I’m one of the mechanics for the pickle (we call it that too) and all the other diesel powered rail maintenance equipment at WMATA. If you want to catch video of equipment going in and out of the yards, hang out at a station next to a yard right before closing or right at opening. We have a lot of interesting and unique stuff. For example the yellow machine in front of the pickle is a jet rodder vacuum unit for cleaning out tunnel drains.
I could smell it for sure but it wasn’t overpowering. They do have a lot of grates and I think the Rosslyn tunnel is right there so they probably have extra air vents.
We have such a comprehensive vent shaft and vent fan system in them tunnels the air constantly gets recycled. Us roadway workers often have to use those vents to access the tracks when our work isn’t close to a passenger station.
That gold livery looked great, but it also shouted “I’m full of money, please rob me,” so I think I understand why they changed it. Sure, it had armed guards, but so do a lot of things that get robbed.
@@heli-crewhgs5285 Not something I'd want to try. Coming from the UK or not, stepping onto a Metro train and finding four rifles being levelled right at my face is not normally a part of my vacation plans... 🫖🔫😳 (If I wanted to experience that, I'd stay at home and jump on the London Underground! 🚇🇬🇧☣💥🤣)
Ive seen the Pickle twice - Once at College Park (the day of the final 2K run!) and later the same day at National Aiprort. That was a crazy day on the rails!
@Thom-TRA Didnt realize how rare it was. I tried to get a pic at National but couldn't get my phone out in time. Not everyone on the 2K caught the pickle at college park, it was mixed in with a bunch of other maintenance trains. Maybe someone got it on video? I dont think I did.
Thom - GREAT video and great info. A resident of Arlington, 1994-2002, I saw the $$$1000 series once or twice but, of course no pickle. But more than the trains, THANKS for featuring Lindsey. The holidays are for our families and you've become family to those of us out here on distant rails. God Bless you both.
I passed the money train while it was in a yard on my way to Metro Fest at Franconia-Springfield last summer! It was super cool seeing it for the first time! Great video! Glad the TGV is getting some attention!
I remember seeing the money train during my time around DC once or twice. It was in that span after 2009 where 1000-series cars were still in use, but never at the ends of a train, with the only exception being the money train.
Putting a pickle on a Christmas tree is most popular in the Midwest, especially in Lindsey's home state of Michigan where Berrien Springs is known as the Christmas pickle capital of the world. They hosted a pickle festival and parade from 1992 to 2005 until they brought it back in 2021. The tradition is that on Christmas morning, the first person to find the pickle on the tree would receive an extra present from Santa Claus or would be said to have a year of good fortune! It has been a German-American tradition. There are different origin stories. Woolworths began importing and selling German glass ornaments of all shapes in the 1890s. It's thought that when the pickle ornaments were selling poorly, a crafty salesman dreamed up a European Christmas tradition story to help them do better. Another origin story has been that the tradition came from Camp Sumter during the American Civil War. The Bavarian-born Private John C. Lower had enlisted in the 103rd Pennsylvania Infantry but was captured in April 1864 and taken to the prison camp. As the story is told, on Christmas Eve he begged a guard for a pickle while starving. The guard provided the pickle, which Lower later credited for saving his life. After returning to his family in Bavaria, he began a tradition of hiding a pickle on their Christmas tree each year. Here are some trains on the NYC Subway, Staten Island Railway, and the LIRR that you can't ride: - The Staten Island Railway uses Brookville Equipment BL20G locomotives. These are nearly identical to the BL20GH locomotives used on the Metro-North Railroad, however, they lack the head-end power generator and the associated ventilation grates of the BL20GH. Similar to the PATH, while the Staten Island Railway uses subway rolling stock, it's regulated by the FRA. SIRT was once owned by the B&O railroad, sold to the city in 1971 and turned over to the MTA (it was reorganized as SIRTOA, but reverted to Staten Island Railway in 1994). The B&O operated electric rapid transit passenger service and regular freight service. After B&O became part of the Chessie System, the freight service was retained until 1985. The SIR runs along its own right-of-way, severed from the national railroad system in 1985 as the North Shore Branch was slowly abandoned and all freight service to St. George was discontinued (freight trains returned to the western portion of the former North Shore Branch in 2007, using the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge to NJ). This means it operates outside of normal FRA rules under special waivers. The BL20G locomotives are used to support maintenance-of-way work, such as maintaining tracks, right of way and structures, propelling work equipment that steam-cleans running rails, and applying traction-enhancing gel. The units are also used to haul passenger cars in the event of a third-rail outage and to clear snow from tracks. - The NYC Subway's VakTrak is a 600-horsepower vacuum train which crawls along at 5 to 10 mph devouring everything in its path. The train was built in France, cost $7.6 million, runs on diesel fuel and has near zero emissions. All along the bottom of one train are various suction hoods that hoover up debris and separates the dust from the garbage. Another car behind, known as the filter car, stores the garbage like a giant vacuum cleaner bag, which is dumped at various points along the way. The train can carry 14 cubic yards of debris. The filter only needs to be changed every three years. Every evening, up to three VakTraks canvass underground sections of the system. Before the train moves at a station, the team inspects the track to look for items considered too bulky, sharp, or otherwise unable to be vacuumed. There are cameras mounted to enable the team to monitor the collection of debris and ensure it's working properly. Every night, VakTrak covers approximately 12 to 15 miles of track, vacuuming up to 6 cubic yards of debris. All underground passenger tracks are vacuumed approximately once every two weeks and VakTrak also covers sections of outdoor lines in the fall where leaves accumulate. - The NYC Subway used to have its own money train! From 1951 to 2006, an armored money train moved all the subway and bus fares collected to a secret room at 370 Jay Street (the historic headquarters of the NYC Transit Authority and former NYC BOT) in Brooklyn! You can see two money train cars preserved at the NY Transit Museum in Brooklyn. This facility had a direct connections via tunnels to small docks on the subway system, one route each for each division: IRT, BMT and IND that ran closest to 370 Jay Street and thereby allowing the money train to stop and drop off collected cash and pick up bags of tokens for distribution to token booths throughout the system. This room was decommissioned in 2006, and the money room's functions were moved to a "consolidated revenue facility" in Maspeth, Queens. - In the past, the LIRR formerly used the W83 as one of its snowplows. It was built in its shops in December 1915 atop 1907 flatcars. Looking like a cross between the Chief Blue Meanie from Yellow Submarine and a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk in Flying Tigers livery, it cleared snow along the Main Line for decades before being rebuilt and repainted in November of 1978 as the Jaws III, repainted with a shark jaw, hence the name! Today, you can see it on display at the Railroad Museum of Long Island's Greenport location.
I wouldn't mind hanging a „pickle“ on my christmas tree...But living in a British sized flat with a tree to match, I don't think it's going to bear the weight of WMATAs „TGV“ somehow... 😋 (Already hearing screams from an American direction shouting „Give that back!!!“ 🤣)
HA no way the Christmas Pickle has some specially crafted lore to go with it. We did this in upstate NY growing up, really fun tradition but I had no clue where it started.
2:08 MUSTAAAARD! I normally dont comment on videos that often, however that does not change the fact that these trains are awesome videos are amazing in capturing the various different ways that public transportation is done, and highlighting the similarities and differences between them, and also highlighting the behind the scenes like in this video here. Merry Christmas!
I love your new introduction to the video. New York City used to have the money train, but it’s gone. However, we can still see the evidence where the money train dropped the money off in the middle of J St., Metrotech on the F line. We have the geometry train the stream as you described in your video very geometry train, which is the same as the train you describe. You can tell by the loudness in the tunnel and some smell too. It’s very rare to get it like you said. Have yourself a merry Christmas and a happy new year.
Can you imagine if the Metro had a dedicated bar train, much like the bar tram on Helsinki's system? It'd be known across America. From Wiki: "SpåraKoff is a HM V type tram converted into a mobile bar in Helsinki, Finland. Known as the pub tram, the vehicle does circular tours of downtown Helsinki."
@@MrCateagle They'd need to moderate it somewhat, though. Probably time to call last orders as soon as people start admitting they work at the Hexagon... 😋
As always, I found this quite informative! I've heard of the WMATA Money Train, but I didn't know about the "Pickle"... or that both the trains are good luck! The idea of a good luck maintenance-of-way train reminds me of Japan's "Doctor Yellow" bullet trains: not only does it monitor the tracks and overhead lines (kind of like the Pickle), but seeing it is also considered good luck among Japanese railfans. Speaking of pickles, I see your family does the Christmas pickle tradition, too. My German-American friends hide the pickle in the trees, and my own family will start doing so this year, too! Thanks for the video!
Absolutely loved this video with two trains with awesome names!!! I absolutely love the pickle train and how cute it is!!! Awesome!!! Merry Christmas, Thom, Lindsey, and Louie!!!
Fun fact: the San Francisco Bay Area’s BART system also has a Rail Inspector Vehicle that serves the same purpose of inspecting the rails and track conditions.
We do the same thing in the UK - Much of the old _InterCity 125_ fleet (Now retired from passenger service) has been converted to high-speed track geometry trains. And yes, they can do their jobs at the full speed. 👍 Given how much track the UK has for its size; Probably just as well! 💯
@ Railoffroader2: I don't think the Vatican City State does, tbh. Their sole „locomotive“ is a tractor that's used for rolling stock movements around their only station, and tbf you don't really _need_ one in a country whose entire railway network has less metal than Hammerfalls back-catalogue! 😉
Love the money train. That name just rolls off the tongue. The yellow color reminds me of those rare gold train levels in Super Mario 3D World that have bonus coins to collect. The pickle is also really cool. Its stubbiness reminds me of a yellow line train on the L.
In a couple of years they’re probably going to have a 7000 series money train which will be especially interesting because of how different the 7000 series is from all the other train cars in WMATA.
I’ve not only seen the pickle but ridden in it from Shady Grove to Friendship Heights and back in 2019. I had the opportunity to ride in it with WMATA staff and a then-Metro Board member for a work assignment, which included a tour in the pickle of some recent tunnel repairs on that segment of the Red Line. The inside is full of computers and various equipment as one might expect. The Metro staff who operated the unit have custom shirts featuring the pickle logo. I asked one of my WMATA contacts to add that to their merch store but alas they have not (yet!).
Assuming you've never been to Europe; You might be one of _very few_ people who can say they've ridden the „TGV“ _without_ ever having left North America! 😁
I still can't get over my one visit to Washington (City), when - Despite all reasonable expectation and preparation - I found _Alternating_ current in the outlets there. 🔌⚡😳 Thank goodness for bridge rectifiers, eh? 😁
In more than 17 years of using the Metro, including a 6 year period where I was on it almost every day, I've only ever seen the Money Train twice, and the first time was in the middle of the pandemic. Never seen the Pickle.
The 7000s trains were the first time Metro did a major redesign of the railcars. The 1000-6000 series railcars look very similar with small cosmetic changes. The 1000, 2000 and 4000 series have been retired and the 3000 series will be retired in a few years
Great video. I've seen the money train once many years ago. I never about or have seen the Pickle though. It would certainly be one exception to me saying "hold the pickles."
Surprised that the pickle is a diesel because I would of thought it would use batteries, and in London where I live, the locomotives used on the system are battery powered (for the same reason as this ofc), and while we do have similar rail fault detecting trains (ours are just old converted trains) they are just normal EMUs
@@Thom-TRA Admittedly, there's much better airflow on the WMATA subway than on the London Underground. As an ex-employee of the latter unfortunate enough to be homosexual, I can only express the atmosphere on the London Underground as being fatally toxic... 🚇🏳🌈☠ And in the summer, the air gets very hot and stuffy down there too. ♨
The DC Metro actually has significant ventilation in the tunnels and station. I work for WMATA and all our maintenance vehicles and equipment are diesel powered. There’s dozens of ventilation shafts in every tunnel powered by banks of gigantic fans some of which are over 15’ in diameter all of which can be turned on remotely by central at the request of a work crew.
@@technoman53 Good to hear the ventilation's that good! I've only used the Metro once, but don't recall ever feeling any fan blast in the stations! 👍 Mind you, I still can't get my head around the use of Diesel. Surely hybrid units that run off third rail and employ diesel as a _backup_ for transiting unpowered sections would be the preferred solution? 😇
@dieseldragon6756 the big vent fans generally aren’t turned on unless there’s a need to like a fire or maintenance work. There’s still air circulation from the HVAC systems and the trains pushing the air during normal operation in underground stations. As for the hybrid there’s too many gaps in the third rail for a single car to maintain power, that’s why the money train is 6 cars when only the first two are the actual money train. You need a minimum of 6 cars to maintain constant third rail power without the risk of getting gapped. That’s 6 75’ long cars as the absolute minimum. Most of the work units are less than 50’ long and with the exception of the continuous rail train and the ballast vacuum, no work train ever has more than a prime mover and two cars.
Thom, you are so informative about trains, buses and all things public transit wise. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us all. Just outta curiosity:, you know who does that swinging version of O Little Town of Bethlehem at the beginning? It’s a great version. Merry Christmas to you and Lindsey and may the New Year take you to many more places.
In Toronto the TTC has armored cars that go around to collect the money from the fare boxees at stations. The fare machines have the money collected from them by Metrolinx as they own and operate them on behalf of the TTC.
@Thom-TRA Metrolinx is owned by the province of Ontario and they are the ones who produce the fare cards and collect payment from them along with credit and debit cards used on buses, streetcars and the fare gates at subway stations.
Track geo vehicles or geo trains are really nifty. I'd seen BNSF's 3-unit version (locomotive, loaded hopper, geometry car) in person while railfanning at La Plata (Mo) Rail Days, but I finally saw one of CSX's self-contained "boxcar" geo vehicles embedded within a consist less than a month ago, with measurement lasers blazing from the bottom. That was cool.
More Louie, please! He’s fortunate in his choice of humans. We rode the Cardinal from AKY to DC December 4, spent a few days visiting a few of the Smithsonian museums, saw the Norwegian Christmas tree, and had a better time than we expected. We walked everywhere from our hotel across from the National Guard Memorial Museum. We’ll probably venture onto the Metro on the next trip. Merry Christmas to Lindsey, to you, and especially to Louie.
Every rail system has a pickle, there's quite a few in the NYC area, they run late at night. And yes, that smoke does linger but always gets blown away by the trains that shoot through.
In 1982 there was an accident in the Orange line tunnel near Federal Triangle. This was the same day as the Air Florida crash. The accident involved track switching errors. Three people died and one MetroCar of a two car set was destroyed. The surviving car, considered unusable, was converted to a track test car. Instruments were put in the car and metal plates were put in a halo around the front and rear of the car to check track clearance from trackside objects. It was pushed around by a diesel engine. It was used extensively at the Greenbelt Yard during construction.
I would think you wouldn’t want it to be actively using the 3rd rail when you are trying to measure it. They probably are looking for this is the temperatures of the rail when current is going through it without power being pulled from it
I never knew that these trains even exist. I learn something from you every week. Thank you so much! On the other hand, 3 weeks ago, I witnessed a maintenance locomotive in an U-Bahn station.(I forgot which station it was.) Do you consider me as lucky as you?
Other main reason it's deisel is it wouldn't work being a single car. The metro comes in sets of 2. The train can't reach the 3rd rail in places if it didn't, so it being a single car, deisel was the only option.
Fascinating episode! I had never heard of the Pickle. I'd heard of a money train in the New York subway. I wonder what other systems have money trains?
Those are some cool unique trains that run on the dc metro system. I think I’ve seen the money train at least once when I was in town 8 months ago. I knew about train for a while now.
Now I'd like to know how the Washington Metro ended up with a track gauge just a little bit narrower (1/4") than standard gauge. Just enough narrower to require custom trains and prevent delivery of trains by heavy rail, but not enough narrower to provide any benefit (although I can't think of what the benefit of narrower gauge would be unless you were making the trains themselves substantially smaller than normal).
On a trip to DC about 15 years ago, I saw the money train as I was coming back from Chinatown. I don't think it was yellow. It slowly came only partway out of the tunnel with fogged out windows. The door opened and a worker was standing with a shotgun. This was maybe my second time in DC, so I was very surprised!
In Montreal on rare occasions you can spot a MR-63 vacuum train slowly chugging along through a station at night. It sucks up dust and debris that’s on the tracks.
Most Metro's have engineering trains but generally when a train breaks down another passenger train is deployed to push or pull the stricken train out of the tunnels.Very rare to have a non passenger train assist in a breakdown probably because they are far away in a depot during running hours.There's a film about the 'money train 'on the New York City Subway i think called Money Train!I understand that they don't have it anymore and try to encourage card payments to reduce robbery.
I'm a tech on the trains at metro I've worked on the money train a few times there is actually more then 1 never worked on the pickle though they use that train to measure track and distances for the envelope of the train in the tunnels.
I've never seen the money train, and I hadn't heard of the pickle until now. The only nonstandard train I've seen rolling through the stations is the maintenance train, which I think is pretty cool. Since its open top I always want to jump on.
I have always wondered what that strange train was that came in at around 11 PM. Both times I saw the train, it was in Union Station. The train came to a halt, just one door closest to the escalator opened, two guys ran out with a cart, with a third guy got out and stood on the platform with a shot gun, within minutes the 2 guys with the cart came running back to the open carriage, the door closed, and the train sped off. The 2nd time, the guys with the cart almost ran into me as I came off of the escalator.
I’ve never seen the pickle in motion. However, I have seen the money train dozens of times and the maintenance vehicles at least two times (not counting the aftermath of the 2023 derailment).
I relish the opportunity to see the pickle in person. It’s really faded since I saw it in the alexandria yard 10 years ago. If I am not mistaken the money train has off loaded in the facility in the Alexandria yard for awhile. I have seen the guards take the empty cart out of the vault at gallery place and get on the elevator to empty the fare machines then it goes back in a vault to be exchanged later for an empty one on the money train.
@ you should research the connections between the lines . I know the one to the blue from red is right before metro center heading towards glenmont and yellow and green is at fort Totten.
Metro did an experiment whey they covered some 3000 and 6000 series cars in silver wrapping to look like the 7000 series. However, they did not complete it for all the railcars
@@Thom-TRA Until about 10 years ago we were allowed to drink alcohol on the London Underground. On my local trains between Lichfield and Birmingham you still can drink alcohol. But banning people from drinking water, especially in hot weather, seems amazing. The reason I know is that I visited Washington DC for the first time in March this year and the first thing I did was nearly break the rules by drinking water just after getting on the train at the airport. I noticed the rules on the side of the train just in time.
That hasn’t been regularly enforced in a long time. I drink my morning coffee on the Green line every day. It isn’t an issue; Metro has bigger problems to worry about.
Nice! Though I don't under why the pickle is only diesel powered and not dual powered diesel and electric, or even triple power with also a battery. Deep tunnels and diesel are a peculiar combination...
With battery technology seemingly improving all the time I’d think that WMATA would go with a car with a combination of electric and battery power rather than diesel power.
The Washington DC Metro is obviously a lot better than the New York City subway because this is Washington DC the capital of the US and it’s transit system is meant to be flashy and recognizable.
I’m one of the mechanics for the pickle (we call it that too) and all the other diesel powered rail maintenance equipment at WMATA. If you want to catch video of equipment going in and out of the yards, hang out at a station next to a yard right before closing or right at opening. We have a lot of interesting and unique stuff. For example the yellow machine in front of the pickle is a jet rodder vacuum unit for cleaning out tunnel drains.
I’m gonna go do that one of these days, thanks for the tip!! Don’t suppose I could come along for a ride haha :)
I got to work for WMATA for a few years and got to ride them all.
Interesting that the circulation is good enough in the underground stations for the pickle to sit there for a while without being toxic!
I could smell it for sure but it wasn’t overpowering. They do have a lot of grates and I think the Rosslyn tunnel is right there so they probably have extra air vents.
We have such a comprehensive vent shaft and vent fan system in them tunnels the air constantly gets recycled. Us roadway workers often have to use those vents to access the tracks when our work isn’t close to a passenger station.
@@Thom-TRA why u live in US?, They have less social safety net
@ good thing I’m Dutch then
@@Thom-TRA ok
That gold livery looked great, but it also shouted “I’m full of money, please rob me,” so I think I understand why they changed it. Sure, it had armed guards, but so do a lot of things that get robbed.
I really don’t think so. Most people don’t really even know what it is when they see it.
There was a whole movie based on robbing the MTAs version of that. Prior to it, I bet people wouldn't have even twigged what a „money train“ was! 🚈💵💨
Do passengers ever try to board the ‘Money Train’ in error?
@@heli-crewhgs5285 Not something I'd want to try. Coming from the UK or not, stepping onto a Metro train and finding four rifles being levelled right at my face is not normally a part of my vacation plans... 🫖🔫😳
(If I wanted to experience that, I'd stay at home and jump on the London Underground! 🚇🇬🇧☣💥🤣)
@@heli-crewhgs5285 No, when I witnessed a money train stop, an armed guard stepped out so you immediately know that's not a normal train 🤣
Ive seen the Pickle twice - Once at College Park (the day of the final 2K run!) and later the same day at National Aiprort.
That was a crazy day on the rails!
Wow, that is a crazy coincidence!
@Thom-TRA Didnt realize how rare it was. I tried to get a pic at National but couldn't get my phone out in time. Not everyone on the 2K caught the pickle at college park, it was mixed in with a bunch of other maintenance trains. Maybe someone got it on video? I dont think I did.
Thom - GREAT video and great info. A resident of Arlington, 1994-2002, I saw the $$$1000 series once or twice but, of course no pickle. But more than the trains, THANKS for featuring Lindsey. The holidays are for our families and you've become family to those of us out here on distant rails. God Bless you both.
If only it left a little trail of quarters behind it… so we could buy more presents for our loved ones!
I passed the money train while it was in a yard on my way to Metro Fest at Franconia-Springfield last summer! It was super cool seeing it for the first time!
Great video! Glad the TGV is getting some attention!
I saw "The Pickle" rolling by Naylor Rd station last Friday! I never knew it was a diesel.
Awesome!
I remember seeing the money train during my time around DC once or twice. It was in that span after 2009 where 1000-series cars were still in use, but never at the ends of a train, with the only exception being the money train.
Putting a pickle on a Christmas tree is most popular in the Midwest, especially in Lindsey's home state of Michigan where Berrien Springs is known as the Christmas pickle capital of the world. They hosted a pickle festival and parade from 1992 to 2005 until they brought it back in 2021. The tradition is that on Christmas morning, the first person to find the pickle on the tree would receive an extra present from Santa Claus or would be said to have a year of good fortune! It has been a German-American tradition. There are different origin stories. Woolworths began importing and selling German glass ornaments of all shapes in the 1890s. It's thought that when the pickle ornaments were selling poorly, a crafty salesman dreamed up a European Christmas tradition story to help them do better. Another origin story has been that the tradition came from Camp Sumter during the American Civil War. The Bavarian-born Private John C. Lower had enlisted in the 103rd Pennsylvania Infantry but was captured in April 1864 and taken to the prison camp. As the story is told, on Christmas Eve he begged a guard for a pickle while starving. The guard provided the pickle, which Lower later credited for saving his life. After returning to his family in Bavaria, he began a tradition of hiding a pickle on their Christmas tree each year. Here are some trains on the NYC Subway, Staten Island Railway, and the LIRR that you can't ride:
- The Staten Island Railway uses Brookville Equipment BL20G locomotives. These are nearly identical to the BL20GH locomotives used on the Metro-North Railroad, however, they lack the head-end power generator and the associated ventilation grates of the BL20GH. Similar to the PATH, while the Staten Island Railway uses subway rolling stock, it's regulated by the FRA. SIRT was once owned by the B&O railroad, sold to the city in 1971 and turned over to the MTA (it was reorganized as SIRTOA, but reverted to Staten Island Railway in 1994). The B&O operated electric rapid transit passenger service and regular freight service. After B&O became part of the Chessie System, the freight service was retained until 1985. The SIR runs along its own right-of-way, severed from the national railroad system in 1985 as the North Shore Branch was slowly abandoned and all freight service to St. George was discontinued (freight trains returned to the western portion of the former North Shore Branch in 2007, using the Arthur Kill Vertical Lift Bridge to NJ). This means it operates outside of normal FRA rules under special waivers. The BL20G locomotives are used to support maintenance-of-way work, such as maintaining tracks, right of way and structures, propelling work equipment that steam-cleans running rails, and applying traction-enhancing gel. The units are also used to haul passenger cars in the event of a third-rail outage and to clear snow from tracks.
- The NYC Subway's VakTrak is a 600-horsepower vacuum train which crawls along at 5 to 10 mph devouring everything in its path. The train was built in France, cost $7.6 million, runs on diesel fuel and has near zero emissions. All along the bottom of one train are various suction hoods that hoover up debris and separates the dust from the garbage. Another car behind, known as the filter car, stores the garbage like a giant vacuum cleaner bag, which is dumped at various points along the way. The train can carry 14 cubic yards of debris. The filter only needs to be changed every three years. Every evening, up to three VakTraks canvass underground sections of the system. Before the train moves at a station, the team inspects the track to look for items considered too bulky, sharp, or otherwise unable to be vacuumed. There are cameras mounted to enable the team to monitor the collection of debris and ensure it's working properly. Every night, VakTrak covers approximately 12 to 15 miles of track, vacuuming up to 6 cubic yards of debris. All underground passenger tracks are vacuumed approximately once every two weeks and VakTrak also covers sections of outdoor lines in the fall where leaves accumulate.
- The NYC Subway used to have its own money train! From 1951 to 2006, an armored money train moved all the subway and bus fares collected to a secret room at 370 Jay Street (the historic headquarters of the NYC Transit Authority and former NYC BOT) in Brooklyn! You can see two money train cars preserved at the NY Transit Museum in Brooklyn. This facility had a direct connections via tunnels to small docks on the subway system, one route each for each division: IRT, BMT and IND that ran closest to 370 Jay Street and thereby allowing the money train to stop and drop off collected cash and pick up bags of tokens for distribution to token booths throughout the system. This room was decommissioned in 2006, and the money room's functions were moved to a "consolidated revenue facility" in Maspeth, Queens.
- In the past, the LIRR formerly used the W83 as one of its snowplows. It was built in its shops in December 1915 atop 1907 flatcars. Looking like a cross between the Chief Blue Meanie from Yellow Submarine and a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk in Flying Tigers livery, it cleared snow along the Main Line for decades before being rebuilt and repainted in November of 1978 as the Jaws III, repainted with a shark jaw, hence the name! Today, you can see it on display at the Railroad Museum of Long Island's Greenport location.
I have never been there, nor have I been to frankenmuth!
I wouldn't mind hanging a „pickle“ on my christmas tree...But living in a British sized flat with a tree to match, I don't think it's going to bear the weight of WMATAs „TGV“ somehow... 😋
(Already hearing screams from an American direction shouting „Give that back!!!“ 🤣)
HA no way the Christmas Pickle has some specially crafted lore to go with it. We did this in upstate NY growing up, really fun tradition but I had no clue where it started.
ive seen the pickle before i ever saw the money train, of which i still havent seen with my own two eyes to this day. says a lot about my life too xD
Wow, it’s usually the other way around!
Indeed lol. I caught the money train at Pentagon City last month and have yet to see the pickle
2:08 MUSTAAAARD!
I normally dont comment on videos that often, however that does not change the fact that these trains are awesome videos are amazing in capturing the various different ways that public transportation is done, and highlighting the similarities and differences between them, and also highlighting the behind the scenes like in this video here.
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to you too!
I love your new introduction to the video. New York City used to have the money train, but it’s gone. However, we can still see the evidence where the money train dropped the money off in the middle of J St., Metrotech on the F line. We have the geometry train the stream as you described in your video very geometry train, which is the same as the train you describe. You can tell by the loudness in the tunnel and some smell too. It’s very rare to get it like you said. Have yourself a merry Christmas and a happy new year.
"Money Train" sounds like a Nevada commuter train with slot machines and electro ic gambling.
BTW, I love your new introduction.
They’d probably make a fortune running that
The self-funding Las Vegas Metro
Can you imagine if the Metro had a dedicated bar train, much like the bar tram on Helsinki's system? It'd be known across America.
From Wiki: "SpåraKoff is a HM V type tram converted into a mobile bar in Helsinki, Finland. Known as the pub tram, the vehicle does circular tours of downtown Helsinki."
@k.r.baylor8825 Maybe we would get more productivity out of the Federal government with that addition. It might be a worthwhile experiment.
@@MrCateagle They'd need to moderate it somewhat, though. Probably time to call last orders as soon as people start admitting they work at the Hexagon... 😋
As always, I found this quite informative! I've heard of the WMATA Money Train, but I didn't know about the "Pickle"... or that both the trains are good luck! The idea of a good luck maintenance-of-way train reminds me of Japan's "Doctor Yellow" bullet trains: not only does it monitor the tracks and overhead lines (kind of like the Pickle), but seeing it is also considered good luck among Japanese railfans.
Speaking of pickles, I see your family does the Christmas pickle tradition, too. My German-American friends hide the pickle in the trees, and my own family will start doing so this year, too!
Thanks for the video!
It’s so sad that Dr. Yellow will go away in a few years…
@@Thom-TRA, I'll say.
At least you still have the Pickle's luck!
Absolutely loved this video with two trains with awesome names!!! I absolutely love the pickle train and how cute it is!!! Awesome!!! Merry Christmas, Thom, Lindsey, and Louie!!!
Thank you! Merry Christmas to your wonderful family too!
Fun fact: the San Francisco Bay Area’s BART system also has a Rail Inspector Vehicle that serves the same purpose of inspecting the rails and track conditions.
I'm riding tomorrow!
We do the same thing in the UK - Much of the old _InterCity 125_ fleet (Now retired from passenger service) has been converted to high-speed track geometry trains. And yes, they can do their jobs at the full speed. 👍
Given how much track the UK has for its size; Probably just as well! 💯
All systems have rail inspection vehicles.
@ Railoffroader2: I don't think the Vatican City State does, tbh. Their sole „locomotive“ is a tractor that's used for rolling stock movements around their only station, and tbf you don't really _need_ one in a country whose entire railway network has less metal than Hammerfalls back-catalogue! 😉
Love the money train. That name just rolls off the tongue. The yellow color reminds me of those rare gold train levels in Super Mario 3D World that have bonus coins to collect.
The pickle is also really cool. Its stubbiness reminds me of a yellow line train on the L.
Glad they coined the term
I actually never even knew about the pickle.
The more you know I guess.
A fun trivia fact for the next time you have people over
My family does the pickle too! So glad to see you do as well. :) Happy Holidays!
In all my years riding Metro never ever seen them. Great to know great video. Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to both of you, too! Awesome topics for a year-end special. You do a great job coming up with these fascinating topics!
Thank you! Merry Christmas to you too!
In a couple of years they’re probably going to have a 7000 series money train which will be especially interesting because of how different the 7000 series is from all the other train cars in WMATA.
Awesome Video! Merry Christmas, Thom , to you and your family 😊.
And the same to you!
@@Thom-TRA thank you!!
"To see The Pickle in The Yard is one thing..." an unintentionally hilarious bit of dialogue.
I’ve not only seen the pickle but ridden in it from Shady Grove to Friendship Heights and back in 2019. I had the opportunity to ride in it with WMATA staff and a then-Metro Board member for a work assignment, which included a tour in the pickle of some recent tunnel repairs on that segment of the Red Line. The inside is full of computers and various equipment as one might expect. The Metro staff who operated the unit have custom shirts featuring the pickle logo. I asked one of my WMATA contacts to add that to their merch store but alas they have not (yet!).
Wow!!! I need to reach out!
Assuming you've never been to Europe; You might be one of _very few_ people who can say they've ridden the „TGV“ _without_ ever having left North America! 😁
Very interesting “behind the scenes” video! Love the new intro, too! BTW: What a cool tree!
Thanks! Brought it with us on the bus from the farm to the apartment
Never knew that the DC Metro had a pickle 😂
Tastes like dill too if you lick it
@ lol
@@Thom-TRAWhat level of membership will get us a video of you licking the Pickle?
@@Thom-TRAI like the hummer I
I still can't get over my one visit to Washington (City), when - Despite all reasonable expectation and preparation - I found _Alternating_ current in the outlets there. 🔌⚡😳
Thank goodness for bridge rectifiers, eh? 😁
In more than 17 years of using the Metro, including a 6 year period where I was on it almost every day, I've only ever seen the Money Train twice, and the first time was in the middle of the pandemic. Never seen the Pickle.
@Thom-TRA another great video. Merry Christmas to you, your family, and all your friends!!!
Merry Christmas!
NICE TREE🌲...VERY NICE TRAIN...LOVE THE SUBWAY TUNNEL THE PICKLE RIDES THROUGH...THE ROOF DESIGN...MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!❤️🌲🚆👍
Best video intro ever. Also I don't know why I was surprised you had train ornaments on your tree 😅 Merry Christmas guys!
We add a few more every year!
The 7000s trains were the first time Metro did a major redesign of the railcars. The 1000-6000 series railcars look very similar with small cosmetic changes. The 1000, 2000 and 4000 series have been retired and the 3000 series will be retired in a few years
Now I'll know to keep an eye out for these every time I'm in DC... hopefully I see them one day!!
Great video. I've seen the money train once many years ago. I never about or have seen the Pickle though. It would certainly be one exception to me saying "hold the pickles."
Not a fan? Haha
@ Yeah I’m not a pickle guy!! I’m glad to see WMATA turning things around. I’m hoping this momentum can continue.
Surprised that the pickle is a diesel because I would of thought it would use batteries, and in London where I live, the locomotives used on the system are battery powered (for the same reason as this ofc), and while we do have similar rail fault detecting trains (ours are just old converted trains) they are just normal EMUs
This is America haha. They’d drink diesel if they could.
@@Thom-TRA Admittedly, there's much better airflow on the WMATA subway than on the London Underground. As an ex-employee of the latter unfortunate enough to be homosexual, I can only express the atmosphere on the London Underground as being fatally toxic... 🚇🏳🌈☠
And in the summer, the air gets very hot and stuffy down there too. ♨
The DC Metro actually has significant ventilation in the tunnels and station. I work for WMATA and all our maintenance vehicles and equipment are diesel powered. There’s dozens of ventilation shafts in every tunnel powered by banks of gigantic fans some of which are over 15’ in diameter all of which can be turned on remotely by central at the request of a work crew.
@@technoman53 Good to hear the ventilation's that good! I've only used the Metro once, but don't recall ever feeling any fan blast in the stations! 👍
Mind you, I still can't get my head around the use of Diesel. Surely hybrid units that run off third rail and employ diesel as a _backup_ for transiting unpowered sections would be the preferred solution? 😇
@dieseldragon6756 the big vent fans generally aren’t turned on unless there’s a need to like a fire or maintenance work. There’s still air circulation from the HVAC systems and the trains pushing the air during normal operation in underground stations. As for the hybrid there’s too many gaps in the third rail for a single car to maintain power, that’s why the money train is 6 cars when only the first two are the actual money train. You need a minimum of 6 cars to maintain constant third rail power without the risk of getting gapped. That’s 6 75’ long cars as the absolute minimum. Most of the work units are less than 50’ long and with the exception of the continuous rail train and the ballast vacuum, no work train ever has more than a prime mover and two cars.
Thom, you are so informative about trains, buses and all things public transit wise. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us all. Just outta curiosity:, you know who does that swinging version of O Little Town of Bethlehem at the beginning? It’s a great version. Merry Christmas to you and Lindsey and may the New Year take you to many more places.
I found it using the RUclips audio library!
In Toronto the TTC has armored cars that go around to collect the money from the fare boxees at stations. The fare machines have the money collected from them by Metrolinx as they own and operate them on behalf of the TTC.
Interesting how they work together
@Thom-TRA Metrolinx is owned by the province of Ontario and they are the ones who produce the fare cards and collect payment from them along with credit and debit cards used on buses, streetcars and the fare gates at subway stations.
Thanks for another interesting video. And Merry Christmas to you and Lindsey. And to Bear as well, whereever he is.
Track geo vehicles or geo trains are really nifty. I'd seen BNSF's 3-unit version (locomotive, loaded hopper, geometry car) in person while railfanning at La Plata (Mo) Rail Days, but I finally saw one of CSX's self-contained "boxcar" geo vehicles embedded within a consist less than a month ago, with measurement lasers blazing from the bottom. That was cool.
My favorite will always be Dr. Yellow
More Louie, please! He’s fortunate in his choice of humans. We rode the Cardinal from AKY to DC December 4, spent a few days visiting a few of the Smithsonian museums, saw the Norwegian Christmas tree, and had a better time than we expected. We walked everywhere from our hotel across from the National Guard Memorial Museum. We’ll probably venture onto the Metro on the next trip. Merry Christmas to Lindsey, to you, and especially to Louie.
We are very happy he is a part of our family! Even with his puppy energy
Every rail system has a pickle, there's quite a few in the NYC area, they run late at night. And yes, that smoke does linger but always gets blown away by the trains that shoot through.
It gets blown away by the air shafts
In 1982 there was an accident in the Orange line tunnel near Federal Triangle. This was the same day as the Air Florida crash. The accident involved track switching errors. Three people died and one MetroCar of a two car set was destroyed. The surviving car, considered unusable, was converted to a track test car. Instruments were put in the car and metal plates were put in a halo around the front and rear of the car to check track clearance from trackside objects. It was pushed around by a diesel engine. It was used extensively at the Greenbelt Yard during construction.
Interesting that the pickle doesn’t activate the platform edge flashing lights…wonder if that’s tied into the 3rd rail somehow?
I really wonder too. Gonna ask my friends about that.
It activated them in the first clip, strange it didn't in the rest of them though
I would think you wouldn’t want it to be actively using the 3rd rail when you are trying to measure it. They probably are looking for this is the temperatures of the rail when current is going through it without power being pulled from it
I've seen the money train once in the Alexandria yard back in '23 on the way from Franconia.
I saw the pickle at gallery place one time. Was very exciting!
2:07 awh the train is a gold bar
I never knew that these trains even exist. I learn something from you every week. Thank you so much!
On the other hand, 3 weeks ago, I witnessed a maintenance locomotive in an U-Bahn station.(I forgot which station it was.) Do you consider me as lucky as you?
Sure!
My 1990s brain going thank god he had his camera like I don’t also now carry one everywhere 😂
The pickle and the feeler cars are my favorite metro has/had I have video of the pickle at brookland station from 8-9 years ago
I never seen a pickle train. This is cool.
OOo this was neat,have yet to see either but I have barely began to explore DC.
Other main reason it's deisel is it wouldn't work being a single car. The metro comes in sets of 2. The train can't reach the 3rd rail in places if it didn't, so it being a single car, deisel was the only option.
There are only a few sections where the 3rd rail gap is more than 150ft, but you’re right, it is an additional benefit
1:54 I'm gonna hold you to that if I see it next time I'm in DC lol
Awesome! Didn't know about either. Thanks for the educational moment.
Glad to be of service!
This 10 minutes video made my day
Fascinating episode! I had never heard of the Pickle. I'd heard of a money train in the New York subway. I wonder what other systems have money trains?
Good question!
Those are some cool unique trains that run on the dc metro system. I think I’ve seen the money train at least once when I was in town 8 months ago. I knew about train for a while now.
Could be, it’s always fun to spot!
Now I'd like to know how the Washington Metro ended up with a track gauge just a little bit narrower (1/4") than standard gauge. Just enough narrower to require custom trains and prevent delivery of trains by heavy rail, but not enough narrower to provide any benefit (although I can't think of what the benefit of narrower gauge would be unless you were making the trains themselves substantially smaller than normal).
The old DC money train used to be disguised as a normal train, but false windows and armed guards stepping out each stop...
On a trip to DC about 15 years ago, I saw the money train as I was coming back from Chinatown. I don't think it was yellow. It slowly came only partway out of the tunnel with fogged out windows. The door opened and a worker was standing with a shotgun. This was maybe my second time in DC, so I was very surprised!
Great video, Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas!
No Christmas for anyone going to False Church, Virginia!
(I'll see myself out)
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
That took me a minute
NJT and Amtrak call the track geometry vehicle a Track Geometry Inspection Vehicle, or TGIV. Solves the name conflict.
I saw it the other day
In Montreal on rare occasions you can spot a MR-63 vacuum train slowly chugging along through a station at night. It sucks up dust and debris that’s on the tracks.
Most Metro's have engineering trains but generally when a train breaks down another passenger train is deployed to push or pull the stricken train out of the tunnels.Very rare to have a non passenger train assist in a breakdown probably because they are far away in a depot during running hours.There's a film about the 'money train 'on the New York City Subway i think called Money Train!I understand that they don't have it anymore and try to encourage card payments to reduce robbery.
4:51 beautiful cat.
I'm a tech on the trains at metro I've worked on the money train a few times there is actually more then 1 never worked on the pickle though they use that train to measure track and distances for the envelope of the train in the tunnels.
Geeking out on trains. Is that you Sheldon?
Hi, welcome to Trains Are Awesome.
If you ever get a chance to come to North Carolina you should visit the North Carolina Transportation museum a fully functional train museum
Thanks for the tip!
@Thom-TRA
Your welcome my friend
I've never seen the money train, and I hadn't heard of the pickle until now. The only nonstandard train I've seen rolling through the stations is the maintenance train, which I think is pretty cool. Since its open top I always want to jump on.
Tohm you have a very calming accent to you i like it
I have always wondered what that strange train was that came in at around 11 PM. Both times I saw the train, it was in Union Station. The train came to a halt, just one door closest to the escalator opened, two guys ran out with a cart, with a third guy got out and stood on the platform with a shot gun, within minutes the 2 guys with the cart came running back to the open carriage, the door closed, and the train sped off. The 2nd time, the guys with the cart almost ran into me as I came off of the escalator.
So since the WMATA headquaters moved. What became of the secret platform and entrence between Gallery and Judiciary Square metro stations.
I think it’s just abandoned
I’ve never seen the pickle in motion. However, I have seen the money train dozens of times and the maintenance vehicles at least two times (not counting the aftermath of the 2023 derailment).
I relish the opportunity to see the pickle in person. It’s really faded since I saw it in the alexandria yard 10 years ago. If I am not mistaken the money train has off loaded in the facility in the Alexandria yard for awhile. I have seen the guards take the empty cart out of the vault at gallery place and get on the elevator to empty the fare machines then it goes back in a vault to be exchanged later for an empty one on the money train.
Bonus points for the pun
@ you should research the connections between the lines . I know the one to the blue from red is right before metro center heading towards glenmont and yellow and green is at fort Totten.
@ I briefly discussed them in a recent video!
Metro did an experiment whey they covered some 3000 and 6000 series cars in silver wrapping to look like the 7000 series. However, they did not complete it for all the railcars
4:52 Kitty!!!! 🐈⬛🐈😍
Omg, love the new intro!
I saw one of the old gold money trains years ago. Was such an interesting experience.
It’s always unexpected!
The money train - reminds me of the Wesley Snipes flick of the same name!
As a British person, I still can't believe you're not allowed to drink water on these trains. I've never seen that anywhere else in the world.
Land of the free, home of the dehydrated
@@Thom-TRA Until about 10 years ago we were allowed to drink alcohol on the London Underground. On my local trains between Lichfield and Birmingham you still can drink alcohol. But banning people from drinking water, especially in hot weather, seems amazing. The reason I know is that I visited Washington DC for the first time in March this year and the first thing I did was nearly break the rules by drinking water just after getting on the train at the airport. I noticed the rules on the side of the train just in time.
That hasn’t been regularly enforced in a long time. I drink my morning coffee on the Green line every day. It isn’t an issue; Metro has bigger problems to worry about.
New York subway had money trains the Boston El Railway had payroll cars back in the early 1900 to the 1940’s
Great video on the money train in DC
The Pickle has that UK DMU acceleration 😳
Money Train. The perfect straight to streaming title featuring a washed up Y2K action hero.
More often than not, I’ve seen the geometry vehicle at the Brentwood yard, than the money train.
i have seen the money once at king street
Why does the horn on the cars sound like a south shore line P3
Nice!
Though I don't under why the pickle is only diesel powered and not dual powered diesel and electric, or even triple power with also a battery.
Deep tunnels and diesel are a peculiar combination...
Yeah it is an interesting choice
Never knew that DC had a pickle train, nor never seen a pickle 🥒 on a Christmas 🎄. Very interesting and thanks for sharing your videos 📸🙏.
Apparently if you find it, you get to open the first present or something
@@Thom-TRAWhen I was a kid there was a special pickle present for the first person to find the pickle.
a pickle in the xmas tree if i recall is a german tradition i know we have done it in the tree every year when i was growing up.
You can pronounce TGV in French or English to make the distinction.
Or… I can just call it the pickle haha
Seen the money train a couple times, will be on the lookout for the pickle if i ever see it.
Let me know if you see it!
With battery technology seemingly improving all the time I’d think that WMATA would go with a car with a combination of electric and battery power rather than diesel power.
Was the pickle built from another car, or from scratch?
From scratch!
I was wondering what that 4-car train I saw on the Silver Line the other day was.
Merry Christmas!!
Merry Christmas to you too!
The Washington DC Metro is obviously a lot better than the New York City subway because this is Washington DC the capital of the US and it’s transit system is meant to be flashy and recognizable.
I've seen the money train a few times, though I've never seen the Pickle (and didn't know it existed before this video)
It’s very rare!
Thanks I thought it might happen 😉😊