I am a Brit (71 now) who grew up with steam and a lot more rail use than the current day. I loved watching rail yards work. The thing is many watching this, will think this is the interest of geeks or weirdo's. The thing is that, it is a recording' people in the next millennium will watch with awe. All because some weirdo recorded a bit of real history. I married a Yank in 97 and spent many years in USA. I loved the railways there as much as UK. Thanks for taking the time and effort to snapshot this little bit of life today.
@@abestm8 I appreciate that, thank you. I never really thought about future generations, but now that you have brought it up it seems even more meaningful to do these videos because the future generations won’t know what this is all about. Thank you for helping re-energize me.
As a 10 year old, I would sometimes go with my father to work. He was a driver (engineer) for Rhodesia Railways in the 1970s. There were often people running around taking photos or filming the locomotive, a Bayer Garrett 20th class. Seemed strange to me at the time because all the locomotives were steam, where we lived, the coal mining town of Wankie.
Ever since I was a kid (I'm 60 now!), I've had this irrational notion about how safe it was for engines to push lengthy trains. I always had a fear that the train would buckle up in the middle somewhere! This hasn't been helped by British Rail's habit of running express trains at 100mph with the loco pushing 😮
That is a well done video: M/ud, EMD 1500's in notch 8 screaming all the way out of the hole @ the Edgar Thompson Works; until the crew clears the trestle with the gons of slabs---as the Conductor protects the point of the shove from the Caboose........ A classic steel mill railroading, video.......👍
Magnificent catches of the train coming by and pass, I like it 5 stars. Hearing that amazing diesel sound and cars pass is absolutely crazy. Thumbs up. Keep up the perfect work, my friend, i just liked and subscribed your channel, Greetings from Portugal to the USA.
Steels are manufactured to Specifications all over the world and regardless of the nation those steells ALL have to conform to the end usage. Nobody wants to see injuries or deaths resultant from steel you cannot "trust".
@stephenjohnson26 thank you, though I don't know if honour is the right word. I will be in Pittsburgh early next April and am staying with a good friend who is showing me the railroad sights of the city but you never know
@@CraftyFoxeMC This was a light day for gondolas. The yard below is called Valley Yard and it is usually full end to end with gondolas. Scrap comes in, slabs go out
When I lived in MIssouri near a Burlington Northern train yard we often saw trains over 2 miles long! We would see one parked in the yard drive out of town and measure the distance on the odometer when we headed for the next town and came level with the locos up front! They were LONG SUCKAS!
I love both your model ops and real URR ops videos. Good stuff. Love those switchers when they are all wound up! I wonder how long they will be able to keep all these running.
There is a similar facility in Bethlehem Pa. They run train cars up a long inclince and then let them roll down onto several switched sidings to sort and reassemble them in to whatever area of the country they are to go next.
As a freight train ( hopper , a few $$ for the engineer ? ! ) some decades ago , you would be spoilt for choice in this yard ... and end up in the wrong town ( or state ! ! ) ... Ha - Ha ..... DAVE™🛑
If you want some good photos of the area, read "Pennsy In The Steel City". It also has a map. Shows such lost places as U Jct, which curved into ET Works
Grazie per il video. Suggestivo lo scalo. 🙂🙏Le locomotive hanno dovuto spingere in salita. Quale è il modello di queste locomotive? Vorrei cercare i loro dati di potenza e peso.
That looks like Gritter Yard on the Grit Line in Grittsville, Gritsconsin! Excellent footage of switching operations, thank you. Those units are working hard - would they be GM, about 1,000hp each?
I am not a railway person but would think it's harder and less economical to push, rather than pull? How do they synchronize the engines? Nice capture.
Yes and no that is why now day you will see a few locomotive in the front maybe one in the middle and one at the rear of trains . The middle and rear locomotive are called (DPU ) distribution power unit pushing and pulling at the same time remotely controlled by the front locomotive 🚂
@@fredMplanenut the locomotives are capable of multiple unit operation. The reason they shove up the grade out of the mail is because when they reach the top of the hill, they stop in reverse direction to go down the main track.
A derailment at the curve on that incline would have been a bad day, even with empties. I would have thought some operation like this would be running slugs to boost the traction effort, maybe that's just an SP phenomenon.
@@SteamCrane Almost every time I have been there I have seen this move. There are slab trains that stay on the Union RR that go to the Irvin Works usually twice per day. This is a busy railroad.
I wish there was information in the description box. What city was this? What year? Were the gondola cars empty or full? What were they going to haul? Great video, just no info, lost in history? 🤔😔 🚂🚃🚃🚃
@@stephenjohnson26 Stephen, Thank you for the information. After I sent my comment, I read every comment from your rail fans and learned a lot about this video. It's fascinating to watch and see a working RR. Glad to see the caboose still being used too. 😀
@@MsGorteck Depending on the needs of the individual Railroad, they will use what equipment they need to get the job done. In the case of the Union Railroad, they make many “back up” or reverse moves as you see in the video. There has to be someone on the leading end of the movement to direct the engineer, so there is a caboose for the conductor to ride in. If there was no caboose, the conductor would have to hold on to the side of the car while making the move and as you can see in the video, that would be extremely dangerous.
Very atmospheric industrial impressions with a rustic edge! Those diesels are not exactly clean and green! :) I like the rail content on your channel and have subscribed!
@@stephenjohnson26 Thanks. I guess the lens focal length makes it look steeper. And those old EMDs sound wonderful. Terrific video - thanks for posting!
@@markmartindale7215 What would you like to know? The location is East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Railroad is the Union Railroad, they are shoving 39 slab loaded gondolas up what is known as the low-grade from the Valley Yard and are going to interchange those cars with the Norfolk Southern Railroad on the other side of the Monongahela river.
@@stephenjohnson26 That might have been a good thing to add in the description. If we hadn't seen the Edgar Thompson name on the building on the right, we'd have had no idea where this was, or when, or what we were looking at.
I am a Brit (71 now) who grew up with steam and a lot more rail use than the current day. I loved watching rail yards work. The thing is many watching this, will think this is the interest of geeks or weirdo's. The thing is that, it is a recording' people in the next millennium will watch with awe. All because some weirdo recorded a bit of real history. I married a Yank in 97 and spent many years in USA. I loved the railways there as much as UK. Thanks for taking the time and effort to snapshot this little bit of life today.
@@abestm8 I appreciate that, thank you. I never really thought about future generations, but now that you have brought it up it seems even more meaningful to do these videos because the future generations won’t know what this is all about. Thank you for helping re-energize me.
I'm 66 and basically just missed Steam here in the USA. I catch whatever Steam excursions I can and going to catch Big Boy somewhere.😊
As a 10 year old, I would sometimes go with my father to work. He was a driver (engineer) for Rhodesia Railways in the 1970s. There were often people running around taking photos or filming the locomotive, a Bayer Garrett 20th class. Seemed strange to me at the time because all the locomotives were steam, where we lived, the coal mining town of Wankie.
@@ivorscruton5121 I imagine those are wonderful memories for you. Can’t tell you how many railfans took pictures of me over the years
@@golfberg1Oh yea, to behold Big Boy is a legendary feat.
Never imagined that a caboose could pull a train of that size😂 great catch!
@@jamest151 🤣🤣 good one!
😅
Ever since I was a kid (I'm 60 now!), I've had this irrational notion about how safe it was for engines to push lengthy trains. I always had a fear that the train would buckle up in the middle somewhere! This hasn't been helped by British Rail's habit of running express trains at 100mph with the loco pushing 😮
The little caboose who could 😃
@@carlcaulkett3050 Although much shorter, most commuter operations in the US are shoving at up to 90+ mph
That was amazing and those 4 switchers were working really hard coming around that corner. Great catch.
Most of their trains put on a great show, heck what am I saying, they ALL put on a great show!
U. S. Steel Edger Thomson Plant in Braddock. Union RR at work. And West Mifflin across the river. My home 😊
@@WRWPitt you are fortunate to have this view everyday
You are about a mile and a half from my house. Spent a lot of time fishing down there before it was all fenced off
That’s a very steep gradient for those switchers! Even if the cars are empties. A runaway on that incline would be very bad.
@@abloogywoogywoo You are correct it would make for a bad day. Those cars are all loaded with steel slabs
At night we would go straight to notch eight and watch the sparks fly out of the stacks. I loved running switch engines.
@@LanternSignals I was an engineer for 28 years and always loved to clean out the stacks!
@@stephenjohnson26Did you get your 30 years in ?
@@mshum538 28 total
That is one of the coolest rail vids I've seen in quite a while.
@@chrisclements1169 Thank you! I have posted many over the past few years, feel free to watch all of them
SW's earning their keep and the sound show didnt disappoint!
@@mpmrlpforl7289 Even on a slow day they have never disappointed me
Stunning quartet at the end of that haul. Thank you. Love the scenery, so many colours in that industrial palette.
@@SouthDown It is a wonderful place to watch trains
the locos are putting out as much smoke as the steel mill!!
@@ggreg2258 That is one of the joys of watching them, you know they are really working
Just as god intended
There is so much going on in that shot it's hard to process it all. Well done man!
@@JarrettDorough Thank you, it is one of my favorite spots to railfan
Great train video 4 old school switchers at work 👍🚂
@@derekdee9592 Thank you
That is a well done video: M/ud, EMD 1500's in notch 8 screaming all the way out of the hole @ the Edgar Thompson Works; until the crew clears the trestle with the gons of slabs---as the Conductor protects the point of the shove from the Caboose........
A classic steel mill railroading, video.......👍
@@robertszallavarysullivan9570 Thank you
From one retired RR'r to another: You're welcome, Stephen........
Magnificent catches of the train coming by and pass, I like it 5 stars.
Hearing that amazing diesel sound and cars pass is absolutely crazy.
Thumbs up.
Keep up the perfect work, my friend, i just liked and subscribed your channel, Greetings from Portugal to the USA.
@@LisbonRailProductionsandF1 Wow thank you very much! Greetings and Welcome!
@@stephenjohnson26 no problem, mate.
@@stephenjohnson26 the trains in your country are amazing
@@LisbonRailProductionsandF1 I started watching them when I was 2, been hooked ever since
@@stephenjohnson26 thats nice to hear
That would look awesome as a model scene👍👍
@@John-g6m9z it would, if I had the space I would have done this whole scene
What a sight for sore eyes! Love it!
@@Isochest I am glad
American steel, products we can trust! That was some great footage, the engines were working hard!!!
@@uberlpn Yes they were, Thank you
Steels are manufactured to Specifications all over the world and regardless of the nation those steells ALL have to conform to the end usage. Nobody wants to see injuries or deaths resultant from steel you cannot "trust".
That's a heck of a grade!!
@@tincanboat Close to 2 1/2%
Looks like the grades I had on my first HO model RR layout. My heaviest engine could only pull 7 cars upgrade.
@@shortliner68 the Beauty of Model Trains is that you CAN pull "impossible" grades, for the sake of limited table-top space 👉 "Artistic Liberty" 🎨 🚂💨
@@shortliner68 I have a 2 1/2% grade on my layout and use 5 MP15’s to pull trains up
@@stephenjohnson26 That sounds as impressive looking as these switchers pushing this train upgrade.
Union Railroad doing what it has been doing forever!
@@sop2510 and I hope they will continue to do for many years to come
Judging by the smoke I was expecting to see 4014 on the end of the train!
@@struck2soon 🤣🤣 Right!!!
@@struck2soon 🤣 love that comment!
Judging by the length of the train I was expecting to see the rear end of it in 4014!
@@u2bear377 😂
This looks great. I am heading to Pittsburgh from the UK next year and am hoping to spend some time chasing this railroad
@@thebritishrailroader let me know when that happens, it would be an honor to meet you up there
@stephenjohnson26 thank you, though I don't know if honour is the right word. I will be in Pittsburgh early next April and am staying with a good friend who is showing me the railroad sights of the city but you never know
@@thebritishrailroader would that be Andy Blenko?
@@stephenjohnson26 it is indeed, do you know him?
@@thebritishrailroader I do! I will be at his house next weekend for a Barbeque
Really nice video! Hope to see more! Thanks.
I've never seen so many gondolas in one place
@@CraftyFoxeMC This was a light day for gondolas. The yard below is called Valley Yard and it is usually full end to end with gondolas. Scrap comes in, slabs go out
Great footage!! That's RAILROADI NG man!!
@@PaulBrink-pq5iv Absolutely
Yes, very gritty! Great footage !
@@travisnull273 Thank you
Were is this at, location?@@stephenjohnson26
@@johnnest617 East Pittsburgh, PA
Very, very cool video. I love switch engines. When i was a little kid Mom & Dad would drive us out near the tracks or the railyard to watch trains.
@@chrishauser5505 That is how every kid should grow up!!
For a moment, I really thought I was looking at a marvelous O scale layout. 😅
@@horrorman9 but even better it is the marvelous real thing!!
Excellent video. Greetings from Poland. 👍
@@kolejnakolej.1437 Greetings!! Thank you!
When I lived in MIssouri near a Burlington Northern train yard we often saw trains over 2 miles long! We would see one parked in the yard drive out of town and measure the distance on the odometer when we headed for the next town and came level with the locos up front! They were LONG SUCKAS!
@@scopex2749 Still being done to this day, but not very efficient
Great catch, thanks for sharing.
@@EagleCreekRailRoad You’re welcome and thank you
Excellent catch, great action! Love how you recreated this move in H0 in that other video!
@@SpringfieldAndWestern Thank you, I often recreate what I have seen on the URR in my basement. Makes the models come to life
Świetne, industrialne widoki!!! Dzięki, pozdrowienia z Polski 🙂
Excellent, thank you!
@@cwillpiko1994 You’re welcome and thank you
I wonder where that is? It reminds me a lot of West Virginia where I grew up in the 60s and early 70s totally reminiscent of my childhood.
@@pisceanogre East Pittsburgh, PA near Braddock, PA
I love both your model ops and real URR ops videos. Good stuff. Love those switchers when they are all wound up! I wonder how long they will be able to keep all these running.
@@cbrailroader642 thank you very much, as long as the frames don’t crack or they don’t get wrecked, those engines could run another 30 years.
There is a similar facility in Bethlehem Pa. They run train cars up a long inclince and then let them roll down onto several switched sidings to sort and reassemble them in to whatever area of the country they are to go next.
@@hoofty That would be the Allentown Hump Yard. I believe the hump has been closed for a while
Meanwhile .... somewhere in the rust belt ... Is this Y Town or P Burg ? That ain't a Kentucky coal train !
Pburg!!!!
@@stephenjohnson26 TANKS !
@@RichardKuivila1947 you’re welcome
that is my back yard .I live a few miles away in white oak outside Pittsburgh
@@brentmiller3951 I envy your ability to go there quickly, for me it is a 3 hour drive
Those four switch engines sound really good in notch 8. Thanks for uploading. ❤
@@etiennedauphin You’re welcome
As a freight train ( hopper , a few $$ for the engineer ? ! ) some decades ago , you would be spoilt for choice in this yard ... and end up in the wrong town ( or state ! ! ) ... Ha - Ha ..... DAVE™🛑
Wow, that is a real incline.
@@dennisk5818 About 2 1/2%
Thanks! share.😊😊
WHAT A CLIMBING!
If you want some good photos of the area, read "Pennsy In The Steel City". It also has a map. Shows such lost places as U Jct, which curved into ET Works
@@dannyhonn973 thank you
Where and when is this? Why isn't that in the title?
@@brianjacobs3102 this is East Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania this past Saturday August 2, 2024
Awesome!! Thanks for sharing.
@@jaybird111207 You’re welcome and thank you
Grazie per il video. Suggestivo lo scalo. 🙂🙏Le locomotive hanno dovuto spingere in salita. Quale è il modello di queste locomotive? Vorrei cercare i loro dati di potenza e peso.
That looks like Gritter Yard on the Grit Line in Grittsville, Gritsconsin! Excellent footage of switching operations, thank you. Those units are working hard - would they be GM, about 1,000hp each?
@@mikeuk4130 Thank you and yes they are EMD MP15’s and one SW1500, each 1500 HP
Turn the squelch control on your scanner to cut down on the harsh sound.
@@FranksPlace-jk7pj it isn’t a scanner it is a railroad issued radio, I am an Amtrak Engineer
@@stephenjohnson26 Isn't there a squench control?
@@FranksPlace-jk7pj not on these radios, all pre programmed
@@stephenjohnson26 Bet you have an exciting and challenging job.
@@FranksPlace-jk7pj unfortunately I do not work there and am now retired from the railroad
You can see those switchers coming from a long way off!
@@AndreiTupolev Yup, just follow the smoke!
Are those switch locomotives EMD MP 1500s? Nice shot and thanks for sharing!
@@WAL_DC-6B Thank you, they are EMD MP15DC’s and one SW1500 in there.
@@stephenjohnson26 Thanks for setting the record straight on the power seen in your video!
@@WAL_DC-6B My pleasure
I am not a railway person but would think it's harder and less economical to push, rather than pull?
How do they synchronize the engines?
Nice capture.
Yes and no that is why now day you will see a few locomotive in the front maybe one in the middle and one at the rear of trains .
The middle and rear locomotive are called (DPU ) distribution power unit pushing and pulling at the same time remotely controlled by the front locomotive 🚂
@@fredMplanenut the locomotives are capable of multiple unit operation. The reason they shove up the grade out of the mail is because when they reach the top of the hill, they stop in reverse direction to go down the main track.
@@stephenjohnson26 many thanks for those explanations.
@@fredMplanenut My pleasure
It doesn't matter whether you push or pull, physics is the same.
Very nice PITTSBURGH all the way!
@@chrishartz2397 Thank you
A derailment at the curve on that incline would have been a bad day, even with empties. I would have thought some operation like this would be running slugs to boost the traction effort, maybe that's just an SP phenomenon.
@@tauncfester3022 They get plenty of horse power from those engines
I wish they used steam locomotives for this
Great stuff!
@@kelleysimonds5945 Thank you
Let's see you do that uphill shove on your model railroad!
@@SteamCrane I have done it, not with 39 cars but 22 with 3 engines
@@stephenjohnson26 You have good track!
@@SteamCrane I made a video of it a few months ago
I love this! I identified your location. How often do they make this move, and is it at a specific time of day?
@@SteamCrane Almost every time I have been there I have seen this move. There are slab trains that stay on the Union RR that go to the Irvin Works usually twice per day. This is a busy railroad.
@@stephenjohnson26 Thanks!
@@SteamCrane You’re welcome
Where is this, please? I take it it is somewhere in the USA. I certainly liked it thanks!! 😀
@@davidcrook5511 It is in the USA, it is East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania just a few miles from downtown Pittsburgh
@@stephenjohnson26 Thanks for that! 👍😊
@@davidcrook5511 you are welcome
Edgar Thompson Works Braddock, Pa
@@rogerthornburg8794 Thanks for that Greetings from UK it's ten to six in the morning here 🙂
Amazing capture !! What is the grade there ?
@@FrogandFlangeVideo about 2 1/2%
Nice video, I know this is East Pittsburgh, Where about is this or what road did you park on, Thank you.
@@MarkTheLostTraveler Thank you, Braddock Ave at the Triboro
@@stephenjohnson26 Thank you
I ❤ It 😊
@@TigerDominic-uh1dv Thanks, if you’re ever in the area, you need to stop by and watch them
I wish there was information in the description box. What city was this? What year? Were the gondola cars empty or full? What were they going to haul? Great video, just no info, lost in history? 🤔😔 🚂🚃🚃🚃
@@dennisammann9104 city: East Pittsburgh, PA, Date: August 2, 2024, gondolas were loaded with steel slabs going to interchange with the NS
@@stephenjohnson26 Stephen, Thank you for the information. After I sent my comment, I read every comment from your rail fans and learned a lot about this video. It's fascinating to watch and see a working RR. Glad to see the caboose still being used too. 😀
Yikes. They are really flogging the hide off those little switchers. 😮
@@lineshaftrestorations7903 yes they are! And the best part is this is an every day occurrence
That is one very steep grade. No wonder those engines were smoking.
@@stanleyj.mitchell4851 It is a struggle
This is impressive as all get out. Nice shootin' Tex. Thank you.
@@dennisrankin325 Thank you!!
yes sir
3:00 I'm guessing they're geared super low and thus are great at yard work but can't do high speeds and long distances.
@@ravenzbot They are geared differently than road power yes. Maximum authorized speed is 20mph
@@stephenjohnson26 makes sense thanks!
@@ravenzbot You’re welcome
Where was this filmed.
@@PauletteSzuhay East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Gotta Be Pittsburgh
@@golfberg1 East Pittsburgh to be exact
maybe show the loading and unloading of these gons
@@Rustyrailhead Well that would require me to trespass into the Mill, that is not happening
Pittsburgh?
@@thebabbler8867 East Pittsburgh to be exact
Excellent video my friends awesome like 👍🏻 and Greeting from Argentina 🇦🇷 suscribete 😊
@@MarcelosalivaTRENESArg Thank you and welcome
where is this exactly please?
@@ergotot45 Braddock Avenue at the TriBoro Expressway in East Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
There was a caboose on that train!! Thought all cabooses were banned for cost saving reasons. 😊
@@MsGorteck Incorrect. Cabooses are used daily on most Union RR trains due to the necessity of back up or reverse moves.
@@stephenjohnson26 oh, ok. Could you explain what you mean? Cause I never see cabooses.
@@MsGorteck Depending on the needs of the individual Railroad, they will use what equipment they need to get the job done. In the case of the Union Railroad, they make many “back up” or reverse moves as you see in the video. There has to be someone on the leading end of the movement to direct the engineer, so there is a caboose for the conductor to ride in. If there was no caboose, the conductor would have to hold on to the side of the car while making the move and as you can see in the video, that would be extremely dangerous.
@@stephenjohnson26 ohhh, so the person in the caboose is telling the engineer what is ahead and such. Learn something new everyday, thanks.
@@MsGorteck You are very welcome
Environment? What environment?
@@u2bear377 Mother Nature will clean it up
You don't say where it is! :-D
Where is this?
@@daphetidroberto797 East Pittsburgh, PA
Very atmospheric industrial impressions with a rustic edge! Those diesels are not exactly clean and green! :) I like the rail content on your channel and have subscribed!
@@trainsandtrams2020 Thank you and you are correct, nothing clean and green here just real railroading
Give a like if you think model railroad at first then see it's a real railroad at the end!!!!
@@christophertmunro4503 I wish I had the space to model this
Is this a new video? That grade is insane - 6, 7, or maybe 8%?
@@Kajinoor video was taken about 3 weeks ago and the grade is about 2.5%
@@stephenjohnson26 Thanks. I guess the lens focal length makes it look steeper. And those old EMDs sound wonderful. Terrific video - thanks for posting!
@@Kajinoor you are welcome
Is there a reason that the URR has this huge collection of switchers, rather than using something like SD40s?
@@beeble2003 Steel Mills require very tight confines and tight curves. 4 axle switchers are the perfect fit for this kind of work
@@stephenjohnson26 Oh, right, good point. I'd not considered what happens once they get wherever they're going.
@@beeble2003 They did try some ex Bessemer and Lake Erie SD38-2's back around 2000. Not successful in the mills.
Much better view from these switchers also.
I subscribed to your channel for your support.
Thank you, it is greatly appreciated
Where?
@@brianporkchop2277 East Pittsburgh, PA, Braddock Ave
What is that grade?
@@TheWizardGamez about 2 1/2%
How much the gradient? Its look like almost 26%
@@memeng5174 about 2.5%
@@stephenjohnson26 that's absolutely woww
@@memeng5174 they are masters of their craft
Can we get some context here?
@@markmartindale7215 What would you like to know? The location is East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Railroad is the Union Railroad, they are shoving 39 slab loaded gondolas up what is known as the low-grade from the Valley Yard and are going to interchange those cars with the Norfolk Southern Railroad on the other side of the Monongahela river.
@@stephenjohnson26 That might have been a good thing to add in the description. If we hadn't seen the Edgar Thompson name on the building on the right, we'd have had no idea where this was, or when, or what we were looking at.
@@whiteknightcat I will endeavor to add more content in the future.
@@stephenjohnson26 many thanks
@@markmartindale7215 You’re welcome
Burning a cheap grade of whale oil...
@@jz1340 Whatever it may be it makes me happy to see them doing what they do
Looks like a 3% grade
@@rc4lifebnsf I believe it is about 2 1/2