Trouble on the Tehachapi Pass! Broken Rail at Woodford.
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- čas přidán 13. 12. 2022
- This was the second day my British friend, Stephen, spent chasing trains with me on the Tehachapi. The first thing we encountered was two westbound trains stopped at Woodford. The culprit? A broken rail at the west end. Track forces handled it pretty quickly, but not before trains were backed up from Bakersfield to Mojave, and we caught quite a few of them.
So, join us for a backlog of trains on the Tehachapi!
Please help support the channel if you can!
paypal.me/motopoet59
patreon.com/markclaymcgowan
Once again you and a friend from England catch a great bunch of trains starting with a broken rail making Tehachapi a nice amount of quick traffic. Thanks Mark.
Mark I worked in the planer dept. at a sawmill near Dinuba for 23 years and then at Home Depot in the lumber dept. for another 21 years and you are right about the smell of lumber I never get tired of that smell. Thanks for all your videos.
Was that sawmill the abandoned facility on the south side of town with spurs running into it?
@@MarkClayMcGowan Sequoia Forest Industries North of Dinuba and South of Reedley. There are several spurs there and I think they are still being used, sawmill and planers are long gone. There is a co-generation plant there also. That sawmill was built in the early 50's and operated until the spotted owl came to the forest...lots of people lost their jobs.
And the spotted owl would still have been fine.
@@MarkClayMcGowan As delicious as the smell of fresh cut lumber is, the smell of the forest is even better. The mix of live trees along with the decomposition of deadfall and brush is wonderful, especially in the fall and spring when everything is damp.
I loved the smell so much, that when I graduated from Reedley High in 88, I moved to Oregon an spent 20 years working as a faller or a lumber grader, I now work for the Post office as a carrier, but still love the smell
Nice catches and nice scenery! Oh the joys of railroading!
Thank you for this... we wondered if something had happened since traffic stopped. Kudos to you for filming/sharing and keeping our train crews safe and sound.
Spectacular shots, Mark!
what a great day for chasing trains! great shots, with all different loads,
have a safe, healthy, and a great day!
Thanks mark&Steve for your continued posting so people like me from New York can enjoy it
My pleasure! Stephen should have his videos edited and up soon, so be sure to check out his channel @Distributed Power
Hey Mark that was a cool video. Lots of trains. Loved it. I’m waiting on your friend’s videos. Merry Christmas to you guys. 👍❤️🎄
Awesome! Loved the footage and the commentary!
I love hearing the sounds of those locomotives working hard around the Tehachapi area
Me too! Not being a classic railfan, the big, loud, ground shaking power is what interests me the most!
Still get a tear in my eye when I hear an old train in the night!
Keep shooting them videos this is a great one thank you
Hello Mark, stumbled across your channel. Great videos and it’s fantastic how you interact with your subscribers. Keep up the good work, you got a new subscriber too.
Thanks for the sub and the compliment! I really enjoy interacting with subscribers whether here or in person. It's always an honor to meet them!
I really admire your ability to get to some unique areas. I've been through Tehachapi maybe 8-10 times over the last 15 years (most recently last month) and sorta know the places you are, but you get into some pretty cool locations. Great video!
Very nice scenery around those parts!!
Nice video , thanks for sharing , very cool 😊
great video mark thanks for sharing
What a great day we had. We got some great footage, I particularly like your going away shot of the train snaking at Cable. It was worth getting your boots caked in mud for that! Snowing here in London, so I'm sorting out my videos ready for uploading.... Hope all is well your end. Stephen.
It certainly was a great day! I look forward to seeing your take on both the days we spent up there, as well as the rest of your videos!
Merry Christmas!
Steven, do set up your channel! Footage of the Tehachapi and Cajon Pass from the 90s and earlier is hard to come by. More of it is showing up, but often the video or videography quality is poor. Look forward to seeing your past work!
They meet at same time, and end at same meet point, pretty rare for that. Nice catch.
Great video thanks for sharing with us 👍🏻🚂🔔
I enjoy your videos. It's a pleasure having commentary from an experienced railroader. When you describing parts of your jobs it felt like a video tutorial and very interesting. UP lost a loyal employee when you retired. I'm also retired since 2015 and it took a while to get used to people not shooting at me in Chicago. Enjoy your retirement, your wife, your music and your golf...
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy the videos, and I really appreciate you checking out the channel! Here are links to a couple of "How Things Work". I think you will enjoy them!
"How Things Work on the Railroad" czcams.com/play/PL6ge3RoxmyvpcyRZPKJKl6W4l5IdiC-Ps.html
"How The Signal Department Works" czcams.com/play/PL6ge3RoxmyvpcyRZPKJKl6W4l5IdiC-Ps.html
Now I have a better sense of how busy the Tehachapi area is - wow! A broken rail (which I hope is rare) and look at all the traffic backed up. With the length of these trains, it could cause a several hour delay after the trains are released :) I feel for you on using the wife's car - my wife is very particular about cleanliness (hers is a garage queen - a gorgeous Mustang). If I get it dirty, I have to detail it :) I always love those shots where you can see most of the train as it circles around and passes thru tunnels and all! You could start a postcard company with just the views around there. Thank you as always for the information and history that goes along with the video :)
Broken rails are actually one of the more common problems, especially on the Tehachapi, with the temperature swings, grades, and curves.
I get the car hand washed and fill it up when I'm done. It's an outside car anyway. The garage is for the Harley, dirtbikes, and stuff! Thanks for checking it out!
@@MarkClayMcGowan Ah! I should have remembered the Harley :)
gorgeous camera work!!! Love your videos!
Thanks...Great job, enjoyed
Great video. Thanks
Once I heard a radio report to dispatcher "There's a Pickup truck stuck on the tracks". By the time they got it cleared up there was 3 trains in a row stopped on the main (Amtrak was in the rear :(). I had a birds eye view of most of this. It's never good when the railroad gets shut down (even for an hour or so) but it can make for some great train watching :). I never saw how they cleared it up but there was a completely totaled (looked like a car crusher job) pickup by the tracks at that milepost for about a year thereafter :).
Thanks for the video
That was a very cool video Mark, I sure enjoyed that! (Dave).
EPIC shots!!!!!!
Beautiful back drop for filming this cool train. Our maintenance workers use trucks instead of mini vans, lol. We love our train videos in Clemson SC, Go Tigers!
The mini vans are the company that haul the train crews around. Thanks for checking it out!
Really enjoyed this. Thanks.
My pleasure! Be sure to check out more of my videos, especially if you enjoy this area and finding out how things work! Here are a couple of links!
czcams.com/play/PL6ge3RoxmyvpcyRZPKJKl6W4l5IdiC-Ps.html
czcams.com/play/PL6ge3RoxmyvowK6yZhiEzYJqkSTVJNDaB.html
I am new to the channel but I want to show my respect and say thank you for sharing. I am a new subscriber. Your videos will help me when I make scenarios for the Tehachapi route in Train Simulator Classic. Please keep up the great work!
Peter.
Thank you! Welcome to the channel!
Also, If there is a specific location you would like photographed for a backdrop or whatever, email me and I'll shoot it for you if possible.
I like what you do, so I subscribed, nice video
Thanks for checking it out and for the sub! It's appreciated!
Sat up til 3am watching this. Well worth it to. Liked the contrast of the snow/ no snow on the mountains. Don't know what camera you used Mr Mark, but it was like being trackside. Very clear image. Open container at 12:36.
My Samsung Galaxy 21 cellphone is my camera. It takes great video as well as stills!
I had an uncle from the UK who worked british trains until he retired. He would have loved this. When he first started his family was a railroad family, living in a trackhome. Rail road children. :)
Great video.
Look at that countryside ! Beautiful .
It really is! Thanks for checking it out!
Nice find. Someone had a good eye to spot that rail before a derailment occurred.
Just stumbled on to your channel. One of the trains you shot, BNSF 6678 east, was a Z NBYWSP 1 - the hottest freight train on the BNSF -.nice catch!
Welcome to the channel! I'll bet the honchos were none too pleased with that train being delayed so long! Thanks for checking it out!
Between talks of strike and holidays shipping allot on Google news . Great video especially broken rail snapped sucker good. Keep up great work and thank you for doing this channel it's awesome.
Thank you!
@@MarkClayMcGowan you are welcome.
When a rail breaks you better get to it right now!!
Thank you verry interesting
Awesome video Mark. I was just ready to write in on how I would fix that
rail when you narrated on how they were going to do it. Was also ready to
hop on a plane and fly out to help. Very odd break! Usually a break at a weld
takes part of the weld with it. Caused by an inclusion in the weld where the
slag had some oxygen deposit left in from when it was welded. Have never
seen a break an inch away from the weld like that one. Really making me think
on why it happened. That looked like fairly new rail. Would really like to know
when that rail was laid and the weld made. Great shots on the rest of the video.
Excellent show my friend!!!
This was welded electrically with the big, on track unit. Maybe that changes the properties of the weld? Thanks for checking it out!
@@MarkClayMcGowan I cannot answer that. We've never had any flash butt
welding done here. Just watched it on a YT video. I've had several thermite
welds break and the pattern on all of those is just like I described in the
original post. Hope sometime you can talk to a welder and find out what
they think. I would love to know that info.
Wow. That Manifest was an impressive train.
Would be Interesting to see Hardware/Software inside the Lead Unit that shows how the various DPU’s are Isolated and/or Independently Managed for Power. 👍
They're not likely to let me in a cab, but it never hurts to ask!
CSX ES44AH with steerable trucks, One of my favorites! The Santa Fe Dash 9 is no worse than the rest of the Dash 9s that BNSF still runs. UP only AC4400s and ES44ACs.
Excellent Enterprising Emerging Evolving Railfanning Endeavor. Hearty Greetings from Hyderabad/Kakinada, India 🇮🇳 💐🤝🙏
Thank you! I always enjoy hearing from my viewers abroad!
Espectacular. Excelente trabajo muy emotivo por considerar solo la fuerza descomunal que tienen eso grandiosos motores.Saludos desde PANAMÁ.
Thank you! I love hearing from my foreign viewers!
Nice video
tell Stephen to make sure he links his youtube channel to yours so we know when its up and running, cool video again Mark.
Another great video! My guess is that shorter trains is a reflection of the poor economy.
Hi-ya mate. A rahhhhhther well done vid sir of Tehachapi traffic. A thumbs up to yah! Good to see a Brit learning from the 'colonists' about hi tech RR engineering.
Thanks for checking it out! I think Stephen knew more about it than I did! It was a blast hanging out!
Looks like a blown thermite. Been seeing a lot of those lately especially on our line
awesome video just found the channel will sub thx for the post 😊😊👍👍
My pleasure! Thanx for the sub and for checking it out!
Nice video. Man, that entire route needs to be at least double tracked.
The location of most of the tunnels prohibits that due to the delays it would cost. Two of the areas that had been slated for double track were shut down by the environmentalists. Thanks for checking it out!
great video, new sub here! thanks for sharing
Thank you! I really appreciate it. I hope you find the time to check out more of the channel. I have many playlists to help you navigate the chaos!
I know what you mean about the smells around Railroads. I had Musical friends who wrote a song years ago about Diesel smoke! “I have Diesel smoke running through my veins, Diesel smoke crawlin through my brain”. 😂 That’s all I can remember except they had a Song “Sloppy Seconds” too!
Your American trains are massive. My goodness. Our trains in Scandinavia is much much shorter. Thank you for goody goody train videos. You got a Sub.
Welcome to the channel, and thank you very much for the sub! Yes, we are quite spoiled when it comes to railroading, especially in this area! I hope you find the time to check out more of my channel!
@@MarkClayMcGowan Thank you Sir. I will watch all your videos, so amazing. Wish you merry Christmas
OK man thanks for the first
I always like seeing CNW rolling stock and locomotives. I grew up outside Chicago in Lombard , Illinois
My friend and subscriber, @jacobpfeifer, is from Sheboygan(sp?), and liked seeing them on his visits here as well. Thanks for checking it out!
Good job Mark, isn't that the same place we're the last one was. Gary. Hope to see you in May
If you're talking about the short or stills from a month ago, this was that day. Give me a heads up when you're headed this way.
Should be the first weekend of May and when we get a little closer I'll give you a good update
that steel machine is amazingly imposing, yet still small in the scale of mountains 20:47
(First train) I've never seen that many engines pulling a train! Good grief!
I wish, mon ami, that you had video-taped the welding process !
They didn't weld it that day, and I no longer have connections in the track department up there. Should I come across them doing it somewhere, I'll get it as long as the crew are okay with it. In the meantime, here is the link to a video I shot of the rail gang at work in which they use the on track electric welding process.
czcams.com/video/Io3-acVjMnQ/video.html
Great videos. You should have a go bag, all your train stuff in the bag at the door when you leave your house so no matter what car you have it's with you...
Good idea, but it's a shame I have to consider it!
Wow its really long train ive seen.people are gonna wait more time on railroad crossing ♥️
This is one of those times where a train needs a box car with rail and welding machines pretty much like a car with its spare tire.
Before I retired, whilst driving to work, I could predict recessions by the volume of semi traffic on I-85. Perhaps shorter trains is an indicator of reduced economic activity? I like to speculate too!
lumber smeii is my favorite as is creosote on the ties in the sun .
I always wondered at the beginning of a train, why they have two different companies locomotives? BMSF and NS? I see that once and awhile here in Salt Lake.
All American railroads end up with overlapping areas at some point. Sometimes, a road will have a power shortage in an area and will "borrow" power from another road. The time power is used is tracked, and at some point, reciprocated when the other road is in need. The foreign power will always find its way back to it's home road. The channel @Distant Signal has a good video about the use of foreign power. Go check it out!
I like to know where I can get a radio in order to see some this trans where I live. I live just outside of Birmingham alabama, there is a train yard in place called Irondale. Back when I used to rewind motors, I used to re-insulate a lot of these traction motors on these engines. And rebuild or rewind some of the switch track switches. But what I understand now, these engines are turned into a AC drive setup if I'm not mistaken. Because we have not rewound any DC traction motors in quite a long time.
It's my understanding that all the DC road engines on the UP have converted (help me out experts!) to AC. As to the radio, you can buy a scanner and program it with the frequencies. I don't know exactly where you would get them for your area, but I'm sure local railfans, and/or ham radio folks, would have that information. Thanks for checking it out!
Mark, how often do they check the track for broken rails? Would you know? Great video as always.
Track inspectors are out every day checking out all or part of their territories
とても見応えのある動画でした。
日本にもループはありますが、動画の様な光景は見ること出来ません。
現地で見たいですね。
素晴らしい動画ありがとうございます。
WOW! Thanks for checking it out!
1 of the containers as a door open on the UP train next to last xar on international rake near back [brown container ]
How do they know when there is a broken rail or any other problem like that? Thx for the great videos.
Broken rails, wires, shorts, etc, leave a "track indication" that shows up on the dispatcher's board. It doesn't tell them what's wrong, only that there is a problem. The dispatcher calls signal operations, who call out a maintainer, who will go out and find the problem. Thanks for checking it out!
@@MarkClayMcGowan Thx and Happy Holidays! Love to find out more about how this works. Maybe a video on the topic? Pretty cool system.
Silly question, but why do they not run all units? Wouldn’t it be more efficient to run them all for the power?
Many times they are just moving power from one place to another. Two or three units can move most of these trains over the mountain. Longer, heavier trains may have power on the rear (and/or middle) for assistance and to reduce drawbar stress and for dynamic braking, but running all the units would be a waste of fuel as the working power can easily pull the dead weight as well. The only silly questions are the ones no one asks!
Thanks for checking it out!
looked a little cold out! thank you ALL stay safe
The wind chill kept it very cool, but it could be worse. We could be in North Dakota!
So hay Mark how much of land by derailment is railroad property and can they just come in and cut roads for equipment and staging equipment ?
Railroad property lines vary from place to place, but in most cases, no less than 25 feet from track centers. I don't know the legal aspect of what is done when roads need to be cut by the railroad. In this case, property outside of the railroad is overseen by a nature conservancy. The the state hazmat folks and dept. of fish and game would have given the okay to cut the roads to the tank cars.
I can't believe how much double track main has been converted to single track with long sidings.
They have never converted double track to single anywhere I know of. Just the opposite. Tunnels and environmentalists have kept the rest of the Tehachapi from being double tracked. The last segment was from Walong to Marcel in 2016.
@@MarkClayMcGowan
Thanks for the reply and correction. I must be thinking elsewhere.
I'm thinking with the looming Rail Strike the rail companies are moving as much freight as they can as quickly as they can. So the back log isn't too bad and stores have product on the shelf. The last BNSF I'm calling the JB Hunt train as 90% seamed to be JB Hunt
The strike was cancelled by the feds.
@@BossSpringsteen69 Ok ty I hadn't heard one way or the other. I figured the feds wouldn't let it happen, but you never know.
@@Samanthareneeheart10 congress has the power to end strikes like rail strikes.
~ Hey Mark, nice video, do you work for the Railroad? Nevermind, I just read your credentials. What department did you work for and or what was your job position?
I was is signal. Other than a technician, I held every job at one time or another. I retired as the Tehachapi Signal Maintainer, but had been a maintenance foreman for 22 years prior to that. Here's the link to a video about my career.
czcams.com/video/8GbqzcbYVNs/video.html
What Kind of Scanner Do You Recommend For Listening In On Train Traffic? Thanks
As long as you have the frequencies, they all work pretty well.
I've seen ns 1220 twice in Jacksonville FL
Sounds like it gets around!
What is the rail size in that broken part? How about axial weight of these trains and total tonnage?
How do they find a broken rail in the first place? Visual inspection or is there a system that automatically detects broken rails?
When a rail breaks, it causes a track indication that shows up on the dispatcher's board. It also puts all entering signals to stop. The dispatcher notifies signal and track operations, who notify a signal maintainer and a track inspector. In this instance, in a control point, it's pretty easy to find as the area is small. This one was found and removed from service by the signal maintainer. Thanks for checking it out!
The engineers don't wave from the trains anymore, not like they did back in 1954!
if you ask me looks like up is going light on the power for the Grade
How can an engineer spot a break like that and stop in time? Seems like it would be hard even to see from the distance of the siding switch, yet apparently the train got stopped. Did another train catch it earlier, or a track inspector catch it, or did the signal circuit catch it?
If the rail is broken, the signals governing movement into that section of track will be red. At a control point like this, the conductor would be required to walk from the signal to the power switch to ensure the way is clear and the switch is properly lined. Between control points, the train would slow to restricted speed, which is a speed at which they could stop in half the distance of seeing an obstruction or improperly lined switch, and in no case, over 20mph.
Sometimes the crew will see the break, sometimes not, and sometimes, the break occurs under the train.
I kno I'm not bugging or if I'm looking at the wrong thing but is the containers on the end of some of the trains are open?🤔.
open containers and truck trailers are pretty common. They are broken into on a regular basis.
Monster trains. What was it like to see the steam locos in action here?
That was WAY before my time, although I have seen the 4449 and Santa Fe (3751?) come over the pass. Both had diesel helpers so e didn't get to see the steam working very hard. Thanks for checking it out!
Mark, what was that last location on your video ? cool video thanks
We were about halfway between the Highway 202 over bridge and Tehachapi Depot Museum. Cheers, Stephen.
@@Distributed-Power thank you
Must’ve had a fisher from the plant cause it looks Brand new.
Hey Mark, did they daylight tunnel 10 at east waylong????
No, they excavated around it for the second track. Here is the link to a video in which you can see it.
czcams.com/video/dpoRBfqnMa4/video.html
Thanks Mark it looked like tunnel 10 was gone in this video I was just nor realizing where at Waylong you were standing
Thanks Mark. Any info on who / how the break was discovered?
A track indication stayed on behind a train, the signal maintainer was called to investigate and found the problem. The track supervisor showed up as well and removed the track from service. Thanks for checking it out!
@@MarkClayMcGowan Thanks for the detail. Do you know if the fix they apply is permanent or temporary?
Does Southern Pacific still run? My Grandfather was the VP of freight out of Oakland, CA
No. Union Pacific bought..umm..er...merged with SP in 1996.
That weld was done only a few months ago. 8/24/22 and the Rail Temp was 90 degrees. The ultrasound must not have picked up a crack.
Yes. They changed out the entire switch panel in August (wood to concrete) and laid new CWR on both ends in July. There was a very low spot under the break as well. I'm sure that didn't help things.
I Google mapped the train tracks and a lot of the places you say on your video's is listed on Google maps.
Google Earth is great for checking out the tracks and access up here
Do some videos in either Barstow or Jack London Square in Oakland
I did a piece from the Harvey House/Mother Road/Western American Museums and caught a train there. I may go back just for some train stuff there and at Daggett when it cools off, but there is no way to access the west end of the yard without permission, which BNSF is unlikely to grant. I don't do the Bay Area. Too far, too crowded, too dangerous, too dirty, and too unlike me.
*Looks like a model rail road... Yeah, that IS a nice smell **10:53** Makes you want to BUILD sumthin'... LOL*
Hello Mark! I was wondering, Did the UP make you retire? Or did you have enough after 20 years?? I have been watching your videos for 2 years now.
UP doesn't care how long you stay, but the Railroad Retirement Board has the 60/30 thing. If you have 30 years when you turn 60, you can retire with your full pension. I had 40 years seniority, and left as soon as I turned 60. I decided to live life while I was still feeling good! I do not miss working one bit!
@@MarkClayMcGowan Thank You Mark! I did not know you did 30, I thought it was 20. Love all your videos and the spots and subjects are always a learning point for me!
I'm In Phoenix so one day I need to hook up with you and go see places I only see in video!
Mark .. Looking at that break where the rail broke .. I saw holes on both sides of the rails .. Question .. Could they have used fish plates instead of cutting the rail out ? 🤔 Or my guess are all rail on Class 1 railroads required to be welded by FRA rules ? 🤔
He mentioned they couldn't because it was right at the field weld. The weld leaves a bulge on both sides of the rail that the plate wouldn't fit over.
@Tommy Zamberlan .. Yes and when I go back and look at the break it was at a weld joint .. but I'm also thinking that FRA rules may require all Class 1 railroads to have only welded rail .. I think Mark could verify that 🤔 ..
The holes were there from when the I-bond (the piece of rail with the insulated joint in it) was originally installed during the rail project. It was welded out prior to that project ending. The FRA makes no distinction on jointed or welded rail other than all joints in a fouling circuit (a switch location) must bonded for continuity.
Welded rail is much better for rail installation, track structure, and track and signal maintenance.
Thanks for checking it out!
The only way to angle bar a break near a field weld like that is with bubble bars. Even most old school railroaders have never even seen a pair of bubble bars, but they do exist. I’ve seen them in track on BNSF track in the Elwood/Joliet, Illinois area. They have a bump out in the center of the center holes to accommodate for the bulge left from the field weld.
@Tom Stathis The more I looked at the video I was puzzled how would an angle bar would fit over the bumb and then I went back thinking it could be a break in the weld joint . But your analyagy makes sense . Thanks 👍
A most interesting video... and it raises a few questions...
1) The rail break (and pull-apart) must have occurred under traffic and I was wondering how it was detected, particularly since we no longer run cabooses and the pushers are likely unmanned. Or was it detected as a result of a track inspection or a failure of the signal system to clear?
2) Was this on track that was recently worked on?
3) When was the last ultrasonic inspection of the rail performed?
4) Was there previously a rail alignment issue or fouled ballast in the area?
5) Does it look like the closely adjacent rail weld was improperly done, as the rail appears to be structurally weakened?
Thank you Mark for clarifying the matter. 2024/03/10. Ontario, Canada.
1. Not all rail breaks occur under trains. A weak spot and enough temperature difference (they happen in the summer as well) and they will break without any other outside forces. This one did break under a train though, and left a track indication in the OS. The dispatcher then called a signal maintainer, but the train you saw on the mainline was given permission to flag the red signal. When the conductor walked ahead to inspect the track and switch, he saw the break and didn't believe it was passable, so the turnout was removed from service. Crews on cabooses rarely spotted broken rails, and manned helper crews never spotted them.
2. The rail on each side of the OS (the turnout between signals) was laid and welded to the OS rails in mid July and the break occurred in early November. It was determined that a low spot under the weld was the cause.
3. I have no idea when the rail detector car had last checked the area.
4. A low spot had developed under the break due to improper tamping, which settled after some wet weather, but lateral alignment was fine.
5. The weld was fine. The roadbed at that point was the issue.
Thanks for checking it out!
@@MarkClayMcGowan - Thank you very much Mark for the detailed reply.