TRRS 547: Railroad Rail Replacement
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ก.ย. 2020
- GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN - 23 Jul 2020
Just like any other kind of infrastructure, railroad track is ultimately an expendable resource, requiring periodic reconstruction or rehabilitation to remain in top operational form.
While the large steel rails of today’s railroads are hardy and can last for decades, over time they are surface worn by passing trains, and are subjected to stress and strain which precipitates in the formation of metal fatigue and internal cracking. While rail grinding does extend the life of the rail, eventually it becomes more cost effective to swap it out for new steel.
Special thanks to this crew for graciously allowing me to film their work and be good sports about it. It isn’t always easy working in front of an unknown camera lens, but I think this process is so neat and worth sharing with others. I hope that after watching this video you have also come to appreciate the process and honest work these guys do to keep trains rolling.
CSX Curve Rail Gang at Seymour
Consist:
- CSX LRC 200803 Sperling Railway Services Large Rail Saw
- CSX SP 200703 Nordco Single-Side Spike Puller
- CSX SP 200714 Nordco Single-Side Spike Puller
- CSX EX 201005 RCE Equipment Solutions/John Deere 225D Railavator
- CSX SC 200803 Sperling Railway Services Rail Scrap Retriever
- CSX TPM 200702 Sperling Railway Services Tie Plugging Machine
- CSX CA 201902 Knox Kershaw KKA Kribber Adzer
- CSX EX 201106 RCE Equipment Solutions/John Deere 225D Railavator
- CSX PC 200713 Rail Saw Cart
- Progress Rail Chemetron CMW33 In-Track Rail Welding Truck
- CSX SD 20172L Nordco Production Spike Driver
- CSX RH 200401 Teleweld Rail Heater
- CSX RHC 201001 Teleweld Rail Heater Cart
- CSX AA 200602 Nordco Anchor Applicator
- CSX AA 200202 Nordco Anchor Applicator
- CSX SD 20171L Nordco Production Spike Driver
- CSX SD 20173L Nordco Production Spike Driver
- CSX RAC 201903 Nordco Rail Anchor Cart
Location/Time:
- CSX Grand Rapids Terminal Sub, Grand Rapids, MI, Kalamazoo Ave xing/Seymour, on 23Jul2020 from 09:16 to 13:58 EDT
Thanks for watching! Make sure to leave a like and subscribe, for more from the Thornapple River Rail Series! Your support keeps this channel rolling - don’t forget to leave your thoughts and questions in the comments below!
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Videography Equipment:
- Primary: Sony FDR-AX53 4K Camcorder
- Aerial Platform: DJI Phantom 3 Advanced Drone
- Radio Scanner: Uniden Bearcat BC125AT
- Edited with: Cyberlink PowerDirector 16
Created by Alex Christmas. Copyright 2020, as the Thornapple River Rail Series, All Rights Reserved - บันเทิง
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I’m an old man now. When I graduated from university my first job was to work for Frontier College. We were sent to remote work locations to teach labourers basic literacy skills; primarily reading and writing English.Of course there was no internet in those days. My posting was to a Steel Gang in Northern Alberta, working for the Northern Alberta Railroad. I worked during the day on the Steel Gang and in the evenings taught classes (mostly to immigrant workers). The most striking thing about this video is how mechanized the work is now. Virtually all the work was done manually ( I was a “Clawbar man”). It was the single most back breaking job I ever had. The living and working conditions were positively Dickensian. There were two showers for a gang of about 75 labourers, and we lived in converted box cars-8 men to a car. Truly the worst job I ever had. But these were some of the most memorable characters I’ve ever met.
Hats off to you 🙂
So your degree was useless as most are.
@@xcalibertrekker6693 If he was good at it, the answer is no. You must understand your language to teach it. A quick perusal of the comments sections proves that many native English speakers still don't know how to use their own language whether speaking or writing it.
Great to see your great observation. Humble salutations Sir. From Coastal City Kakinada East Godavari District Andhra Pradesh India
@@246spyder Amen to that!
13:30 Quarter of a million dollar track maintenance machine comes equipped with two $9.99 O'Cedar straw broom heads.
Hahahaha 😂
Philip Ernst Why not use inexpensive off the the shelf products for expendable items.
I know of a place that still uses an overhead belt-driven single drive motor machine to make those "wisk" brooms, old electric motors as big as a small car engine.
Lol my thoughts exactly
I noticed that, also! On the Maine Central Railroad (before Timothy Mellon and Guilford Transportation bought us out) we used to buy our brooms from a charitable place where the brooms were made by blind workers. Just giving a helping hand to those less fortunate than we were!
This is one of the very few rail maintenance videos which has a human narrator explaining each step of what is being done. Cannot thank you enough.
Absolutely one of the most outstanding informational and educational railroad videos that I have ever seen . Well done!!!
Agreed. Thought the same thing.
Right on - what a great video!
ninehorse johnso
A real eye opener. I wish I'd paid more attention to the details when I walked the local rails as a kid.
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Maintenance of Way are the toughest jobs on the railroad. Even though mechanized now, it’s still hard, dirty sweaty backbreaking work. It takes fewer people than it used to, and more feet of rail can be replaced quickly, but the work is just as hard. As a railroader, I’ve always respected these guys.
I've seen a lot of track which is no longer in use due to changes in our economy and the way merchandise is transported. Some of the old rail lines have been converted to pedestrian and bicycle paths. We don't have modern rail lines like in Europe or Asia since too many people don't want to spend the money to maintain the infrastructure and new RR track is expensive. High Speed Rail would be of an advantage for passengers but I'm not sure it would work so well for goods. Maybe in time.
Nyct still does all this by hand
I love the way this guy writes and narrates. It’s like something out of the 1950’s haha
I love it when someone gets deep into the specific technicalities that nobody else would understand
Thank you CSX for allowing us to look over your shoulder and learn how it's done. Bravo! This was a very informative video and I appreciate you for publishing it.
I don't know how on earth you gathered all this detailed information, but this was absolutely fascinating and informative. Job well done, excellent video!
Always wondered what all the different machine's purposes were! Your video was both interesting and easy to understand. Thanks!
serious business.... from a 7th generation RRer, i say 'Hats off to YOU, sir.'
im a retired 38 year MOW employee and i give you a 98.5 on this video.
very well done.
I'm third gen, currently 18 years MOW , CSX
@@Dougie1969 , cool! im 7th gen. didnt learn that till after i retired. i thought i was 4th.
best wishes for the next 12. sock into your 401k. dont miss the benefits of an HSA either.
@@googoo-gjoob
Yes sir
Will do.
Congratulations on your retirement
Here to see what track worker looks like, I just got an offer for system production track worker with CSX.
@@arondixon6955
"What track worker looks like"???
System track is hard work, but it pays pretty good.
New hires start off at around 25 an hour depending what job you're hired as.
Very nice video! Like how the tires smoke @ 19:00 as they drive over the still hot weld.
It's unbelievable they built railroads. It's even more unbelievable the tools they developed to repair said railroad.
I love how heavy machines make giant steel rails wiggle like noodles
Very well done, and it’s nice that the crew was gracious about being filmed. Excellent work.
We honestly thought he was FRA
I have known the FRA to pose as civilians before, so that wouldn’t surprise me !
@@spankinlvl7556
Who are the "FRA"? Frycookers and Riveters Amalgamated?
@@HighlanderNorth1 Federal Rail Admin
They are proud of their work. As they should be.
Thank you for showing this behind the scenes activity that most of us would never see otherwise. Very cool.
From about 9:20 onward, it's amazing how flexible solid steel can be when you have the proper tools.
Grand Rapids, MI. Yay someone here also likes trains!
Very, very nice video. Most informative I have seen on this procedure!
Actually very well done. Some people think that simply having a camera is all there is to making something like this. He got it right.
And accurate right down to the adzer.
@@earlhollar1906 compare 1930s Nazi Germany Vs 2020s Communist Chinazi IN YOUR NEXT VIDEO Project before it's too late
Wow! What an interesting video. Men like these (and others across the country in countless industries) are the ones who are making America great again.
This feels like the short documentaries I used to love watching on public access tv. Its like something out of Mr. Rogers. Well done!
My neighbor works for CSX. He tried explaining some of the one off pieces of equipment to me. Seeing it in action definitely makes you u appreciate just how much goes into maintaining a safe rail system. Great content!!
It is truly amazing how flexible that steel is!
It’s amazing how flexible the iron rails are.
this is the first video that gave me information on how the cold to hot expansion of the rail was compensated. Thanks guys!
I got a kick out of when he was talking about neutral temperature, that the rail had found , or was in it's happy place!
Hi from New Zealand, where we only have 3ft 6" track gauge. Thoroughly enjoyed watching this crew. Not used to seeing such large standard gauge rail, but then our tonnage and train lengths aren't as spectacular as US and Canadian trains!
An absolutely precious documentary. Daddy's girl.🙏 Daddy drove spikes in with a sledgehammer!!!❤️
I remember back in summer 1971 I filmed a Long Island Rail road Session Gang in action, I enjoy getting to know them and their machines, some would ham it up for me a "16 year old with 8mm movie camera", watching them was an education in Railroading, both in track work and dispatch, my Dad was an Engineer with the LIRR and have great respect for the "Track Crews", this video was well done just like the track work, hats off to you both!
I would have never guessed that the rails could wiggle like a snake. That explains how they make curves on railroad tracks. Amazing.
Honestly I was expecting this to just be taking a giant saw, cutting the rails in half and pulling up the anchors then boom. I didn't realize it took THIS much. It's so cool thanks so much for sharing!
BNSF❤️ Chicago, Quincy, Chicago Rock Island & Pacific, Burlington Northern and Missouri Pacific, 1895-1965, track repair laborers combined service both grandfather and father. Faithful and true service. Real men. Retired RR 👍❤️🙏Their work was prior to modern mechanization.
may we never take for granted how much work goes into laying and maintaining just one mile of track
Wow! Very educational and professionally presented! Thanks for sharing!
I knew about some of the work it took for replacing a rail but this video was awesome! Sure taught me things I didn't realize happened. Thank you for explaining things in detail.
Just a few of those dedicated people shown here that make the world run every day, it's too bad the average person takes these "out of the limelight" people for granted, to all of the workers of the USA I send you a huge salute of gratitude, you are all the unsung heroes of our society.
It's admirable how much engineering has advanced
Lots of research has gone into metallurgy and thermal dynamics of metals. In Sri Lanka this job is still done manually. Well done CSX.
Nobody ever said railroading was easy. Good video, good work.
Great video. I was a conductor and never got to see how they did it. Even on work trains years ago couldn't see anything. Thanks for the education.
I love trains but I never could have imagined all the work the employees have to do.....hard work, they are to be thanked for making everyone SAFE. THANK YOU RR WORKERS YOU ARE OUTSTANDING !!!
Excellent instructional video on the mechanized process of replacing a section of worn rail wit an amazing flexible new rail which resembles a wet noodle more than what is commonly perceived a section of rail ought to look like. Thank you for such an amazing look into the world of railroad infrastructure maintenance.
Seeing this, especially the old rail being removed, helped me understand how shipped welded rail gets around curves when being brought to a site. The steel has to be flexible to withstand the forces brought upon it. Thanks for having this available to see!
Looking at the way that team was working, no wonder that they were happy to see it documented. Thank you for a very interesting video.
Answered every single question I ever had when I see these convoys of work equipment heading down the tracks.
That was the coolest video filled with the absolute best information. Had to watch it a couple times to get all the neat little tidbits. Thanks for sharing. Look forward to seeing more from you.
This is a truly amazing. You did a magnificent job of explaining how the modern gandy dancer functions. I learned a lot about the parts of a railroad. For many years I made a daily crossing of the Norfolk Southern in Michigan, and never noticed the anchors. Ha! This is far and away the best example of how to do this sort of video. You did it perfectly. Thanks so much.
This is a remarkable video!
The few times I've conversed with rail crew maintenance workers in rural Nevada, they were a pleasant lot; where they even volunteered the info where I could find scrap rail pieces . . . or as those Union Pacific rail crew workers referred to it as _the bone yard._ But, I had to be mindful of the _railroad detectives._
I found that bone yard some miles away, where a large debris box contained all sorts of scrap metal from the repair work on the rails. I got several rail lengths ranging from four inch to 12 inches. I originally got them for a metal-work anvil for a friend of mine. But, I've found over the years those four-inch rail lengths can be used to assist in all sorts of efforts and projects, such as:
To keep a heavily sprung door kept open as a door-stop.
A wheel chock.
A weight to anchor wood cutting when using a circular saw . . . where the top part of the rail piece can be gripped with one hand to apply pressure on the wood being cut; as well performing a stabilizing aspect, similar to a cane, for the standing person using the circular saw.
Anchoring drop clothes outdoors in windy weather.
An anchor weight when stretching out a length of material: Wire, rope, flexible irrigation lines, garden hoses, wire/metal cables . . . the list is endless.
A jack-stand when a few inches are needed to keep an object temporarily elevated.
The weight of multiple rail pieces can be used on a table to steady its legs when a stable work platform is needed.
Can be used as a leverage wedge when prying up something from the ground with the use of a shovel or metal bar.
The versatility of short rail lengths can be enhanced when it is tilted on its side or stood on its end.
And, if you want to have a novelty paperweight item, slice off a thin strip of the rail piece with the use of an abrasive cut-off saw. It will take about 20 minutes and a replacement abrasive wheel or two to do it.
That is a hard job! Thanks to all the good work of these people we can cruze the rails with comfort and ease!
Very interesting and well explained video! Fun to watch,I thought! Nice hammer tricks for a track man from an old carp!
Amazing how much work is involved in keeping our railroad track system up to date.
Wow, this was incredible! Thank you so much, BRAVO to these fine folks.
Incredible the number of machines and people that are necessary to do this job!! 👏👏👏
No fussing or cussing job well done by real professionals. Nice job guys.
You left out the most important step: observation of the first train over the new rail.
But, in all seriousness, this was a great video
They also surfaced and lined the track with a tamper and regulator, before the first train.
@@ThornappleRiverRailSeries What does surfacing mean? What are tampers and regulators? Sounds like the makings of another video.
@@terryboyer1342 Surfacing and lining essentially means making the rail heads both either level with each other for most straight and some curved track (or superelevated in some cases as needed on curves) as well as in smooth straight lines both horizontally and vertically along the length of the rails. Tamping is the act of bringing all those factors together by packing (tamping) ballast against and under the ties as needed to properly support and position the rail/tie structure. Ballast regulators then shape the excess ballast to form proper drainage profiles outside the ends of the ties as well as remove excess ballast from the tie tops both inside and outside the rails that is left over following the tamping process.
@@timothybarney7257 Thanks Timothy!
Awesome, great job and narration! It was great the track crew let you make stars out of them, nice to see the less glorious side of railroading 👍👍
True awesomeness! I will soon began my Railroad career as Freight Conductor, I love watching and learning what other railroad professionals do. Beautiful content. Thank you for your channel.
That spike driver alone saves a ton of hard work. No more swinging a sledge. Gotta love it!
I love spiking.its my workout lol
Oustanding documentation of the process! That was really cool of the crew to let you stand there and watch them work. Seems like half the time you'd get asked to leave or called in for this
Fantastic video, you put the large tv documentary channels to shame! Really great camerawork and the repair crew is awesome too! Thanks also for not overlaying any music. What the HELL are the dislikes for?? Who in their right mind would dislike an educational video? Smh. Really good work, I subbed!!
Absolutely fantastic footage. I worked in the UK as a track relayer for 6 years in the early 70’s. Most of the track relaying and rail replacement was carried out manually. Machines started to come into use from the mid 70’s.
Wow! This brings back a lot of memories! I have never seen an all machine rail replacement crew in action.
During the mid 80’s, from May to September ( to put myself through University)I would work Extra Gang , replacing rail in Northeast Ontario. The only machine we had was a speed swing. The gang was about 18 men, ( labourers)and be in the wilds of the Canadian Shield where there were a lot of curves. Most of the ties were concrete, so we used sledgehammers, to take out, and put in the pins. ( we called them pretzels). Everything was manual: Rail cutting, had to drill the holes, etc.
Generally it was new rail on high side, bottom rail scraped, high side rail on bottom side. I think the term was transposing rail. Even did wooden ties a couple of times.
We were isolated on sidings…. but I can tell you, my friends and I pulled out fish that were monsters in our off time. Some lakes were never touched by man ( till we cam along)!
Some of the best summers of my life.
Stay safe, stay sane, be well
This was awesome. I never knew how complex this process was. Thanks!
Entertaining and instructional at the same time. Nicely done TRRS.
Those men, and millions like them who toil through the day and night, are what really make this country work. Went out the door at 5:20 every morning for years and know what it takes to keep the wheels from coming off and the whole shiteree from jumping the tracks. My hat is off to all those still going out the door every morning.
I admire those guys, they work hard. Sturdy men. ❤😊
Great job. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the process and was surprised to learn about weather and rail temp interactions....nice job!
For a railfan this was an exceptional, educational look into the complexities of rail replacement. The equipment used in modern railway work was fascinating to see in action. Absolutely a great video!!! Thanks and kudos for the effort to put this together. I put this youtube link in my file, as I will want to visit again or share.
I’ve watched portions of this live, but never start-to-finish. I’ve also watched thermite welding of rails on two occasions; pretty cool in a ridiculously hot way!! Then grinding/dressing by hand.
Your explanations are stellar! Thank you so much for the education!!
This is my second time watching this. Your narrative skills are beyond compare. The delivery of information keeps the listener's attention throughout the video. The video itself is a real work of art. Great job, please don't stop.
Very cool documentary video,I was on a rail relay crew twice in my railroad career with CP so this brings back memories when I was on them crews.
Your videos are always well recorded, expertly narrated and a pleasure to watch. Thanks for dissecting this interesting process.
I've been looking for a video like this that explains all the machines in detail for a while now. So glad to see it!
Another quality informative video from this channel. Thanks 👍🏻
Excellent video...enjoyed every second!
Hat's off and thanks to the crew for their hard work and also letting you film. I learned a lot. Rebuilding a long stretch of track must take ages! And a lot of money.
Lots of narration, but it is the first time that I never once minded. Your thorough explanation of procedures made it easy to understand each process. The welding of the two track ends together and grinding the weld smooth is what makes the clickety-clack sound disappear. I rode an Amtrak train over one of these tracks. I closed my eyes before the train started moving and before it came to a stop. Since there was no clickety-clack and the engineer was so smooth on the throttle, I absolutely could not tell when the train started to move or come to a stop. Truly impressive.
A very informative video indeed . Thank you for showing us just a small part of what it takes to keep a railroad moving safely these days . Can't imagine the manual slugging it took to do these jobs in the past . Too bad you couldn't have a group " thank you shot " of the crew all together at jobs end . A tip of the hat to them as well .👍👍.
thanks for the vid. your narration is so good.
Top notch video! Thank you for taking the time to film, narrate and produce it. And thanks to the crew for their hard work and dedication to a job well done!
Loved the video, i work on a small railroad crew and we still do all of this by hand and manual labor so seeing these fancy machines is pretty amazing.
As a high school kid back in 1963 and 1964,I became a dani dancer who worked on railroad putting in ribbon steel,back then we had a lot of spark mal action,I got very good in hammering the sparks down,outside spark called anchor.spike,we were working in MT and Wa state,but in 1964 Glacier Park got flooded out,so we spent a lot of time,putting in new track,pay was$2.89 per hour,great pay for a high school.kid,we had a sixty man crew,it was a great time be working!
Great video. Love your rail series. Great narration.
Very cool and informative! Amazing the rail is so flexible.
The crew you videoed were very professional and worked with a high degree of skill. Of course this is hard work but looks simple when done by pros. Excellent review and commentary on an important part of running any railroad. Two Thumbs Up!!
Fabulous process to see! Thank you so very much. 😊😊😊😊😊
This is so therapeutic and informational
Your channel is my absolute favorite. It is incredibly educational and you obviously have a wealth of knowledge. Excellent narration! looking forward to more of your videos.
This is so cool. I worked at True Temper and Progress Rail in the 70's and again in the early 2000's. You need to film a rail train dropping ¼ mile long track to the ground that's later welded in place. There are about 50 pockets on each rail car in the quarter mile long train. I ran a car that dropped rail all across Wisconsin one summer. Really interesting work.
You managed to get a very professional film together and it didn't seem to phase the CSX crew at all. Rail is an amazing technology and major infrastructure and it sure requires a lot of tools and equipment to keep it together along with the experienced crews to manage it and do the shop work of maintaining the wheels, brakes, trucks and wheel bearings too, which makes for interesting videos too.
It’s bewildering how there are so many down votes for this marvelous, informational video! What’s there not to like?!
This has got to be one of the best videos I've seen regarding this type of equipment , it has to do with the narration I think , it kinda reminded me of an instructional video from the 60s , I mean absolutely no disrespect by that in fact it's a complement , I truly wish more videos I watched on the subject of trains and railroad equipment were as well made as this , thanks for sharing it with us all .
You narrated perfectly!
Super informative.....that’s what I like about this channel
The only thing you missed was showing the finished product with a train rolling over the rail: It's like watching a cooking show, but at the end when it's done, no one tastes it.
While I was on summer break from school in 1963 I was hired temporarily to replace railroad tracks and add a spur (side track to an industrial plant), and everything was done by hand ie pulling spikes, driving spikes and tamping under the ties. Boy, did it make me want to return to school versus doing that for the rest of my life.
Great video. Very articulate and informative narration and writing. Excellent, gracious crew.
Truly fascinating stuff. Thanks for posting this!
Outstanding video of a very interesting process, and hopefully it gives the track gang a little positive press. That is in no way an easy job, especially during the heat of summer!
just repeating the well-deserved thanks to the CSX crew for their graciousness in allowing this fantastic video to happen
Great video posting. I’ve often seen these strange machines on or near the rails and wondered what they did. Now I do. Thank you.
This is a very interesting video and educational as well.
It's like seeing a big dance act all choreographed in steps and timing of certain things how to remove/replace rail tracks.
One machine breaking down could gum up the whole works like a dancer missing a step (foot faults).
They get paid very well for what they do and work long hours to keep the nations rail moving to keep the economy rolling.
Well done on this video.