My grandfather used to steal these from the service cars when he was a kid. They would line them up down the tracks as far as they could..... needless to say the Southern pacific and Texas western engineers hated going through their town........
I did the same once, but in southern Arkansas. I made the mistake of hitting one with a hammer, but hardly an injury. Just the loudest bang I had heard then. Fun fact: These are basically dynamite.
This was delightful - not only a rare experience of the detonators and a lovely steam train, but also a gorgeous example of some of the most colorful English countryside. The image around 2:40 would make a good calendar picture, or a screensaver.
This brought back forgotten memories from my childhood in the 1950s. I lived close by a major rail junction in Broadheath near Manchester and I would hear the signal detonators going off especially on foggy winters' mornings. We had thick pea-soup, industrial grade smog in those days. I had completely forgotten about the detonators. So thanks for the memory!
I found a few boxes of those in the abandoned buildings of the old Cambrian Rail site in Oswestry as a kid in the 70s, not knowing what they where I tried to prise one open with a brick.🤪 I lost my eyebrows and became deaf for a few minutes, before I realised I had blown my self up. Luckily I'm still here .😁
@@genehall8895 Sorry to hear that. They where quite dangerous, and split in two upon detonation . I found about 20 or so in two boxes of ten . Me and my mates spent the rest of the summer holidays, along the single line track through Oswestry, finding safer and more ingenious ways to detonate them! for instance, placing them in the center of small bonfires, which only ever got out of control on one occasion 🙄. We found the detonators very attractive as kids, probably due to their bright colouring, Yello, and Blue think. Later that summer we found many un detonated Mortars and point .303 armour peircing shells. I,n the disused Army training camp , further down the line at Park Hall 💥💥💥
What an amazing thing to see Liam, and to be at the right place was marvelous. Those Poppy fields looked superb, something I've never seen up there in over 40 years of visiting.
I always wanted to see these work. Now I know. Thank you for posting. I’ll add, play this on a good stereo with powerful bass speakers and you’ll almost think you’re there. 🔊.
Ha - Remember breaking into a shed near a railway once as a kid and finding cylindrical detonators with 2 metre long red/ blue wires that could be set off with a AA battery. Oh the fun we had!😃
I remember a week of sleepless nights when they used these as there was a broken rail in the cutting. by us. A steam train doesn't do the sound justice as the loco is so loud already.
I thought that was the Steam Lady that would explode, before I've read the description! I'm very stupid.... I never seen such a warning sistem like this.... Very interesting. Cheers from a italian steam lover!
I first watched this via the PlayStation app so no description available there, so back to the laptop and you say it was almost out of date dets, Which explains what I thought it was going to be for them to be used in such a large number and by more than one train. usual use is 20 paces from train 3, another 20 paces 2 and again 20 paces a single or 3 to warn of workers on track.
Though explosive, it’s a “torpedo” not a Landmine. It’s more like a firecracker used as a signal device than a bomb. The railroad bridge behind them is the source. Torpedoes are signal devices attached to the rails on each side of a derailment or work area on the track. When the railroad engine rolls on it the engineer will hear a pop and stop the engine. I wonder if the cop knows but isn’t officially qualified to say. So, it probably is a waste of time for the bomb squad who are usually other police officers that are additionally trained on explosives. Looking at Fond du Lac police department website, they don’t list a bomb squad, so they probably have to reach out to the county sheriffs or state police for disposal.
I remember those I would always go to school in a train and when world war started I would get scared when we went on thes because I thought they were booming now I’m 86 years old and love trains
Rare capture, but I have to say that the two guys in hi-vis are stupidly close to the last few detonators - which emit a fair amount of 'shrapnel' when the explode, most of which goes outwards because of the flange on the loco wheels
Me and my mates took a few of these from a drivers box. Put one on the tram track everyone within a kilometre thought it was a gunshot. Can't imagine what the driver thought
I worked at the Road Motor Engineers at Watford Junction, we used to strap dets on the end of a Ford 4D steering rod and throw them at the garage wall.
When I was a teenager a friend had one of these and we took turns shooting a .22 air rifle at it. It took a bunch of shots before it detonated. They’re really loud from just a few feet away.
Ah yes, a friend and I did the same thing years ago at the South Carolina Railroad Museum...US railroaders call them *track torpedoes*...we put our aged torpedoes out for the 4th of July trains...um the general public on the train DID freak out a trifle as I recall, and the idea wasn't repeated......
Liam and Phil, well done for knowing about this, capturing and sharing it. Excellent fun, found myself smiling all the way through! And what a wonderful backdrop with the poppies. One thought, does this cause any significant wear and tear to either rails or wheels? Kind regards, Bob.
Hi Bob, we did not know about this, it was all luck ! No idea if there's any damage to rail, I would imagine not considering passenger trains were running over the Dets ! Thanks as always.
Told us about these at school, then one hot summers day (welded track twisted) I was on a fast train and actually heard three caps go off. Just time to brace before the last carriage jumped the rails. Not pleasant but we stayed upright.
@@BrokenIET we were on the line to Hull, back in 1974, and it had been very hot weather. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere it happened. We had difficulty getting off with a baby and baggage, then walked back until we were at a crossing. From there we could get transport by road.
Only seen detonators used once Liam and oddly enough it was last year on Miles Platting as a stranded unit was rescued wrong line so the detonators were used there . Great footage by the way 👍
This is good practice on a preserved railway. It helps keep everyone safe, should an engine need to stop for whatever reason. Just goes to show the detonators weren't used in this for the fun of it. It's a bit like practising a fire drill. Detonators should always be used in practice sessions like this, so if an engine and train found itself in real trouble at any time, detonators could be used to the front and rear of the obstruction to warn other trains of the hazard in question. Thus, careful Wrong Line Working would be in place till the obstruction was cleared. I know a bit about this, because a DVD of mine shows that sort of thing happening. Detonator use should never be ignored or scoffed at, it can easily save the life of an approaching engine and its train. It's a pity it was never shown in a Thomas & Friends Story. I'll have to make one up.
Makes me realise now as an adult how much of a shit of a kid I was when myself and a few mates nicked a couple of tins of them and placed them on the very busy Sydney to Newcastle line.
Simply put, they're used to warn approaching trains of "Danger Ahead" typically, an obstruction on the line, be that a stranded train, as in my earlier comment, workers on the line (in which case the detonators also serve to warn the workers of an approaching train) or land/rock slides etc. Why so many? Isn't quite so obvious, but I'd hazard a guess at saying it's to make sure there is no ambiguity over the warnings - a single shot my well go unnoticed, or be misread as say, someone firing a gun (farmer shooting a rabbit). Also, a regular repeating pattern can be predetermined to convey a particular warning, and again avoids any ambiguity with say, a shooting party, out taking potshots at pheasants etc, whose shots would be much likely to be randomised. Noticed also, the "Bud-dumph . . . bud-dumph, bud-dumph, bud-dumph, bud-dumph . . . . Bud .. dumph. Definitely not going to be mistaken for random gunshots.
Why so many. Dets have a working life. In our case, 10 years. Once they reach their use by dates, they should be disposed of. Ours come in a small tube with 10 dets per tube. Given they are an explosive, the best way to dispose of them is detonate them. I would say this is exactly what's happening here, out of date dets being disposed of.
Were these detonators past the 'use-by' date or was someone just having fun? I recall these in use in the early 60s one foggy autumn morning coming up to Preston Park the final stop being Brighton. Yes, they certainly work but are dangerous enough not to be played with!
My Dad and Grandfather said that these were so loud , that believe them. One was enough to scare the crap out of you , and definitely get your attention. Lol
To safely dispose of them as they were 10 years old and heading towards being out of date. So they laid them on the track in open countryside where the trains could run over and explode them safely before becoming outdated.
@@Snapdragon4472 I honestly wouldn’t believe it if you told me, I would’ve just thought of some guy finding a spare box or two and going to his friend like “dude we could do the funniest thing ever”
Isn't it awesome to watch 1501 bouncing on her front end like that? That poor driver and fireman probably need neck braces after a good run with her though. Wouldn't want to stand in that cab while she's moving, I would imagine it would be hard to keep your balance! I would be afraid my face would be against the backhead after a good bump...
Wanted to see the back of that locomotive with the missing tender, but you never showed it! Would it have been so damned hard to follow it with the camera a little bit longer?
There was no point as the people who were responsible for the detonators were standing there in full orange hi visibility clothing and there is a big signal and box in the way. It would of been a messy end to the clip.
Someone was having way too much fun putting them all down :D
Yep, it's the dad from the tv show The Adam's Family.
Brilliant!
And aren’t those poppies beautiful?
Great footage!
Yes I love the poppys
*train explodes in background* 3:24
It seems Emerald City should be in the middle of it.
Acres and acres, call the DEA.
Yes the poppies do look stunning 👍
my god, imagine if the passengers didn't know, their faces would be priceless XD
More likely their shorts would be due for a change.
locomotiveAlex1996Five nights at
Freddy’s did A bad mess with your bottomoooooooooooo did for very long time ago right before one night at Freddys
locomotiveAlex1996Go work out here at five nights at Freddy’s
Theyll be searching for talibans lol
i miss the lb&scr e2
No one:
TH-cam:
Recommends steam train running over explosives
Just let the meme die already.
is there anything wrong with that?
Not for me I searched Railway Detonators
@@james9311 me too.
@@5161estel me too, too.
That was certainly unique - and well filmed. All it needed was the 1812 Overture to complete the percussion :)
Brian Seaman yes
Quite eerie to hear the explosions and see the fields of poppies.
...yeah
My grandfather used to steal these from the service cars when he was a kid. They would line them up down the tracks as far as they could.....
needless to say the Southern pacific and Texas western engineers hated going through their town........
Hahaha. Recently some kid blew his hand off with one. The idiot hit it with a hammer.
I did the same once, but in southern Arkansas.
I made the mistake of hitting one with a hammer, but hardly an injury. Just the loudest bang I had heard then.
Fun fact: These are basically dynamite.
I was on that first train! And we did not know but could smell what it was.
Thomas the Battle Tank Engine
The pain train?
Thomas the War Engine
Railway detonators appeared in thomas and friends in the episode may be called "Samson's fear of fireworks"
3:05, 1501 was really jumping and juttering along the tracks as it approached..
Hence it's nickname Raging Bull.....
I dont think that's good for the tracks
It’s not good for the tracks. btw that sort of movement is called ‘Hammer Blow’
@@trainryan2837 the 56xx we used to have here in Swanage was terrible for it.
That’s not hammer blow, that’s just bad trackwork. Hammer blow is what you get with reciprocating motion of the valve gear
In typical British fashion, it rains at the end! Loved the video!
nnhujkknm
That’s why it’s so lovely and green! Ex. Now Australia.
Wow!There's no way you'd miss those.Also,those poppies look spectacular. Thanks for another great video.
This was delightful - not only a rare experience of the detonators and a lovely steam train, but also a gorgeous example of some of the most colorful English countryside. The image around 2:40 would make a good calendar picture, or a screensaver.
This brought back forgotten memories from my childhood in the 1950s. I lived close by a major rail junction in Broadheath near Manchester and I would hear the signal detonators going off especially on foggy winters' mornings. We had thick pea-soup, industrial grade smog in those days. I had completely forgotten about the detonators. So thanks for the memory!
Thank god for Cyril, always warning the engines of the fog
dddxcccsas
Fog Detonators warned engines. "There must be fog ahead. We'd better slow down."
Excellent video Liam and Phil. Capturing this rare event was amazing. Thanks for posting. Throughly enjoyable watching. Kind regards C&A
I found a few boxes of those in the abandoned buildings of the old Cambrian Rail site in Oswestry as a kid in the 70s, not knowing what they where I tried to prise one open with a brick.🤪 I lost my eyebrows and became deaf for a few minutes, before I realised I had blown my self up.
Luckily I'm still here .😁
Your lucky, my great aunt put one of her eyes out , when she hit one with a rock.
@@genehall8895 Sorry to hear that. They where quite dangerous, and split in two upon detonation . I found about 20 or so in two boxes of ten . Me and my mates spent the rest of the summer holidays, along the single line track through Oswestry, finding safer and more ingenious ways to detonate them! for instance, placing them in the center of small bonfires, which only ever got out of control on one occasion 🙄.
We found the detonators very attractive as kids, probably due to their bright colouring, Yello, and Blue think.
Later that summer we found many un detonated Mortars and point .303 armour peircing shells. I,n the disused Army training camp , further down the line at Park Hall 💥💥💥
@@davidaston1644 Lol . I can only imagine , what creative ways you guys found , to set them off. Lol.
Thank you. By the way what a beautiful poppy field!
What an amazing thing to see Liam, and to be at the right place was marvelous. Those Poppy fields looked superb, something I've never seen up there in over 40 years of visiting.
I always wanted to see these work. Now I know. Thank you for posting. I’ll add, play this on a good stereo with powerful bass speakers and you’ll almost think you’re there. 🔊.
Imagine putting these on the rails late at night just to scare the piss out of some unsuspecting crew
in the middle of a war
*Andy the Fireman:* THE TRACKS ARE SHOOTING AT US!!!
Two of my passions perfectly combined! Well done to all concerned!!
Awesome- not just the detoner footage but the poppy fields also- thank you for sharing this with us 👏❤️😀xx
Great Fun!!! (Lovely poppies BTW!)
sounded just like the old rifle range!!!
As a youth in Elkhart, IN in the 40s, we used to steal these and had a lot of fun with them. This brought back memories.
Ha - Remember breaking into a shed near a railway once as a kid and finding cylindrical detonators with 2 metre long red/ blue wires that could be set off with a AA battery.
Oh the fun we had!😃
I remember a week of sleepless nights when they used these as there was a broken rail in the cutting. by us. A steam train doesn't do the sound justice as the loco is so loud already.
I don't see any foghorns, fog, or rocks on the track. Cyril is still doing his job!
Greetings fellow Thomas fan.
Thanks.Some of your other viewer fans answered my question about the poppies.
Amazing video! The poppies are lovely!
Beautiful footage. Thanks!
That was awesome! Great video!
I thought that was the Steam Lady that would explode, before I've read the description! I'm very stupid.... I never seen such a warning sistem like this.... Very interesting. Cheers from a italian steam lover!
These are normally set at 20 metre intervals.Can be a warning for anything ahead if needed.
_How to make your steam locomotive full-auto, the British way._
The Train Driver: *”Manual, semi automati- oh, these are the weapons.”*
We call them torpedoes over here in the States. Haven't actually used them before, but they're still found on some of the yard diesels here in DC.
I first watched this via the PlayStation app so no description available there, so back to the laptop and you say it was almost out of date dets, Which explains what I thought it was going to be for them to be used in such a large number and by more than one train. usual use is 20 paces from train 3, another 20 paces 2 and again 20 paces a single or 3 to warn of workers on track.
Though explosive, it’s a “torpedo” not a Landmine. It’s more like a firecracker used as a signal device than a bomb. The railroad bridge behind them is the source. Torpedoes are signal devices attached to the rails on each side of a derailment or work area on the track. When the railroad engine rolls on it the engineer will hear a pop and stop the engine.
I wonder if the cop knows but isn’t officially qualified to say. So, it probably is a waste of time for the bomb squad who are usually other police officers that are additionally trained on explosives. Looking at Fond du Lac police department website, they don’t list a bomb squad, so they probably have to reach out to the county sheriffs or state police for disposal.
Apart from the detonators, it was a brilliantly framed shot .
Nice video great camera work as usual as always keep it up bye for now Philip
Good video sir. Nice to see some couple of steam engines out about, especially some lots of poppies. Thanks for sharing this. Best wishes ... Josh
I remember those I would always go to school in a train and when world war started I would get scared when we went on thes because I thought they were booming now I’m 86 years old and love trains
Was that a panier tank engine like duck
So Kool !, wish i was there.
Thanks for Viding this
Rare capture, but I have to say that the two guys in hi-vis are stupidly close to the last few detonators - which emit a fair amount of 'shrapnel' when the explode, most of which goes outwards because of the flange on the loco wheels
"Oooh, That made my axels tingle"
Wow...can I use last clip of this video in my train compilation video credit to you in video will be given
Me and my mates took a few of these from a drivers box. Put one on the tram track everyone within a kilometre thought it was a gunshot. Can't imagine what the driver thought
With some poignancy for the D-Day commemorations too
OOOOOOH! That made my axles tingle!
I worked at the Road Motor Engineers at Watford Junction, we used to strap dets on the end of a Ford 4D steering rod and throw them at the garage wall.
After watching magnet fishers finding a few of these thrown in rivers I wanted to see the explosives in action. I wasn't disappointed!
Legend says the engine driver is nursing a headache to this very day.
Hell of a way to wake him up!
When I was a teenager a friend had one of these and we took turns shooting a .22 air rifle at it. It took a bunch of shots before it detonated. They’re really loud from just a few feet away.
I think the explosives are called fog detantors for when ever an engine is coming up to a crossing, Signal or points
WOW another great video.Are those wild poppies growing in the fields?
*With that Poppy Field **_(Opium Growing in Shropshire ?)_** chosen as a foreground I thought this must be a WW1 Tribute of some kind !*
Nah, that poppy field's in Worcestershire.
Great video very interesting
wait, come back. you missed one.
They are called torpedoes here in the us. My dad had a couple on his collection of train stuff.
Ah yes, a friend and I did the same thing years ago at the South Carolina Railroad Museum...US railroaders call them *track torpedoes*...we put our aged torpedoes out for the 4th of July trains...um the general public on the train DID freak out a trifle as I recall, and the idea wasn't repeated......
Liam and Phil, well done for knowing about this, capturing and sharing it. Excellent fun, found myself smiling all the way through! And what a wonderful backdrop with the poppies. One thought, does this cause any significant wear and tear to either rails or wheels? Kind regards, Bob.
Hi Bob, we did not know about this, it was all luck ! No idea if there's any damage to rail, I would imagine not considering passenger trains were running over the Dets ! Thanks as always.
Told us about these at school, then one hot summers day (welded track twisted) I was on a fast train and actually heard three caps go off. Just time to brace before the last carriage jumped the rails. Not pleasant but we stayed upright.
Where was that?
@@BrokenIET we were on the line to Hull, back in 1974, and it had been very hot weather. Somewhere in the middle of nowhere it happened. We had difficulty getting off with a baby and baggage, then walked back until we were at a crossing. From there we could get transport by road.
@@1943L kool
Detonators are also to warn of approaching signals and that the train may need to prepare to stop.
Only seen detonators used once Liam and oddly enough it was last year on Miles Platting as a stranded unit was rescued wrong line so the detonators were used there . Great footage by the way 👍
This is good practice on a preserved railway. It helps keep everyone safe, should an engine need to stop for whatever reason. Just goes to show the detonators weren't used in this for the fun of it. It's a bit like practising a fire drill. Detonators should always be used in practice sessions like this, so if an engine and train found itself in real trouble at any time, detonators could be used to the front and rear of the obstruction to warn other trains of the hazard in question. Thus, careful Wrong Line Working would be in place till the obstruction was cleared. I know a bit about this, because a DVD of mine shows that sort of thing happening. Detonator use should never be ignored or scoffed at, it can easily save the life of an approaching engine and its train. It's a pity it was never shown in a Thomas & Friends Story. I'll have to make one up.
Is it just pure coincidence they put them next to the field of poppies, or was it like the Railways version of a gun salute?
Not sure, I think not though.
Now that is a great idea.
Are there two kinds of detonator ? Sounds to me that the first and last sound sharper than those inbetween ? Great video, thank you !
I'd say it's just because it's placed a further distance away and thus you hear the whole sound, rather than another one going off shortly after.
A bunch of people in my area would be like " hit the dirt "
Me and me m8 used to nick these off the tracks back in the day great fun
It is like an episode of Hogan's Heroes just with out the German supply train derailment.
Makes me realise now as an adult how much of a shit of a kid I was when myself and a few mates nicked a couple of tins of them and placed them on the very busy Sydney to Newcastle line.
what a beautiful place full of flowers
We call these "torpedoes" in the states, although they're no longer used.
I've always wanted to see Railway Detonators! What are they for?
Awesome video, love the steam engines! What are these detonators used for and why so many?
Simply put, they're used to warn approaching trains of "Danger Ahead" typically, an obstruction on the line, be that a stranded train, as in my earlier comment, workers on the line (in which case the detonators also serve to warn the workers of an approaching train) or land/rock slides etc. Why so many? Isn't quite so obvious, but I'd hazard a guess at saying it's to make sure there is no ambiguity over the warnings - a single shot my well go unnoticed, or be misread as say, someone firing a gun (farmer shooting a rabbit). Also, a regular repeating pattern can be predetermined to convey a particular warning, and again avoids any ambiguity with say, a shooting party, out taking potshots at pheasants etc, whose shots would be much likely to be randomised. Noticed also, the "Bud-dumph . . . bud-dumph, bud-dumph, bud-dumph, bud-dumph . . . . Bud .. dumph. Definitely not going to be mistaken for random gunshots.
Just read the info
Why so many. Dets have a working life. In our case, 10 years. Once they reach their use by dates, they should be disposed of. Ours come in a small tube with 10 dets per tube. Given they are an explosive, the best way to dispose of them is detonate them. I would say this is exactly what's happening here, out of date dets being disposed of.
Can anyone else hear the Big Push music from Blackadder Goes Fourth?
After watching the 1958 mishap I had to hear and see these detonators.
2:55 That oscillating though...
Intresting info about the explosions
Were these detonators past the 'use-by' date or was someone just having fun?
I recall these in use in the early 60s one foggy autumn morning coming up to Preston Park the final stop being Brighton. Yes, they certainly work but are dangerous enough not to be played with!
Look in the description. They had to be used, otherwise they would be out of date.
My Dad and Grandfather said that these were so loud , that believe them. One was enough to scare the crap out of you , and definitely get your attention. Lol
So why did they put all the detonators up? For the photos? Or just for the hell of it?
To safely dispose of them as they were 10 years old and heading towards being out of date. So they laid them on the track in open countryside where the trains could run over and explode them safely before becoming outdated.
@@Snapdragon4472 I honestly wouldn’t believe it if you told me, I would’ve just thought of some guy finding a spare box or two and going to his friend like “dude we could do the funniest thing ever”
Unless it's a Chinese railway; fireworks are overrated!! What a lovely video and I see that GWR tank engine had fun with "Rock and Roll."
Excellent!
Is there any history behind why they used to do this?
Just about 30 mins ago I heard these outside ( I live next to a train station ) and not knowing what they were I was so fucking terrified.
the upstairs neighbor bed at 2:09AM: 0:48
If I'm not mistaken. There called torpedoes here in America
Beautiful flower yard
Nice video, what is the usage for this kind of detonators?
Thanks Jamie :)
Just goes to show, you can never go by the " use by " date!😄
The scenes of the meadows and rolling hills seems like they should have Emerald City in the middle of it.
Isn't it awesome to watch 1501 bouncing on her front end like that? That poor driver and fireman probably need neck braces after a good run with her though. Wouldn't want to stand in that cab while she's moving, I would imagine it would be hard to keep your balance! I would be afraid my face would be against the backhead after a good bump...
What's that for even
Is that feels like stepping on a Lego bricks?
Wanted to see the back of that locomotive with the missing tender, but you never showed it! Would it have been so damned hard to follow it with the camera a little bit longer?
There was no point as the people who were responsible for the detonators were standing there in full orange hi visibility clothing and there is a big signal and box in the way. It would of been a messy end to the clip.
Oh I forgot, it's a tank engine, the tender is built inside the loco.
I wonder if I may have learned about these watching my Grandson's "Thomas The Tank Engine" video?