I agree! This video does not do justice to the true sound of the explosion of a railroad torpedo.. we used to take them from train engines and cabooses, back in the day.. and would run around the neighborhoods and explode them by dropping a cinder block ontop of them.. the explosion was so loud that it would rattle the windows of nearby homes.. no doubt! people would call the police, but we would scram fast.. the biggest piece of cinder block that would be left was no bigger than your fist.. we had a blast! and many laughs later on.
The purpose of the torpedo was to tell the engineer that another train is ahead of him and use caution moving forward. On some railroads, it meant the train had to stop before clearance was given to move forward.
The video sound does not give the railroad torpedo justice. The things are ear (first time in my life ever, to use "are" & "ear back to back") membrane shredding loud. I saw pictures of railroad torpedos while in my Junior-High library back in 1979. Then it was just a few weeks later while walking down the railroad tracks, I spot one just lying there. It had not been used. A few days later I decided to set it on a brick and then drop a concrete paver on it. That's how I found out how loud they are. Then there was the day I found an old crumpled up brown paper bag on a construction site. Everyone else would have ignored it, but not me. Inside the bag were sixteen unused blasting caps. Those things make a much bigger bang than what you would think. My childhood was great. My buddies and I called ourselves "The Neighbor-Hoods." Most in the neighborhood found that title to be most appropriate.
I grew up down the street from a railroad engineer. Was friends with his son.Super weird guy as most engineers are but he was cool nonetheless. I remember him blasting some off from time to time to impress some of us neighbors. One day i noticed he had a bunch in his basement and the little shit i was i stole a handful lol. You are definitely right this video doesn't do those any justice it was probably one of the loudest things ive ever heard up close and personal. Felt the blast on my shins after throwing a boulder on one and holy shit man lol. Growing up in the 90s was the best . Kids today will never know anything but their stupid ipad tablets. Its a shame
Thanks I came on RUclips specifically looking to find what a torpedo sounds like
They are not used much these days.
well you haven't. these things have way louder sounds than this audio portrays. they can sound like they echo for miles releasing a very deep boom
I agree! This video does not do justice to the true sound of the explosion of a railroad torpedo.. we used to take them from train engines and cabooses, back in the day.. and would run around the neighborhoods and explode them by dropping a cinder block ontop of them.. the explosion was so loud that it would rattle the windows of nearby homes.. no doubt! people would call the police, but we would scram fast.. the biggest piece of cinder block that would be left was no bigger than your fist.. we had a blast! and many laughs later on.
The purpose of the torpedo was to tell the engineer that another train is ahead of him and use caution moving forward. On some railroads, it meant the train had to stop before clearance was given to move forward.
The video sound does not give the railroad torpedo justice. The things are ear (first time in my life ever, to use "are" & "ear back to back") membrane shredding loud. I saw pictures of railroad torpedos while in my Junior-High library back in 1979. Then it was just a few weeks later while walking down the railroad tracks, I spot one just lying there. It had not been used. A few days later I decided to set it on a brick and then drop a concrete paver on it. That's how I found out how loud they are. Then there was the day I found an old crumpled up brown paper bag on a construction site. Everyone else would have ignored it, but not me. Inside the bag were sixteen unused blasting caps. Those things make a much bigger bang than what you would think. My childhood was great. My buddies and I called ourselves "The Neighbor-Hoods." Most in the neighborhood found that title to be most appropriate.
WARPHEAD wow, I wish the world was like it was in the old days
I grew up down the street from a railroad engineer. Was friends with his son.Super weird guy as most engineers are but he was cool nonetheless. I remember him blasting some off from time to time to impress some of us neighbors. One day i noticed he had a bunch in his basement and the little shit i was i stole a handful lol. You are definitely right this video doesn't do those any justice it was probably one of the loudest things ive ever heard up close and personal. Felt the blast on my shins after throwing a boulder on one and holy shit man lol. Growing up in the 90s was the best . Kids today will never know anything but their stupid ipad tablets. Its a shame
*Respectfully, WTF???*
Carela shelby railroad did derailment in heart of dixe railroad museum at carela Alabama?