Your welcome and glad you found out something new Raymond. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thank you and glad you enjoy seeing stuff like that George. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thank you and your right ScOtte, they spent a good bit of money these past 2 years getting the mechanical on the locos fixed up right, major improvement from what they were before. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Your very welcome and glad you are enjoying the home movies Thomas. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Really interesting to see an operational video today, and especially with captions / explanations about different things, e.g., that sand tower switch. Thanks Dave.
Hey Dave, y’all don’t have a Y so y’all can turn your locomotives around especially on that long train where they’re running cab forward either way I was just wondering but anyway another awesome video my friend and I hope y’all had a merry Christmas and also happy New Year’s to you and your family But as always, you stay safe out there and we’ll see you on the next one
You are correct Timmy, we cannot turn our locos around. Any of our 3 locos may be in the lead coming back with loads at any one time, so the short nose forward is a bit of a safety thing for the operator in case loads behind the loco have an accident and start to pile up behind him. Hope you guys also had a great holiday season. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Yes your right Lou, but when something goes wrong here, it's not like you can use the hand crane to put cars back on track..... :-) Hulcher is a bit more expensive. LOL Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thanks for the information that you share abount the railroad, very good info! I just recently have become a conductor. I have been watching you for awhile now. Soaking up the information that you shared with your viewers, very good information. Information that can be trusted.
Your welcome and thank you for the very nice comment Anthony. Wish for you the very best out there on the rails. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my fellow railroader.
Thank you Pete and glad you enjoyed. Wishing for you a most blessed new year also my friend. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day.
Hey Dave I like to thank you for the educational videos about your work. I have been watching this channel for a while even before you made your 2nd one and I find them both very interesting and every time I wach one you're sharing things with everyone about your work, I have learned a lot about what you do and the company you work with you are very blessed to work with a company that allows you to share the work you do with everyone there's not many companies at all that would allow you to do the things that they let you do. Keep up the good work and I look forward to seeing your videos and learning more about your work. Once again thanks for sharing a bit of your work and family life with us.
Thank you for the very nice comment Ronald and glad you enjoy the videos. They are a lot of fun to make and yes we are all very thankful the company allows me to do these. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day.
You sure got a really awesome job Dave. I know there is hard work involved with keeping a track in good shape. Which I would say you sure do an awesome job keeping it in good shape. You also work for a great company that strives in quality and safety of its employees. Thanks for another one of your videos I'll be waiting to watch the next one my friend!
Thank you for the very nice comment William You are right we do have a good company to work for. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
almost 1 year old! you gave the date jan 06,2024 ! the last train was loaded, you could see the compressed springs in the trucks! neat video, yes safety interlocks keep you safe! prevent derailments.
That is correct Barry last January. I've got tons of videos yet to be shown from 2 or more years ago too. We rely so much on good radio communications here and in everyone following orders. That is one of the reasons I was there at the switch to keep both trains safe from each other. Worst thing that could happen here is if two trains collided. Thank you so much my friend for visiting with us tonight and may you have a very good day.
We had a non guarded frog in there before Steam Crane and when we changed it to a self guarded one, we really saw no reason to take the stock rail guards out. Glad you enjoyed and thanks so much for watching my friend.
Thank you for the nice comment Ted and glad to have you jon in with us. Very much appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.
After this video they did get new seat covers Dave. Thank you for the kind words. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thank you for the nice comment and glad you enjoyed Rob. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Hey Dave !!!! ""HAPPY NEW YEAR "" to You & ALL up there !!! 🥳🥳🥳 Have they fixed the doors on the problem cars yet ??? 🤔🙄 Have a good week & Thanks for the videos !!! 🤠🤠😎😎👍👍👍👍👍
Thank you and happy new year to you also KB. We need a dedicated car repair crew here, these guys try to what they can but it's not enough . Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Yes those painted panels at the top of the one end of the car denotes the rotary coupler end Pete. Some of our cars have the rotary couplers but we do not rotary dump the cars. We have no way at all of turning a locomotive here. The only way to do it would be call in hulcher with their side booms and walk the loco around in a circle with 4 side booms. A huge expense to do that. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thank you for the nice comment William, I do get involved in a whole lot of variety here, we are short on people and everyone pitches in and helps out when needed. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thank you Mr. Dave for sharing this video, really interesting how you switch engines in and out. As many have said: You make train videos and Railroading an intersting profession. Had I not drove 18 wheelers for 35 years, I would of loved mastering train engines as a living. At 73 yrs young, train engineer would be a great second profession behind Pastoring Churches. Mr Dave have a wonderful weekend, my friend.
Thank you for the nice comment and glad you enjoyed Rev. Harry. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Dave.... Fascinating !!! I've often wondered what went into "flip-flopping" two trains onto one main line ! Now we all know ! Thank you for your videos ! Most informative on the internet ! Happy New Year my friend !!!
Thank you Emil and now you know how we do it here with the limited number of tracks we have. Your welcome for the videos, it's my pleasure and they are a lot of fun to make. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Your right about that and glad you enjoyed Richard. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Hi Dave & it's is Randy and i like yours video is Cool & Thanks Dave & Friends Randy & Hello Dave & Dave Mrs. Wife & Hello Freddy & Merry Christmas & Happy New Year's & The Best in The New Year's 2025
Thank you and may you and your family also have a great holiday season Randy. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Well another great video I'll be quiet for a while surgery tomorrow removing infected bone my left shoulder that's what happens when you let things go too long thanks my friend keep doing what you're doing
Thank you and glad you enjoyed Gary. So sorry to hear of that, we will keep you in our prayers and let me know how things turn out my friend. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day.
Thank you and there will be lot's more videos coming Ronald, so glad to hear you are enjoying the home movies. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thank you for the nice comment and glad you enjoy Brian. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Your welcome Robin. Yes it is routine but sometimes when things get routine then accidents can happen, another reason why I was there to make sure all went well with the trains going thru the turnout and also in not hitting into each other. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Your welcome and thank you Clarence, it was my pleasure. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
What happens with everyone there if for some reason, there aren't any barges and both trains are loaded and waiting? Does everyone get a free paid day off or does everyone run around getting all the stuff done that nobody had time to get done before? As always, I really enjoy these videos from your point of view, please continue making them 😊😊
There have been very few times when they sent us home Chan, but most of the time with no barges we get other stuff done like you said that needed to get done. Thank you for taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thank you and wishing for you and your family a most prosperous coming new years also Dave. really appreciate your watching the video my friend and may you have a very good day.
How much force does those switch motors have? If there is any obstruction between the points like a rock, will the points crush it? Or will that be a severe issue?
Under normal conditions the motor will throw the switch with no problem, a piece of ballast in there in the right place and the switch points will not crush it, but one of two things will happen then. If the points do not close all the way the switch itself will throw it back to the last position and if that doesn't happen then the train will pick the points and derail. So best practice is to look at the points! Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thank you and glad you enjoyed TFSFireman. Yes it was good and hope you guys also had a great holiday. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
We don't have enough good cars in service to do much more than that on the short train Doug with 38 being on the main train. Blackjack is good, I never thought of that! Thank you my friend for watching and may you have a very good day.
Thank you and may you guys also have a great holiday season AP. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Good morning Dave, I think you are on vacation but if you get a chance I have a question for you. Why does the section of rail in the video at the switch have those extra support brackets on the side.? Is that to help stop the force of the switch pushing up against it? Thanks!
Those are called shoulder braces Jeff and yes they are there at the switch to help strengthen the stock rails. Remember on the other side of the rail is the switch point and that side of the rail can't be spiked down because of the moving switch point. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thank you for the nice comment and glad you enjoyed Alan. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Your welcome and glad you enjoyed Gene. Hope you and yours also have a great holiday. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thank you and hope you and yours also had a holly jolly Christmas Cameron. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Your welcome Craig and yes we did. Video on Christmas will be on my other channel to be shown soon. We are very blessed to have such a wonderful family. Very much appreciate your watching this video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thank you and Happy New Year to you and yours as well Nolan. Glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thanks for the video. Sound of cars are heavey . Loaded. Coil springs compressed. I am in Evansville Indiana. Hogue road and CSX tracks. West side of Evansville. 150 coal cars pass by. DPU in the middle at 75 cars. Grain too pass. From Mt Vernon Indiana port on the Ohio river. A lot of activity day and night. Thanks for the explanation on railroading. Later.
Your welcome Dan. Your right heavy cars have their own sound on the rails. Good for you to get a lot of rail fanning in our area. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thank you Richard and may you also have a most blessed new year. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Love to see the coal industry at work. Despite the complaints about coal, it puts a lot of people to work and it is one of the industries that America does well. Thanks for the video.
Thank you Rupert and we too love to see coal moving. Your right, it is one of the industries we do best here. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thank you and your right Pappy. Sanding occurs a good bit on wet rails when they are loading or dumping the train. It happens on dry rails more at the plant when loading cause it is a bit of an up hill grade into the plant. Dumping the cars is on level grade so sanding on dry rails there doesn't happen very often. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
I remember, as a kid lying in bed at night, that I could hear the node as it worked its way along the trains that were on the tracks about a mile away. Many years later I learned that a train, starting up after hooking up, had to start out slow for a minute or two or three because they didn't want the head-end of the train moving at 20 or 30 mph while the rear of the train was still waiting to move. How about those apples? I imagine that having the telemetry box on the ends of trains really help preserve the couplers.
Your right on those long trains it takes a while for all the slack to get taken up out of the couplers Patman. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.
Data centers use the same diesel engines used in locomotives to generate backup power, in case a grid power failure lasts longer than the on site batteries can power up the centers. When the batteries get low, the diesel generators switch on, so that the servers don't all go down, which would do millions of dollars of damage. I never knew that the telephone system used to be 100% battery powered by giant lead acid batteries at the switching centers. I always wondered how the phones could still work during power failures. Now I know they were run on thousands of giant batteries spread all over North America. Today I think everything goes over the internet as digital data. Of course, none of that would be possible without solid state computers and tiny fiber optic glass fibers, thinner than a human hair. AT&T insisted that I install one all the way into my living room. It will run 3 video streams at the same time. That is pretty amazing when you think it comes in as a series of on - off pulses. Imagine how many of those you need, to send live color images to 3 different computers at once. A LOT!!! It sounds crazy, but they are building the largest data center on the planet in rural Louisiana, near Monroe. Why out in the boonies, I have no idea. Maybe they need cheap natural gas, or the State gave them a hugh grant. It sure isn't near millions of people. Maybe for a central location among other data centers in the fast growing South? Happy New Year, Dave.
Another reason they used batteries is to smooth out the power. Speech works best on pure DC like you get from a battery no buzzing sound. In our digital age things are better but in some ways the old system was better. It was able to keep working because of those batteries.
That's pretty interesting to find out Bill, I did not know the phone system used to be like that either. Never gave it much thought about the data centers either using loco engines. I knew that had back up generators but didn't know what powered them. I agree with you, fiber optics are incredible! Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thank you and glad you are enjoying the home movies Djavidian. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thank you and hope you guys also had a very good holiday Bob. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Yes and there is about 10 more cars besides that in various states of repair or disrepair Nicolayu. Thank you for taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Hi, Dave, I hope you and your family had a joy filled Christmas and look forward to the best new year ever. I wonder about two things. First, since the train is relatively short, what keeps the engineer from walking up and operating the front locomotive? Wouldn't that be safer? Second, some railroads rule books require switch operators to stand opposite the switch throw when the train passes. For one thing, crossing the track reminds the operator to check the points, and second, it prevents the operator from changing the switch at the last moment ("Oops, I did it again!") and thereby prevents derailments. Thanks for another great video, as always.
When there is someone not at the switch they often do get a ride up to the other loco, and also they can use the remote system where they can stand and watch the train thru the switch but since I was there, I was their eyes for them Eric. Secondly that is a good rule to follow and was brought about by someone having their head up their ass throwing a switch at the last minute. I keep my head in the game when doing stuff like this. Thank you for taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Good video Dave, a nice change from track work for you on this day. I see why you run long hud towards loaded cars in the comments too Interesting to see the reason. Have a Good Day
Thank you and we wish the same for you and yours David. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
We did GusTheSheltie and our doggies made out like bandits getting presents. Hope you and your family also had a holly jolly Christmas. We do appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
That's what my dad always said Bobarue. I gotta change that and start saying, how bout them spikes. Got a lot of good videos coming for ya in 2025. Thank you my friend for taking the time to watch the video and may you have a very good day.
That depends Arthur. We have two EMD SD 38-2 locos and with our track and our grades one loco could handle up to about 60 cars. We also have an SD 40-2 and alone it could handle about 15 to 20 more cars. On line that don't have as many sharp degree curves as we have or as steep grades those locos could handle even more. Glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thank you and hope you guys also had a great holiday season Chris. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Your right, we do have one operator who blows the horn when starting to move but he's the only one. Since the FRA doesn't come in here no one seems to think it's necessary to do that. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
They do have safety latches and springs to hold the latches down Yukon. I showed those latches in a recent RR week in Review video on my second channel, That's Dave's Other Doings. And I showed why our cars are dumping out. Our latches have a lot of wear on them and a lot of cars dump out. I think we need a dedicated car repair crew who knows what they are doing to fix stuff like that? Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Great video, Dave! Thank you for posting. You mentioned the cars were pretty old. Do you guys own the cars, or do they get swapped with other railroads? What is the life of the cars?
The Trinity cars we have were built in 1996/97 TMC. The AAR sets the life of a car for interchange at 50 years. The life of a non interchange car like we have can be extended a whole lot more. Since we do not interchange with another RR we cannot get new cars in here from another RR other than by trucking them in. The OFAX and JACX cars we bought. The CYMX cars we leased brand new, when the lease ran out, we purchased those cars so yes we own all the cars and the locos. Thank you for taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Your welcome and happy holidays to you also Doc from Down Under. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
No we have no track signal system here Elbert. We rely on radio contact between the two trains. We seldom run two trains here anymore like we used to but everyone knows and pays very good attention to communications when we do run 2. Worst thing in the world here would be to have 2 trains collide at track speed. Thanks so much my friend for stopping by to watch tonight and may you have a very good day.
Monongahela River James. Back in the 1970's and 80's we had ice on the river thick enough the barges couldn't get thru, but since then we haven't had much at all. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Best thing to do is email me and we can exchange phone numbers before you come Brian. We don't always run trains on a regular time table, depends on the barges we have and on how the prep plant is running, Thank you for taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend. Email is on my channel home page about me tab.
Time sure does fly by doesn't it AW. 60 degrees here today hard to believe and last weekend it was 25. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
NS has main tracks and a siding at Poland Mines Steven, that is about 6 miles south of the harbor by road. The terrain to build tracks to it is extremely rough. NS also has tracks directly across the river from out harbor, in order to access them a bridge would need to be built. We will never make an interchange with them at either place. We load CSX and NS trains at our LaBelle facility which is about 20 miles down river. Barges are unloaded there and put on trains. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Love that clickety-clack of a jointed rail. Back when we used to hang out by the tracks, they would pull up just past the caboose, and one of the guys on the porch back there would get off and throw the switch. I'm guessing they had multiple guys back there because of union rules?...anyway, the smooth sound of welded rail does not sound correct to me.
Your right jointed rails does have a romantic type of sound Mojo, but welded rail sure is a whole lot easier to take care of maintenance wise. Back in the day they had a conductor and an end of train brakeman in the caboose. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Always enjoy your videos and all the info that you share. What is in the light grey box at the front of the loco (14:03)? Also.....never any headlights? Cheers
Thank you for the nice comment and glad you enjoy MrWireGuy. We used to have a battery powered car, that box was on there so the signal from the loco back to that car could be sent, it was like a junction box for that system. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Not that it matters, but I have to ask do you have a wye? That would allow at least for the engines to run short hood forward - just from an operator's point....
No we have no way to turn the locos around c. f. We have 3 locos all pointed in the same direction. Any of the 3 may be in the lead at any time coming back with loads from the mine. So the way they are oriented all 3 have the short nose in the lead with loads behind. A bit safer that way if you get loaded cars behind you piling up into a loco on a derailment. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thank you for sharing Dave, I didn't know you had the ability to detect if all the cars were past the switch, another thing I learned from you!
Your welcome and glad you found out something new Raymond. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
In UK we use axle counters ... certain number in,same number out or track circuit
It is the little details, like checking the switch manually, that make this channel interesting
Thank you and glad you enjoy seeing stuff like that George. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Love the operations side of railroading. Thanks for bringing us along Dave
Very glad to hear you enjoyed this one Tom. Thank you so much
my friend for visiting with us and may you have a very good day.
You mentioned snow up at the mine. What is the elevation change and the grade from the mine down to the barge loader?
@Pamudder grade mostly 1 to 1.75 back to harbor with about mile of 2.5. Bout 400 foot change elevation
@ Thank you. Significant grade for steel on steel.
Pretty cool stuff. Push a button & switch a switch. Beats the old way of physically pulling a lever.
Thank you and glad you enjoyed Frederick. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Those locos purr nicely, well maintained!
Thank you and your right ScOtte, they spent a good bit of money
these past 2 years getting the mechanical on the locos fixed
up right, major improvement from what they were before. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Hi Dave, you are one busy guy. Thanks for all your great videos and railroad knowledge.
Your very welcome and glad you are enjoying the home movies Thomas. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
That's a neat view that close trackside. Thanks for bringing us along and explaining what was going on.
Thank you and glad you enjoyed Kerbo. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Really interesting to see an operational video today, and especially with captions / explanations about different things, e.g., that sand tower switch. Thanks Dave.
Thank you and glad you enjoyed What If We Tried. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Dave, Thank you for sharing this video about switching the tracks to get the locomotives organized...
Your welcome and glad you enjoyed Steve. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thanks, Dave. Tell everyone else thank you, too.
Your welcome ut000bs. Really appreciate your taking the time
to check out the video and may you have a very good day
my friend.
Hey Dave, y’all don’t have a Y so y’all can turn your locomotives around especially on that long train where they’re running cab forward either way I was just wondering but anyway another awesome video my friend and I hope y’all had a merry Christmas and also happy New Year’s to you and your family But as always, you stay safe out there and we’ll see you on the next one
You are correct Timmy, we cannot turn our locos around. Any
of our 3 locos may be in the lead coming back with loads at
any one time, so the short nose forward is a bit of a safety
thing for the operator in case loads behind the loco have an
accident and start to pile up behind him. Hope you guys also had a great holiday season. Really appreciate your taking the time
to check out the video and may you have a very good day
my friend.
And Dave knocks another one out of the Park, or Yard ! 🚂🚂🚂
Thank you and glad you enjoyed Yellow Lab. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
@ , Every day is a good day, especially when you post a new video !
👍👍🚂🚂🚂
@yellowlab5624 😊👍
The tip about making sure the switch points meet the rails, also applies to your model RR switches as well!
Yes your right Lou, but when something goes wrong here, it's not like you can use the hand crane to put cars back on track..... :-) Hulcher is a bit more expensive. LOL Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thanks for the information that you share abount the railroad, very good info! I just recently have become a conductor. I have been watching you for awhile now. Soaking up the information that you shared with your viewers, very good information. Information that can be trusted.
Your welcome and thank you for the very nice comment Anthony.
Wish for you the very best out there on the rails. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my fellow railroader.
Cool stuff, Dave! Fabulous! Thank you for the railroad scenes and the views of Greene County! ❤ Happy New Year! 🎉
Thank you Pete and glad you enjoyed. Wishing for you a
most blessed new year also my friend. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day.
Now that's railroading ... Thx Dave
Your right about that Eddy and your welcome. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Hey Dave I like to thank you for the educational videos about your work. I have been watching this channel for a while even before you made your 2nd one and I find them both very interesting and every time I wach one you're sharing things with everyone about your work, I have learned a lot about what you do and the company you work with you are very blessed to work with a company that allows you to share the work you do with everyone there's not many companies at all that would allow you to do the things that they let you do. Keep up the good work and I look forward to seeing your videos and learning more about your work. Once again thanks for sharing a bit of your work and family life with us.
Thank you for the very nice comment Ronald and glad you enjoy the videos. They are a lot of fun to make and yes we are all very thankful the company allows me to do these. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day.
You sure got a really awesome job Dave. I know there is hard work involved with keeping a track in good shape. Which I would say you sure do an awesome job keeping it in good shape. You also work for a great company that strives in quality and safety of its employees. Thanks for another one of your videos I'll be waiting to watch the next one my friend!
Thank you for the very nice comment William You are right we do
have a good company to work for. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
almost 1 year old! you gave the date jan 06,2024 ! the last train was loaded, you could see the
compressed springs in the trucks! neat video, yes safety interlocks keep you safe! prevent derailments.
That is correct Barry last January. I've got tons of videos yet
to be shown from 2 or more years ago too. We rely so much
on good radio communications here and in everyone following
orders. That is one of the reasons I was there at the switch to
keep both trains safe from each other. Worst thing that could
happen here is if two trains collided. Thank you so much my friend for visiting with us tonight and may you have a very
good day.
thank you dave for another amazing time at the jobsite
Your welcome and glad you enjoyed Robert. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
I like the belt and suspenders on that frog, self guarded plus guard rails!
Is the red truck going to watch the shove?
Fun video!
We had a non guarded frog in there before Steam Crane and when
we changed it to a self guarded one, we really saw no reason
to take the stock rail guards out. Glad you enjoyed and thanks
so much for watching my friend.
Just found your channel. Thanks for what you do and sharing it with us. God bless you.
Thank you for the nice comment Ted and glad to have you jon in with us. Very much appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.
Dave....are they gonna get you a new seat cushion for your truck? Your worth it...
After this video they did get new seat covers Dave. Thank you
for the kind words. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Well Done Dave, I love your enthusiasm and energy. You make railroading fun. Have a great night.
Thank you for the nice comment and glad you enjoyed Rob. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Hey Dave !!!! ""HAPPY NEW YEAR "" to You & ALL up there !!! 🥳🥳🥳 Have they fixed the doors on the problem cars yet ??? 🤔🙄 Have a good week & Thanks for the videos !!! 🤠🤠😎😎👍👍👍👍👍
Thank you and happy new year to you also KB. We need
a dedicated car repair crew here, these guys try to what they can but it's not enough . Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Do the cars with the painted ends have rotary couplers? And is there a wye or turntable for turning a locomotive? Thank you Dave. Stay safe and warm.
Yes those painted panels at the top of the one end of the
car denotes the rotary coupler end Pete. Some of our cars have the rotary couplers but we do not rotary dump the cars. We have no way at all of turning a locomotive here. The only way to do
it would be call in hulcher with their side booms and walk the
loco around in a circle with 4 side booms. A huge expense to
do that. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Cool stuff.Dave. Not only are you the road master, you’re also the switch master...thanks
Thank you for the nice comment William, I do get involved in
a whole lot of variety here, we are short on people and everyone
pitches in and helps out when needed. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thank you Mr. Dave for sharing this video, really interesting how you switch engines in and out. As many have said: You make train videos and Railroading an intersting profession. Had I not drove 18 wheelers for 35 years, I would of loved mastering train engines as a living. At 73 yrs young, train engineer would be a great second profession behind Pastoring Churches. Mr Dave have a wonderful weekend, my friend.
Thank you for the nice comment and glad you enjoyed Rev. Harry. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
This is so cool what a job loved it all thanks for sharing Dave best regards to you and your family.
Thank you and glad you enjoyed Lawrie. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Dave....
Fascinating !!! I've often wondered what went into "flip-flopping" two trains onto one main line ! Now we all know ! Thank you for your videos ! Most informative on the internet ! Happy New Year my friend !!!
Thank you Emil and now you know how we do it here with the
limited number of tracks we have. Your welcome for the
videos, it's my pleasure and they are a lot of fun to make.
Really appreciate your taking the time to watch the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Well Dave, if it gets any busier, you'll need a signal cabin there! Nice to see some on track action. Keep them rolling 🙂
Your right about that and glad you enjoyed Richard. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Hi Dave & it's is Randy and i like yours video is Cool & Thanks Dave & Friends Randy & Hello Dave & Dave Mrs. Wife & Hello Freddy & Merry Christmas & Happy New Year's & The Best in The New Year's 2025
Thank you and may you and your family also have a great holiday season Randy. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Well another great video I'll be quiet for a while surgery tomorrow removing infected bone my left shoulder that's what happens when you let things go too long thanks my friend keep doing what you're doing
Good fortune with the surgery! Quick recovery.
Thank you and glad you enjoyed Gary. So sorry to hear of that, we will keep you in our prayers and let me know how things turn
out my friend. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day.
Thanks for all the information on the switching operation Dave. I really enjoyed the video. Have a great weekend.
Your welcome and glad you enjoyed Lewis. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
I wish you will so more videos Dave and I love what you are doing
Thank you and there will be lot's more videos coming Ronald,
so glad to hear you are enjoying the home movies. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Beautiful job friends!
Thank you for the nice comment and glad you enjoy Brian. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out
the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
@ccrx6700 Anytime
Thank you for this video!
Interesting train switching, but it must be routine and second nature for those involved.
Your welcome Robin. Yes it is routine but sometimes when
things get routine then accidents can happen, another reason
why I was there to make sure all went well with the trains
going thru the turnout and also in not hitting into each other. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Good morning Dave
Great seeing you
Good morning Clark. Always great seeing you also. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thumbs up 👍 thanks for sharing 😊
Your welcome and thank you Clarence, it was my pleasure. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Kool to hear the diesels...Notch up!
Glad you enjoyed Dave and you are right they do sound pretty cool.
What happens with everyone there if for some reason, there aren't any barges and both trains are loaded and waiting? Does everyone get a free paid day off or does everyone run around getting all the stuff done that nobody had time to get done before?
As always, I really enjoy these videos from your point of view, please continue making them 😊😊
There have been very few times when they sent us home Chan,
but most of the time with no barges we get other stuff done
like you said that needed to get done. Thank you for taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Cool stuff alright sir, you never get to see this king of work every day, thumbs up 100%
Thank you and glad you enjoyed Peter. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Another Great show Dave, I enjoyed that! Happy new Year my friend!
Thank you and wishing for you and your family a most prosperous
coming new years also Dave. really appreciate your watching
the video my friend and may you have a very good day.
How much force does those switch motors have?
If there is any obstruction between the points like a rock, will the points crush it? Or will that be a severe issue?
Under normal conditions the motor will throw the switch with
no problem, a piece of ballast in there in the right place and the
switch points will not crush it, but one of two things will happen
then. If the points do not close all the way the switch itself
will throw it back to the last position and if that doesn't happen
then the train will pick the points and derail. So best practice is to look at the points! Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
@@ccrx6700
Thanks for the info.
Turnouts usually worry me in that aspect. Probably because it has happened to me before on my model train layout. 😁
@Bassotronics 😊👍
Another great video Dave. Hope you had a good Christmas with family and I hope you have a very Happy New Year.
Thank you and glad you enjoyed TFSFireman. Yes it was good and hope you guys also had a great holiday. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
A 21-car coal train.. I will call him blackjack😊Great operations Dave👷♂️🚂🚃🚃🚃🚃🚃
We don't have enough good cars in service to do much more
than that on the short train Doug with 38 being on the main train.
Blackjack is good, I never thought of that! Thank you my friend
for watching and may you have a very good day.
Have a safe & Happy New Year Dave.
Thank you and may you guys also have a great holiday season AP. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thanks Dave 😃
Your very welcome Frank. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Good morning Dave, I think you are on vacation but if you get a chance I have a question for you. Why does the section of rail in the video at the switch have those extra support brackets on the side.? Is that to help stop the force of the switch pushing up against it? Thanks!
Those are called shoulder braces Jeff and yes they are there
at the switch to help strengthen the stock rails. Remember on
the other side of the rail is the switch point and that side of the rail can't be spiked down because of the moving switch point.
Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thanks Dave, great video!
Keep that EV Fuel rolling 😂
Thank you and glad you enjoyed Gino. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Btw and fantastic video Dave.
Thank you and glad you enjoyed Jason. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Good job and good work !
Thank you for the nice comment and glad you enjoyed Alan. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out
the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Awesome Run-Around Dave!!👍
Thank you and glad you enjoyed Ralph. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Nice switching video. I hope you had a Merry Christmas and have a Healthy and Happy New Year.
Your welcome and glad you enjoyed Gene. Hope you and yours
also have a great holiday. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Happy Holidays to you and your family.
Thank you and hope you and yours also had a holly jolly Christmas Cameron. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thank you for sharing Dave, nice switching action.
Your welcome and glad you enjoyed Brian. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thank you for sharing....hope the family had a nice Christmas ..
Your welcome Craig and yes we did. Video on Christmas will
be on my other channel to be shown soon. We are very blessed
to have such a wonderful family. Very much appreciate your
watching this video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Dave - Another great video! Happy new year to you, your family and everyone at the mine!
Thank you and Happy New Year to you and yours as well Nolan.
Glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thanks Dave, another wonderful video.
Your welcome and glad you enjoyed Donniee. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Always a good time watching those big SD's hauling the black diamonds.
Thank you and glad you enjoyed Shane. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Thanks for the video. Sound of cars are heavey . Loaded. Coil springs compressed. I am in Evansville Indiana. Hogue road and CSX tracks. West side of Evansville. 150 coal cars pass by. DPU in the middle at 75 cars. Grain too pass. From Mt Vernon Indiana port on the Ohio river. A lot of activity day and night. Thanks for the explanation on railroading. Later.
Your welcome Dan. Your right heavy cars have their own sound
on the rails. Good for you to get a lot of rail fanning in our area. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
@ Trains passing every hour. 8 degrees this morning. The ground shakes 300 yards away. Mini earthquakes.
Hello Dave and great job as usual. Tom H. (Loveland, OH)
Thank you and glad you enjoyed Tom. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Have a blessed and happy New year Dave
Thank you Richard and may you also have a most blessed new year. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out
the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Love to see the coal industry at work. Despite the complaints about coal, it puts a lot of people to work and it is one of the industries that America does well. Thanks for the video.
Thank you Rupert and we too love to see coal moving. Your
right, it is one of the industries we do best here. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Cool you guys have the ability to do run arounds to take care if business. And how often do they have to drop sand for traction.. good stuff Dave
Thank you and your right Pappy. Sanding occurs a good bit on
wet rails when they are loading or dumping the train. It happens on dry rails more at the plant when loading cause it is a bit of
an up hill grade into the plant. Dumping the cars is on level grade so sanding on dry rails there doesn't happen very often. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
I remember, as a kid lying in bed at night, that I could hear the node as it worked its way along the trains that were on the tracks about a mile away. Many years later I learned that a train, starting up after hooking up, had to start out slow for a minute or two or three because they didn't want the head-end of the train moving at 20 or 30 mph while the rear of the train was still waiting to move. How about those apples? I imagine that having the telemetry box on the ends of trains really help preserve the couplers.
Your right on those long trains it takes a while for all the slack
to get taken up out of the couplers Patman. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch and may you have a very good day my friend.
@@ccrx6700 Thank you! Happy New Year!
@patmancrowley8509 😊👍
Good stuff! Dave.
Thank you and glad you enjoyed Derrick. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Good stuff! thanks for posting
Your welcome and thank you for watching my friend, really appreciate it. May you have a very good day.
Well done dave! Happy holidays!
Thank you and hope you and yours also have a great holiday season Dave.
Cool stuff Dave, than you!
Your welcome and glad you enjoyed 1208 Bug. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Great vid as usual Mr Dave
Thank you and glad you enjoyed Robert. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Data centers use the same diesel engines used in locomotives to generate backup power, in case a grid power failure lasts longer than the on site batteries can power up the centers. When the batteries get low, the diesel generators switch on, so that the servers don't all go down, which would do millions of dollars of damage. I never knew that the telephone system used to be 100% battery powered by giant lead acid batteries at the switching centers. I always wondered how the phones could still work during power failures. Now I know they were run on thousands of giant batteries spread all over North America.
Today I think everything goes over the internet as digital data. Of course, none of that would be possible without solid state computers and tiny fiber optic glass fibers, thinner than a human hair. AT&T insisted that I install one all the way into my living room. It will run 3 video streams at the same time. That is pretty amazing when you think it comes in as a series of on - off pulses. Imagine how many of those you need, to send live color images to 3 different computers at once. A LOT!!!
It sounds crazy, but they are building the largest data center on the planet in rural Louisiana, near Monroe. Why out in the boonies, I have no idea. Maybe they need cheap natural gas, or the State gave them a hugh grant. It sure isn't near millions of people. Maybe for a central location among other data centers in the fast growing South?
Happy New Year, Dave.
Another reason they used batteries is to smooth out the power. Speech works best on pure DC like you get from a battery no buzzing sound. In our digital age things are better but in some ways the old system was better. It was able to keep working because of those batteries.
That's pretty interesting to find out Bill, I did not know the phone
system used to be like that either. Never gave it much thought
about the data centers either using loco engines. I knew that
had back up generators but didn't know what powered them.
I agree with you, fiber optics are incredible! Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Good evening from white oak Pennsylvania right up.the road from you
Good evening Brent. Thank you for taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my good neighbor.
Careful you don't throw out your back throwing that switch 😅😅
Love your channel.
Thank you and glad you are enjoying the home movies Djavidian.
Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Happy Holidays Dave.
Thank you and hope you guys also had a very good holiday Bob. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Great video Dave👍👍
Thank you Russell and glad you enjoyed. Appreciate so much
your visiting with us tonight my friend and may you have a very good day.
Very cool great job explain things you rule
Thank you and glad you enjoyed Daniel. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Does Senergy have 60 coal cars (22+38)?
Yes and there is about 10 more cars besides that in various
states of repair or disrepair Nicolayu. Thank you for taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Hi, Dave, I hope you and your family had a joy filled Christmas and look forward to the best new year ever.
I wonder about two things. First, since the train is relatively short, what keeps the engineer from walking up and operating the front locomotive? Wouldn't that be safer? Second, some railroads rule books require switch operators to stand opposite the switch throw when the train passes. For one thing, crossing the track reminds the operator to check the points, and second, it prevents the operator from changing the switch at the last moment ("Oops, I did it again!") and thereby prevents derailments.
Thanks for another great video, as always.
When there is someone not at the switch they often do get a ride
up to the other loco, and also they can use the remote system
where they can stand and watch the train thru the switch but
since I was there, I was their eyes for them Eric. Secondly that
is a good rule to follow and was brought about by someone
having their head up their ass throwing a switch at the last
minute. I keep my head in the game when doing stuff like
this. Thank you for taking the time to check out
the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Good video Dave, a nice change from track work for you on this day. I see why you run long hud towards loaded cars in the comments too Interesting to see the reason. Have a Good Day
Thank you and glad you enjoyed Cedarcam. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Happy New Year.
Thank you and we wish the same for you and yours David. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Hope you had a great Christmas ✔️✌️
We did GusTheSheltie and our doggies made out like bandits
getting presents. Hope you and your family also had a holly jolly
Christmas. We do appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Like Dave said how about those apples:: Dave keep rolling the videos out:;
That's what my dad always said Bobarue. I gotta change that
and start saying, how bout them spikes. Got a lot of good videos
coming for ya in 2025. Thank you my friend for taking the time to watch the video and may you have a very good day.
How many cars can one engine pull? Great video!
That depends Arthur. We have two EMD SD 38-2 locos and with our track and our grades one loco could handle up to about 60 cars. We also have an SD 40-2 and alone it could handle about 15 to 20 more cars. On line that don't have as many sharp degree
curves as we have or as steep grades those locos could handle
even more. Glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
🎄🎄🎄Merry Christmas Everyone ☃️☃️☃️
Thank you and hope you guys also had a great holiday season Chris. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
I noticed you don’t sound the horn when starting or backing. Is there a reason?
Your right, we do have one operator who blows the horn
when starting to move but he's the only one. Since the FRA doesn't come in here no one seems to think it's necessary to do that. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Yet another awesome video Dave. Have a great rest of your day.(Steve)
Thank you and glad you enjoyed Steve. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
@@ccrx6700 Your very welcome and thank you so mcuh also Dave.
Cheers Dave...
Thank you Graham. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Why don't coal cars have some sort of over-center latch which would prevent inadvertant dumping with low air pressure?
They do have safety latches and springs to hold the latches down
Yukon. I showed those latches in a recent RR week in Review video on my second channel, That's Dave's Other Doings.
And I showed why our cars are dumping out. Our latches
have a lot of wear on them and a lot of cars dump out.
I think we need a dedicated car repair crew who knows what
they are doing to fix stuff like that? Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Great video, Dave! Thank you for posting. You mentioned the cars were pretty old. Do you guys own the cars, or do they get swapped with other railroads? What is the life of the cars?
The Trinity cars we have were built in 1996/97 TMC. The AAR sets the life of a car for interchange at 50 years. The life of
a non interchange car like we have can be extended a whole lot
more. Since we do not interchange with another RR we cannot
get new cars in here from another RR other than by trucking
them in. The OFAX and JACX cars we bought. The CYMX cars we
leased brand new, when the lease ran out, we purchased those
cars so yes we own all the cars and the locos. Thank you for taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Hi Dave, Merry Christmas, Ive had to change accounts because Ive gone premium, thanks for the video regards Doc from Down Under
Your welcome and happy holidays to you also Doc from Down Under. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Cool.
Thank you and glad you enjoyed RFM Caboose. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Seeing your switch point indicator light made me think, do you have any need for semaphore lights on your line?
No we have no track signal system here Elbert. We rely on radio
contact between the two trains. We seldom run two trains
here anymore like we used to but everyone knows and pays
very good attention to communications when we do run 2.
Worst thing in the world here would be to have 2 trains
collide at track speed. Thanks so much my friend for stopping
by to watch tonight and may you have a very good day.
What river are you on and are the barges ever hindered by ice in the rivers?
Monongahela River James. Back in the 1970's and 80's we had
ice on the river thick enough the barges couldn't get thru, but
since then we haven't had much at all. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
I'm not far from ya. I might need to come do some rail fanning 😁.
Best thing to do is email me and we can exchange phone numbers before you come Brian. We don't always run trains on
a regular time table, depends on the barges we have and on
how the prep plant is running, Thank you for taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Email is on my channel home page about me tab.
Thanks Dave! It's January in PA already? i know i know, last January.
Time sure does fly by doesn't it AW. 60 degrees here today
hard to believe and last weekend it was 25. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
How far is the nearest freight rail line? How much would cost to make outside connection to a freight rail line??
NS has main tracks and a siding at Poland Mines Steven,
that is about 6 miles south of the harbor by road. The terrain
to build tracks to it is extremely rough. NS also has tracks directly across the river from out harbor, in order to access them a
bridge would need to be built. We will never make an interchange with them at either place. We load CSX and NS trains at our
LaBelle facility which is about 20 miles down river. Barges
are unloaded there and put on trains. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Love that clickety-clack of a jointed rail. Back when we used to hang out by the tracks, they would pull up just past the caboose, and one of the guys on the porch back there would get off and throw the switch. I'm guessing they had multiple guys back there because of union rules?...anyway, the smooth sound of welded rail does not sound correct to me.
Your right jointed rails does have a romantic type of sound Mojo, but welded rail sure is a whole lot easier to take care of maintenance wise. Back in the day they had a conductor and an end of train brakeman in the caboose. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Always enjoy your videos and all the info that you share. What is in the light grey box at the front of the loco (14:03)? Also.....never any headlights? Cheers
Thank you for the nice comment and glad you enjoy MrWireGuy.
We used to have a battery powered car, that box was on there so the signal from the loco back to that car could be sent, it was
like a junction box for that system. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the video and may you have a very good day my friend.
Not that it matters, but I have to ask do you have a wye? That would allow at least for the engines to run short hood forward - just from an operator's point....
No we have no way to turn the locos around c. f. We have 3 locos all pointed in the same direction. Any of the 3 may be in the lead
at any time coming back with loads from the mine. So the way they are oriented all 3 have the short nose in the lead with
loads behind. A bit safer that way if you get loaded cars
behind you piling up into a loco on a derailment. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch the video and may you have a very good day my friend.