I’d do the same thing, I’d definitely take a peak. I’d also be willing to bet, since 1877, at least someone has ran from one end to the other on a bet from their buddies 😂
@@j.r4985 I have walked completely through the Hoosac Tunnel twice, the last time being in mid 2008. My earlier walk, going west, I experienced having a WB Guilford train, also going west. Back then, trains seem to travel through it going some 35mph. As you so accurately state those trains do push the wind through it. Before I ever saw its headlight coming at me I did feel a definite change in air movement, that blowing on the back of my neck for at least some 5 minutes! I believe that I had me plenty of warning here! This tunnel is numbered every 100 feet inside, with that number 251 at its east portal meaning 25,100 feet, going down as you go west. So to avoid problems I hid inside one of those niches blasted into the north face every 300 feet as that WB passed me so to avoid being seen inside, remaining there for at least 1/2 hour afterwards. What light I was able to see, at each end, from the middle was blocked from its diesel exhaust. When I arrived at a food establishment in North Adams I did have to wash my sooty black face, as I so noted in the restroom's mirror. There was no train coming at me for my return trip. My final walk through it I would experience no train was the tunnel's west portal storm door was down. I had to crawl under this door. It was just like crawling under a motor vehicle so to do maintenance on it. The door comes down only to the top of the rail.
@@williamh.jarvis6795 thank you for sharing your experience! That’s wild. I’d be so creeped out. I’m not one to believe in ghosts, but…45 mins to an hour of walking might cause anyones mind start to wander in that tunnel lol
Just out of interest how far does the crew travel on a shift , so they also overnight at a motel do they do a week or 2 out at a time similar to OTR truckers
A Great Video ! Awesome ! Air gushing out ! Coolest Tunnel! Longest Train ! Scenic view ,the Brook,Rocks blast ! A Hand Made Tunnel , the. 👍🙏 All who worked and lost lives for building It ! Thanks Hudson! 👍🌹❤️🇮🇳🙏
Great video, but you would have been more impressed if you were here at the tunnel in the early 1970's. The B&M trains used to come out of the tunnel going at least 40 mph and the wind was strong enough to blow out my Zippo lighter.
very cool. my surname has been in that town for a very long time. my great and grandpas are in a cemetery there. I explored once, but never got to see this. thanks for sharing.
In early 1980's I hauled logs off the mountain above and to the left of the tunnel entrance for W J Cowee of Berlin,NY. We could look down onto the tracks from the log landing. LOUD was 6 or 7 B&M F's and GP's at full throttle headed west! Once the engines entered the tunnel it was almost dead silence, all you could hear was the noise of the rail cars. There was a dirt road off MA 2 just before the steep grade warning sign. Great video that brought back many memories of hauling off that mountain for 6 months.
I worked in the Hoosac for over a month back in the 1990s, we were cleaning it and installing equipment prior to the install of fiber optic equipment. I was a mechanic responsible for the Hi-railers, compressors, generators etc. Since the tunnel had never been cleaned to my knowledge, imagine the accumulation of soot and diesel smoke from over 100 years of trains. The vertical shaft(s( are still there and open AFAIK. Some of the tunnel pressure you are seeing is going up that vertical shaft. The tunnel as originally built had TWO sets of tracks in it, but the downsizing of rail traffic and maintenance resulted in going to a single-track setup. Another possible problem was the closeness of trains passing, with people running the risk of hands or heads out of windows getting struck by passing trains. COFFINS (personnel refuges) are cut in the sides of the tunnel, to permit individuals to duck into when trains approach. Ask about the blind mice that live in there..... EDIT: The temp you experienced is pretty much year round. it's gets pretty damned damp and cold in there. SECOND EDIT: No, they do NOT grind the rails like you said...the crown allows the wheels to find their center as they roll. Early rails had flat tops, and derailments were common. Crowned rails permit high-speed traffic. Look this up on RUclips and other places for comfirmation. They DO grind the rails when crown is diminished due to wear. Look up VIRTUAL RAILFAN here in RUclips for videos of that.
Crowned rail and tapered wheels for better rolling and cornering. Just watched a great video on that whole subject with illistrations , cannot find off hand and dont remember the channel. Beleive it was one from a museum somewhere. Still looking.
Wow, Claeaing 100 yrs of soot and debris out of the tunnel must have been an awfully dirty job. Did you find any interesting or unexpected discoveries? i wonder if there are any tales of people having to use the “Coffin” cut-outs.
I thought it was taking the train a long time to get through that tunnel. They were going slow they knew they were going to be stopping. Yes very cool video
Great video, 8 year old son has watched a couple times. This video started him wanting to learn further about this tunnel and the area in our homeschool so we’ll be digging deeper. Thanks for the inspiration.
Really enjoyed your video about the Hoosac tunnel in the beautiful mountains of Massachusetts - no wonder the founding fathers were so inspired - the beauty of North America!
Cool Video! Railroad Line lease engines from other Railroads is why there's always mixed Engines on Railroads. I see UP engines all the time on CSX lines.
@@hudsonvalleyrailandriverandair Good day to you too. I absolutely love everything trains and your trains and railroads fascinate me! Your description of the building of the tunnel and the dynamite blast marks is excellent. Those brave men who built your infrastructure are of course long gone but they live on. We here had Isambard Kingdom Brunel who built Great Britain's transport system from the Victorian era. I'll be watching more of your videos for certain. Have a good weekend.
Awesome video! We got lucky with 2 trains when we were there in Sept 2021 and I didn’t even know it was an active line. We were there to check out the tunnel and hike a trail to the right of the tunnel. There are really cool, quite large, twin waterfalls less than a quarter mile up the trail above the spillway. Thanks for the rail and tunnel info!
Another bonus here in this video, being described around the 27:15 mark, is information about the partial wall collapse that occurred back not long ago and how the repairs were made. Basically, it was a "cut and re-cover" type of repair. Is it said to be that there is a small brook passing over the top if the tunnel in this area? (Another video producer, posting a silent video of a cab ride going west through this tunnel, replied back to me as to exactly where in his video this collapse was taking place. I saw it where it was starting its slow collapse.)
I have been driving school bus in Pennsylvania (Pa) over past 10 years. Pa law states ALL school buses must stop at all RR x-ings. And in this case, the driver would have to call-in VIA the radio & get approval to proceed from the bus garage before the driver can proceed over ANY railroad x-ing that had lights flashing, even if the train is stopped (as seen in this video). Or the driver could proceed if the crossing was guarded by a police officer or railroad employee who clearly signaled the driver to proceed. My wife & I share the same run & take turns driving each day. We cross active railroad tracks 10 times each day we drive school bus. I'm NOT familiar with the school bus laws in Mass.
We have the complete stop, open the doors to look at xings in Illinois, and being a brakeman, I've protected xings and signaled traffic past flashing lights and raised the gates when stopped, and gates that were supposed to raise and shut off, but didn't (oh, that NEVER happened). Open a locked box @ xing, and shut off the lights and gates. I don't know if drivers have to communicate with their dispatchers, clearly something that developed with cell phones, plus I've been retired for over 10 yrs, don't know current laws or practices for school busses. PS don't be dropping a dime on that bus, should've edited that!
I have driven buses, school, Greyhound and school, totaling 51 years. Technically I agree. If there is only one track, it is a rural freight line visible in both directions. Stationary is one locomotive. I would defer judgement to a dispatcher before proceeding.
My Dad was born in nearby Shelburne Falls in 1910. We were railroad hobbyists and I have known about Hoosac Tunnel from a very early age. Dad told me that the construction of the tunnel was started at both ends, and they met somewhere in the middle. It seems to me that he said they were just off a fraction of an inch when they met.
ATTENTION SUBSCRIBERS AND VIEWERS. I am honestly honored by all the positive feedback you have given me. As you see in my channel video catalog, I drive long distances and am always looking for new vantage points to bring you the most diverse experience in train spotting. Saying that I don't know everything about trains, jargon, historic references ect. I just want you to enjoy your time with my channel. I read every comment and see your home country. Please share like and subscribe. I ordered3"stickers of my logo. I'll take requests for a sticker when they are available ☺️ ODAAT!
Thanks for taking the time to record the Hoosac Norfolk Southern Crew Change along with the phenomenon that precedes the portal being breached 😮 BTW - Greetings from New Zealand 🇳🇿 ❤
WOW... This is a Great Video. I Loved how you described everything that was happening, and the train pushing the air was really something. But we all know it has to displace it, and at the same time it is pulling in fresh air from the other end as well. This was very interesting to say the least. Thanks so much for sharing it. Stay safe and keep up the great work. God bless & Godspeed my Friend...
I've been by this many times going to work at the Bear Swamp Hydro just upstream from here. That hydro is built inside the mountain behind the camera operator. A very interesting place to work. There's an old work shop around the halfway point inside the tunnel. It's supposedly cut into the rock so the workers would be able to stand aside when the train came through.
I too have usually been "blessed" with a total lack of traffic whenever I'm trying to catch trains at far away interesting spots. I once spent an entire day diverting off I-90 and getting to and watching Stampeded Pass Tunnel and not one train. It started to get dark so I drove my way back down the precarious USFS mountain roads to Easton only to have to wait for an eastbound rolling through the grade crossing in the dark.
The NS train you Videoed is probably a former Pan Am Southern,now Berkshire and Eastern train after the sale of Pan Am to CSX......As such it's destination is probably Ayer Mass. The giveaway is the empty trash containers moving back east to heir loading point at Ayer.
I have seen NS on this line before. I don't think the train is going to Palmer probably East Deerfield or Ayer. Great to see foreign power this far east. I have spent many days at the Zoar picnic area floating down the river or flying my drone waiting for a train. Nice catch outstanding video. Thanks
That was an awesome video. Finding NS power, Union Pacific, a crew change all wrapped into catching a train pushing air out of the tunnel...wow! Nice commentary and history.
What an awesome video, man that is crazy how that fog just pushes out of the tunnel like that!!! Really cool to think how old that tunnel is and that it was hand dug, really cool video, truly enjoyed, thanks for posting! -Ken
Norfolk Southern is half owner of this line. NS units are very common here. The UP is a run-through unit and while not common they do show up from time to time. This tunnel was originally double track and had overhead catenary for electric locomotives to haul the trains just through the tunnel. The grade is about 1% and crests in the middle at Central Shaft. Full track speed was 35/40 MPH when I ran trains there in the early 90's. Probably 10 or 25 MPH now. Clearance was increased to allow a domestic/international container stack (one 9'6", one 8'6") but not two domestic containers.
Norfolk Southern owns 100% of this line they purchased the entire B&M West End. They also have all intermodal and automotive rights while, their subsidiary Pan Am Southern operated by ST has operating and industrial traffic.
Great video! Was just there on Sunday while cycling. Stayed for a little while sadly didn't get lucky with timing and didn't catch a train. Riding up to the town of Florida on a bike is quite a challenge!
This looks like a great area to hang out in. Great Fall colors. We have the Moffat Tunnel here in Colorado. bout 6 miles long. Great train viewing there.
Hi nice video I live in Albany New York have not been there as of yet it's actually quite common to see Norfolk Southern they own the Delaware Hudson from Sunbury to Binghamton thanks
This was an awesome video, I have heard others talk about this tunnel & how double stacks must remove their top container to get through it. Now I see why. Thank you for all the info on the building of it, Our ancestors were so much better at building things to last the test of time, where did that work ethic go?? I am in awe of the things they did by hand that we can not do with modern equipment! I really enjoyed this video, & will come back for more. Good job!
The Hoosac tunnel is unique in that it was started with picks and shovels and some gunpowder, continued with nitroglycerin, moving to dynamite, and finishing with TNT. The attempt at using gunpowder required so much product and did not yield expected results. Nitroglycerin became available in the early 1860s but its instability made it so difficult to transport and use that it was replaced as soon as the much more stable dynamite became available in 1867. Shortly thereafter TNT became commercially available and was even more stable - and helped finish the tunnel in 1875.
Nitroglycerine is nitroglycerine(!). Dynamite is nitroglycerine with stabilizers, as stabilizer traditionally diatomaceous earth, "Kieselguhr", a Swedish patent. TNT is Trinitrotoluol.
This was excellent! ....I learned a lot!... The drill marks and blasting spots, I would have caught that on my own, thanks for pointing it out and explaining what I was looking at. .....One question: On the locomotives what are the chains on axle carriage at 12:03 & 17:37 all about? I was hoping to get a chance to take a closer peek at the old, rusty & beaten-up Gondola car at 19:43, looks like it's had a rough life lol!....I'll have to look for it next. Thanks for taking us along!
Yes, they still run the fans. I trimmed the electric lines on Central Shaft road where the fan house is. On a hot summer day the doors swung open and fog began to come out
hi great video beautiful up engins how much power are they and iv seen them on the deerfield line before, where is this loaded headed to very nice thanks.
Bruce H I walked about half a mile in that tunnel about late 1970s and that rail line goes over the Fitchburg Ayer Massachusetts area. The Palmer yard is fat off the tracks. It run along route 95 mass central railroad. I know all about that part because I used to haul plastics out of our railyard on route 32 in Ware Massachusetts.
It’s Bruce again I should read it before I send it Palmer area is fat off the tracks that run along route 90 mask central railroad has lines that run up through Wareham Massachusetts
My wife and I watched this video together. It was really good. It was anticipatory to wait for the train to come. Good footage. And not too much talking either. Thanks for shooting it.
The spillway is not to keep water out of the tunnel. It is literally a spillway from the hydroelectric dam above the site. Take the trail up and you can still see what is left of the dam and lake.
It was nice talking with you! And awesome video. We only stayed a few minutes in there
I’d do the same thing, I’d definitely take a peak. I’d also be willing to bet, since 1877, at least someone has ran from one end to the other on a bet from their buddies 😂
@@j.r4985 I have walked completely through the Hoosac Tunnel twice, the last time being in mid 2008. My earlier walk, going west, I experienced having a WB Guilford train, also going west. Back then, trains seem to travel through it going some 35mph. As you so accurately state those trains do push the wind through it. Before I ever saw its headlight coming at me I did feel a definite change in air movement, that blowing on the back of my neck for at least some 5 minutes! I believe that I had me plenty of warning here!
This tunnel is numbered every 100 feet inside, with that number 251 at its east portal meaning 25,100 feet, going down as you go west. So to avoid problems I hid inside one of those niches blasted into the north face every 300 feet as that WB passed me so to avoid being seen inside, remaining there for at least 1/2 hour afterwards. What light I was able to see, at each end, from the middle was blocked from its diesel exhaust. When I arrived at a food establishment in North Adams I did have to wash my sooty black face, as I so noted in the restroom's mirror. There was no train coming at me for my return trip.
My final walk through it I would experience no train was the tunnel's west portal storm door was down. I had to crawl under this door. It was just like crawling under a motor vehicle so to do maintenance on it. The door comes down only to the top of the rail.
@@williamh.jarvis6795 thank you for sharing your experience! That’s wild. I’d be so creeped out. I’m not one to believe in ghosts, but…45 mins to an hour of walking might cause anyones mind start to wander in that tunnel lol
@@williamh.jarvis6795 great discretion on your trek through this landmark
Just out of interest how far does the crew travel on a shift , so they also overnight at a motel do they do a week or 2 out at a time similar to OTR truckers
you allways do a great jobwith your videos
I've watched a lot of train videos,this one was absolutely awesome, well done
Thank you I love trains
Impressive video. Thanx for posting
I enjoyed watching your video. Also the beautiful change of color on the trees! And the history of the tunnel. Thankyou!
Very entertaining and fun to watch. Thanks for posting this.
You are welcome
Well done. Very interesting video.
Thank you. Interesting and Informative commentary.
Awesome, Beautiful fall colours and some history thrown in .
Picture postcard !
Great job thank you .
A Great Video ! Awesome ! Air gushing out ! Coolest Tunnel! Longest Train ! Scenic view ,the Brook,Rocks blast ! A Hand Made Tunnel , the. 👍🙏 All who worked and lost lives for building It ! Thanks Hudson! 👍🌹❤️🇮🇳🙏
Awesome video!!! Train looks awesome with the fall colours in the background
That was awesome! I know the feeling of staying for hours and getting nothing but then hitting the jackpot. You got there at the perfect time.
What a great train video - awesome 👏 beautiful fall trees ! Coolest tunnel ! Amazing how air gushing out ahead of it!!!
Great video, but you would have been more impressed if you were here at the tunnel in the early 1970's. The B&M trains used to come out of the tunnel going at least 40 mph and the wind was strong enough to blow out my Zippo lighter.
😂😆🤣
amazing how our infrastructure has gone backwards in so many ways
Love that fog effect at the portal. Thanks for posting!
I miss the area but I don't miss the snow. Great blueberry picking on that side of the mountain and great hunting
Great video thank you for sharing.
That idling sound,OMG thats pure oil burning power ,huge diesel engine sound.
What a gorgeous location.
very cool. my surname has been in that town for a very long time. my great and grandpas are in a cemetery there. I explored once, but never got to see this. thanks for sharing.
What beautiful scenery. And the history and narrative are awesome. Thank you.
In early 1980's I hauled logs off the mountain above and to the left of the tunnel entrance for W J Cowee of Berlin,NY. We could look down onto the tracks from the log landing. LOUD was 6 or 7 B&M F's and GP's at full throttle headed west! Once the engines entered the tunnel it was almost dead silence, all you could hear was the noise of the rail cars. There was a dirt road off MA 2 just before the steep grade warning sign. Great video that brought back many memories of hauling off that mountain for 6 months.
Thanks for your commentary 👍 glad you enjoyed it 👍
What ever happened to WJ Cowee? The mill is still there but is it being run?
Luv ur comment but what does "B&M F's and GP's" stand for? Thx 4 .the story
Great video ! Thanks ! The Hoosac Tunnel fascinates me !
Awesome video!
I worked in the Hoosac for over a month back in the 1990s, we were cleaning it and installing equipment prior to the install of fiber optic equipment. I was a mechanic responsible for the Hi-railers, compressors, generators etc.
Since the tunnel had never been cleaned to my knowledge, imagine the accumulation of soot and diesel smoke from over 100 years of trains.
The vertical shaft(s( are still there and open AFAIK. Some of the tunnel pressure you are seeing is going up that vertical shaft.
The tunnel as originally built had TWO sets of tracks in it, but the downsizing of rail traffic and maintenance resulted in going to a single-track setup.
Another possible problem was the closeness of trains passing, with people running the risk of hands or heads out of windows getting struck by passing trains.
COFFINS (personnel refuges) are cut in the sides of the tunnel, to permit individuals to duck into when trains approach.
Ask about the blind mice that live in there.....
EDIT:
The temp you experienced is pretty much year round. it's gets pretty damned damp and cold in there.
SECOND EDIT:
No, they do NOT grind the rails like you said...the crown allows the wheels to find their center as they roll. Early rails had flat tops, and derailments were common. Crowned rails permit high-speed traffic. Look this up on RUclips and other places for comfirmation.
They DO grind the rails when crown is diminished due to wear.
Look up VIRTUAL RAILFAN here in RUclips for videos of that.
Crowned rail and tapered wheels for better rolling and cornering. Just watched a great video on that whole subject with illistrations , cannot find off hand and dont remember the channel. Beleive it was one from a museum somewhere. Still looking.
Looks like a single track tunnel from the exterior shot.
@@jdhrap Actually read what I put down.
IT ORIGINALLY HAD DOUBLE TRACKS.
@@ryangrimm9305 sorry foamer - no need to yell.
Wow, Claeaing 100 yrs of soot and debris out of the tunnel must have been an awfully dirty job. Did you find any interesting or unexpected discoveries? i wonder if there are any tales of people having to use the “Coffin” cut-outs.
Thanks for the commentary. Great video. Lots of NS running with UP in southern Arizona
Very nice video!
Excellent, Amazing, enjoyed
I thought it was taking the train a long time to get through that tunnel. They were going slow they knew they were going to be stopping. Yes very cool video
Great video, 8 year old son has watched a couple times.
This video started him wanting to learn further about this tunnel and the area in our homeschool so we’ll be digging deeper.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Really enjoyed your video about the Hoosac tunnel in the beautiful mountains of Massachusetts - no wonder the founding fathers were so inspired - the beauty of North America!
Awesome video !!
Nice job!! Very interesting about the air push 🇺🇸🇺🇸
Outstanding!!! Thank you so much
Great video 👍
Indonesian railfan here 🙋♂️
1st X I have watched your Chnnel.
Great Video.
God Bless + + +
Great video. Thank you.
Cool Video! Railroad Line lease engines from other Railroads is why there's always mixed Engines on Railroads. I see UP engines all the time on CSX lines.
Beautiful.
Spectacular.... beautiful colours on the hillside...
Wow! A tunnel of 5 miles! Fantastic engineering. Beautiful Autumn colours too. Thank you for sharing your part of the US with me in England. 👍
Good day chap
@@hudsonvalleyrailandriverandair Good day to you too. I absolutely love everything trains and your trains and railroads fascinate me! Your description of the building of the tunnel and the dynamite blast marks is excellent. Those brave men who built your infrastructure are of course long gone but they live on. We here had Isambard Kingdom Brunel who built Great Britain's transport system from the Victorian era. I'll be watching more of your videos for certain. Have a good weekend.
very very nice vid loved it .......I subscribed
Fantastic video, thank you I'm from East Hartford, Ct.
excellent..thanks from Ireland !
Lots of good info, great video!
Great video...thank you for the post!!!
Awesome video! We got lucky with 2 trains when we were there in Sept 2021 and I didn’t even know it was an active line. We were there to check out the tunnel and hike a trail to the right of the tunnel. There are really cool, quite large, twin waterfalls less than a quarter mile up the trail above the spillway. Thanks for the rail and tunnel info!
Awesome video! Enjoyed viewing this and will be showing this phenomenon to many of my friends. Thank you for posting this.
Thank you, please like share and subscribe please
Another bonus here in this video, being described around the 27:15 mark, is information about the partial wall collapse that occurred back not long ago and how the repairs were made. Basically, it was a "cut and re-cover" type of repair.
Is it said to be that there is a small brook passing over the top if the tunnel in this area? (Another video producer, posting a silent video of a cab ride going west through this tunnel, replied back to me as to exactly where in his video this collapse was taking place. I saw it where it was starting its slow collapse.)
I have been driving school bus in Pennsylvania (Pa) over past 10 years. Pa law states ALL school buses must stop at all RR x-ings. And in this case, the driver would have to call-in VIA the radio & get approval to proceed from the bus garage before the driver can proceed over ANY railroad x-ing that had lights flashing, even if the train is stopped (as seen in this video). Or the driver could proceed if the crossing was guarded by a police officer or railroad employee who clearly signaled the driver to proceed. My wife & I share the same run & take turns driving each day. We cross active railroad tracks 10 times each day we drive school bus. I'm NOT familiar with the school bus laws in Mass.
We have the complete stop, open the doors to look at xings in Illinois, and being a brakeman, I've protected xings and signaled traffic past flashing lights and raised the gates when stopped, and gates that were supposed to raise and shut off, but didn't (oh, that NEVER happened). Open a locked box @ xing, and shut off the lights and gates. I don't know if drivers have to communicate with their dispatchers, clearly something that developed with cell phones, plus I've been retired for over 10 yrs, don't know current laws or practices for school busses.
PS don't be dropping a dime on that bus, should've edited that!
More regulation, go figure, fk that go!!
I have driven buses, school, Greyhound and school, totaling 51 years. Technically I agree. If there is only one track, it is a rural freight line visible in both directions. Stationary is one locomotive. I would defer judgement to a dispatcher before proceeding.
That one guy would make a good Santa!
Pretty train.
Very interesting and informative, thanks!
OMG 24 yrs 2 built the tunnel! Those were the days... cool vid, thx4sharing
Quite interesting.
Very nicely shot! Beautiful scenery as well! Overall great!
I don't guess I've ever seen a crew change at East Portal. Thanks for the post.
I really enjoyed this video. Thanks buddy and hi from Portsmouth UK.
Awesome video nice catch❤️🚂
My Dad was born in nearby Shelburne Falls in 1910. We were railroad hobbyists and I have known about Hoosac Tunnel from a very early age. Dad told me that the construction of the tunnel was started at both ends, and they met somewhere in the middle. It seems to me that he said they were just off a fraction of an inch when they met.
Love it, especially the shift change sequence.
ATTENTION SUBSCRIBERS AND VIEWERS.
I am honestly honored by all the positive feedback you have given me. As you see in my channel video catalog, I drive long distances and am always looking for new vantage points to bring you the most diverse experience in train spotting. Saying that I don't know everything about trains, jargon, historic references ect. I just want you to enjoy your time with my channel. I read every comment and see your home country. Please share like and subscribe.
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ODAAT!
Love it thank you
Thanks for taking the time to record the Hoosac Norfolk Southern Crew Change along with the phenomenon that precedes the portal being breached 😮
BTW - Greetings from New Zealand 🇳🇿 ❤
WOW... This is a Great Video. I Loved how you described everything that was happening, and the train pushing the air was really something. But we all know it has to displace it, and at the same time it is pulling in fresh air from the other end as well. This was very interesting to say the least. Thanks so much for sharing it. Stay safe and keep up the great work. God bless & Godspeed my Friend...
I've been by this many times going to work at the Bear Swamp Hydro just upstream from here. That hydro is built inside the mountain behind the camera operator. A very interesting place to work.
There's an old work shop around the halfway point inside the tunnel. It's supposedly cut into the rock so the workers would be able to stand aside when the train came through.
I too have usually been "blessed" with a total lack of traffic whenever I'm trying to catch trains at far away interesting spots. I once spent an entire day diverting off I-90 and getting to and watching Stampeded Pass Tunnel and not one train. It started to get dark so I drove my way back down the precarious USFS mountain roads to Easton only to have to wait for an eastbound rolling through the grade crossing in the dark.
Interesting............
awsome video
The NS train you Videoed is probably a former Pan Am Southern,now Berkshire and Eastern train after the sale of Pan Am to CSX......As such it's destination is probably Ayer Mass. The giveaway is the empty trash containers moving back east to heir loading point at Ayer.
I have seen NS on this line before. I don't think the train is going to Palmer probably East Deerfield or Ayer. Great to see foreign power this far east. I have spent many days at the Zoar picnic area floating down the river or flying my drone waiting for a train. Nice catch outstanding video. Thanks
That was an awesome video. Finding NS power, Union Pacific, a crew change all wrapped into catching a train pushing air out of the tunnel...wow! Nice commentary and history.
Great video. Thanks for making and sharing. Plus I subbed you as well.
What an awesome video, man that is crazy how that fog just pushes out of the tunnel like that!!! Really cool to think how old that tunnel is and that it was hand dug, really cool video, truly enjoyed, thanks for posting! -Ken
Beautiful video
Had never heard of the Hoosac tunnel until your video..The info that you provided and the video itself was really great..Thanks
If I am not mistaken those three engines up front were pulling 131 wagons. That is an incredible number.
Largest train ive put together was 228...thats a completely absurd length of train
Norfolk Southern is half owner of this line. NS units are very common here. The UP is a run-through unit and while not common they do show up from time to time. This tunnel was originally double track and had overhead catenary for electric locomotives to haul the trains just through the tunnel. The grade is about 1% and crests in the middle at Central Shaft. Full track speed was 35/40 MPH when I ran trains there in the early 90's. Probably 10 or 25 MPH now. Clearance was increased to allow a domestic/international container stack (one 9'6", one 8'6") but not two domestic containers.
Did they lower the rails for clearance?
Norfolk Southern owns 100% of this line they purchased the entire B&M West End. They also have all intermodal and automotive rights while, their subsidiary Pan Am Southern operated by ST has operating and industrial traffic.
Double Stack clearance has been talked about for years, astronomical costs. 🚂
@@stevenconnolly7907this line is owned by CSX, not Norfolk And Southern
That was cool. And fun all at the same time … that’s some tunnel I never knew of it.
Great video! Was just there on Sunday while cycling. Stayed for a little while sadly didn't get lucky with timing and didn't catch a train. Riding up to the town of Florida on a bike is quite a challenge!
This looks like a great area to hang out in. Great Fall colors. We have the Moffat Tunnel here in Colorado. bout 6 miles long. Great train viewing there.
Hi nice video I live in Albany New York have not been there as of yet it's actually quite common to see Norfolk Southern they own the Delaware Hudson from Sunbury to Binghamton thanks
This was an awesome video, I have heard others talk about this tunnel & how double stacks must remove their top container to get through it. Now I see why. Thank you for all the info on the building of it, Our ancestors were so much better at building things to last the test of time, where did that work ethic go?? I am in awe of the things they did by hand that we can not do with modern equipment! I really enjoyed this video, & will come back for more. Good job!
Have a great day!!!
yep all top containers are taken off in mechanicville , minus 22ks garbage intermodals
Nice. Thanks for this sir. 👍
The Hoosac tunnel is unique in that it was started with picks and shovels and some gunpowder, continued with nitroglycerin, moving to dynamite, and finishing with TNT. The attempt at using gunpowder required so much product and did not yield expected results. Nitroglycerin became available in the early 1860s but its instability made it so difficult to transport and use that it was replaced as soon as the much more stable dynamite became available in 1867. Shortly thereafter TNT became commercially available and was even more stable - and helped finish the tunnel in 1875.
Nitroglycerin, dynamite and TNT are all the same.
@@ryzenforce Did you google before replying? TNT and Dynamite are not the same. I thought they were but it turns out they are not.
Nitroglycerine is nitroglycerine(!). Dynamite is nitroglycerine with stabilizers, as stabilizer traditionally diatomaceous earth, "Kieselguhr", a Swedish patent. TNT is Trinitrotoluol.
Thank you for your informative note. Indeed marvellous.
Many thx! Enjoy Everyone!🤗
Just love listening to the thunder of those engines!!!!
It looks beautiful out there! Love the fall colors!
This was excellent! ....I learned a lot!... The drill marks and blasting spots, I would have caught that on my own, thanks for pointing it out and explaining what I was looking at. .....One question: On the locomotives what are the chains on axle carriage at 12:03 & 17:37 all about? I was hoping to get a chance to take a closer peek at the old, rusty & beaten-up Gondola car at 19:43, looks like it's had a rough life lol!....I'll have to look for it next.
Thanks for taking us along!
What a cool video, and a great spot!
Nice work!
awsome video 👍👍👍👍👍🇺🇸 I'm in Titusville FLORIDA
Yes, they still run the fans. I trimmed the electric lines on Central Shaft road where the fan house is. On a hot summer day the doors swung open and fog began to come out
hi great video beautiful up engins how much power are they and iv seen them on the deerfield line before, where is this loaded headed to very nice thanks.
Bruce H I walked about half a mile in that tunnel about late 1970s and that rail line goes over the Fitchburg Ayer Massachusetts area. The Palmer yard is fat off the tracks. It run along route 95 mass central railroad. I know all about that part because I used to haul plastics out of our railyard on route 32 in Ware Massachusetts.
It’s Bruce again I should read it before I send it Palmer area is fat off the tracks that run along route 90 mask central railroad has lines that run up through Wareham Massachusetts
Great video been there a few time s not sure how many trains per day go through now now days.
Once you spend a summer in that tunnel replacing ties and rail it becomes a little less nostalgic.
Wild wild history of the tunnel, thanks for the video.
My wife and I watched this video together. It was really good. It was anticipatory to wait for the train to come. Good footage. And not too much talking either. Thanks for shooting it.
Great, informative video. The tunnel is not well enough known. My MOW heritage dates from the 1870s.
There's nothing better than seeing a black pony. The memories...always a NS Thoroughbred. 💙
🇮🇪 brilliant capture of the train 🚇 amazing view beautiful waterfall 💧
The spillway is not to keep water out of the tunnel. It is literally a spillway from the hydroelectric dam above the site. Take the trail up and you can still see what is left of the dam and lake.