I have been under many of them over the years, I've repaired them, rerailed them, inspected them, picked them up with A derrick, rode them, kept warm on them, operated them, and yes even cussed them. They know they have but to ask and I would help. I am retired but will always be a railroader.
Re-railin a switcher one of the first things I ever got to help do while waiting to be trained to Operate for Rail-link at Eastman Chemical. The second was to help the mechanic on an engine rebuild by first removing 'the jewlery',(the valve lifters for each cylinder were removed and put in a separate 5gal plastic bucket)! Then an old Engineer/investor trained me for 3 days and they turned me loose with the switching locomotive. Looking back on it, I am amazed to say the least. I operated for a little less than a year, got my job back at the paper mill, then got laid off again and worked 3yrs for Rail Serve as a Loco operator. Good Times mostly.
I always enjoy watching people who are good at their craft put their skills to work. Thanks for sharing a small snapshot of what yall did and still do. I love learning new things.
Never knew rerailing locos can be so exciting! When my locos derail, all I have to do is to pick them up with my hands and put them back on track. Of course that's easy to do when they are H0 scale.
Nice video, it's nice to see a video done by you on this subject, I spent the day today working with a crew rerailing five cars that had gone on the ground and rolled the rail. This helped me show the family what I was up to today. :-)
This was very interesting. And to have commentary by a railman is a bonus. In the UK there is a whole lot less trackside access. You are very lucky in the US!
Give me a fulcrum and I will move the world. This time these fellows used simple wedges to more tones of steel. Remarkable. What was scary was when the aft truck was teetering on one of three wheels on an eighth of an inch of rail while that guy put his head under there to put more wedges under the wheels - brave! I hate to think what would've happened if that third wheel slipped off the track on it's own. Great videos sir!
pwalpar I've seen lots of pics from the 50s-80s of cranes re-railing locomotives. Have railroads abandoned the crane for this purpose simply because railroads really don't use the big 200 ton rail cranes anymore?
Every time I see one of these rerailing vids I wonder why they do not use the steel apparatus used by the Russians to rerail a locomotive, seems much more efficient than pilling up wood?
This was an outstanding video! Best informative video on any subject that I have seen in a loooong time. Just makes it that much more special to us railfans..Thanks Walter for posting it !
That's amazing how y'all have figured out how to get the wheels back on the tracks - out of necessity I suppose. You don't really think about this happening as a layman, but I guess it must be quite common. Oh and I did love the sounds of the weight of the heavy engine pulverizing the wooden blocks - I don't suppose many blocks get a second chance at being used 🤔🤣🤣🤣
Thanks for the kind words. They put me in mind of a saying at the railroad: Its not my job to drive the train to toot the horn or ring the bell but let the dam thing jump the track and see who catches hell
pwalpar I heard it a little different. It’s not my job to run the train the whistle I can’t blow Its not my job to say how far the trains allowed to go It’s not my job to toot the horn nor even cling the bell But let the damn thing jump the track and see who catches hell
The causes are numerous and it often takes a bit of detective work to find out the cause. Usually the rail spreads when the ties get rotten LOL Thanks Alfred.
Very interesting. For those who enjoy trains and railroads like me is wonderful. I was helping to accelerate very slowly so that the locomotive did not leave the rails again. Thank you for posting!!!!!
Wood wedges! It has to be natures best hardwood....oak, and used for everything from whiskey barrels & barns, to skid plates on the rear of passenger planes, and now train railing shims.
I worked for a short line class 3 railroad. We have re-railed many cars the went on the ground with oak blocks and wedges. Me personally as a conductor, have re-railed probably 45 plus axles. The worst is the 3 axle DOD flatcars with old Buckeye trucks.
I don’t know why they haven’t used concrete railroad ties.In other countries they are using them.U.S.A has fallen behind in engineering ever since we set foot on the moon, we let ourselves go. We used to be proud to have the best everything. Now we are behind Europe and other developed countries.
I didn't know that railroad guys were also railfans. Is that something you had to keep a lid on while you were working? It always seems to me that railfans get a lot of heat from the employees, but you obviously don't fit that mold. Great inside information and thanks for the interesting video and commentary!
Thanks for commenting. There are more railroaders who are rail fans than you might think. Especially with the younger generation railroader out there today. As far as the mold goes I never did fit in LOL Time past we as employees were not allowed to take photos or publicize anything if we wanted to keep our jobs. I seen much over the years that would have made great RUclips material LOL
Thanks Paul. I appreciate you praise. There are various method to rerail depending on the situation. We use blocks sometimes but also metal replacers and jacks and yes even cranes, The track is often a mess and nearly always has to be repaired.
A good question Carl. The cross ties deteriorate and the spikes holding the rail down get loos. Then the rail shifts under the heavy weight of the railcar and when a whell drops off one track the other one gets pushed over
Wow--I had no idea that mere chocks of wood could even hold up under that kind of weight--let alone guide a locomotive back onto the track! I was also unaware that the tracks could "flex" like that. This was fascinating to see....and thanks for the narration!
Thanks and an excellent question. The wheels do occasionally sustain damage requiring them to need replacing after getting them back on track we always inspect them
Great Video Sir! & Very good commentary & just the right amount. Not too Much but enough to bring all us that dont really know whats happening up to speed .You do know what your talking about which is very nice, not the typical YT know it all. Thanks again.
When the cross ties get decayed the spikes that hold the rial down in just the right place get loose, then the rail spreads farther apart from each other and one wheel drops inside., the nozzle is on the end of a hose that blows sand on top of the rail to get traction
I could listen too the sound of that SD40-23 all day and I would never be sick of it.C.P.R still has a large number of these units and when they came up the grade into Scarborough Ontario or the Campbellville climb, they would be at notch 8 and that made my day. I am sure the engineer had an ear full all day,but for the few minutes i had it was swell worth a wait..
These carmen deserve a lot of respect. Very dangerous job in this situation. If that roadbed had sunken a few inches due to the extra force being exerted on the tilted rail by the locomotive, the carman could have been seriously injured or worse. Glad things turned out ok.
Very well shot. Having been through re-railing with wood blocks for over 30 years I can truly say that those who are good at it (Not I) are true artists. It's a little interesting running the engine while trying to re-rail locomotives or cars. Usually the gentlemen on the ground placing the wood blocks blame it on you if the cars do not pop back up. Nice video work.
Yes its normal for most engines. Its not like starting a car with a key. You have to hold the governor down and prime the engines before turning it over
Thank you for sharing. I don't know doodly about the subject, but I have learned after watching this video you do not become an old Carmen without learning how to be a wise and clever Carman pretty quickly .
Great video from someone who's been there-done that!!.Good to see an old railroader still loving the rails!.Thanks for the expert commentary and for sharing the clip!
Beautifully produced video! It's a lot harder than putting my N-scale locos back on the track! My highest respect goes to all of you who keep America's life blood flowing. Keep it up!
LOVE IT!! That was AWSOME!! Plus, it was my favorite kind of locomotive also, the SD40-2. Now that's what I'm talking about!! Great video sir. Great video. Keep them coming. One of your fans. Gary Barnett Watertown, NY
That's amazing. But I'll bet the guy walking around wearing the white pants is a manager. The guys wearing the grease on their hands and clothes are the real workers.
Interesting way of re-railling a locomovtie and such a simple way as well, I don't know why I did not watch it before sorry Walter please forgive me lol. More than five stars on this on Walter. Thanks Daniel
thanks for posting this video. The SD40-2's are my all time favorite engine. It was very nice to see how they rerail these big boys back on the track. Tedious but not impossible! Thanks again for sharing this!
What impressed me was the fine control the loco had, in that it could move just inches at a time.
A good Engineer can do that, Thanksd John
Simply work power against the indepensent brake. As stated, any good engineer can do that.
Wonderfull having a vid like this with commentary from someone who knows what they're talking about.
+Anonymous joe Thank you
pwalpar
OldTractors 2w
I know he probably knows a lot about trains, but he pretty much just stating the obvious on this video
I have been under many of them over the years, I've repaired them, rerailed them, inspected them, picked them up with A derrick, rode them, kept warm on them, operated them, and yes even cussed them. They know they have but to ask and I would help. I am retired but will always be a railroader.
Re-railin a switcher one of the first things I ever got to help do while waiting to be trained to Operate for Rail-link at Eastman Chemical. The second was to help the mechanic on an engine rebuild by first removing 'the jewlery',(the valve lifters for each cylinder were removed and put in a separate 5gal plastic bucket)! Then an old Engineer/investor trained me for 3 days and they turned me loose with the switching locomotive. Looking back on it, I am amazed to say the least. I operated for a little less than a year, got my job back at the paper mill, then got laid off again and worked 3yrs for Rail Serve as a Loco operator. Good Times mostly.
This is an excellent video of something most of us would never get a shot at seeing. Thank you for it.
+globalswgetter Thanks I am glad you enjoyed it
I always enjoy watching people who are good at their craft put their skills to work. Thanks for sharing a small snapshot of what yall did and still do. I love learning new things.
Thanks for the compliment, it's appreciated
Never knew rerailing locos can be so exciting! When my locos derail, all I have to do is to pick them up with my hands and put them back on track. Of course that's easy to do when they are H0 scale.
LOL
Really nice to see a video by an experienced camera man. All comments are relative and not made up. Thank you
Thanks for watching and your input I did that work for many years so yes I did know what I was talking about
im gona be honest, that is the last way on earth i would of taught this is how its done
Impressive stuff
Nice video, it's nice to see a video done by you on this subject, I spent the day today working with a crew rerailing five cars that had gone on the ground and rolled the rail. This helped me show the family what I was up to today. :-)
This was very interesting. And to have commentary by a railman is a bonus. In the UK there is a whole lot less trackside access. You are very lucky in the US!
Thanks for commenting :-)
Give me a fulcrum and I will move the world. This time these fellows used simple wedges to more tones of steel. Remarkable. What was scary was when the aft truck was teetering on one of three wheels on an eighth of an inch of rail while that guy put his head under there to put more wedges under the wheels - brave! I hate to think what would've happened if that third wheel slipped off the track on it's own. Great videos sir!
I'd would have never guessed this is how they did this. I learned something and thanks for the video.
Thanks for commenting
pwalpar I've seen lots of pics from the 50s-80s of cranes re-railing locomotives. Have railroads abandoned the crane for this purpose simply because railroads really don't use the big 200 ton rail cranes anymore?
Every time I see one of these rerailing vids I wonder why they do not use the steel apparatus used by the Russians to rerail a locomotive, seems much more efficient than pilling up wood?
This was an outstanding video! Best informative video on any subject that I have seen in a loooong time. Just makes it that much more special to us railfans..Thanks Walter for posting it !
This is one of the coolest videos I've ever seen
that crawl speed every train enthusiasts love.....i'll never take wooden blocks for granted ever again...that was pretty darn cool
Thank You :-)
Turn the wheel to the right.
Lol
That's amazing how y'all have figured out how to get the wheels back on the tracks - out of necessity I suppose. You don't really think about this happening as a layman, but I guess it must be quite common. Oh and I did love the sounds of the weight of the heavy engine pulverizing the wooden blocks - I don't suppose many blocks get a second chance at being used 🤔🤣🤣🤣
You're right that usually wind up as firewood
Thanks for the kind words. They put me in mind of a saying at the railroad:
Its not my job to drive the train
to toot the horn or ring the bell
but
let the dam thing jump the track
and see who catches hell
pwalpar I heard it a little different. It’s not my job to run the train the whistle I can’t blow Its not my job to say how far the trains allowed to go It’s not my job to toot the horn nor even cling the bell But let the damn thing jump the track and see who catches hell
I am delighted that you liked it. Thanks Manny
Great video and excellent explanation. Always like to see professionals at work!
+Rich Carlson (N9JIG) Thanks
I can really say railway work is brutal when you have to do this in all weather no matter how cold or hot. My hats off to you guys.
Looks like working as a carman takes a lot more skill than it looks like at first glance.
The causes are numerous and it often takes a bit of detective work to find out the cause. Usually the rail spreads when the ties get rotten LOL Thanks Alfred.
Always wanted to see this type of repair. Surprised that wooden wedges would get the job done.
wood wedges will work quite often thanks for the comment
Wood wedges also used to be used as wheel stops for steam trains
If a train gets stuck on a hill they put wooden wedges and jam them into place using brute force
Then it keeps the train still
@@pwalpar only for light trains
Very interesting. For those who enjoy trains and railroads like me is wonderful. I was helping to accelerate very slowly so that the locomotive did not leave the rails again. Thank you for posting!!!!!
Wood wedges! It has to be natures best hardwood....oak, and used for everything from whiskey barrels & barns, to skid plates on the rear of passenger planes, and now train railing shims.
Marc Del Yep they do very well for ,many purposes thanks
I worked for a short line class 3 railroad. We have re-railed many cars the went on the ground with oak blocks and wedges. Me personally as a conductor, have re-railed probably 45 plus axles. The worst is the 3 axle DOD flatcars with old Buckeye trucks.
Jeesh . . . the compression strength of the wood wedges is incredible as well.
I agree
I don’t know why they haven’t used concrete railroad ties.In other countries they are using them.U.S.A has fallen behind in engineering ever since we set foot on the moon, we let ourselves go. We used to be proud to have the best everything. Now we are behind Europe and other developed countries.
thanks for posting these videos. my dad worked on the old PENN CENTRAL for over 35 years and it sure brings back the old memories.
Thanks I know the feeling :-)
The pen central wasn't around for 35 years. More like 2-6 years
AND HE WAS WITH THE PENN RR BEFORE IT BECAME PENNCENT
I didn't know that railroad guys were also railfans. Is that something you had to keep a lid on while you were working? It always seems to me that railfans get a lot of heat from the employees, but you obviously don't fit that mold. Great inside information and thanks for the interesting video and commentary!
Thanks for commenting. There are more railroaders who are rail fans than you might think. Especially with the younger generation railroader out there today. As far as the mold goes I never did fit in LOL Time past we as employees were not allowed to take photos or publicize anything if we wanted to keep our jobs. I seen much over the years that would have made great RUclips material LOL
Railroads WILL NOT hire you if you even hint that you like railroading, don't even show enthusiasm or excitement for the job. I'm not kidding.
Thanks Paul. I appreciate you praise. There are various method to rerail depending on the situation. We use blocks sometimes but also metal replacers and jacks and yes even cranes, The track is often a mess and nearly always has to be repaired.
How often does something like this happen, Walter?
Mark Brockman Daily
A good question Carl. The cross ties deteriorate and the spikes holding the rail down get loos. Then the rail shifts under the heavy weight of the railcar and when a whell drops off one track the other one gets pushed over
I would try to get that supervisor's white pants dirty every day with grease or rust.
LOL
Lol.
Me too. lol
Thank You for the Close-Up View 😊 and Explaining (in Detail) with Clarity the HOW to put a Train back on the Tracks. 👍😊👍
Glad it was helpful!
Wow--I had no idea that mere chocks of wood could even hold up under that kind of weight--let alone guide a locomotive back onto the track! I was also unaware that the tracks could "flex" like that. This was fascinating to see....and thanks for the narration!
That Was Just Amazing!!! True Statement GARTHVADR!!! Great Vids PWALPAR!!!
Thanks and an excellent question. The wheels do occasionally sustain damage requiring them to need replacing after getting them back on track we always inspect them
Great Video Sir! & Very good commentary & just the right amount. Not too Much but enough to bring all us that dont really know whats happening up to speed .You do know what your talking about which is very nice, not the typical YT know it all. Thanks again.
When the cross ties get decayed the spikes that hold the rial down in just the right place get loose, then the rail spreads farther apart from each other and one wheel drops inside., the nozzle is on the end of a hose that blows sand on top of the rail to get traction
I could listen too the sound of that SD40-23 all day and I would never be sick of it.C.P.R still has a large number of these units and when they came up the grade into Scarborough Ontario or the Campbellville climb, they would be at notch 8 and that made my day. I am sure the engineer had an ear full all day,but for the few minutes i had it was swell worth a wait..
These carmen deserve a lot of respect. Very dangerous job in this situation. If that roadbed had sunken a few inches due to the extra force being exerted on the tilted rail by the locomotive, the carman could have been seriously injured or worse. Glad things turned out ok.
Wow. That is something you don't see every day. Thank you for posting this.
Rerailing engines with blocks is tough. Well executed in this clip. Wish they still let this stuff be filmed on class1s. Great video
Many thanks! I appreciate the compliment
Thanks David, I have seen timnes when the hook was called, mainly when the track was too badly torn up..
Thank you. I watched the an NYC crew put an RS-3 back on the track with a re-railing frog as a kid.
Thanks Yes its just a matter of raising the height of the wheel above the height of the top of the rails
I would never thought the rails would bend like that - WOW - made it look easy getting the engine back on the track!!!!
Kenny was good at this job Hes no longer with us Hes rerailing trains up there I bet
A great video and an excellent narration. Thanks for sharing!!
For this achievement for granted, it was a pleasure to me .
That was awesome, thank you for sharing it with us.
I've always wondered how they get those back on the track, really interesting to watch. Thank you
I always wondered how a locomotive was rerailed. Very informative video, thank you for posting.
Great video Walter. It is very interesting to watch and see how that process is done.
Nice educational video Walter. Hat's off to the car men who keep them rolloing.
Very well shot. Having been through re-railing with wood blocks for over 30 years I can truly say that those who are good at it (Not I) are true artists. It's a little interesting running the engine while trying to re-rail locomotives or cars. Usually the gentlemen on the ground placing the wood blocks blame it on you if the cars do not pop back up. Nice video work.
Yes its normal for most engines. Its not like starting a car with a key. You have to hold the governor down and prime the engines before turning it over
WOW! Now that carmen is one re-railin' dude!
Awesome Vid & Thanks for posting this!
Take Care,
John
I have never seen that done before. Thanks for the chance to see this! Thats quite a skill to be able to achieve that. Magnificent!
Thank you for sharing. I don't know doodly about the subject, but I have learned after watching this video you do not become an old Carmen without learning how to be a wise and clever Carman pretty quickly .
Thanks for commenting, I have not even touched on some of the dangerous stuff we often had to do
One of your finest video's and the one that made me a fan of pwalrar.
Thanks Melvin I appreciate it :-)
Thanks Gary I appreciate the support my friend
Thanks I am glad you liked it
Fascinating to see that -it's a big axle load on the wooden wedges. Thanks for the vid and commentary
Thank you for commenting I appreciate it
Thanks Erika, yes theres a lot done behind the scenes
OMG! This is incredible! Thanks for catching and documenting this process for us!
You have some awesome videos of real world railroading. Thank you very much.
Thumbs UP for a job well done !!!!!! Took a while , but they got the job done and im sure NS Corp appreciated what they did =)
Thanks my friend I hope you have another successful 23 years
Thanks Dan, most often it does obliterate the blocks. there is an art to placing them.
Great video from someone who's been there-done that!!.Good to see an old railroader still loving the rails!.Thanks for the expert commentary and for sharing the clip!
Gracias por compartir,exelentre trabajo desde Bs. As,Argentina!!!
Obrigado pelo elogio, eu aprecio isso
The railroad buys them in bulk and at quite an expense. I've grinded up many of them over the years rerailing trains. Thanks Hans
I just found this,video ! That is such a neat process,never seen that done! Thanks for your commentary!
Thank you for documenting the event.
There are various devices that are sometimes used but when the rail ir spread and or turned over it can get difficult
Beautifully produced video! It's a lot harder than putting my N-scale locos back on the track! My highest respect goes to all of you who keep America's life blood flowing. Keep it up!
This is a lot more exciting than polishing rocks. Ha. Really like the narration. Thanks.
Thanks Cutter, I hope they watch it and like it. Too bad I had to edit some of it out to fit on YT
Thanks I happy you liked it
How ANYONE can put a 100 tonne locomotive back on the tracks is beyond me, but it sure sounds cool to hear that giant engine start up!
LOVE IT!! That was AWSOME!! Plus, it was my favorite kind of locomotive also, the SD40-2. Now that's what I'm talking about!! Great video sir. Great video. Keep them coming.
One of your fans.
Gary Barnett
Watertown, NY
That's amazing. But I'll bet the guy walking around wearing the white pants is a manager. The guys wearing the grease on their hands and clothes are the real workers.
You are absolutely right thanks for commenting
Sometimes the most basic things work the best. Thanks for the video! Awesome!
Well done. I'm from a railroad family but got nervous just watching. Excellent video and commentary.
Thanks for listening
Thank You John
Interesting way of re-railling a locomovtie and such a simple way as well, I don't know why I did not watch it before sorry Walter please forgive me lol. More than five stars on this on Walter.
Thanks
Daniel
Thanks John it is indeed often very unglamorous
Over the years I seen a lot too thanks You have the right idea for sure
Thanks Joe, I am glad you got some benefit from it. I would imagine you had a hard day then. Been there and done that more times than I can count.
A fine place to learn it for sure. Thanks for watching my video and stay safe out there brother railroader
Thanks for the vid, long live the railroad and long live you!
That looks like a fun job to work for. I enjoyed that video. Thanks for posting!!!
Thanks I appreciate it
love the sound of an SD40-2 starting up
Thanks for commenting
Same. SD40-2's are one of my favs. I love ALL the American EMD locomotives. I like some older GE locomotives also.
Thank you Stephen
that gives a hole new prospective on just how easy some thing can be done with a little work effort and prospective on how dangerous trains can be .
This SD40-2 sounds more like an SD50 from its prime mover. Great video!
You are right!
@@pwalpar most of the 40 series locos from EMD scream lol
Hope he made sure there was no water in the cylinders first. I had to do that job many times, very enjoyable walter.
Thanks my friend. I have spent many a cold and wet or snowy night at train derailmeents
thanks for posting this video. The SD40-2's are my all time favorite engine. It was very nice to see how they rerail these big boys back on the track. Tedious but not impossible! Thanks again for sharing this!