this. The labor alone is @ $80/hr for 8 men , 4-6 hrs. for a job like this, longer for derailments.
When I worked for Santa fe as a locomotive machinist we would just with a laborer or another machinist and cut the lube box huck bolts remove the pans and cut the pinion shaft. It would then be moved to Barstow LMIT where I worked to get a traction moter. A lot cheaper then 8 guys and equipment fees.
Meant to say we would go out with a laborer or another machinist so you had a second person incase of an emergency and they could also hand tools underneath. Laborers didn't do the work.
Probably not a cheap roadside call. With all of that equipment, there was not an air compressor with an impact wrench? That looked like some serious bolts that they had to break loose.
They went in a pulled a bad drive motor and put in an idler. A full drive motor will be a shop which will be reworking the problem one and returning it.
please pardon the nub question from a NON railroad expert but couldnt the motor have been isolated electrically and coast to the next maintenance event? because it always seems there are extra motive power available, just sayin
Not if the motor has seized. If it's seized, as it appears it has in the video, it's not doing any kind of coasting, and may in fact cause further damage to the locomotive and the rails it rides on
Thanks for the vid - did anyone working on that know that the cattle guard on the other end was digging into the tracks? I guess they had to do that to get the job done, but seems there would be a lot of unwanted forces somewhere along the line.
to hawkeye0248 just watched traction motor change very good upload.here in uk with all crane & lift work we always had to have a banksman on site. these are skilled people to their trade.i myself have installed large fans & gensets where the crane man is working blind were it not for his banksman to instruct him on radio. nice to watch real pros & workmen in action
Makes me wonder why they would spend the time and effort of contracting a 3rd party company for likely 10's of thousands of dollars just to throw a dummy axle in it when they could have just towed it home and fixed it on their own dime. Unless the traction motor was seized and wouldn't turn. Either way cool cool video, nice catch man.
***** This might be a silly question, but are there trucks that could carry that loco back to the shop? I think there are flatbed trailers that can transport tanks, and they are pretty damned heavy, themselves.
ExBruinsFan It is likely that the traction motor seized, or suffered some other serious mechanical failure, otherwise it could be electrically isolated, and the locomotive could continue on to a repair facility. As concerns a truck hauling the locomotive away; such a thing is not possible for many reasons beyond not being able to get the locomotive up onto the truck, even if such a truck did exist. The largest piece of military armor weighs but a fraction of a locomotive's weight. The machine that is the subject of this video weighs more than 400,000 pounds. By comparison the heaviest Abrams tank tops the scales at a paltry 136,000 pounds. The locomotive is ten feet wide and approximately fourteen feet tall. Loaded onto even the lowest low-boy type trailer, it would never be able to transit the roadways and clear all the necessary obstructions which are designed to a gauge that allows passage of standard semi-trucks and an occasional slightly oversize load, but nothing on the scale of a locomotive atop a trailer which would be massive enough to carry it.
Notice when they dragged the assembly out the wheels were dragging which means it was seized up or close to it. An idler axle will be fine for getting it to the shop where it's easier to work on the trucks. No point in a contractor changing out the motor when they will all probably need inspection.
Pretty close. RJ Corman did start out with a "one truck" excavation business, and got a contract to clean up after a derailment. He did such a good job at a fair price he got more work. If a banker hadn't been impressed enough with him to give RJ a decent interest rate on his first big loan, things might have gone very differently.
R.J. Corman wound up working near a train of railroad ties in gondolas that a crew of men were going to heave out onto the right of way for later installation and the track superintendent happened to be there to observe. Mr Corman asked if he could demonstrate a different way to distribute ties and asked for the first car in the train be spotted at the edge of the grade crossing then uncoupling the engine. The track super and everyone else were absolutely shocked when he climbed onto a 480 CK Case front end loader backhoe and climbed into the gondola car loaded with ties and using a pitch claw mounted to the backhoe stick started grabbing ties and setting them on the right of way much faster and easier than doing it by hand. He emptied out the entire train in one day versus the scheduled 5 days. That was how RJ Corman got his first major railroad contract Cheers!
I like the every in can hear what is going on; the orders can be given by radio. Those men trying to break that nut loose needed an air impact wrench. I would say that the work crew changing out the motor has it all in one sock. now this engine will go straight to the shop to get a new motor right? very good video.
I'm glad you posted this "how to" video. I need to do this job on my AC6000... I think I have everything I need, I just need to find the safety vests. It looked to me like they put an axle in where a motor and axle used to be.
That's what they do when not in a shop to fix it properly.
Xz
My local autozone is out of traction motors but has plenty of traction axles
@@maximumhardcore4362
My local auto one are a bunch of clowns😷😷😷😷
@@DavidGurrney7589 same haha
They did not change out a traction motor. They replaced it with a dummy axle.
yeah wtf
That's what I was thinking! I don't know anything about trains but the part that went in didn't look like that part that came out 😂
you beat me to it, Ernest
Impressive!
@ETOPSOf course, the most efficient option was to install a non-working axle until the locomotive could be taken to the shop. My remark was about the non- truth that said they changed a traction motor.
I am a construction equipment mechanic, mad respect for these guys, and how well organized and proficient they are!
The thing that impressed me the most was how you could tell that everyone knew exactly where *not* to be during each phase of the operation. Like, you can see in the video how people are taking really wide routes around when they're walking to avoid crush zones
That was AWESOME! A very dangerous operation considering the weights involved! Did anyone notice the LARGE dozer was bobbing from the weight of that electric motor when it was lifted off the tracks?
Thank you for sharing this video of the electric motor removal from the CSX AC6000 5006. I love these big toys! :)
That motor and axle is roughly 10,000 lbs (more or less depending on model). I've hauled several over my career.
A lot of copper in that motor, must be expensive and its not a "large dozer" lol its a regular bucket dozer you see on most construction sites in America, good scooper. An average dozer is a D9 D8 close to 50 tons and its also common, a large Dozer is 100+ tons , this is a consumer grade scooper haha , pretty common to find
Here you have pipe line equipment used to lift and a scooper all of those are cheap and easy to find with exception of the equipment installed on the pipeline dozers, those cables and motors are expansive.
@@aleksankazakov D-8s are only about 20 ton (40,000 lbs) while the D9s average 50 ton (100,000 lbs) depending on attachments. But yeah, the dozers in this clip were not too terribly large when measured against the weight of that power unit.
Kinda reminds of a pair of pickup trucks attempting to pull a loaded 'pup' trailer loaded with lumber.
@@katawa5268 The whole operation is relatively cheap, the reason I comment on it because some make a big deal about it, they use outdated equipment, basically whatever they had laying around.
These pipe dozers are out of 70s so no need to say how a bucket loader is overwhelmed by a 5 ton motor assembly.
@@aleksankazakov The other overlooked tidbit was the reach of the sling while lifting. That same weight lifted within a foot of the body would not have caused so much sway as this. Or, had there been a tail mounted counter weight the whole lift would have been more stable as well.
The gentlemen from RJ Corman are true professionals. This type of coordinated work solving real time problems is gained only through experience and a willingness to learn. This cannot be taught in school. On the job training learning to work with smart people that KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING makes true professionals.
I worked for CSX and saw them fix a yard derailment lickety split.
From the time of derailment 'til they got there was less than an hour. It was an amazing ballet to watch them at work.
Back in the olden days, we used to rerail minor mishaps in the yard with our own people and equipment. But after they cut the forces to the bone, contractors became the way. The contractors are good at it now.
They also take work away from railroaders
fucking contractors
@@TheNemosdaddy A job is a job. I'm sure Corman pays pretty well.
Most definitely more involved than an engine swap on a car. A very instructional video of exactly what is involved in maintaining these monsters.
Thank You for posting and Thank You as well to the workers allowing you to record this
If any video deserved "it's Miller time!", this one does.
Great job, guys.
beer o' clock
There are still some folks in this world that know how to work and are willing to do so.
Been in excavating business for years...small 2 man show...but I forget sometimes how amazing "Man And Machine" is. I am impressed that someone built these big machines...someone has to repair them...good video...reminds me to be proud of America's Great Achievements along with other Great countries...but I love America First. Great Men and Woman built great wonders over the last 100 years or so. To me...the Steam Locomotive is still an impressive machine for the time. A few years ago I was on a small excavation job at our airport...a 1950's DC7 Fire Retardant planes were in the hanger. I asked if I could look at the cockpit. I was amazed at this "Dump Truck Of The Sky". I marveled...again at mans ingenuity.
It would be interesting to know the repair cost that R. J. Corman charges
Oh about a buck, three eighty-nine.
Shane vanWinkle
Marion Van Peer reviewed
Very well said.
I’ve been a union operator for 5 years now and pipelining for 8 years and have been running a side boom or trachoe on very job since I started operating and I had no idea they used side booms for railroad maintenance. Mind blown
Those guys are crazy good with it too man.
I just love the finger language between the crane operator and the engineer at the scene.
+hawkeye0248we had hand and finger signals between the crews that worked in the engine room on ship in the ship yard because of the noise.
+hawkeye0248 You can tell a lot about their professionalism from the way they communicate. I saw one re-railing video where the men were yelling and whistling at each other over a lot of engine noise, absolutely disgusting.
+Salvatore Shiggerino Thanks for the info
Gang signs.....
LOL!!!
me too
Now comes Miller time. Pretty awesome operation. The rear of that dozer was getting kind of light after it picked up that motor.
I used to operate one of those, they can pick up about 6 tons, so that must be about what that axle was.
Plus he was reversing towards the rails, that made the dozer tip a little.
Damnit now I’m gonna be on RUclips for hours looking at videos about locomotives and all the parts involved!!
lol.. it gets you in man.
No joke
Didnt plan on doing that did you? You're not the only one lol
@@AVG336 I didn't plan on working there for 20 years, lol.
Looks to me.... and I'm no train expert..... but they removed a complete motor and wheel assembly and installed a roller to get it back to the yard for a full repair. It has 5 traction motors
Azdrtdog Guru of go. You are right, there is a much serious more problem.
It must have been serious for them to leave this unit blocking a major single track line all night.
Having worked for GM at the Locomotive plant in London when it was open I can comfortably say you are spot on with your call.
I agree, they did not put a drive assembly back in, only an idler.
Ditto...
Title is off, still a good vid. That traction motor is clearly seized, easier to slip an idler axle in and replace when you have access to shop facilities.
I really enjoy RJ Corman's crews in action
It is amazing to watch. When you consider how heavy everything is - wow! Doing this "in the field" is very cool!
That's the first time I saw a defective traction motor get pulled from an engine in the field. Thanks for sharing this clip!
The GP9 that's parked at Horseshoe Curve actually has all unpowered axels like that one they replaced the bad traction motor with- incase anyone was ever wondering.
How many traction motors are there? And why did they reinstall with dummy wheels on this locomotive? Those traction motor wheels must draw one helluva lot of amps when there working, don't they?
they didn't change any traction motor! they swapped it out for a dummy axle to put it on a shop move!
Guessing, took it to be rebuilt and just stuck the temporary in .The description is not correct.
Michael Gillette I
Michael Gillette Ok, so my eyes were not deceiving me. Misleading title it's misleading. 😳
JIGA BACHI Yeah. :(
The phrase "change out a traction motor," does not mean to remove and replace with same. Meaning another traction motor. Change is exactly what they did! They removed the traction motor, most likely because it locked up, and replaced with a wheel set sufficient to allow the locomotive to be moved to a shop facility. I know what I am talking about. I am an AAR writeup inspector for Union Pacific, I have 38 years of service.
That was so satisfying. I wish I’d chosen a career that allowed me to work with others to complete a task of this size.
I, instead, restore vintage cars. I could totally start a new career doing this and I’d sleep so well at night.
I just applied. Coming from the service tech Dept. Seeing how things go. Car restoration would be my go to, got an 82 four eyed fox body(mustang) I'm trying to restore. Imo, just try applying. 🤘
The real artist of this master piece is the person in the cab of the locomotive that can use the throttle to harness and control the power those traction motors put out. I know, I am an retired artist.
for those who never knew, RJ CORMAN was a genius. Kentucky native.
started his passion in the back of his truck.
I don't remember 20010-2012??? corman was ate up so bad with brain cancer, it killed him.
his company is handled well thanks to knowledgeable employees, investors and everyone who plays apart to make it run.
big company to be from a pickup😃😉
They certainly know how to handle their business
Walmart!
He had lymphoma, he lived a long time after diagnosis, undergoing years of treatment for it.
RJ Corman is a good place to work, I guess it still is, Mr. Corman passed away I think in 14
Cool video. First time I have seen that done.
sup jaw tooth
Very cool vid. The traction motor was huge. I love this kind of stuff.
You want to know how heavy that motor is? Watch the rear end of that D9 as it is lifting the assembly!
I used to work with a company where I called on a railroad mechanical shop and I would see these things being torn apart all the time. Very cool The head mechanic got me in "close and personal" with the engines. It was way cool!
I'm jealous.
Da
+jim smith 12,500 pounds is really not that heavy in the big picture of things.
+eifeldude1 Of course there are things on the globe that weigh a 100 tonnes. Doesn't mean that 12500 pounds isn't heavy. Such a weight needs very heavy lifting equipment, and people need to be very careful. 12500 pounds won't stop for a microsecond for a bit of flesh and bone.
DC traction motors are 12,500, the AC traction motors are 15,000
Very interesting. I've seen the video once before and it's just so fascinating to watch it all over again. Good video and very informative.
They replace the traction motor with a dummy axle however the train should still be able to be powered by the other traction Motors. Excellent job by these guys they are so efficient and organized and intelligent and it is very dangerous work I'm sure they are being paid correctly
Yes just so they could get it into the shop for a swap with a new motor .
Good catch. The title was misleading.
Coolest thing I've seen this week! Tough looking job handled skillfully. Interesting
.
DUDE!!!! I friggin need those loco' lifts for my '84 Caprice Classic! 👍👍
My grandfather said on earlier engines the traction motor could be partially lifted so it could limp to the shop. Newer ones cannot.
Dear its not possible to lift traction motor up
They did all this with tools from harbor freight
😂😂
Icon series
They pick up those locos as easily as you can pick up an HO replica. That's impressive power as I see it.
Ohhh I do love big stuff.The worst part of retirement is being away from it all !
Well,,kind words.I was a master fabricator/machinist in logging. My favorite beast was the 124 Madill cable yarder .Big beast,high maintenance and depending on operators(engineers) many parts to be made. There is a down side to retirement .
@@DeanLorman That's the truth!
@@buddyclem7328 Without a different direction I don't think I would survive retirement !
I totally agree. I was an equipment operator in the Seabees until my retirement. I miss playing with my toys. But I still get to be around them from time to time hauling a cement tanker in my civilian job. Still not the same thing, though.
This was JUST the video I needed to get that stranded locomotive out of my front yard and off my porch. Finally. Headed to the hardware store.....
Hats off to those that do this hard and dangerous work. Thank you for keeping the goods moving in the USA.
My better half is an assistant superintendent for Rj Corman and oversees a crew that does this. They took the loco out of service, pulled the traction motor and slid in wheels so the locomotive could be towed to the shop for further service inspection and put back into operation.
It looks like they removed the motor and replaced it with an idler set. Maybe to limp back to the shop for proper replacement??
very impressive video of the work being done and all of the comment's left after the post . Thanks
Mike Rowe would have a big smile on his face. it's a dirty job and it had to be done
Not really very dirty. Somewhat dangerous, though, especially if the people doing the job don't watch what they're doing. It obviously requires a lot of training and a good safety culture. (Having a 5-ton motor, or a 500-ton locomotive, dropped on one can be injurious or fatal.)
How to repair an AC6000: Step 1. Buy an EMD Step 2. Win
Mad respect to the RJ Corman guys always though. They get sh!t done!
This is a very impressive operation being performed out in the field.
100% skilled crew.
about 100 tons of pure muscle being lifted, amazing, i see when that thing crashes a car(bus/truck, whatever, ir doesn't even drop speed in the crash, it's great banter
Yup! This loco weighs around 430,000 pounds. Lifting one end gives you roughly half, which is a good estimate because they try to balance the weight on each of the two bogies when they design locomotives.
@@BenjaminEsposti It is pretty amazing how they make it look like they are changing a tire on the side of the freeway! LOL. Now imagine that a grossed-out 747 weighs close to 875,000 pounds, -and it flies! It is simply amazing what we can do, -isn't it?
@@ratman5727 Except when it involves a 737-MAX.
Rj corman I work for them let me just say we're always here to help 👉
Wow! What an incredible TEAM job! Thanks so much for filming...this is what being human is all about. Working together for the common good (and a little bit of green $$). Ha! KP
Very informative video. I feel as though I could do it myself next time
MegaJohnhammond I'm going to go run out to the first train I find with my 6 ton bottle cap Jack and do this myself
That faulty traction motor looked like it had seized up as its axle wheels were not rotating. Great video, just temporary conversion from CoCo to CoA1A with loss of about 600 Hp.
That was literally awesome. Props to those bros.
They didn't show the joy of disconnecting the motor, one of my first jobs while working for the Penn Central Altoona, Pa shops.
GE's are easier than EMD anyday. I've been a loco electrician for 23 years
I can't believe all the comments complaining that they didn't a traction motor going back under the engine. I wanted to see the set-up and break-down of the RJ Corman equipment. I know those Cats could not have been hauled on the highway with those crane booms still attached.
Mr. Reynolds, I agree it would be interesting to see. I worked for Hulcher, a few years, err, I mean a few decades ago. At that time you would remove the counterweights, counterweight rack, boom, and all the slings, chains, and hardware for transport. I seem to recall it would take around 30 minutes to rig up two tractors. Each tractor has a lowboy to haul it, plus another tractor/trailer for all the extras. As I recall the counterweights are like 15-20,000 pounds.
I work for winters Rigging and Bradley is correct....we do the same work in derailment....25-30 min to set up and tear down two low boys,flat deck and crane truck and box truck to haul all the chains and books.
I can't believe you can eat off the undercarriage of those rigs
For all those saying why replace with an idler rather than just sticking a new motor in it. The have idlers, which fit multiple locomotives stored and ready to go in various places, to allow for quick changes. The motors are expensive, and fitment is more specific, therefore they don't just leave a bunch laying all over the place in case they need them. The motors sit in the repair depot.
Very good DIY How-to video.
change traction motors in a snap!
I used this trick yesterday on my Dash 8
Lol
I'd rather fly in a Dash 8 than in a Max 8. :-/
Man, you know CSX pays a huge price to have Corman to come out and do this.
True, but its just a drop in the bucket for them
Yeah, the traction motor was definitely seized. You can see that the wheels aren't turning when they pull it. No way to get it to the shop w/o pulling the motor. And no way CSX would spend that kind of money if they didn't have to. So why all of the second guessing? Really cool video. Thanks!
+William Taylor If that was in fort Montgomery ny it is a hard area to work at the bottom of a big hill/ mountain along the Hudson river single I think in that area, track heavy usage by freight & passenger . It is just above the fort / school West Point. I thought it is a major train usage along with another track on the other side of the hudson river. I would think taking a chance of derailment would not be smart.
I agree if they couldn't if they had to do the damn work in the field get it movable they had to do the work in the field to get it movable sometimes you got to spend the money commit to get the damn things doneyou have to be able to move it to get it back in to get fixed if it won't move you got to do the work in the field simple as that
H thing that surprises me is how they let it out of the yard with one wheel with one wheel locked up somebody did not inspect things properly I bet you
wow, been a long time since I've seen a Side booms working. probably because I've been retired for a long time . I used to work for Hulcher Services... RJC's competitor :) I kinda miss it but I don't miss waking up at 2am for some kind of fast response emergency That turns a 9 hour day into a 15 hour day :( you youngsters can have it, great video, stay safe.
You could have simply pulled into a JIffy Lube for an oil change and tire rotation! :)
Im sure they woulda tried to upsale with a special order filter they have to ship from California..😁
@@windwhipped5 Too Funny.. But true..
A pit crew for trains. Good job Corman.
Thanks for the video.
They could've done this with 4 duralast floor Jacks, jack stands and blocks of wood on each side but I guess they like spending money.🤷♂️
yea spending money to keep people alive and from getting injured dumb ass....next time use common sense before you comment like fr....
@@khancrow8212 lmao dude the comment is sarcastic
HOW are you going to do it when the train is not straight? You would lift it and then what? LOL its like saying a car lift in the car shop isnt needed because they could have done it with 2 jack stands just as you would on your own driveway. This is rail they have to have industrial equipment and a bunch of guys they have to pay 10 times of world salary doing exactly same thing but dummer than lets say what they do in China or Europe or South America,
On this I agree with you. Yeh they like to spend money, its all ensured by the big corp. $ dollar and backed by the FED but the fact is to hire John is expensive in the U.S. so as the rest because John rather not work and get paid by his own gov getting fair law pay, watching this on RUclips from home drinking bud light.
@@khancrow8212 Picking up sarcasm requires a certain level of IQ that you haven't reached yet.But it's cool 😂
as long as they don't use harbor freight jack stands
Im an outsider. I love all of the train talk.
These boys are handling some serious iron.
So this was mainly a patch job to get the engine to roll with out damaging the rails or the trucks. The wheel set that they rolled under didnt have a traction motor on it.
Loved how the dozer that picked up the dead traction motor/wheel set was very nose heavy and looked like it was about to tip up. Very heavy critter there!
I noticed the same thing. I've read all the posts here but no-one seems to have the end answer. Interesting video though. I hadn't realized that there were contractors out there that do this sort of work. I had assumed the railroads had their own crews.
The train was towed away at the end which tells me a free axle set was installed only. No motor.
suffolk6311 : Re "...a free axle set was installed only. No motor.": Yes. If the motor of a pickup seizes-up on the side of a highway, would one install a new motor on the spot? No; one needs proper facilities, equipment, and tools for that; so instead, one would tow the pickup to a repair shop and replace the motor _there_ . Which is what these trainmen decided to do with this locomotive: they elected to replace the bad motor with an axle only in the field, then tow it to a repair shop where it's safer and easier to replace the motor.
It could even be working with five motors.
@@RobbieHatley why did not they tow it away with not extra repair?
@@falrus : What's happening in this video is, the railroad folks removed a bad traction motor from a locomotive, replaced it with an axle only (no motor), then towed it to a repair facility which has all of the tools and supplies they need to do a proper repair.
The same would be done if the motor in your car froze up: AAA would tow it to a repair shop. They wouldn't try to repair or replace the bad motor on the side of the road, for multiple reasons: too dangerous, too difficult, and the proper tools and supplies and environment are not present.
@@RobbieHatley if motor in my car froze up, I would not even take wrench. I would tow it straight to the shop.
Fascinating and dangerous work, you can see the caterpillars back end bounce of the floor when it picks up the traction motor from the rails.
the floor??
The best part is at the end when he blows that horn. No other sound like it. Just makes me want to be a hobo.
I wish these guys worked on our roads, things that take the road crews months to accomplish they would do in a few days max.
The title should of been:
"REMOVING a Traction Motor from a AC6000"
Wow what a revelation, now everything is perfectly clear.
You should have written "should have", but there's none of us perfect.
The traction motor _does_ get "replaced" in this video... just, not with another traction motor (they use a plain axle instead). They probably figured it would be safer and easier to install a new motor in the shop rather than in the field.
I’m definitely in the wrong line of work. Would love a job like this.
Wonder who was the lucky guy who got to attach the winch cable to the bad motor to pull it out.
I HOPE he got a big pay bonus and I bet they probably drew straws to see who does it. ( LOL )
And within 4 or 5 hours CSXT 5006 went from an AC6000CW to an AC6000CW-P5, LOL. I enjoy this video a lot thank you for posting it.
Let's call it "Removing a traction motor on a AC6000"..... so we are correct in what happened.
Looked like the loco had some fire damage. Glad the pipe cranes have found a new job.
Seems to me that if you're paying RJ Corman a ton of money it wouldn't' cost much more to replace the powered axe with another powered axle.
jw '46 ton of money...ton... no pun intended? Being a non rail guy, this was cool to watch. And educational.
Amazing! I assumed that job requires the locomotive to be taken to a shop, because all of the equipment to lift the trains were in a large building with heavy lift equipment was there, and it will be in for days.
nice footage! They didn't replace the damaged traction motor, they swapped it with an "empty" axle (you can tell from the geared inner ring that that is a traction motor axle)....
I guess they'll have to rebuild the damaged e-engine first .... it's weird to me that they don't have any "swap meat" ready to go ....maybe it's just cutting down costs as everywhere else too, nowadays .... sadly
Makes perfect sense to me. Do the minimum amount of work in the field and send the job back to the workshop where they have all the gear to do the whole job easily. Always costs far far more in the field than in the workshop.
By far one of the coolest videos on YT
Chris Irvin : Your BROEING as FUCK,
@ 2:15 isn't it "Left - Loosy"
Thanks for sharing this!
+peetre "Lefty-loosey, Righty-tighty!"
+peetre I was thinking the exact same thing.
+peetre yes, yes... sometimes it helps to loosen a tight bolt by tightening it just a bit, then backing it out.. To those who don't do this kind of work it may sound strange, but it does help sometimes.
+hwoods01 it definitely makes sense. work on cars and trucks.
gotta bust a nut somehow😉
Hahaha glad I wasn't the only one
Amazing video
It is called a "locked axle." These locomotives are routinely inspected so something like this is a rare,(perhaps once /year) A locked axle occurs when the lubricant in the pan of the motor escapes from a seal going bad , or perhaps a tooth on either the drive pinion of the motor or wheelset chipped off and became jammed in turn locking the axle.
At any rate, a locomotive cannot be moved to a repair facility without a high probability of a derailment, so a "field repair," with an idler wheelset gets the locomotive moving to a proper repair at a locomotive shop. (in this case, probably Selkirk is closest)
Corman gets BIG BUCK$ for a derailment or field repair like this. The labor alone is @ $80/hr for 8 men , 4-6 hrs. for a job like this, longer for derailments.
When I worked for Santa fe as a locomotive machinist we would just with a laborer or another machinist and cut the lube box huck bolts remove the pans and cut the pinion shaft. It would then be moved to Barstow LMIT where I worked to get a traction moter. A lot cheaper then 8 guys and equipment fees.
Meant to say we would go out with a laborer or another machinist so you had a second person incase of an emergency and they could also hand tools underneath. Laborers didn't do the work.
Thanks, always wondered how they repaired a heavy train.
that's a Locomotive lol
Probably not a cheap roadside call. With all of that equipment, there was not an air compressor with an impact wrench? That looked like some serious bolts that they had to break loose.
heck start the locomotive and use its air
I worked like this on gas pipelines & you definitely wanted to keep your hands clear.
I love to watch real pros work. Tell the rookie it's rightey tightey lefty loosey.
They went in a pulled a bad drive motor and put in an idler. A full drive motor will be a shop which will be reworking the problem one and returning it.
please pardon the nub question from a NON railroad expert but couldnt the motor have been isolated electrically and coast to the next maintenance event? because it always seems there are extra motive power available, just sayin
Not if the motor has seized. If it's seized, as it appears it has in the video, it's not doing any kind of coasting, and may in fact cause further damage to the locomotive and the rails it rides on
all depends on what the problem was
Not a locked axle
I work in a Steel Mill and have helped to changed the Loco Motor. I ran the over head crane to put the engine out.
Wow! The weight of that motor almost tips the D8 lifting it...
easydoz1
Not a D-8. That's a bulldozer. A 977 Track Loader is what they used to lift the traction motor wth. Not the same tractor by a long shot.
easydoz1 Not a D8
Thanks for the vid - did anyone working on that know that the cattle guard on the other end was digging into the tracks? I guess they had to do that to get the job done, but seems there would be a lot of unwanted forces somewhere along the line.
Crackheads be like "you want to keep that scrap metal?"
"You can have it if you can lift it" then go crack a beer and watch
to hawkeye0248 just watched traction motor change very good upload.here in uk with all crane & lift work we always had to have a banksman on site. these are skilled people to their trade.i myself have installed large fans & gensets where the crane man is working blind were it not for his banksman to instruct him on radio. nice to watch real pros & workmen in action
Wanted: Abled body, physically-fit men to perform work changing and replacing wheels on a diesel train. Please Apply with resume!
It appears the equipment did all the hard work.
Maybe a woman could work here too.......
I've been with corman for 5 years love the work.
Change out? I did not see them put a new motor in
Makes me wonder why they would spend the time and effort of contracting a 3rd party company for likely 10's of thousands of dollars just to throw a dummy axle in it when they could have just towed it home and fixed it on their own dime. Unless the traction motor was seized and wouldn't turn. Either way cool cool video, nice catch man.
*****
This might be a silly question, but are there trucks that could carry that loco back to the shop? I think there are flatbed trailers that can transport tanks, and they are pretty damned heavy, themselves.
ExBruinsFan It is likely that the traction motor seized, or suffered some other serious mechanical failure, otherwise it could be electrically isolated, and the locomotive could continue on to a repair facility.
As concerns a truck hauling the locomotive away; such a thing is not possible for many reasons beyond not being able to get the locomotive up onto the truck, even if such a truck did exist. The largest piece of military armor weighs but a fraction of a locomotive's weight. The machine that is the subject of this video weighs more than 400,000 pounds. By comparison the heaviest Abrams tank tops the scales at a paltry 136,000 pounds. The locomotive is ten feet wide and approximately fourteen feet tall. Loaded onto even the lowest low-boy type trailer, it would never be able to transit the roadways and clear all the necessary obstructions which are designed to a gauge that allows passage of standard semi-trucks and an occasional slightly oversize load, but nothing on the scale of a locomotive atop a trailer which would be massive enough to carry it.
Notice when they dragged the assembly out the wheels were dragging which means it was seized up or close to it. An idler axle will be fine for getting it to the shop where it's easier to work on the trucks. No point in a contractor changing out the motor when they will all probably need inspection.
that looks nerve racking being so close too the train in the air cool video i allways wonder how they changed them wheels
If there was ever an argument FOR the wage gap, here it is.
that men still can't get the train fixed?
Any female on the scene would have a clipboard and a smug expression. She could safely be ignored.
Thanks for the video. I am getting some really nice education on the use of the "sidewinder" dozers.
I always wonder how businesses of this size get started. It's gotta be expensive as hell to have this as a startup.
The story goes that RJ Corman bought a bulldozer when he was like 18 years old. Not sure how much truth there is to it.
Pretty close. RJ Corman did start out with a "one truck" excavation business, and got a contract to clean up after a derailment. He did such a good job at a fair price he got more work. If a banker hadn't been impressed enough with him to give RJ a decent interest rate on his first big loan, things might have gone very differently.
Plus they have a dinner train in Bardstown Ky.. LOL :-)
Watch the documentary Working Hard to be Lucky The RJ Corman Story on youtube to see how it all started.
R.J. Corman wound up working near a train of railroad ties in gondolas that a crew of men were going to heave out onto the right of way for later installation and the track superintendent happened to be there to observe. Mr Corman asked if he could demonstrate a different way to distribute ties and asked for the first car in the train be spotted at the edge of the grade crossing then uncoupling the engine. The track super and everyone else were absolutely shocked when he climbed onto a 480 CK Case front end loader backhoe and climbed into the gondola car loaded with ties and using a pitch claw mounted to the backhoe stick started grabbing ties and setting them on the right of way much faster and easier than doing it by hand. He emptied out the entire train in one day versus the scheduled 5 days.
That was how RJ Corman got his first major railroad contract
Cheers!
R J Corman has some top notch employees they better treat them guys good
I like the every in can hear what is going on; the orders can be given by radio. Those men trying to break that nut loose needed an air impact wrench. I would say that the work crew changing out the motor has it all in one sock. now this engine will go straight to the shop to get a new motor right? very good video.
more than likely it would be put in storage, mechanical non compliance tag slapped on it and boom, it waits.
John Moore grammar bro
That is incredible. I had no idea this was even possible.