Locomotive Bought on an Online Auction - Helping My Customer Get It Moved - Shipping Nightmare
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 มี.ค. 2023
- Well, my customer bought a locomotive at an online auction. Now What???
This locomotive is an EMD GP7U. It went through a major upgrade in 1980 by the ATSF and is now essentially a GP38. One of EMDs best locomotives.
My customer bought it based on my recommendation for use on a shortline freight railroad. The Wisconsin Great Northern Railroad will put this locomotive to good use.
This locomotive has been in captive "Mill Service" for many years and needs a bunch of work before it can be shipped to its new home. Since the FRA does not have control of anything within an industry, some of the maintenance and repairs have been neglected.
For this move, nothing has to be done with the engine or electrical. Just brakes, wheels, couplers, etc. All things I have dealt with in the past. But in this case, I have never dealt with a bigger group of incompetent people in my 25 year career of railroading. The inspectors on the first railroad were total idiots. We went through 4 different ones before we got anywhere.
It is now home, and I can guarantee I will never deal with Watco again. Absolutely the worst experience of my career. If you are an unfortunate customer of theirs, I feel very sorry for you and wish for their speedy demise and a new operator to take over. My absolute sympathy to all of their customers.
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Hey Josh, that’s not complaining - that’s just telling it like it is. It’s refreshing for someone to speak the truth, but not lose their mind in the process. Your problem with the railroad is just a piece of sand in the world of incompetence that we live in. I’ve enjoyed your machine shop videos, but now that I know you’re a train man, you’ve got me hooked.
You've never seen an engine that dirty!? You should see the ones we run at the plant i work at. That's what they look like, and worse! Also, sounds like watco and union pacific have a lot in common. Those guys are tough to deal with too. I'm actually a new locomotive engineer, i operate GP38's, and i have been learning a lot from your channel on how these massive machines work. Thank you!
Just gotta say. When you started her up, the closed captioning said [Music] and I have to agree.
Gotta love inspectors that inspect without looking at stuff. We used to run into this with annual commercial vehicle inspections. After getting certified I realized how incompetent or inept some are. That locomotive sure started up nice for as filthy as it was. Be nice to see a follow up later
nepotism. it's not what you know, it's who you know, fake it until you break it.
I had the same thing with my truck. I asked the state DOT inspector what I could do. As an owner operator, you can do your own inspections. That was right from the WI Commercial Vehicle Inspector. The only problem is if they find something obviously neglected, you're on the hook.
Reminds me of when I was forced to get an inspection because there was no truck inspectors AYNYWHERE around us.
I was tearing things apart that had been neglected for YEARS.
Even had it out with the boss in front of the whole crew, and he finally conceded.
I appreciate having another set of eyes on things at times, it keeps a guy on his toes!
and there's the saying:
Those who can, do.
Those who can't, teach.
Those who can't teach, inspect.
Welcome to my world of railroading. More times than i can count that locomotives have been released from our diesel shop only shortly to have issues before train departure.
Man what a filthy thing! I'd recommend a 55 gallon barrel of Cyclone cut with water 1:1, and a pneumatic foaming device to assist in turning the solution into suds for larger and easier coverage of everything inside and outside the carbody. Blast all the internals with a pressure washer (hot water one works best!), being mindful not to hit the governor plug, and brushes to scrub the outside of the carbody, finishing off with a hose rinse, and she'll look good as new.
Glad she's still a serviceable and functioning unit!
I was a cab engineer for GE Transportation. You obviously know your way around a locomotive and railroads. I agree that CN are pros. Good luck!
Yeah, this gentleman was a joy to watch!
It's pure joy to witness the starting of an older EMD locomotive.
I was a machinist at CN and we constantly had problems with American railroad inspectors.
Don't get me started on incompetent FRA inspectors.
I wonder how the Escanaba & Lake Superior RR can even operate based on the condition of the track... WSOR is also ex Milw. lines but they actually have maintenance on the track. In light of recent derailments on Class 1 lines maybe track maintenance will be stepped up.
@@briandonovan9560 Non Fra track...speed probably capped at 15?
@@briandonovan9560 the only reason why derailments are on a rise is because of the media....I was in a huge derailment in 1994 in Rockford....never made the news, but everyone at the water park seen it....
Sorry to hear about the problems. I've encountered large groups of idiots everywhere across my entire life. and there's always someone waiting around the corner to lower the bar even more
The last 10 years the bar has been lowered so far that even the Titanic is floating above it. Makes a guy just want to give up.
@@TopperMachineLLC
Ah grasshopper, you must learn to just accept that which idiots give as part of the process. Sit in the lotus position, place your hands in your lap and make a circle of your thumb and forefinger as you chant your mantra.
As a bright thought, those that are that inept will soon cause a major problem and will with any luck be crushed under the engine as it falls off the tracks.
I must say, I was surprised at how easily that engine started up.
Good luck with this project.
@@TopperMachineLLC Don't give up, Buddy! Those of us, like yourself who have high standards and know what the word "quality" means will prevail!
This conversation is a great example why.
The old humans are not based in agency,
Or youd be taking action on your goal of bestowing knowledge by teaching.
Instead you use abuse as social capital,
Lament your lack of leadership skills and charisma, then go home to watch goyball on TV for a few more decades while your true social responsibility as a Man on this plane runs away from you.
Right under your recliner.
@@TopperMachineLLC
Loved the video. Also loved your rant. As an OTR Trucker dealing with incompetent (lazy?) people can set me off.
My late father worked for WSOR from the early 80's until he passed away (from a heart attack in a WSOR locomotive) so I'm quite confident my father spent plenty of time on that very locomotive. I'm glad to see you guys clean it up and keep it working. My father passed several years before it was bought out by Watco and he would roll over in his grave if he knew that was the experience you had with Wisconsin and Southern. I have fond memories of walking through that round house with my father and checking out all the trains. Appreciate the great video! Subbed for more.
I am so sorry to hear about your father. I'm glad he got to experience the WSOR in the golden years. Watco has outright destroyed that railroad. I had dealt with the Gardner family many years back. Bill ran a good railroad. Not anymore. It's in a downward spiral, like many of the other former great shortlines and regionals. Squeeze every penny out of it and get rich before it fails. Sad.
@@TopperMachineLLC Sad indeed. Thank you for the reply. Unsure why the TH-cam algorithm decided to feature your video but I'm very glad it did.
@@eclark53520 I've been trying to figure out the algorithm for 2+ years. I do very little of this railroad work anymore, and focus on my machine shop. TH-cam is a tough game.
@@TopperMachineLLC Fun fact: *nobody* knows how the TH-cam algorithm works, not even TH-cam themselves. They use a machine learning program that's optimized based on watch time, so not even *they* know exactly what criteria it uses.
Duane Clark is still talked about among current/former WSOR railroaders/fans. "Legend" would seem to be an apt term although I never met him as he passed before I took up the camera and started chasing trains.
I don't always buy a locomotive, but when I do, it's at the behest of Mr Topper. 😅
"Inspector" is a job title that seems to run from 0% GAF through to someone that would measure a blade of grass with a micrometer. I've had electrical inspectors that would barely look at a job to ones that picked everything apart with a fine toothed comb to attempt to find an issue. My worst one was a fire alarm inspector that I had to explain to him what had to be tested/inspected as part of a new building verification, since he didn't seem to have a clue what his job was.
Wow! an entire locomotive? You look really comfortable and competent working on that thing. Hope to see it again soon.
3:09, love how you opened the door, and a nice spider web was waiting for you.
The thing about any inspector is that they always have to find something else why would they be needed. It also gets them a return trip, often for another fee.
I saw one up for auction a few years ago and I told my father about it. Well, he told the police chief and the chief suggested that I should bid on it, try to win it, and if I won, just simply donate the bill of sale to a church.
The mental image of a pastor looking at a bill of sale for a locomotive has always made me chuckle.
I started at Southern Pacific in the mid 1970's on the laundry track doing loco prewash, moved over to the cleaning building where we got to clean the engines so the machinists could do a teardown for a complete rebuild. I think Mike Rowe would love to suit up, grab a steam wand and make it shine.
Good video Josh and you have a great channel. I always learn something when i watch a new post. Keep them coming.
Thanks for sharing this adventure with us. It was very enlightening. 😁
WHAT A COOL VIDEO! Thank you for posting it!
Nice find. I hope it works out well for you guys.
What a great video of bringing an older locomotive back to life !!! And as others have mentioned, you really do your way around the maintenance issues and all the specs ! I hope you post many more videos on this project and I have subscribed. It's a pleasure to watch you work.
Locomotive auctions feel like its a genre that feels like cars but...something special hits about these auctions..great work lad on this video!
Neat little machine and story. Very nice footage and documentation
Cool video, thanks for sharing
Interesting video. I've often wondered 'what next' for auctions like this. I'd be terrified to bid on something like this, especially sight-unseen, good luck with this loco!
Liked and subbed.
First I have seen of your channel but glad I found it.
Old locos & old welders are relevant to my interests.
Very interesting and informative video!! Thank you, be blessed and stay safe!!
Love these videos(actually all of your videos)!
It's been a lot of years since I owned it but that looks EXACTLY like a Westinghouse engine drive I used to own.
Extremely cool content. Subscribed.
Great seeing a pro at work👍
Your videos keep getting better and better
I just happened across your video and my exposure to trains is limited, but this was just so cool to see!
thanks Josh, sharing with my rail pals....cheers from Florida, Paul
Thanks for the cool and informative video, I love old geeps.
Those engines sound so good.you can hear the raw power would love to feel it also.
One of the GM plants that I worked in for the Terex Division was on Clinton road in Cleveland Ohio.
At one time earlier it had been an Electromotive plant, so it was ideal for building the earth moving equipment , having 50 ton cranes, and huge welding capacity.
Very interesting video Josh.
I had know idea there was so much involved with moving an Engine.
You definitely know your way around a Train Engine.
Thanks for sharing.
Great video!
Take care, Ed.
I feel your pain. Moved a few locomotives and inspectors are the worst! But thanks for sharing your process.
Love the sound of those engines starting up. Worked on locomotives for a short time right out of high school, ill be working on boats soon for a company with a fleet of boats most of which are 12 or 16-545s, some smaller are 12-71s, all twins. Super excited for that.
Nice video thanks for sharing
You sir - are one talented fellow.👊🤜🤛👍👍
Very Very Educational......thank you so much......Paul
Excellent Video,
Back in the late 80's I was working for a man that was having open top chip cars which were loaded with tree bark from a sawmill in Nelson, WI, that needed to be hauled down to Zenda, WI. This was done twice. After that we switch to trucks. Dealing with the railroads was a complete frustrating mess. Very unfortunate.
Good video buddy, you seem like a no nonsense man and not afraid to roll your sleeves up. I'm semi retired but know a equipment and steal with the best of them. 👍
What a fantastic machine!
Great story right off the bat! I love interstate commerce
I watched that auction. Kept teasing the wife I am going to bid on it and she kept saying you better not win it or you can live in it. She must have gotten worried that a business partner asked me about it . She ratted me out to him. I just told him no, just pulling her chain but if I was 20 years younger I might have bid on it. Anyways you look like the perfect person to put this back in service. Glad someone like you got it or should say your buyer should be glad he has you to work on it.
Didn't realise you were a locomotive person ,great video,l owned a fleet of coaches now retired and really understand the difference between inspectors
I was watching this auction and was hoping this would get fixed up and go to a good home. Loving it!
What does something like this go for?
Mike Rowe did do a segment on locomotive engine re-build where he was tightening an bolt nut instead of loosening, typical Mike Rowe stuff. i really like these type of vids thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a very cool locomotive. It was great to see the process you went through. I can imagine that it is expensive to own one of these. It sounds like it was difficult to get it moved
Once we got through the idiot inspectors, and the billing department, it shipped so easy. As far as owning railroad equipment, it's just like anything else. If it's your business, you absorb the expenses. If it's a hobby, it's part of the hobby.
I'm thinking 10's of thousands to get it in tip top shape but once it's done it will probably run another 50 years..railroads don't buy brand new equipment unless they have too...they are huge on recycling the old worn out engines but once overhauled it looks Brand new
@@lornperkins4270 $2500 tops. Water pump is around 500 and the radiator will be the rest. Everything else is cleaning and paint.
For a engine that was in a mill, that electrical cabinet was really clean, that is a major plus.
Cleaning dust out of electricals was probably part of their fire control measures
Great Video keep up the good work on locomotive Videos. From Prairie du Chien Wisconsin
It's not often I do railroad work, but when I do, and can shoot it, I will.
Thanks for the great tour! Valve train looks too dry to have proper lubrication.
Sorry to hear about all the hardship dealing with the railroad you encountered.
You'd be surprised how little oil goes to the top end. It was very well lubricated.
Born and raised (mainly) on an island (BERMUDA) with NO trains, found this extremely interesting. Lots of Marine electrical and mechanical tho. Following your site vigorously. Need to order your DIRTFT tees ! lol
Jake, I love your videos. I'm looking forward to the next one on this locomotive. You have a wonderful variety of very interesting content. When I saw you in short sleeves with sunshine and green grass in the background, I realized this was obviously recorded last summer. Hope you guys fared better this weekend than we did here in west central MN. I posted this comment before the end of the video.
It took almost a year to shoot and edit this. I struggled to remember where I left off.
Very unusual and fun to check locomotive
Hilarious. I laughed outload. Nice job!
Your expertise amazes me.I have a niece who runs a CSX of Sav. to Jacksonville
CP Rail came to our facility and trained us on the proper usage of the spur that ran inside the warehouse. Those guys were top notch!
I worked for EMD for 35 years. Very good video, but l was a bit surprised at the amount of grease/oil on the front stack. Obviously that will be cleaned off before the unit is placed in service. As far as cleanliness of the rest of the engine, it wasnt to bad. We found that the front coupling seal leaking would fling oil up and all over the front end of the engine, unless there was a coupling guard installed. Once again excellent video. Glad to see 40 and 50 year old units still in service. I may have tested that 645 engine, when it was new!
The nastiness of this engine was just from idling for the last 10 years. The stacks were mostly plugged. I've seen this on almost every unit in this kind of service. Should clean out nice.
@@TopperMachineLLC I know it is against all mechanical gods laws, but working on these for 15 years as a composite mechanic then a CMO I worked for a company that (gasp) put profit above everything.... so we had a GP9 that a company leased that had sat and idled till the low oil shut down killed it, the site mechanical foreman said it must have been a month or more. (dispute between who I worked for and the company resulted in them just parking the unit after getting a mule on site to do their car spotting) Go up to the site and the unit was over 55 gallon low on oil and when started smoked so bad. Shipped it to a new location with the understanding it needed work and fired it up under load test and pulled 1000 amps out of it for days still smoked bad, till the point of oil spattering on the hood and paint. I took a can of Comet and dumped in the turbo while in notch 7 making 1000 amps and in 10 minutes it has quit smoking and spitting oil. I know I took a lot of life out of the engine but the company did not want to repack it... so.
Anyway nice video and thanks for the memories of burns, cuts, scrapes and other maladies that befell me during my time working for the railroad and the lovely people I met whom inspected my units for shipment :) Oh and PS I worked for Watco for about 3 months and the good ole boy network was just complete BS to work under.
@@JimNichols Turbo? I assume it was repowered.
Jeep9 was roots blown
LOVE the video!!
Can relate to the "You can't use a torch, but welding and grinding is OK" thing.
Smoking a cigarette while heating some thick metal with a rosebud. HR Lady sees me and gives me grief about smoking because it's a "Fire Hazzard". Umm. Err, O-kay.
Some people have no clue. Unfortunately these are the people who set the rules.
As they say, those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. For the rest, there's HR.
@@custos3249 I've always said, "those who can, do. Those who can't do, teach. And those who can't teach, inspect."
@@TopperMachineLLC Isn't that essentially what HR is, the ultimate policy and colon inspector?
@@custos3249 I was referring more to govt inspectors. OSHA, FRA, DOT, etc
Another great video
It sounded like the inspector was looking for a payout! I used to get that in Boston where a lot of people had their hands out. It was usually small operators looking for beer money for a few days. I just walked away. Payola might have gone away in the radio business, but it's alive and well in industrial sales in most parts of the country!
railroading... no wonder there is so much smoking and drinking!! (great video - thanks!)
Great video. Learned more about diesel locomotive than any other movie/video I've watched. I feel like I could prime and start one myself now. lol
Please don't. There is way more than I have shown.
@@TopperMachineLLC You can say that again. And different makes have different requirements. On some you can check the oil level while running just by pulling the dipstick. But try that on an ALCo RS-3 with the original engine without turning off the blower and you will get a face full of oil.
Not even a train guy here. But that was a really neat tour. I love following folks passionate about what they do. Very interesting
I'm not a train guy either, just enjoy working on them and troubleshooting. It is an interesting challenge and experience
i worked on v 16 alco engines in the navy great to see another messy engine like them
Loved the video
First video iv seen super cool camt wait to see more
Priceless, a Locomotive!
Let's see the Abom top this one!
That block went in 1999 the original through a rod. WE took that block out of a old Union Pacific GP 9. It was sold to a grain mill in the early 2000's OH Ya That is why I'm an ex employee of Wisconsin southern
I moved a steam locomotive from Versailles, Ky to Gambier, Oh, they took the stack, sanders, cab off, (needed rebuilt anyway), I spun it 90 degrees in the roadway and rolled it up on a lowboy, and away we went. It was a fun job! It’s on display at the Kokosing Gap Trail in Gambier.
I really enjoyed your video, sorry you had so many challenges. It makes you think, if only it could have been put in a really big Amazon style box 📦
I served my Apprenticeship on Diesel Locos. EMD's, GE's,and a lot of English locos(50 years ago!!) . You got through a load of service work to get it towable . We did 500 and 1000 hour service intervals so the locos were constantly examined to prevent breakdowns in service. That didn't allow for operator abuse...
On your customers Jeep , Most of the prime engines oil appeared to be on the outside ...
🙂.As an apprentice,part of my job was to mop down the engines with a coal based degreaser called turgosol. Applied with a regular mop then hosed off with water,it was brilliant stuff but stunk like old coal oil .It also gelled in the drains. 😵💫.That jeep looks to have decades of service in it yet,great buying!.
Never mind answering previous post. After re-listening to your original post I know the loco will be in Trego, WI.
Beautiful engine - dirty, but sounding FINE!
well done....big job but looks like a good loco.
Sounds like normal dealings with the railroad total lack of service is what I have always dealt with
Want to see more of this
What a Beautiful engine.
Very interesting and informative.. just curious what is a good deal for an locomotive like that?
Great videos from Steve Manning here in Kentucky just found your chenal and subscribed
Cool vid about an industry I know nothing about. What's a used locomotive go for? Hell, what's a new one cost? How is their service life measured and how long is it? Thanks for another interesting vid.
You’ve definitely got the look. You could walk into any RR yard shop and sit down and start playing Cribbage.LOFL
Thanks!
Since you run your welder from an outboard motor tank, the welder might start faster if you put a primer bulb in that fuel line. I always had to pump the primer bulb on my Evinrude.
I was thinking the same thing. He said it had been sitting awhile and I'm sure it took awhile to get the engine primed. Looks like he flooded it right before start though, as I seen a little black smoke. I like the idea of a boat tank though, that way it's easier to make sure it's got fresh gas on something that sits a lot.
Oh I know that place it was delivered to. I've passed it dozens of times and I hope someday to be able to stop and just see all the cool equipment they have.
love the old schools GP7 and GP9 without them we wouldn't have had the Gp 38-2 pulling passenger service here on long island though now replaced they still are in service with a freight company that said im sure the old girl still has plentily of life to give
They are pretty decent units, I use to like them on Roadswitchers, as they load up and sprint pretty quick, yet still had reasonable pulling power. We used to run them in pairs....back in the days when we had quits. Is this from La Grange, or London?
i never knew u could buy a real locomotive maybe my dreams of buying and owning a train and also driving one will be true
My uncle has a small engine like that on a trailer with a welder attached and vertical exhaust stacks. We were on the highway when the trailer came off the ball. it flipped over and we drug it on the 1/2" thick metal lifting plate it had. All the damage it had was the battery was thrown off, the exhaust stacks snapped off and the fuel tank had a nice new hole in it. After my uncle fixed all those it ran again!
Janesville?Wisconsin Great Northern, cool,will try to check you guys out
Nice chop nose GP7 with GP38 guts.
I was a brakeman for a GP9 & GP38 on Mt Hood Railroad.
This is the first of your videos I’ve watched and I really enjoyed it. Does someone know the history of this loco, such as build date and original and subsequent owners?
Former WSOR unit, NICE!
Yeah I saw that train locomotive for sale on Hansen auction last year knew exactly what auction it was bought on when I seeing this video
Saw the title of this video and had to give it a look. Yes, that is a Locomotive, now how will they move it? By rail, of course. I was thinking maybe by a truck? It is amazing what TH-camrs can do.