Brightline is making big news on the Florida East Coast with passenger service on FEC's rails. Here's what I got from a couple of trips to West Palm and Fort Pierce.
Those are the brake indicator. Solid green = released, solid yellow = applied, flashing yellow = parking brake applied, solid red = door open. I worked for Siemens as part of the Brightline project before revenue service even started.
I agree with that. On my trains (I am a train conductor for a class 3 Shortline) we have a blue indicator for parking brake applied. Otherwise the colors are the same on our trains.
About the lights on the cars - green is when brakes are released, solid yellow for applied, red for doors open, yellow flashing is for hankdbrakes applied. Upon departure, the cars may show green and red simultaneously, or red and yellow. Depending on if the engineer released the brakes or not. Once the doors have been closed, the red lights turn off and yellow will turn to green. Highball. Train is going to depart.
@@distantsignal I should actually edit my comment. I got something wrong. Red is doors open and solid yellow is brakes applied. My apologies, got those 2 backwards for some reason in my original comment.
Every time I hear that FAMOUS phrase “Hello again Railfans” I know I’m about to be in for something very good. This was epic to watch over my pre-dawn breakfast today. Fantastic work as always Danny!! You are amazing!
ive used the brightline 4 times since it opened. literally wpb to mia was 1 hour flat, very comfortable experience and is like riding a mansion compared to the tri-rail or a national rail trip. its a very under-rated and superior rail system
Unpopular european opinion: It is a slow as heck barely decent train that is probably the only "modern" thing about the current US system. And by modern, it means not 70 years old.
@@marcbuisson2463 The reason Europe has such plentiful fast trains, is that they have many congested cities in a relatively small geographic area. It's much more conducive to running trains and doing it cost efficiently. America is less dense and way more spread out. It's often less costly for us to simply drive to where we want to go. We have large wide roads that are easily navigated, where in Europe, they have narrow congested roads, and often in cities that are hundreds of years old, the pathways were built around buildings on top of each other before automobiles were even ever thought of. It doesn't mean Europe is better, and that he USA should copy Europe. What works in Europe, may not work well here. and what works well here, may not work well in Europe. All things considered, I feel blessed to be an American, and would NEVER want to live in Europe at all.
@@robk1310 I mean, you guys have the East Coast. And our roads, while being a bit narrower are faaaar less congested than in the US. Like, seriously, our "rush hours" are usually of around an hour. In France, we have another specificity where a third of the country goes in Holiday for the entirety of July and another third goes on August (it's called chassez-croisé, but we have a vacation culture the US don't have. Outside of this, roads are overall not congested. What we point out is that we never allowed a situation such as the ones in Austin, San Francisco or Los Angeles to happen. That's the benefit of trains and public transports, we have the choice, and if a solution is less cost-efficient or takes more time to go to work, we can choose the other one. On the long run and just as in the US, a trip from point A to point B in a dense neighborhood/city takes as much time in car than in public transports. This also applies to US cities. Good public transports means far greater car circulation, and less costs to build and keep car infrastructure up to date. I'm really sorry, but rolling on US roads can be huh... well we like to joke about Belgium for having bad car infrastructure but the US are on another level x). The argument of "it's cheaper like this" could be right... if you guys simply put enough money to make these roads good and keep them in shape. Which huh... sorry, but you don't. Also, I went to Canada last month, I don't know if it's the same, but having to pay nearly 50 dollars to travel 150 kilometers is purely insane. It's me being curious, but is it really that expensive to travel around the USA? No because, if we take a slow train, Paris-Strasbourg is 10 dollars ^^".
"Often" is relative. Many YTs seem to think that videos every day or week are what keeps the buzz going, but it's the quality of the content. I'd still call dozen(s) of videos a year "often."
1) Great to see yet ANOTHER high quality railfan video! 2) GREAT drone work, Danny! 3) I look forward to seeing more about the Brightline RR. My wife and I have talked off and on about returning to the Orlando area some day (we're in Illinois) and having a train to take from Disney to other points in Florida (such as near the Kennedy Space Center, et al) would be GREAT! 4) THANK YOU!
Very interesting stuff from a UK perspective, and beautifully shot as always! One thing: is there any chance you could subtitle the radio chatter in future videos? I always find it interesting to see the details of how different railways work, but it's not always easy to understand what's being said.
What a great installment in your series!! I love railfanning the FEC when I come down yearly to visit my son in Port Orange...You're right FEC freight trains do certainly sneak up on you. In January when I was there I was in Cocoa and saw the work being done on Brightline's new track. Can't wait to ride it...thanks again
This old retired Railroader from Boca Raton sure enjoyed your latest video, you do a stand up job Danny! Old school, I also know it’s hard work and expensive! I appreciate your effort thanks! Too bad Brightline is having so much trouble with auto’s not respecting the crossing gates and signal’s!!
Let's hope high speed rail really takes off. In the US as it has in Europe. Without a doubt in my opinion rail is the way to travel, whilst air travel is quick over long distances I do find air travel so obnoxious, what with the mucking around at airports for hours and stuck in some horrible seat designed by the Spanish Inquisition. To travel at 300kph racing past cars and to be able to go get up and buy a coffee is civilised.
3:30 When I saw that car past the gate, I thought of the numerous reports of people getting hit by Brightline trains recently. People need to show better awareness of crossings down there.
It seems like every couple of weeks our other Central Florida passenger rail, SunRail, hits a car at a crossing so, I am expecting the same for Brightline.
Hi Danny, Glad to see another one of your videos. At 10:20 FEC 429 is a GP40-2 like you said but it was delivered in 1980 to the FEC there were 6 of these delivered in 1980. FEC 424-429 however FEC 424 was a rebuilt from FEC 402 which was first delivered in 1971 as a GP40 but was wrecked and final rebuilt as a FEC 424 now a GP40-2. There is a great article on the FEC in the Trains magazine dated July 1996 with FEC 403 GP40 on the cover. Robert a former FEC employee now retired in Lagrande Oregon.
I just read an article about how Brightline is hoping to open a high speed rail line between the L.A. area to Las Vegas. Apparently the funding is there, but there are some who are skeptical that the venture could fail, based on the perception of low ridership in Florida. There is also some concern that many people won't be in a hurry to give up their cars. But Brightline is convinced the project will be a success. Based on your latest video on Brightline, I'd convinced Brightline has the right idea to relieve the congestion along the I-15 corridor. Love your videos Danny! John Tyson, Virginia city, Nevada
My first reaction to the seemingly low ridership is partly due to the hours - 9:45pm is far too early for the last run imo. Two or three more departures at minimum!
@@InternetKilledTV21 Frequency and capacity are important factors too. If you only have trains arriving and departing at hour intervals, that's an hour of wait time, and if your train is only four cars long it'll only carry a handful of people. On top of that, delays caused by sharing trackage with freight trains present as an issue, one that double tracking can help solve. The amount of level crossings combined with poor drivers license standards and too many cars on the road give rise to plenty of collisions with car traffic, documented by news stations and used as an excuse for bashing trains by carheads. The quiet zones forbidding trains from using their horns doesn't help either. There really is a lot of bad public perception of trains, and underlying reasons for that. That shouldn't stop progress, we need good alternatives to cars, because car dependency makes traffic congestion and death by car inevitable. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Bad experience with trains leads to low ridership, leads to cutback on trains, leads to bad experience with trains. Same with buses, cycling and walking infrastructure, urban density and mixed use zoning, etc. These are all things we need more of, and we need them to be good in quality and experience.
@@InternetKilledTV21 They do late night trains when there's pro games being played. Heat, Marlins, and Panthers. Other things too, will get late trains. They call them the Buzzer beater.
@@InternetKilledTV21 Not really, Brightline operates more so like an express commuter rail line than a regular commuter rail line. Compared to Tri-Rail, it has lower ridership due to serving fewer destinations.
04:37 - That technique is called `Driving In`, and it takes a fair amount of experience and skill to get it right. Where typical logic would dictate that the Engineer cut power and coast before needing to use brakes to stop, most passenger operations are time sensitive, where keeping on schedule is more important than worrying about wear on the brakes. Most of these types of operations will employ disc brakes, where frequent stops, and `Driving In` will be the fashion of each stop. The disc brakes can better deal with more frequent stopping and dissipation of the heat. No, I am not an Engineman myself, but I`ve been fortunate to have known a few. And I have personally witnessed a `Drive In` where the train ended up slightly over-shooting, and was then forced to back up to the target stopping zone. The forced back-up was due to having missed the raised platforms on the accessibility coach, so that people with mobility needs and wheeled devices can have a level entry and exit, and avoid the very slight step up to bi-level coaches.
Extraordinary as always. Tremendous UAV/drone photography. So nice to see you covering my neck of the woods: the Treasure Coast. Extensive track improvement and construction all about due to Brightline project. Bridges and such over 100 years old being refreshed and expanded. You may want to visit Jupiter on your next trip whilst the bridge overhaul is underway. Impressive engineering that still keeps the line open and running. Only downside to this project is pedestrians and motorists used to the speed of freights and local commuter line getting in trouble with the fast BL express trains. I can understand why special sensors are being fitted at the crossings. Great to see you active again, Danny !!!
What a great video! That took a lot of work and now my wife and I have a much better understanding of what’s going on. Anxious to see the next one. By the way, pretty sure that was the old Biltmore Hotel now condos. I had the pleasure to stay there in 1957 as a kid. Brought back fond memories. Thanks again
Up in Canada Via Rail just purchased similar train sets. I am hoping this is the start of a resurgence of rail in my province. So many abandoned lines, would of been a site to see back in the day. Now all we see is mainly intermodal traffic. I love your narration you should have your own TV show talking about the rails that used to be and what the future will be, thank you for great content.
The LED signals are also nice because they can be viewed at nearly any angle, while incandescents are very dim at off angles. But LEDs can be almost too bright straight on. Up here in MN both CN and CP use them extensively, but BNSF has avoided them. I like the power and simplicity of LEDs, but I'll miss that nice fade-in/out of incandescent bulbs. I actually have the opposite opinion of approach-lit signals. Dispatchers up here tend to clear a route about half an hour ahead of a train, so for someone who as limited radio access, like me, it's far more useful than the couple minutes' warning approach lighting provides
79 mph ain't fast. That's regular Amtrak speed. Brightline's average speed is 54mph, exactly the same speed as many Amtrak intercity routes. Like for example the San Joaquins which uses the same Siemens Charger locomotives and is getting the same Siemens Venture cars, but is more popular, has more stations, and the exact same average speed. And the new section is almost 100% 110mph, only 20 miles, less than 10% of the new route is at 125mph.
Great video Danny and glad to see you back doing what you do best! I've become a BIG FAN of the FEC and glad to see new footage of it! Thanks again for sharing your videos along with your time and effort to get the BEST FOOTAGE!
One big reason why FEC wanted to multi-track their main line from Miami to Jax has to do with the widening of the Panama Canal. With more freight flowing through the canal, Miami wants to enlarge it's container handling capacity which means more rail is needed to deal with the increase. In fact, even Port Canaveral has recently installed a few container cranes so as not to be left out and there is probably a spur on the drawing board to connect them to the FEC main sometime in the future.
Oh and thank you for giving credit where credit is due. Be it a railfan as a tour guide. Staff from a railroad or museum. And even those who contribute to your backyard fence. And your restaurant reviews. You cover it all. It is very enjoyable to railfan with you and see where your next adventure awaits.
I'm so jealous. I've probably got more years than almost anyone at the FEC. They get the great scenery though while I'm stuck on a very boring CSX line. Mostly just yard work. How I wish I'd of made better decisions in my younger years.
You do a great job on your videos. After watching so many trackbeds converted to rail to trails or just completely abandoned, it is such a pleasure to see the double tracks being installed along the Florida 528. Over river bridges and under highway tunnels.
Yeah, I'm with you on that. Personally I'm opposed to all rails-to-trails except those on railroad beds with parallel lines, like so much of the Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line.
WOW!!! What a professional presentation. You must be a retired Radio/TV announcer. Clear and to the point, covering all the details. Great photography. I watch a lot train video's but it's rare that I ever subscribe...nothing compares to your projects. Didn't take me long to hit the subscribe button! Thanks a lot!
Danny, your videos are top notch productions. I love how you edit in the drone footage with the ground shots. Your excellent voice is pleasent to listen to as you narrate the videos. I can't wait for the next one!
Thank you. I wanted to know more about the FEC. I have been on the Brightline from Fort Lauderdale to Miami and back. Outstanding service. Amtrak really needs to step up it's game. Out!
3:30 I don't expect anything less from Florida drivers. Quad gates at this point should be standard on all tracks that get more than a few trains a day. The Venture cars are based on the Viaggio Comfort from europe. They've got 5 more sets coming but aren't increasing the length yet. Amtraks got over 600 cars on order, VIA cars 160 Its funny that most of the short distance passenger fleet will be some version of a Charger with Venture coaches in the next 5 years.
Danny, new to the channel, and if this is an example of your content, I'm all in. Excellent video, great info and I thank you for your time that you put in making it to share with us. Stay safe out there on the high iron.
The state of Florida needs all the help it can get. There is no doubt in my mind given the current political situation that the money for Brightline had to come from the Feds. If the state had anything to do with this, they would have turned it down. If any high speed passenger service is to make a go of it, highway grade crossings have to be eliminated. Putting a sign up to warn motorists of high speed trains will do no good. Even if a few crashes occur that result in deaths, the folks who have a Darwin wish will continue to evade the crossing arms and warnings. Nuf said.
Incremental progress. What matters is getting the line built and your right. It seems like the US is so far up it's behind with car centric infrastructure.
1: Brightline is basically Privately Funded through Bond Sales. Some construction, i.e.: Miami and Orlando Intl Airport Stations surely involves public funds. 2: Yeah, there have been quite a few vehicle collisions at grades/crossings, especially in Palm Beach County lately. All are caused by reckless motorists not respecting the danger a train poses.
Great video. Love Brightline. I made a trip out to Miami from the west coast a couple months ago so I could finally ride it. Hands down the nicest train I've ever been on. And I don't say that lightly. Very excited to see this extend to Miami and then to Walt Disney World. Gonna change a lot of "regular" people's minds about what rail travel can be.
Danny I want to thank you for your wonderful videos! I an a double amputee Marine Corp veteran & can't get out & railfan anymore, but you are doing that for me now. Keep up the good work, and once again, THANK YOU! Ron Stailey
Danny you have a great channel. You personally have drawn me to the adventures of railfanning. Its because of YOUR great narrating voice of all time. You have one of those voices that invites you in what is happening and helps a person forget everything around except in what he is viewing/listening to. Your amazing. Happy fanning and I'll be Watching. Great Job with your Drone.
Nobody does train videos better than you! You are the Gold Standard against which all railroad videos must compare and compete! Thanks again, Danny Harmon!
Those lights on the Brightline cars are braking lights. Also Rio had 70’s WCH bells and gate mechanisms. This was one of my favorite spots to railfan. If you come back down to Stuart, I’ll show you a few amazing spots to railfan in Martin County.
Superb production as always! Thanks very much, Danny, for making the trek east and all the FEC stuff. The Champion livery is a favourite of mine, especially on the LNG sets.
EXCELLENT, as always !!!! I have ridden the Brightline frm WPB to MIA and back. EXCELLENT equipment and service onboard. As soon as they open another station, I'll be heading that way to make that ride. Florida is finally getting into real public transportation.
I have caught these Brightline trains several times from West Palm going to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami to catch cruise ships. Very clean stations, very clean trains, first class all the way. They will even shuttle you over to the the cruise ports. No better way to travel South Florida. They will get my business every time. Sure will be happy when they expand their tracks North.
Great video Danny on bright line. Lot of driving u do for your fans. Thank you!!! Joey and I Are Much appreciative of the dedication of your work and your time.
Interesting to see that a lot of the crossings on the Brightline route are now fitted with full barriers presumably to stop drivers going around them. It's something we had to do in the UK quite a few years ago as train speeds were such that trains were a long way from the crossing when the barrier came down. You've started to get the same problem in Florida with 75 mph trains. Imagine the same situation on our East Coast mainline when trains began 125 mph running! Almost all our crossings are remote controlled and have CCTV monitoring, but there are still plenty of idiots driving vehicles who don't have any sense of self preservation.
its a requirement here in the US to when going 80-110mph. 110-125mph is this weird zone where you can have crossings but they need a special barrier. over 125mph and no grade crossings.
DANNY,AS A RETIRED GENERAL ROAD FOREMAN 0F ENGINEES OF THE EL,CNJ MP AND AMTRAK AND REAL OLD. I JUST WANT TO SAY THANKS FOR ALL YOUR WORK , PHOTOGRAPHING, DRIVING AND FACTS OF WHAT YOU ARE SEEING REAL PROFESSIONAL. I HAVE BEEN A RAILFAN, LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER RF OF E.. FOR 87 YEARS NOW AND RETIRED AT 82 I HAVE PHOTOED ALL OVER THE COUNTRY THANKS TO AMTRAK AND AS A LOCOMOTIVE INSTRUCTER WITH A SYSTEM POSITION THANKS FOR GREAT WORK HOPE TO SEE MORE OF WHAT YOU DO. THANKS AGAIN.................
This all works in South Florida because of the population density and that FEC is willing to work with Brightline. CSX probably couldn't care less in the same situation. FEC used to be double tracked, and thanx to Brightline it will be again soon. The space is there. Roaming Railfan has Brightline construction updates.
@@distantsignal Yes, they do. I used to ride the MARC train on the Camden Line from Laurel, MD to Union Station for a few years. I occasionally used the Penn Line from Odenton, MD to Union Station, too. It's worth mentioning that the Capitol Limited from DC to Pittsburgh uses CSX trackage. The Capitol Limited then takes a little used track under Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood to reach the Ex PRR, now NS mainline from "dahntahn" Pixburgh, n'at, on to Chicago via Cleveland, Toledo and Detroit.
THANKS VERY MUCH. So far the Air 2S is the best drone I've owned. I had two Phantoms, a Maverick and now this one. Definitely the best. The Smart Controller had made the big dffierence. No iphone or iPad needed. You can see the screen in any kind of light.
I'll keep watching this for a while. It's all so different from how railroading is done in my home country, Germany. Thanks for sharing and explaining.
Fascinating video, Danny! I am so happy that Floridians are getting more and more travel options. The Brightline folks seem to be working well with FEC to get things moving. I love your video skills, narration skills, and editing skills. Huge thumbs up.
Those Brightline Trains are made by the same company that made the UK's recent addition called the ICT 810 trains. They come in 5 and 9 Carriage combinations, With The 5 sets sometimes being coupled together as 10 carriage trains.
Good to see you back on the channel again...have missed your videos. Always impressed with the quality of your video and the polished voice over...well done squire When I see the weather and the scenery in your beautiful state, I really should consider buying a winter place down that way.
Those are the brake indicator. Solid green = released, solid yellow = applied, flashing yellow = parking brake applied, solid red = door open. I worked for Siemens as part of the Brightline project before revenue service even started.
Thanks for that info!
I agree with that.
On my trains (I am a train conductor for a class 3 Shortline) we have a blue indicator for parking brake applied. Otherwise the colors are the same on our trains.
Same thing is here in Canada as well at the CP rail
That also applies on Metro North as well with the Bombardier M7A and the Kawasaki M8
@@metronorthrailfan2244 not only on mnrr but on the LIRR C3s, M9s, and M7s
About the lights on the cars - green is when brakes are released, solid yellow for applied, red for doors open, yellow flashing is for hankdbrakes applied. Upon departure, the cars may show green and red simultaneously, or red and yellow. Depending on if the engineer released the brakes or not. Once the doors have been closed, the red lights turn off and yellow will turn to green. Highball. Train is going to depart.
Thanks. Yeah, they were flashing yellow when he was parked in the station earlier.
@@distantsignal I should actually edit my comment. I got something wrong. Red is doors open and solid yellow is brakes applied. My apologies, got those 2 backwards for some reason in my original comment.
Every time I hear that FAMOUS phrase “Hello again Railfans” I know I’m about to be in for something very good. This was epic to watch over my pre-dawn breakfast today. Fantastic work as always Danny!! You are amazing!
YES! Danny is back. Brightline to Tampa next. Beautifully shot as usual.
I thought it was just me but it's been a while, Right ❓️❔️❓️
Then Orlando right
@@WillMilner637 Orlando first. The MCO terminal is complete but the path is up to Coco, then west to orlando, then shadows I4 to tampa.
@@BChandl13 thx for letting me know
It's weird (but nice) to be hearing about a small American railroad that's prospering and building new track.
ive used the brightline 4 times since it opened. literally wpb to mia was 1 hour flat, very comfortable experience and is like riding a mansion compared to the tri-rail or a national rail trip. its a very under-rated and superior rail system
Unpopular european opinion:
It is a slow as heck barely decent train that is probably the only "modern" thing about the current US system. And by modern, it means not 70 years old.
@@marcbuisson2463 The reason Europe has such plentiful fast trains, is that they have many congested cities in a relatively small geographic area. It's much more conducive to running trains and doing it cost efficiently. America is less dense and way more spread out. It's often less costly for us to simply drive to where we want to go. We have large wide roads that are easily navigated, where in Europe, they have narrow congested roads, and often in cities that are hundreds of years old, the pathways were built around buildings on top of each other before automobiles were even ever thought of. It doesn't mean Europe is better, and that he USA should copy Europe. What works in Europe, may not work well here. and what works well here, may not work well in Europe. All things considered, I feel blessed to be an American, and would NEVER want to live in Europe at all.
@@robk1310 I mean, you guys have the East Coast.
And our roads, while being a bit narrower are faaaar less congested than in the US. Like, seriously, our "rush hours" are usually of around an hour. In France, we have another specificity where a third of the country goes in Holiday for the entirety of July and another third goes on August (it's called chassez-croisé, but we have a vacation culture the US don't have. Outside of this, roads are overall not congested.
What we point out is that we never allowed a situation such as the ones in Austin, San Francisco or Los Angeles to happen. That's the benefit of trains and public transports, we have the choice, and if a solution is less cost-efficient or takes more time to go to work, we can choose the other one. On the long run and just as in the US, a trip from point A to point B in a dense neighborhood/city takes as much time in car than in public transports. This also applies to US cities. Good public transports means far greater car circulation, and less costs to build and keep car infrastructure up to date. I'm really sorry, but rolling on US roads can be huh... well we like to joke about Belgium for having bad car infrastructure but the US are on another level x).
The argument of "it's cheaper like this" could be right... if you guys simply put enough money to make these roads good and keep them in shape. Which huh... sorry, but you don't.
Also, I went to Canada last month, I don't know if it's the same, but having to pay nearly 50 dollars to travel 150 kilometers is purely insane. It's me being curious, but is it really that expensive to travel around the USA? No because, if we take a slow train, Paris-Strasbourg is 10 dollars ^^".
Love those Brightliners. They are good looking units. Great video as always. You have some brilliant light there. Thanks for sharing.
I love it when Danny uploads
Danny does not often produce videos, but when he does they are worth the wait. This one is no exception, best railfanning videos available.
"Often" is relative. Many YTs seem to think that videos every day or week are what keeps the buzz going, but it's the quality of the content. I'd still call dozen(s) of videos a year "often."
thank you, who ever.
Those trains look absolutely gorgeous!
Nothing Finer than a New Video from the Pro himself. Absolutely Love your Classic Video and Great Audio. 👍
Much appreciated Ken.
1) Great to see yet ANOTHER high quality railfan video! 2) GREAT drone work, Danny! 3) I look forward to seeing more about the Brightline RR. My wife and I have talked off and on about returning to the Orlando area some day (we're in Illinois) and having a train to take from Disney to other points in Florida (such as near the Kennedy Space Center, et al) would be GREAT!
4) THANK YOU!
That is a lot of concrete ties!! thanks for the adventure!
Nice to see a different view of the Florida Railroads and Brightline! Can't wait for the next one!
He’s back! The most professional railfan videographer on the internet, hands down.
Kid you not, I'm railfanning at the Austin Amtrak station as I watch this video....while enjoying Chick-fil-A! What an awesome day!!
That sounds like a perfect day.
Very interesting stuff from a UK perspective, and beautifully shot as always!
One thing: is there any chance you could subtitle the radio chatter in future videos? I always find it interesting to see the details of how different railways work, but it's not always easy to understand what's being said.
Your voice is so great, I’d listen to you comment on paint drying, riveted. 😀
What a great installment in your series!! I love railfanning the FEC when I come down yearly to visit my son in Port Orange...You're right FEC freight trains do certainly sneak up on you. In January when I was there I was in Cocoa and saw the work being done on Brightline's new track. Can't wait to ride it...thanks again
Nothing makes rail fanning as much fun as a 75’ view of the Florida east coast. Be safe Big D
Danny Harmon is a example of a gentleman
I saw a Brightline train yesterday in LaGrange, Ga led by a Union Pacific locomotive!
This old retired Railroader from Boca Raton sure enjoyed your latest video, you do a stand up job Danny! Old school, I also know it’s hard work and expensive! I appreciate your effort thanks! Too bad Brightline is having so much trouble with auto’s not respecting the crossing gates and signal’s!!
Many. MANY thanks, Rodney. These kind of compliments from a sure-enough railroader mean a lot.
I’m so glad you’re back!!! I was worried about you!
Let's hope high speed rail really takes off. In the US as it has in Europe.
Without a doubt in my opinion rail is the way to travel, whilst air travel is quick over long distances I do find air travel so obnoxious, what with the mucking around at airports for hours and stuck in some horrible seat designed by the Spanish Inquisition.
To travel at 300kph racing past cars and to be able to go get up and buy a coffee is civilised.
yes that is the dream brightline is trying to break the stranglehold the Automobile industry has on north america
3:30 When I saw that car past the gate, I thought of the numerous reports of people getting hit by Brightline trains recently. People need to show better awareness of crossings down there.
It seems like every couple of weeks our other Central Florida passenger rail, SunRail, hits a car at a crossing so, I am expecting the same for Brightline.
*insert Flordia stereotype here*
The drone footage is spectacular! Thanks Danny.
Danny great to have you back!!!!!!!!!
Always impressive videos ... thanks so much
"I'm no engineering expert but I think this signal bungalow will have to go" 🤣
Photographed a CSX special move w/ two more Brightline sets today up in Kentucky...the paint schemes on them are pretty nice!
Hi Danny, Glad to see another one of your videos. At 10:20 FEC 429 is a GP40-2 like you said but it was delivered in 1980 to the FEC there were 6 of these delivered in 1980. FEC 424-429 however FEC 424 was a rebuilt from FEC 402 which was first delivered in 1971 as a GP40 but was wrecked and final rebuilt as a FEC 424 now a GP40-2.
There is a great article on the FEC in the Trains magazine dated July 1996 with FEC 403 GP40 on the cover.
Robert a former FEC employee now retired in Lagrande Oregon.
Whew!! Thanks Robert. That’s some serious locomotive detail.
I just read an article about how Brightline is hoping to open a high speed rail line between the L.A. area to Las Vegas. Apparently the funding is there, but there are some who are skeptical that the venture could fail, based on the perception of low ridership in Florida. There is also some concern that many people won't be in a hurry to give up their cars. But Brightline is convinced the project will be a success. Based on your latest video on Brightline, I'd convinced Brightline has the right idea to relieve the congestion along the I-15 corridor. Love your videos Danny! John Tyson, Virginia city, Nevada
My first reaction to the seemingly low ridership is partly due to the hours - 9:45pm is far too early for the last run imo. Two or three more departures at minimum!
@@InternetKilledTV21 Frequency and capacity are important factors too. If you only have trains arriving and departing at hour intervals, that's an hour of wait time, and if your train is only four cars long it'll only carry a handful of people. On top of that, delays caused by sharing trackage with freight trains present as an issue, one that double tracking can help solve. The amount of level crossings combined with poor drivers license standards and too many cars on the road give rise to plenty of collisions with car traffic, documented by news stations and used as an excuse for bashing trains by carheads. The quiet zones forbidding trains from using their horns doesn't help either. There really is a lot of bad public perception of trains, and underlying reasons for that. That shouldn't stop progress, we need good alternatives to cars, because car dependency makes traffic congestion and death by car inevitable. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Bad experience with trains leads to low ridership, leads to cutback on trains, leads to bad experience with trains. Same with buses, cycling and walking infrastructure, urban density and mixed use zoning, etc. These are all things we need more of, and we need them to be good in quality and experience.
@@InternetKilledTV21 They do late night trains when there's pro games being played. Heat, Marlins, and Panthers. Other things too, will get late trains. They call them the Buzzer beater.
@@InternetKilledTV21 Not really, Brightline operates more so like an express commuter rail line than a regular commuter rail line. Compared to Tri-Rail, it has lower ridership due to serving fewer destinations.
Great video DH!! I'm surprised to see RIO NORTH is gone and now a full cross over, glad I have pictures when I did!
04:37 - That technique is called `Driving In`, and it takes a fair amount of experience and skill to get it right.
Where typical logic would dictate that the Engineer cut power and coast before needing to use brakes to stop, most passenger operations are time sensitive, where keeping on schedule is more important than worrying about wear on the brakes. Most of these types of operations will employ disc brakes, where frequent stops, and `Driving In` will be the fashion of each stop. The disc brakes can better deal with more frequent stopping and dissipation of the heat.
No, I am not an Engineman myself, but I`ve been fortunate to have known a few. And I have personally witnessed a `Drive In` where the train ended up slightly over-shooting, and was then forced to back up to the target stopping zone. The forced back-up was due to having missed the raised platforms on the accessibility coach, so that people with mobility needs and wheeled devices can have a level entry and exit, and avoid the very slight step up to bi-level coaches.
Extraordinary as always.
Tremendous UAV/drone photography.
So nice to see you covering my neck of the woods: the Treasure Coast. Extensive track improvement and construction all about due to Brightline project.
Bridges and such over 100 years old being refreshed and expanded. You may want to visit Jupiter on your next trip whilst the bridge overhaul is underway. Impressive engineering that still keeps the line open and running.
Only downside to this project is pedestrians and motorists used to the speed of freights and local commuter line getting in trouble with the fast BL express trains. I can understand why special sensors are being fitted at the crossings.
Great to see you active again, Danny !!!
That is quite a colourful train :)
Wow, from "how things were" to covering new high speed rail. Absolutely love this channel and the videography.
What a great video! That took a lot of work and now my wife and I have a much better understanding of what’s going on. Anxious to see the next one. By the way, pretty sure that was the old Biltmore Hotel now condos. I had the pleasure to stay there in 1957 as a kid. Brought back fond memories. Thanks again
Thanks Danny!! Another great vid about our great Florida railroads!
Thanks again!
Up in Canada Via Rail just purchased similar train sets. I am hoping this is the start of a resurgence of rail in my province. So many abandoned lines, would of been a site to see back in the day. Now all we see is mainly intermodal traffic. I love your narration you should have your own TV show talking about the rails that used to be and what the future will be, thank you for great content.
Amtrak has started recently replacing its Loco's with the new Siemen charger loco's
Also watching from 🇨🇦
Love seeing you back, Danny! Exemplary video as always. Drones can really make railfanning more exciting!
The LED signals are also nice because they can be viewed at nearly any angle, while incandescents are very dim at off angles. But LEDs can be almost too bright straight on. Up here in MN both CN and CP use them extensively, but BNSF has avoided them. I like the power and simplicity of LEDs, but I'll miss that nice fade-in/out of incandescent bulbs.
I actually have the opposite opinion of approach-lit signals. Dispatchers up here tend to clear a route about half an hour ahead of a train, so for someone who as limited radio access, like me, it's far more useful than the couple minutes' warning approach lighting provides
79 mph ain't fast. That's regular Amtrak speed. Brightline's average speed is 54mph, exactly the same speed as many Amtrak intercity routes. Like for example the San Joaquins which uses the same Siemens Charger locomotives and is getting the same Siemens Venture cars, but is more popular, has more stations, and the exact same average speed.
And the new section is almost 100% 110mph, only 20 miles, less than 10% of the new route is at 125mph.
The only place they will reach faster speeds is in the areas where no stops are planned.
Great video Danny and glad to see you back doing what you do best! I've become a BIG FAN of the FEC and glad to see new footage of it! Thanks again for sharing your videos along with your time and effort to get the BEST FOOTAGE!
Thanks Shawn!
I love Brightline! It's amazing to see how good the service is. I also love the new European designed train sets.
One big reason why FEC wanted to multi-track their main line from Miami to Jax has to do with the widening of the Panama Canal. With more freight flowing through the canal, Miami wants to enlarge it's container handling capacity which means more rail is needed to deal with the increase. In fact, even Port Canaveral has recently installed a few container cranes so as not to be left out and there is probably a spur on the drawing board to connect them to the FEC main sometime in the future.
Oh and thank you for giving credit where credit is due. Be it a railfan as a tour guide. Staff from a railroad or museum. And even those who contribute to your backyard fence. And your restaurant reviews. You cover it all. It is very enjoyable to railfan with you and see where your next adventure awaits.
I'm so jealous. I've probably got more years than almost anyone at the FEC. They get the great scenery though while I'm stuck on a very boring CSX line. Mostly just yard work. How I wish I'd of made better decisions in my younger years.
You do a great job on your videos. After watching so many trackbeds converted to rail to trails or just completely abandoned, it is such a pleasure to see the double tracks being installed along the Florida 528. Over river bridges and under highway tunnels.
Yeah, I'm with you on that. Personally I'm opposed to all rails-to-trails except those on railroad beds with parallel lines, like so much of the Atlantic Coast Line and Seaboard Air Line.
WOW!!! What a professional presentation. You must be a retired Radio/TV announcer. Clear and to the point, covering all the details. Great photography. I watch a lot train video's but it's rare that I ever subscribe...nothing compares to your projects. Didn't take me long to hit the subscribe button! Thanks a lot!
Amazing narration voice. You sound like the guy that narratives Deadliest Catch or something
Danny, your videos are top notch productions. I love how you edit in the drone footage with the ground shots. Your excellent voice is pleasent to listen to as you narrate the videos. I can't wait for the next one!
Thank you. I wanted to know more about the FEC. I have been on the Brightline from Fort Lauderdale to Miami and back. Outstanding service. Amtrak really needs to step up it's game. Out!
3:30 I don't expect anything less from Florida drivers. Quad gates at this point should be standard on all tracks that get more than a few trains a day.
The Venture cars are based on the Viaggio Comfort from europe. They've got 5 more sets coming but aren't increasing the length yet. Amtraks got over 600 cars on order, VIA cars 160
Its funny that most of the short distance passenger fleet will be some version of a Charger with Venture coaches in the next 5 years.
Another great video Danny. It amazes me how much wealth of knowledge you have about trains. I wish I could learn…
FEC pioneered the use of concrete cross-ties in the 1060's..They should be mandated on Class one's in "murica" by now.
Great to see you’re back Danny, have sure missed see your videos.
6:01 I liked the toot of the horn a nice thing to hear if u are a rail fan and the conductors awknolwdge that you are there.
Danny, new to the channel, and if this is an example of your content, I'm all in. Excellent video, great info and I thank you for your time that you put in making it to share with us. Stay safe out there on the high iron.
Mr. Harmon's the best! Prepare to spend days watching all his videos...
@@jovetj you are correct, I been doing some binge watching, great content, can't believe I've missed it this whole time.
Great video again Danny! Railfan out of Marion,Iowa. Commentary, set-ups and drone shots wonderful.
I got to see this train pass by my house in Nashville TN a while back and boy, did it throw me for a loop!! Great to see it here on the channel!
The state of Florida needs all the help it can get. There is no doubt in my mind given the current political situation that the money for Brightline had to come from the Feds. If the state had anything to do with this, they would have turned it down. If any high speed passenger service is to make a go of it, highway grade crossings have to be eliminated. Putting a sign up to warn motorists of high speed trains will do no good. Even if a few crashes occur that result in deaths, the folks who have a Darwin wish will continue to evade the crossing arms and warnings. Nuf said.
Incremental progress. What matters is getting the line built and your right. It seems like the US is so far up it's behind with car centric infrastructure.
1: Brightline is basically Privately Funded through Bond Sales. Some construction, i.e.: Miami and Orlando Intl Airport Stations surely involves public funds.
2: Yeah, there have been quite a few vehicle collisions at grades/crossings, especially in Palm Beach County lately. All are caused by reckless motorists not respecting the danger a train poses.
Great video. Love Brightline. I made a trip out to Miami from the west coast a couple months ago so I could finally ride it. Hands down the nicest train I've ever been on. And I don't say that lightly. Very excited to see this extend to Miami and then to Walt Disney World. Gonna change a lot of "regular" people's minds about what rail travel can be.
Danny I want to thank you for your wonderful videos! I an a double amputee Marine Corp veteran & can't get out & railfan anymore, but you are doing that for me now. Keep up the good work, and once again, THANK YOU! Ron Stailey
Always a great watch, always great photog.......Many thanks from those of us that can't see in person!
"caught in the crossing" never chance it with train crossings, my dudes
Danny you have a great channel. You personally have drawn me to the adventures of railfanning. Its because of YOUR great narrating voice of all time. You have one of those voices that invites you in what is happening and helps a person forget everything around except in what he is viewing/listening to. Your amazing. Happy fanning and I'll be Watching. Great Job with your Drone.
Nobody does train videos better than you! You are the Gold Standard against which all railroad videos must compare and compete! Thanks again, Danny Harmon!
Those lights on the Brightline cars are braking lights. Also Rio had 70’s WCH bells and gate mechanisms. This was one of my favorite spots to railfan. If you come back down to Stuart, I’ll show you a few amazing spots to railfan in Martin County.
Great footage! Brightline is undoubtedly the greatest passenger service in the U.S., and deserves time on one of the greatest railfanning channels.
Superb production as always! Thanks very much, Danny, for making the trek east and all the FEC stuff. The Champion livery is a favourite of mine, especially on the LNG sets.
EXCELLENT, as always !!!! I have ridden the Brightline frm WPB to MIA and back. EXCELLENT equipment and service onboard. As soon as they open another station, I'll be heading that way to make that ride. Florida is finally getting into real public transportation.
Thanks Danny for taking me along.
I have caught these Brightline trains several times from West Palm going to Ft. Lauderdale or Miami to catch cruise ships. Very clean stations, very clean trains, first class all the way. They will even shuttle you over to the the cruise ports. No better way to travel South Florida.
They will get my business every time. Sure will be happy when they expand their tracks North.
Another spectacular job danny, great video, great narration, factual info... NAILED IT.!!💪
Wow, never seen a fuel tender like that before, natural gas, huh? Also cool to see that GP40-2, always cool to see vintage power still running.
The fuel tender is an FEC special. Most times you will see one between two locos as it feeds both.
Very professional done. Enjoy each and every video I've watched.
Great video Danny on bright line. Lot of driving u do for your fans. Thank you!!! Joey and I
Are
Much appreciative of the
dedication of your work and your time.
Great viewing as always! Professionally done and fun. Doesn't get any better.
Interesting to see that a lot of the crossings on the Brightline route are now fitted with full barriers presumably to stop drivers going around them. It's something we had to do in the UK quite a few years ago as train speeds were such that trains were a long way from the crossing when the barrier came down. You've started to get the same problem in Florida with 75 mph trains. Imagine the same situation on our East Coast mainline when trains began 125 mph running! Almost all our crossings are remote controlled and have CCTV monitoring, but there are still plenty of idiots driving vehicles who don't have any sense of self preservation.
its a requirement here in the US to when going 80-110mph. 110-125mph is this weird zone where you can have crossings but they need a special barrier. over 125mph and no grade crossings.
What a great video. Love the FEC locomotives.
DANNY,AS A RETIRED GENERAL ROAD FOREMAN 0F ENGINEES OF THE EL,CNJ MP AND AMTRAK AND REAL OLD. I JUST WANT TO SAY THANKS FOR ALL YOUR WORK , PHOTOGRAPHING, DRIVING AND FACTS OF WHAT YOU ARE SEEING REAL PROFESSIONAL. I HAVE BEEN A RAILFAN, LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEER RF OF E.. FOR 87 YEARS NOW AND RETIRED AT 82 I HAVE PHOTOED ALL OVER THE COUNTRY THANKS TO AMTRAK AND AS A LOCOMOTIVE INSTRUCTER WITH A SYSTEM POSITION THANKS FOR GREAT WORK HOPE TO SEE MORE OF WHAT YOU DO. THANKS AGAIN.................
Wow! Those are nice compliments, Mike!! Many, MANY thanks.
I love it. Cant’t wait for your next very nice video sir. Thank you for the great quality and efforts you put into teaching me something new.
The use of a drone certainly gives good oversight.
Your explanations to us rookies are the best. Listen to all your posts, start to end. Keep up the good work!
Many thanks, Paul!
This all works in South Florida because of the population density and that FEC is willing to work with Brightline. CSX probably couldn't care less in the same situation. FEC used to be double tracked, and thanx to Brightline it will be again soon. The space is there. Roaming Railfan has Brightline construction updates.
CSX doesn't carry passengers but they do host sizable commuter railroads in the Washington, DC and Maryland area.
@@distantsignal Yes, they do. I used to ride the MARC train on the Camden Line from Laurel, MD to Union Station for a few years. I occasionally used the Penn Line from Odenton, MD to Union Station, too. It's worth mentioning that the Capitol Limited from DC to Pittsburgh uses CSX trackage. The Capitol Limited then takes a little used track under Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood to reach the Ex PRR, now NS mainline from "dahntahn" Pixburgh, n'at, on to Chicago via Cleveland, Toledo and Detroit.
The light on the fence is back!! GREAT!!!!
I can't wait to take the Brightline at MCO and have dinner in South Beach. 😁
Sounds great. Bring your wallet for dinner at South Beach.
I love your drone work, voiceover, and editing. Super great work, Danny! How do you like that drone? I've seen some great reviews of it.
THANKS VERY MUCH. So far the Air 2S is the best drone I've owned. I had two Phantoms, a Maverick and now this one. Definitely the best. The Smart Controller had made the big dffierence. No iphone or iPad needed. You can see the screen in any kind of light.
I'll keep watching this for a while. It's all so different from how railroading is done in my home country, Germany. Thanks for sharing and explaining.
Super good video, just wish you produced them more often👌
Fascinating video, Danny! I am so happy that Floridians are getting more and more travel options. The Brightline folks seem to be working well with FEC to get things moving.
I love your video skills, narration skills, and editing skills. Huge thumbs up.
Another super Danny video. Well done 🤓, can't wait to see your next instalment of the Brightling story. 🤓 Stay safe 💙
Great to see your fotage again and (especially) listening to your most friendly comment!
Those Brightline Trains are made by the same company that made the UK's recent addition called the ICT 810 trains. They come in 5 and 9 Carriage combinations, With The 5 sets sometimes being coupled together as 10 carriage trains.
That‘s incorrect. The Brightline trains are made by Siemens whereas the IET‘s are made by Hitachi.
@@bahnspotterEU Sorry - My mistake.
You Americans have got the most awesome sounding locomotives.
Good to see you back on the channel again...have missed your videos. Always impressed with the quality of your video and the polished voice over...well done squire
When I see the weather and the scenery in your beautiful state, I really should consider buying a winter place down that way.
Interesting that the B. Line trains are running two power cars, 8000hp seems an awful lot of power for just four passenger coaches.
I believe the plan is to eventually have longer trains. All the platforms are sized for I think 8-10 cars.
Fantastic video Danny. Those Brightline trains sets are really sharp.