Hello Hyce: With your professional knowledge of management of train handling and train operation, I am surprised that you referred to running a locomotive as to "drive" it in your video title. Since the museum is a teaching museum, it is important to teach facts on the thematic subject. Here in the North America, it is important to stress the fact that "driving" a locomotive is incorrect (which applies to any type of locomotive motive power). My comment is not directed to you but to ignorant rail fans and the general public alike that visit the museum and watch your videos. Take it from a retired locomotive engineer of a major Class 1 US railroad and rules instructor. In comparison, contrary to European nomenclature, here in the US is a fact that needs to be known and taught to fellow rail fans. As we taught in our technical training classrooms to our students, the locomotive engineer does not "drive" the train as it is often incorrectly implied here in North America. Simply put, the locomotive engineer (or operator of a locomotive) "runs" the diesel engine which in turn propels the locomotive via electric traction motors. (Steam power in your case). Reference to diesel electric, it just so happens that the diesel power plant propels the unit in response to the hand controls the locomotive engineer (or operator) manipulates in the cab (the throttle). The unit(s) (locomotive(s) travel on a fixed guide way and are not driven (or steered) like a road/highway vehicle. Also, inside the railroad business, categorically a locomotive is usually referred to as a "unit", when in consist.” For example, if one sees a train with three locomotives, it would be referred to as a three unit consist, or a set of power. Rail fans may call this a lash-up. In the railroad business, it is addressed as an "MU" (multiple unit consist, or simply 'consist'). Sometimes a single unit is also referred to by the slang term as "motor" by crews. Hyce, you would make a very good instructor, your knowledge on steam and management of train handling is admirable. Keep up the good work!
Howdy Ernest! I hate the term drive, and always say run myself. The title was to get non-train folks to come watch, and it worked, thankfully! One of those things about TH-cam. Gotta get people in the door. Great comment, thank you!
When kids would ask us how we "drive the train" we show them the brake wheel back in the caboose / coach and tell them that's how we steer. That reminds me of this one woman who refused to ride since there was no flanges on the OUTSIDE of the rail. You meet all sorts.
@@kevindowling157 Same here. I know nothing about trains but find them fascinating, so I'm glad to come across videos titled this way, as well as comments like Ernest's. It might be good to explain the correct terms in the beginning of the video, though. Just a thought. Either way, great videos!
@@Hyce777 I wonder if "How to RUN a real STEAM TRAIN - First Person Engineer!" would have worked any less... and I've seen those colloquial "drivers" in virtual aerospace as well, like a "Hornet driver". It's rare, but it happens. Then there's a simple rule to go by if getting engaged by something: "Break! Jink! Stop driving!" (thanks to C.W. Lemoine for that! XD). To be fair, as English isn't my native language, I've been guilty of saying/writing "driving a train/locomotive" before as well. So it isn't always just ignorance driving that wording, pun intended. And since curiosity brought me here in the first place, learning the proper terms is part of the whole thing. There's no point in learning wrong stuff ;)
You are probably one of the first to actually teach people the correct information on how to drive a steam locomotive along with the POV of you how it looks versus how you hear from the word to really know how. I hadn’t seen any video of train driving education like from an actual engineer who DOES drive the iron horses before. It’s a nice change of pace, can’t wait for the future of Railroads Online with you and the team.
Every railroad has their own "correct" way to do things, and everyone's "correct" information is slightly different... That hasn't changed since the height of the steam era.
"[Jeder hat] beim Anfahren nen Sitzplatz und beim Anhalten den Koffer in der Hand" - everyone has a seat at departure and their suitcase in the hand at arrival. That's how we put it here in Germany to tell someone (usually a trainee) that their driving comfort is lacking 😅
This sounds MAGNIFICENT. You make this look easy. I imagine it'd be an absolute handful and a half for me, given how much work the Derail valley 262 is.
In Derail Valley you have a whole steam loco for yourself, but coal shoveling, keeping an eye on the water level etc are duties of the fireman, not the conductor. I think, being a conductor in RL is easier than in derail valley.
I don't have experience or future in driving a train, but trains are so interesting and I love how in-depth and passionate you are it makes me want to watch anyways.
I've been on the footplate of a few Aussie locomotives before, and it's fascinating to see how different the American stuff is while doing basically the same job. Your walkthrough of the functionality of each control was great, I love the engineering side of things too and you explain things very simply but also with enough detail to understand without too much background information. 10/10 mate. And yeah, the sound is amazing. GoPro's are fantastic little gadgets.
There's way more to braking then I thought there was. I never even considered stopping with the cylinders on center. She sounds beautiful. You really made it look pretty easy.
I visited the museum a few years ago with my father. We were both pretty amazed at what a grade there was for being such a small circle, which is nice to see because you actually get to see the engines work uphill. I volunteered at the Pine Creek Railroad museum in NJ growing up. We actually had a similar setup, 3 foot gauge track in a small loop. Our loop is bigger (about a quarter mile), but we also don't have steam or as much of a grade uphill. We do have a decent downhill slope when we run normally.
The low frequency sounds in this recording are profound; I recall that the manual for the old dbx subharmonic synthesizers strongly cautioned you to only play music through them, and not sound effects, and _especially_ not artillery fire or railway locomotives, as you'd ruin your speakers. You really get a sense of why this caution was there.
I have subharmonics turned on in the dbx driverack in my system... yeah that caution had a point. Kinda glad my compressors and limiters are setup to handle that.
this is so cool to see, the actual application of what youve already been talking some about and about as close to first hand experience you can get without actually being there in the cab
I've never seen a video or anything similar which talks, and takes you through, what is required to drive a train. It's far more intricate than I ever imagined. Great shots of the split videos of inside the train and outside at the same time. Really enjoyed that, cheers.
I don't feel like I come away having any idea how to drive a train but I at least better understand I do not know how to drive a train and appreciate the video all the more.
Fun stuff. When I lived in Perris Ca, I spent quite some time at the rail museum, one of the biggest in the west. The Santa Fee would let us use the main line between the museum and the town which was kind of neat. We had equipment from 1900 ish LA transit, electric street cars, main line retired diesels, steam, tons of support equipment and so much more. This brought back some very fond memories. Your comment about small gentle movements is exactly the same for aircraft. I worked my whole life for McDonnell Douglas and Boeing when we merged. i got my private pilot license in 1979 and it is very similar except after your small control input, you center the controls again then apply opposite control when you want to return to level flight. Example a left turn. Apply left rudder and left aileron until the aircraft reaches the desired bank. Center the controls and the aircraft will continue to turn. When you want to go straight, apply right rudder and right ailerons to remove the aircraft from the bank and bring the wings lever again then return the controls to neutral. If you have passengers, they like things nice and slow and easy. By yourself, you can be.... more adventurous LOL Even giant airliners can do some aerobatics if done carefully. Passenger's don't like it though :P GREAT video, thanks!!! Oh, I forgot to say our track ran 3 rails so we could run narrow or standard gauge equipment over the same track. As all boarding was done from the right side of the trains, the right rail was used for both narrow or standard gauge. The narrow gauge track was inside the left standard gauge track. This way one passenger setup served all equipment.socalrailway.org/
UK fan here, got into your videos recently and they're an absolute joy! Guitars and Steam! What's not to love? I've driven an Austerity saddle tank back home for an experience day and it was an absolute blast. Really keen to do it again, especially with all the tips and tricks you've shown us in these vids, keep em coming!
Amazing video. Really cannot get enough of the chuffing as the locomotive is under power. It's hypnotic. Steam locos had so much personality compared to their modern diesel-electric brethren. It's a shame your trackage is so short, though. I bet you'd love to take her on a longer, more varied journey rather than just around a loop.
I have watched numerous videos abut steam locomotives and I think that you have given the best explanation of what the controls do and how they are used.
Great video! I assume that is 3’ narrow gauge, which makes it still about 3 times as big as the steam that I have run. I spent 8 years of summer weekends operating a 15” Crown coal burner than ran on a 3/4 mile loop in a city park in Flora, IL. Your video really captures the nuances of operating steam, most of which were applicable even on the Crown. In some ways, ours was easier, no train brakes, mechanical engine brakes, drawbar coupling of the cars (probably less than 1” of slack in a three car consist). In some ways it was harder. No room for a fireman, so I had to do it myself. And no riding conductor, so I spent a lot of time looking over my shoulder to keep an eye on the kids in the back. Failing health won’t let me do it anymore, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. There must be a few cinders in my blood. My granddad worked 51 years for the L&N (1908-1959), mostly as an engineer. Keep the great videos coming!
This was so cool! It seems like that balance between applying power and applying the brake is sort of what I do when I'm driving in order to avoid getting terribly bored. I try to drive so as to use as little brake as possible. I try to just let off the power to slow down if I need to merge with slower traffic and then just brake if I miscalculate, if there's a traffic jam, or if there's a red light. There can be a big difference between different vehicles when it comes to the rate at which they will slow down when you let off on the throttle. When you let off the throttle on a motorcycle, it slows down surprisingly quickly, almost as if you were braking (which is a useful thing when you see a cop and know you need to slow down but without the cop being drawn to you by any brake light action). Then normal cars fall somewhere in the middle, usually depending on their weight. On the extreme end, my mom's hybrid car hardly slows down at all when you stop applying power so you have to let off the throttle for a longer time to slow down than on either a regular car or a motorcycle. Anyway, that's how I amuse myself while driving so that my ADD-addled brain doesn't get distracted from the important task of paying attention while driving.
Hey, thank you for this series of videos, I've been a railroad fan all my life. I grew up in northern Cali listening to the Steam locos at Sierra railroad every summer having grown up in the same town as Railtown 1897. I have fond memories of riding excursion trains pulled by SR #3 (or 131 from Back to the future III) a Rogers 4-6-0 ten wheeler, and one of the most famous locos from movies and TV, however I don't know how you'd feel about it being an oil burner... One of my dreams is to do an engineer for the day experience and actually be in the cab of a running steam loco, but for now these videos are as close as I can get. Hopefully I can get out to the Colorado Railroad museum someday.
Hello, Hyce! I have a question about couplers. If you take a 50 car train for example, the second to the last car is only pulling the last car. As you move forward, the third to the last car is pulling two cars - and on and on, each car moving forward is pulling more weight with the first car of the train pulling 49 other cars. Does the coupler of this first car have to be stronger than the coupler of the last car? I believe all the couplers are similar, but some have much more stress on them than others. I would appreciate your insight.
Technically, it "has to be" if you are in tension, but they are all made to the same standards these days such that any car can end up in any position. That's not the case with the old stuff we run here, but that's ancient history these days. Wood cars are more likely to pull apart than their couplers in that era, lol!
@@Hyce777 hey hyce here is an idea: different industries for different maps: for example one map has the one railroads online currently haves and the other has the some of the same industries but the player gets to haul stone, heavy machinery, milk, and so on for many other maps this game has planned
I finally found somebody that has the exact interests as myself. I live in Pueblo and trains are everywhere including the big UP's. I have been in music retail and playing 45 years. Your synopsis on steam controls is excellent. I love the whistle on an A4 Pacific Mallard. I will stand on the footplate someday. Cheers.
Pueblo is definitely a railroad town from the beginning. In its heyday, over 100 trains from 4 or 5 different roads ran here. I'm 'bout a half mile from the ATSF (BNSF) La Junta main, and many trains pass by daily.
Hyce, buddy, thankyou so much for this video. I have sent it on to our team of developers trying to build a DCC steam throttle that can provide an immersive experience of driving a steam train. Excellent!
When I was learning to be an engineer my instructor gave me some very good advice. Know what the railroad is doing underneath you. That allows to plan ahead. You don’t want to be reacting to the train. You’re a locomotive engineer, you’re not playing an accordion.
Yep thats pretty much how we run at knotts. After seeing this I am happy with how 340 s3 and g6 are located in the cab. I only wish we could get 340 to bark like this lol.
I'm currently working on a recreation of the Colorado Railroad Museum in Roblox, and this video not only helps with figuring out the museum layout, but also how the train rides are run. Each explanation you give in this video regarding how trains run on the loop is critical to my efforts in simulating them in the virtual world. Looking forward to more content on the museum and its operation soon! Cheers, Tetsu
When the Denver's Regional Rail ever get extended from Wheat-Ridge Ward Station to the Museum, maybe they will be so kind and install a 3rd rail. Then the museum could do some excursions all the way to Union Station (on weekends). Super unlikely but you can dream.
Another good recommendation for POV steam locomotive driving is basically anything involving the 01 202. As that locomotive is based in Switzerland, you get a lot of mountain action (usually with 2 firemen)
You gave a most impressive in depth lecture on steam locomotive operation, with a lot of attention to detail on how to do a " simple routine " lap around the cirquit.. making all the difference between a smooth ride and a bumpy cowboy ride...
An excellent training video. CRM is a fine, compact museum, much improved over the last few decades. And so conveniently close to Denver. Everyone should visit and donate $!
I have only ever driven on a few short experience courses but I have found that steam locos (or at least the one I have driven) are a lot trickier to control than any diesel I have experienced. It was an LMS 3F 0-6-0 Tank running without any coaches or anything, but trying to get the vac brake to stay around the 15" mark while watching out the back window to see where to stop was not an easy thing. I'd imagine it might have been easier to control if I had a few coaches act as a bit of a buffer so it wouldn't react as quick. The other locos I have driven have been two English-Electric Class 40s which despite being the biggest I have ever driven, were a lot easier to get the hang of especially with having the straight air brake. There was another diesel I have driven that was a small 2' gauge Ruston 0-4-0 diesel that had a 3 speed epicyclic gearbox to control with just a handbrake which was interesting, LMM has shown a few similar 2' Ruston locos on his channel but I have noticed he has a slightly different method of changing gears than the guy I had as instructor when I drove one.
Randomly stumbled across this channel. This video is superb, very informative and fun to watch! Being from the U.K. I’m not overly familiar with our American friends and their heritage/preservation railway scene but it truly is a joy to see and the museum looks delightful ☺️ Subbed.
So cool to see this in such detail! I vaguely remember going to this museum when I was very little and being really excited to ride the steam train, but I think there were brake problems that day and the ride was canceled after a bunch of waiting while workers sprayed soapy water on the air lines looking for leaks. Haven't been back since, but it's on my bucket list.
Hey! Been on some fan trips since the '60's, and now that there is TH-cam I get to see some things that I didn't get to appreciate at the time. You do an excellent job of explaining the precise, rare skill of operating a steam powered passenger train. Thank you for that, and the fact that you've so applied your mind to this task.
Will we get a full tour of the railroad museum? And what’s the story with that odd looking double gauge switch after the road crossing? Why is one of the sidings completely cut off? Great video Hyce, you did a great job. Can’t wait for more!
A full tour as in showing off everything that's around the property - not this go around, at least. Didn't film it. Haha. That siding is a display track that we don't really access, it's been in plans for years to put a diamond in there but they keep sending the track crew on more important projects instead, lol.
Good to see that the 20's valve gear isn't super violent... I've seen some engines that without power reverse, you release that catch on the johnson bar, you better have both hands on it because it's going to move on it's own when it's free! Very nice video and explanation of what you're doing while running.
Thanks for doing all these videos it's really fun to watch all your videos. As a child it was always a dream to own a functioning steam engine and since a locomotive was a little big I went looking for stationary engines and just picked up a stationary engine that still uses a swift oiler for lubrication inside the cylinder. The engine dates to 1902 and is a 4 horse. Running it on live steam from a wood fired boiler never gets old and is my way of time traveling to the 1910s era of steam and is the most amazing part. Your videos enable the viewers to take a trip back to the 1950s and earlier and that is worth every bit.
This was awesome. Thank you so much for going as in depth as you did explaining not only what you did but why. Keep up the amazing (and I'm sure fun) work!
Man, I for some reason had been thinking locos are on a completely different world from tractions (yes, we don't call em tractors but they are the road/field/no track small locos) but, yeah, I should've realized it's the same foundation of engine type. Volunteered several years at a local steam traction engine and threshing show and done their tractor pull. Which the pulling sounds fun but really boring since steam engines, even smaller ones don't care about max weight on those sleds, they just go. But seeing that 30 or so plow in illinois is something. Prolly like going up a 5 at the fine point of barely making it, it's a smile on your face you never knew existed. Thank you hyce for getting me back into steam. Oh, and threshing, seemed like every 5 minutes I had to throw in another 3 block of firewood. The "tender" was always out 2 hours in. And it's relatively scary that the belt, between engine and threshing machine, easily could slip off the flywheel and easily destroy something. Again, much thanks.
Nice description. I volunteered at CRRM back in 1994-95. Pre full loop/roundhouse and 346 was the only operating engine. I haven’t been back in about 24 years.
Thank you for the ride! I really enjoyed your excellent description of the operation of the steam locomotive. I can see that it is a skill that takes time to learn. Thank you for sharing!
It's very sad to see the wig wag on that grade crossing motionless I sincerely hope the Colorado Railroad Museum will get around to fixing the mechanism on that wigwag signal
It's interesting seeing the difference between Australian and American steam loco's volunteering at the zig zag railway and on the picnic train I see a fair amount of aussie steam which is very different from the American stuff(we have a much stronger british influence
I have a thermodynamics exam this upcoming Monday and this is the perfect video to procrastinate to haha! Unfortunately I really have to get back to work so I'm gonna subscribe and catch up later.
I'm a driver here in the UK, the names of things are slightly different (Johnson bar is the Reverser, for example) and most of our stock is vacuum braked, not air, some of our reversers are screw driven rather than a pole (Johnson bar) and one of my favorite engines actually requires you to shut off steam to adjust the reverser otherwise the reverser will "Pick up" and try to either fling you out of the cab or pin you against the bunker, but this is a really great vid. I like how you said you watched where others were getting it wrong and modified your technique accordingly, that is the sign of an intelligent driver. Interesting that you coast in full gear, on most of our loco, with exception of slide valved machines, you coast at about 45% cut off here to give the optimum balance of free running and not bouncing things around.
Cheers Ian - other videos on my channel end up showcasing locos from other countries in various simulators. The reverser vs. bar statement comes up frequently, as does throttle vs. Regulator :D That's a good point on coasting - we coast slow around here in the mountains, and this particular engine is slide valve. I would agree, if you had piston valves and were running at a good clip you wouldn't want things all the way at full cutoff. Cheers :)
hoooooow do i get into something like this?? it looks like such a good time. just to be able to be around that much history would make my day, let alone get to operate something like that. man that sound is addictive.
Hi Mark, what a great ride! With my beginners experience I understood your discussion of the Johnson bar adjustments and throttle control. Your detailed description of breaking skill and how this all applies as a cohesive operation was fabulous. Loved the split screen. I have such a long way to go but as with your other 101 videos this so helps me get closer to mastering being an engineer. Many thanks for this. A most valuable video so like coursework!
Great video Hyce! Seen several others that give an overview like "this is throttle, this is brake, this is Johnson bar" but not so in-depth as you went here on why you're doing the little nuance things you're doing. Like feathering the brakes, adjusting the Johnson bar when and where you do and why, the little tugs on throttle, braking specifically to stop the drivers before they stop themselves. Though as is common in most of my work safety training that talks about specific activities that require specific training: "This does not constitute training on operation of RGS #20 and does not qualify you to operate RGS #20."
Hey Mark, I am highly impressed man, I've been following you for a while and I am very impressed. you've got this down to an absolute science and I'm Amazed at what you know about these old steam engines, and I'm so happy that people like you are keeping these things running. my grandfather worked on the railroad after he left the Navy after World War II. I've been a big train buff since I was a little kid. man you've got the dream job! It would be an absolute dream come true to be able to operate one of those engines.watching this from the engineers perspective I can see that running one of those engines could be a very stressful job, but at the same could be very rewarding and a lot of fun! Sorry man, but I'm very envious of your job. I would love to get the chance to work on and operate those machines. Kind of off topic, I was wondering if you might happen to be aware of the engine that is sitting in Greenville Pennsylvania.. is a about 30 mi from where I live.. it started out as a dmir engine and it said to be the largest steam switch engine ever built it is sitting on static display in Greenville Pennsylvania if you could research some information on this thing, an engine that I have seen in person many times over the years most of which with my grandfather, I would love to see what you can come up with. thank you again for your videos they're very informative and a very interesting! If I remember right, it is an 0-10-0.. it is one massive son of a gun, and the only steam engine I've ever seen in person. I just wish there was some way to get that old girl restored and in running condition again.. it may be the only one of its type still in existence.. thanks man and keep up the videos! By the way a good friend of my dads who is a huge steam engine buff, once told me that a steam engine is the closest thing to life that human beings have ever created.. the things just seem to live and breathe and are an amazing feat of engineering.. just something I thought you might find interesting.
The sound really makes a difference. Hard to see exactly what you are doing because we can't feel the linkage but you can hear the effect of your efforts. Great presentation job.
Somehow, I did and yet didn't expect that explanation of starting on a grade, it's interesting how closely that lines up with how I was taught manual cars (mostly because the teaching vehicle had a worn *everything* so everything was done with an ample amount of caution) - keep the brake held, release just enough clutch you feel it start to load the suspension, so it's fighting gravity, and then take the brake off. I mean I guess in the end it makes sense - both forms of vehicle, car or train, are really only designed to move in one direction at a time, your power can't be one way when you're rolling the other. And because neither can *instantly* apply power, you need to figure out the dance of pre-setting enough engine power to overcome gravity and rolling resistance, but not so much that you cause problems by making the movey-thing not move
It always baffles me how much work it takes to operate one of these things. Everything works manually, unlike today where you push a lever forwards or backwards and the computer does everything (drive-by-wire).
this will be handy for if i ever operate Northern Pacific 924 or a shay (im thinking about volintering at the NW railway meusam next year and maybe ill get to operate one of their locomotives someday)
A lot of what you explained and shown in this video pretty similar to what I've seen engineers do when they operated 340 at Knott's Berry Farm. Everything from slightly "bumping" the throttle for the fine adjustments to starting with 5-10 pounds on the brakes. I really miss working with that locomotive
Hello Hyce: With your professional knowledge of management of train handling and train operation, I am surprised that you referred to running a locomotive as to "drive" it in your video title. Since the museum is a teaching museum, it is important to teach facts on the thematic subject. Here in the North America, it is important to stress the fact that "driving" a locomotive is incorrect (which applies to any type of locomotive motive power). My comment is not directed to you but to ignorant rail fans and the general public alike that visit the museum and watch your videos. Take it from a retired locomotive engineer of a major Class 1 US railroad and rules instructor. In comparison, contrary to European nomenclature, here in the US is a fact that needs to be known and taught to fellow rail fans. As we taught in our technical training classrooms to our students, the locomotive engineer does not "drive" the train as it is often incorrectly implied here in North America. Simply put, the locomotive engineer (or operator of a locomotive) "runs" the diesel engine which in turn propels the locomotive via electric traction motors. (Steam power in your case). Reference to diesel electric, it just so happens that the diesel power plant propels the unit in response to the hand controls the locomotive engineer (or operator) manipulates in the cab (the throttle). The unit(s) (locomotive(s) travel on a fixed guide way and are not driven (or steered) like a road/highway vehicle. Also, inside the railroad business, categorically a locomotive is usually referred to as a "unit", when in consist.” For example, if one sees a train with three locomotives, it would be referred to as a three unit consist, or a set of power. Rail fans may call this a lash-up. In the railroad business, it is addressed as an "MU" (multiple unit consist, or simply 'consist'). Sometimes a single unit is also referred to by the slang term as "motor" by crews. Hyce, you would make a very good instructor, your knowledge on steam and management of train handling is admirable. Keep up the good work!
Howdy Ernest! I hate the term drive, and always say run myself. The title was to get non-train folks to come watch, and it worked, thankfully! One of those things about TH-cam. Gotta get people in the door. Great comment, thank you!
@@Hyce777 your title certainly got my click, and I’m so glad that it did. I love your videos and the type of person you come across as in them.
When kids would ask us how we "drive the train" we show them the brake wheel back in the caboose / coach and tell them that's how we steer.
That reminds me of this one woman who refused to ride since there was no flanges on the OUTSIDE of the rail.
You meet all sorts.
@@kevindowling157 Same here. I know nothing about trains but find them fascinating, so I'm glad to come across videos titled this way, as well as comments like Ernest's. It might be good to explain the correct terms in the beginning of the video, though. Just a thought. Either way, great videos!
@@Hyce777 I wonder if "How to RUN a real STEAM TRAIN - First Person Engineer!" would have worked any less... and I've seen those colloquial "drivers" in virtual aerospace as well, like a "Hornet driver". It's rare, but it happens. Then there's a simple rule to go by if getting engaged by something: "Break! Jink! Stop driving!" (thanks to C.W. Lemoine for that! XD).
To be fair, as English isn't my native language, I've been guilty of saying/writing "driving a train/locomotive" before as well. So it isn't always just ignorance driving that wording, pun intended.
And since curiosity brought me here in the first place, learning the proper terms is part of the whole thing. There's no point in learning wrong stuff ;)
You are probably one of the first to actually teach people the correct information on how to drive a steam locomotive along with the POV of you how it looks versus how you hear from the word to really know how. I hadn’t seen any video of train driving education like from an actual engineer who DOES drive the iron horses before. It’s a nice change of pace, can’t wait for the future of Railroads Online with you and the team.
I thought one drove a car or a truck or tractor and one operated a locomotive, steam or diesel.
Every railroad has their own "correct" way to do things, and everyone's "correct" information is slightly different... That hasn't changed since the height of the steam era.
"Hyce's First Person Engineer Simulator 2022" is looking pretty sweet!
Nah, you gotta stop so hard that you feel each car kick you a little uphill; how else will the passengers know the ride is over? :P
You're doing them a favor by helping them out of their seats and reminding them not to forget their luggage as it bonks them on the head!
"[Jeder hat] beim Anfahren nen Sitzplatz und beim Anhalten den Koffer in der Hand" - everyone has a seat at departure and their suitcase in the hand at arrival. That's how we put it here in Germany to tell someone (usually a trainee) that their driving comfort is lacking 😅
A similar concept is demonstrated by a German engineer in this 1 minute video: th-cam.com/video/-An-LRSFzPU/w-d-xo.html
@@skipssmn3754 I have never seen another comment that I have laughed so hard to 🤣🤣
This sounds MAGNIFICENT. You make this look easy. I imagine it'd be an absolute handful and a half for me, given how much work the Derail valley 262 is.
In Derail Valley you have a whole steam loco for yourself, but coal shoveling, keeping an eye on the water level etc are duties of the fireman, not the conductor.
I think, being a conductor in RL is easier than in derail valley.
Minor correction: the Derail Valley steam loco is actually a Mikado (2-8-2). ;p
but agreed on the fantastic noise.
@@TDU2boi59 ah, right, stand corrected there!
I don't have experience or future in driving a train, but trains are so interesting and I love how in-depth and passionate you are it makes me want to watch anyways.
I've been on the footplate of a few Aussie locomotives before, and it's fascinating to see how different the American stuff is while doing basically the same job. Your walkthrough of the functionality of each control was great, I love the engineering side of things too and you explain things very simply but also with enough detail to understand without too much background information. 10/10 mate.
And yeah, the sound is amazing. GoPro's are fantastic little gadgets.
There's way more to braking then I thought there was. I never even considered stopping with the cylinders on center.
She sounds beautiful. You really made it look pretty easy.
RRO's graphics and sounds are coming along nicely, I especially like the in cab model animation. 😄
"Not everyone knows the controls" -> *jeapardy flashbacks*
Aww crap not the weird valves
@@JOEMAMA_534 NOOOOOO, AHHHH.
I dun get it
I visited the museum a few years ago with my father. We were both pretty amazed at what a grade there was for being such a small circle, which is nice to see because you actually get to see the engines work uphill.
I volunteered at the Pine Creek Railroad museum in NJ growing up. We actually had a similar setup, 3 foot gauge track in a small loop. Our loop is bigger (about a quarter mile), but we also don't have steam or as much of a grade uphill. We do have a decent downhill slope when we run normally.
The low frequency sounds in this recording are profound; I recall that the manual for the old dbx subharmonic synthesizers strongly cautioned you to only play music through them, and not sound effects, and _especially_ not artillery fire or railway locomotives, as you'd ruin your speakers. You really get a sense of why this caution was there.
I have subharmonics turned on in the dbx driverack in my system... yeah that caution had a point. Kinda glad my compressors and limiters are setup to handle that.
this is so cool to see, the actual application of what youve already been talking some about and about as close to first hand experience you can get without actually being there in the cab
I've never seen a video or anything similar which talks, and takes you through, what is required to drive a train. It's far more intricate than I ever imagined. Great shots of the split videos of inside the train and outside at the same time. Really enjoyed that, cheers.
Thank you Richard!
I don't feel like I come away having any idea how to drive a train but I at least better understand I do not know how to drive a train and appreciate the video all the more.
Fun stuff. When I lived in Perris Ca, I spent quite some time at the rail museum, one of the biggest in the west. The Santa Fee would let us use the main line between the museum and the town which was kind of neat. We had equipment from 1900 ish LA transit, electric street cars, main line retired diesels, steam, tons of support equipment and so much more. This brought back some very fond memories. Your comment about small gentle movements is exactly the same for aircraft. I worked my whole life for McDonnell Douglas and Boeing when we merged. i got my private pilot license in 1979 and it is very similar except after your small control input, you center the controls again then apply opposite control when you want to return to level flight. Example a left turn. Apply left rudder and left aileron until the aircraft reaches the desired bank. Center the controls and the aircraft will continue to turn. When you want to go straight, apply right rudder and right ailerons to remove the aircraft from the bank and bring the wings lever again then return the controls to neutral. If you have passengers, they like things nice and slow and easy. By yourself, you can be.... more adventurous LOL Even giant airliners can do some aerobatics if done carefully. Passenger's don't like it though :P GREAT video, thanks!!! Oh, I forgot to say our track ran 3 rails so we could run narrow or standard gauge equipment over the same track. As all boarding was done from the right side of the trains, the right rail was used for both narrow or standard gauge. The narrow gauge track was inside the left standard gauge track. This way one passenger setup served all equipment.socalrailway.org/
I bet it's a lot of fun to make those moves happen, but yes, passengers complain :D
What an excellent Video! I was never a major train fan and then I came across what you guys are doing with RRO, and your vids, Im a fan now :D
UK fan here, got into your videos recently and they're an absolute joy! Guitars and Steam! What's not to love?
I've driven an Austerity saddle tank back home for an experience day and it was an absolute blast. Really keen to do it again, especially with all the tips and tricks you've shown us in these vids, keep em coming!
Cheers Robert! :)
Amazing video. Really cannot get enough of the chuffing as the locomotive is under power. It's hypnotic. Steam locos had so much personality compared to their modern diesel-electric brethren. It's a shame your trackage is so short, though. I bet you'd love to take her on a longer, more varied journey rather than just around a loop.
We did do just that in 2021! We took RGS 20 down to the Cumbres and Toltec. I got to fire and run a fair bit. It was awesome.
I have watched numerous videos abut steam locomotives and I think that you have given the best explanation of what the controls do and how they are used.
Great video! I assume that is 3’ narrow gauge, which makes it still about 3 times as big as the steam that I have run. I spent 8 years of summer weekends operating a 15” Crown coal burner than ran on a 3/4 mile loop in a city park in Flora, IL. Your video really captures the nuances of operating steam, most of which were applicable even on the Crown. In some ways, ours was easier, no train brakes, mechanical engine brakes, drawbar coupling of the cars (probably less than 1” of slack in a three car consist). In some ways it was harder. No room for a fireman, so I had to do it myself. And no riding conductor, so I spent a lot of time looking over my shoulder to keep an eye on the kids in the back. Failing health won’t let me do it anymore, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. There must be a few cinders in my blood. My granddad worked 51 years for the L&N (1908-1959), mostly as an engineer. Keep the great videos coming!
Very cool! 15" gauge is absolutely big enough to feel some of the same stuff. Yes, this is 3' gauge. Thanks for sharing your story :)
This was so cool! It seems like that balance between applying power and applying the brake is sort of what I do when I'm driving in order to avoid getting terribly bored. I try to drive so as to use as little brake as possible. I try to just let off the power to slow down if I need to merge with slower traffic and then just brake if I miscalculate, if there's a traffic jam, or if there's a red light. There can be a big difference between different vehicles when it comes to the rate at which they will slow down when you let off on the throttle. When you let off the throttle on a motorcycle, it slows down surprisingly quickly, almost as if you were braking (which is a useful thing when you see a cop and know you need to slow down but without the cop being drawn to you by any brake light action). Then normal cars fall somewhere in the middle, usually depending on their weight. On the extreme end, my mom's hybrid car hardly slows down at all when you stop applying power so you have to let off the throttle for a longer time to slow down than on either a regular car or a motorcycle. Anyway, that's how I amuse myself while driving so that my ADD-addled brain doesn't get distracted from the important task of paying attention while driving.
I LOVE the sound of the chuffs. And the 5 chime was pure music!
Love hearing and seeing these old steam locomotives running. Thank you for posting!
Hey, thank you for this series of videos, I've been a railroad fan all my life. I grew up in northern Cali listening to the Steam locos at Sierra railroad every summer having grown up in the same town as Railtown 1897. I have fond memories of riding excursion trains pulled by SR #3 (or 131 from Back to the future III) a Rogers 4-6-0 ten wheeler, and one of the most famous locos from movies and TV, however I don't know how you'd feel about it being an oil burner... One of my dreams is to do an engineer for the day experience and actually be in the cab of a running steam loco, but for now these videos are as close as I can get. Hopefully I can get out to the Colorado Railroad museum someday.
I love how you just out of instinct know where and what you need to do you truly become a part of the locomotive
I love stem trains they r sooo cool cant wait for more videos like this
Hello, Hyce! I have a question about couplers. If you take a 50 car train for example, the second to the last car is only pulling the last car. As you move forward, the third to the last car is pulling two cars - and on and on, each car moving forward is pulling more weight with the first car of the train pulling 49 other cars. Does the coupler of this first car have to be stronger than the coupler of the last car? I believe all the couplers are similar, but some have much more stress on them than others. I would appreciate your insight.
Technically, it "has to be" if you are in tension, but they are all made to the same standards these days such that any car can end up in any position. That's not the case with the old stuff we run here, but that's ancient history these days. Wood cars are more likely to pull apart than their couplers in that era, lol!
@@Hyce777 Sooo... Coupler 101 when? :P
@@Hyce777 hey hyce here is an idea: different industries for different maps: for example one map has the one railroads online currently haves and the other has the some of the same industries but the player gets to haul stone, heavy machinery, milk, and so on for many other maps this game has planned
For real man this stuff is so cool to see and I love seeing your channel grow because you are why I'm getting into trains again
Hyce: One hell of an excellent videography production. Camera angles, narration, explanations - all spot on. Kudos !
I finally found somebody that has the exact interests as myself. I live in Pueblo and trains are everywhere including the big UP's. I have been in music retail and playing 45 years. Your synopsis on steam controls is excellent. I love the whistle on an A4 Pacific Mallard. I will stand on the footplate someday. Cheers.
Cheers Terrance!
Pueblo is definitely a railroad town from the beginning. In its heyday, over 100 trains from 4 or 5 different roads ran here. I'm 'bout a half mile from the ATSF (BNSF) La Junta main, and many trains pass by daily.
Thank you so much hyce for filling a child hood dream of mine, of getting to see the inside of a stream loco
Hyce, buddy, thankyou so much for this video. I have sent it on to our team of developers trying to build a DCC steam throttle that can provide an immersive experience of driving a steam train. Excellent!
When I was learning to be an engineer my instructor gave me some very good advice.
Know what the railroad is doing underneath you. That allows to plan ahead. You don’t want to be reacting to the train.
You’re a locomotive engineer, you’re not playing an accordion.
Yep thats pretty much how we run at knotts. After seeing this I am happy with how 340 s3 and g6 are located in the cab. I only wish we could get 340 to bark like this lol.
This was really fun to watch! I love that steady chuff after coming past the crossing and through the platform.
I'm currently working on a recreation of the Colorado Railroad Museum in Roblox, and this video not only helps with figuring out the museum layout, but also how the train rides are run. Each explanation you give in this video regarding how trains run on the loop is critical to my efforts in simulating them in the virtual world. Looking forward to more content on the museum and its operation soon!
Cheers,
Tetsu
When the Denver's Regional Rail ever get extended from Wheat-Ridge Ward Station to the Museum, maybe they will be so kind and install a 3rd rail. Then the museum could do some excursions all the way to Union Station (on weekends).
Super unlikely but you can dream.
This is fantastic! Clear and detailed explanations, great sound, awesome footage, and no need for a derail counter this time. ;) Can't wait for more!
Another good recommendation for POV steam locomotive driving is basically anything involving the 01 202. As that locomotive is based in Switzerland, you get a lot of mountain action (usually with 2 firemen)
That was amazing, can’t wait for more.
This unreal engine 5 update is amazing.
You gave a most impressive in depth lecture on steam locomotive operation, with a lot of attention to detail on how to do a " simple routine " lap around the cirquit.. making all the difference between a smooth ride and a bumpy cowboy ride...
The amount of folks that think a bumpy ride is ok just because "that's how old trains are" always gets me... It's a skill :)
Living the dream! Great camera setup too
This was really informative, thanks for going to all the trouble to make this. It was fun to ride along :D
An excellent training video. CRM is a fine, compact museum, much improved over the last few decades. And so conveniently close to Denver. Everyone should visit and donate $!
Wow this is awesome! You have to really be strong and you work very hard. I really love steam locomotives. Thank you for sharing this video.
I have only ever driven on a few short experience courses but I have found that steam locos (or at least the one I have driven) are a lot trickier to control than any diesel I have experienced. It was an LMS 3F 0-6-0 Tank running without any coaches or anything, but trying to get the vac brake to stay around the 15" mark while watching out the back window to see where to stop was not an easy thing. I'd imagine it might have been easier to control if I had a few coaches act as a bit of a buffer so it wouldn't react as quick. The other locos I have driven have been two English-Electric Class 40s which despite being the biggest I have ever driven, were a lot easier to get the hang of especially with having the straight air brake. There was another diesel I have driven that was a small 2' gauge Ruston 0-4-0 diesel that had a 3 speed epicyclic gearbox to control with just a handbrake which was interesting, LMM has shown a few similar 2' Ruston locos on his channel but I have noticed he has a slightly different method of changing gears than the guy I had as instructor when I drove one.
Randomly stumbled across this channel. This video is superb, very informative and fun to watch!
Being from the U.K. I’m not overly familiar with our American friends and their heritage/preservation railway scene but it truly is a joy to see and the museum looks delightful ☺️ Subbed.
Cheers mate, welcome!
The Flying Scotsman hails from the UK.
So cool to see this in such detail!
I vaguely remember going to this museum when I was very little and being really excited to ride the steam train, but I think there were brake problems that day and the ride was canceled after a bunch of waiting while workers sprayed soapy water on the air lines looking for leaks. Haven't been back since, but it's on my bucket list.
Hey! Been on some fan trips since the '60's, and now that there is TH-cam I get to see some things that I didn't get to appreciate at the time. You do an excellent job of explaining the precise, rare skill of operating a steam powered passenger train. Thank you for that, and the fact that you've so applied your mind to this task.
Will we get a full tour of the railroad museum? And what’s the story with that odd looking double gauge switch after the road crossing? Why is one of the sidings completely cut off? Great video Hyce, you did a great job. Can’t wait for more!
A full tour as in showing off everything that's around the property - not this go around, at least. Didn't film it. Haha.
That siding is a display track that we don't really access, it's been in plans for years to put a diamond in there but they keep sending the track crew on more important projects instead, lol.
@@Hyce777 A dual-gauge diamond? That's worth building, just to see it.
Good to see that the 20's valve gear isn't super violent... I've seen some engines that without power reverse, you release that catch on the johnson bar, you better have both hands on it because it's going to move on it's own when it's free!
Very nice video and explanation of what you're doing while running.
You definitely need two hands, but it's not that bad. Fresh rebuild, and all that. 346 needs much more of a stern hand...
Something about a million little controls and valves fascinates me. It's cool to just know what everything does and how they all interact
Thanks for doing all these videos it's really fun to watch all your videos.
As a child it was always a dream to own a functioning steam engine and since a locomotive was a little big I went looking for stationary engines and just picked up a stationary engine that still uses a swift oiler for lubrication inside the cylinder.
The engine dates to 1902 and is a 4 horse. Running it on live steam from a wood fired boiler never gets old and is my way of time traveling to the 1910s era of steam and is the most amazing part.
Your videos enable the viewers to take a trip back to the 1950s and earlier and that is worth every bit.
This was awesome. Thank you so much for going as in depth as you did explaining not only what you did but why. Keep up the amazing (and I'm sure fun) work!
this is one of the most awesome videos i could have asked for. so much respect for your skills and explanations. thanks brother!
Man, I for some reason had been thinking locos are on a completely different world from tractions (yes, we don't call em tractors but they are the road/field/no track small locos) but, yeah, I should've realized it's the same foundation of engine type. Volunteered several years at a local steam traction engine and threshing show and done their tractor pull. Which the pulling sounds fun but really boring since steam engines, even smaller ones don't care about max weight on those sleds, they just go. But seeing that 30 or so plow in illinois is something. Prolly like going up a 5 at the fine point of barely making it, it's a smile on your face you never knew existed.
Thank you hyce for getting me back into steam.
Oh, and threshing, seemed like every 5 minutes I had to throw in another 3 block of firewood. The "tender" was always out 2 hours in. And it's relatively scary that the belt, between engine and threshing machine, easily could slip off the flywheel and easily destroy something.
Again, much thanks.
Nice description. I volunteered at CRRM back in 1994-95. Pre full loop/roundhouse and 346 was the only operating engine. I haven’t been back in about 24 years.
Great explanation. I would have liked to see more inside the cab, but this is still really good
this was great Hyce! can't wait to see what other footage you have!!
Always nice to confirm what you think you know without breaking something in practice, lol. Thanks 👍
Thank you for the ride! I really enjoyed your excellent description of the operation of the steam locomotive. I can see that it is a skill that takes time to learn. Thank you for sharing!
It's very sad to see the wig wag on that grade crossing motionless I sincerely hope the Colorado Railroad Museum will get around to fixing the mechanism on that wigwag signal
Yeah the wigwag has been dead for years now. Can't recall what the issue is.
Thanks for the cab ride! As a diehard steam fan, it makes me want to sit in the engineer's seat.
I've been waiting to see a video like this since my childhood. What an amazing experience to finally catch on video!
This is absolutely amazing
It's interesting seeing the difference between Australian and American steam loco's volunteering at the zig zag railway and on the picnic train I see a fair amount of aussie steam which is very different from the American stuff(we have a much stronger british influence
Thanks for the video hyce looks like a lot of fun I'm trying to put together a trip to Colorado this summer so might swing by the museum in Golden
I have a thermodynamics exam this upcoming Monday and this is the perfect video to procrastinate to haha! Unfortunately I really have to get back to work so I'm gonna subscribe and catch up later.
I love this so Much! Reminds me of when I operated Number 93 in Ely Nevada for a couple days.
Wow the new Railroads Online Update looks sick
Excellent production values and very informative. Great stuff!
I'm a driver here in the UK, the names of things are slightly different (Johnson bar is the Reverser, for example) and most of our stock is vacuum braked, not air, some of our reversers are screw driven rather than a pole (Johnson bar) and one of my favorite engines actually requires you to shut off steam to adjust the reverser otherwise the reverser will "Pick up" and try to either fling you out of the cab or pin you against the bunker, but this is a really great vid.
I like how you said you watched where others were getting it wrong and modified your technique accordingly, that is the sign of an intelligent driver.
Interesting that you coast in full gear, on most of our loco, with exception of slide valved machines, you coast at about 45% cut off here to give the optimum balance of free running and not bouncing things around.
Cheers Ian - other videos on my channel end up showcasing locos from other countries in various simulators. The reverser vs. bar statement comes up frequently, as does throttle vs. Regulator :D
That's a good point on coasting - we coast slow around here in the mountains, and this particular engine is slide valve. I would agree, if you had piston valves and were running at a good clip you wouldn't want things all the way at full cutoff. Cheers :)
hoooooow do i get into something like this?? it looks like such a good time. just to be able to be around that much history would make my day, let alone get to operate something like that. man that sound is addictive.
watching how excited you get in the intro because you're talking about trains ❤️
Alternate titles to this video include: "Train sim 2022 gets a huge graphical upgrade; Game Dev drives real steam train; Big train go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
this makes my eyes ears and entire brain happy
Hi Mark, what a great ride! With my beginners experience I understood your discussion of the Johnson bar adjustments and throttle control. Your detailed description of breaking skill and how this all applies as a cohesive operation was fabulous. Loved the split screen. I have such a long way to go but as with your other 101 videos this so helps me get closer to mastering being an engineer. Many thanks for this. A most valuable video so like coursework!
Cheers Patrick!
Great video Hyce! Seen several others that give an overview like "this is throttle, this is brake, this is Johnson bar" but not so in-depth as you went here on why you're doing the little nuance things you're doing. Like feathering the brakes, adjusting the Johnson bar when and where you do and why, the little tugs on throttle, braking specifically to stop the drivers before they stop themselves.
Though as is common in most of my work safety training that talks about specific activities that require specific training:
"This does not constitute training on operation of RGS #20 and does not qualify you to operate RGS #20."
Indeed, because of course there's always more to learn... And you have to have the feel for it first! Haha.
I hope the "Don't stop on center" rule is going to be added to RO!
Nice, love #20! Can’t wait to practice during the summer season at Wabash Frisco and Pacific!
This was amazing a play a lot of Train Sims but this was the first time I saw a full run irl you should do more of these if you ever get the chance.
Hey Mark, I am highly impressed man, I've been following you for a while and I am very impressed. you've got this down to an absolute science and I'm Amazed at what you know about these old steam engines, and I'm so happy that people like you are keeping these things running. my grandfather worked on the railroad after he left the Navy after World War II. I've been a big train buff since I was a little kid. man you've got the dream job! It would be an absolute dream come true to be able to operate one of those engines.watching this from the engineers perspective I can see that running one of those engines could be a very stressful job, but at the same could be very rewarding and a lot of fun! Sorry man, but I'm very envious of your job. I would love to get the chance to work on and operate those machines.
Kind of off topic, I was wondering if you might happen to be aware of the engine that is sitting in Greenville Pennsylvania.. is a about 30 mi from where I live.. it started out as a dmir engine and it said to be the largest steam switch engine ever built it is sitting on static display in Greenville Pennsylvania if you could research some information on this thing, an engine that I have seen in person many times over the years most of which with my grandfather, I would love to see what you can come up with. thank you again for your videos they're very informative and a very interesting! If I remember right, it is an 0-10-0.. it is one massive son of a gun, and the only steam engine I've ever seen in person. I just wish there was some way to get that old girl restored and in running condition again.. it may be the only one of its type still in existence.. thanks man and keep up the videos!
By the way a good friend of my dads who is a huge steam engine buff, once told me that a steam engine is the closest thing to life that human beings have ever created.. the things just seem to live and breathe and are an amazing feat of engineering.. just something I thought you might find interesting.
The sound really makes a difference. Hard to see exactly what you are doing because we can't feel the linkage but you can hear the effect of your efforts. Great presentation job.
Love the editing, very good for someone who hasn't done much irl recording. Keep it up😁
I love how it says 1st person yet we don’t get an actual like headcam perspective great video either way
Awesome video 🔥
Would love to see more of this type of video 😄
Very nice tutorial on how to operate a steam locomotive. Been a while since I last operate a steam loco and probably won't again in the future.
Omg that was amazing, thank you so much for all the explanations, I always wanted to know how it works!!
Somehow, I did and yet didn't expect that explanation of starting on a grade, it's interesting how closely that lines up with how I was taught manual cars (mostly because the teaching vehicle had a worn *everything* so everything was done with an ample amount of caution) - keep the brake held, release just enough clutch you feel it start to load the suspension, so it's fighting gravity, and then take the brake off.
I mean I guess in the end it makes sense - both forms of vehicle, car or train, are really only designed to move in one direction at a time, your power can't be one way when you're rolling the other. And because neither can *instantly* apply power, you need to figure out the dance of pre-setting enough engine power to overcome gravity and rolling resistance, but not so much that you cause problems by making the movey-thing not move
It always baffles me how much work it takes to operate one of these things. Everything works manually, unlike today where you push a lever forwards or backwards and the computer does everything (drive-by-wire).
Thanks a lot for the video. Would also love to see those 1950s bulldog nose Diesel Loco driving POV. ( If possible ) ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for this, I learned a lot and it looks so cool.
Really Awesome Hyce! Great to watch it all in action!
@Hyce, could you make a video that explains why smokestacks have different shapes and what effect they have?
Sure :)
this will be handy for if i ever operate Northern Pacific 924 or a shay (im thinking about volintering at the NW railway meusam next year and maybe ill get to operate one of their locomotives someday)
A lot of what you explained and shown in this video pretty similar to what I've seen engineers do when they operated 340 at Knott's Berry Farm. Everything from slightly "bumping" the throttle for the fine adjustments to starting with 5-10 pounds on the brakes. I really miss working with that locomotive
This is going to be so awesome I’m very big into transportation including trains even though I do more flying then trains
It's kinda cool seeing how you're not the first person to showcase 491 on TH-cam to teach steam locomotive concepts.
I am watching your video now on the GS20. AWESOME!!!!
Hopefully you can put some more content out soon.