I have to say that your one of my top 3 model railroad you tubers DJ. Heck your number one because you are actually working on the line, sort of the boots on the ground. The info you give from a railroaders perspective helps in my planning all the time. Thanks and don't stop doing what you love, you are a great asset to modelers and railfans alike.
Great video. Thanks for telling your story. I've been a model railroader for 38 years and still learned several things. This will be a great video to share with my 13 year old son so he can hear someone else besides me say "find your era". Thanks again!
DJ, I have been enjoying your videos for about a year now, Thanks for what you do! I drive a OTR flatbed delivering OSB out of the Weyerhaeuser mill in Flatwoods WV. At about the 6:00 mark what do I see, probably the most despised delivery we do, Allegheny Millworks right beside the 10th street bridge! This place is an absolute nightmare to get into and out of! Anyway keep the great work! Thx!
I appreciate you sharing your know how. I'm just a medical guy who had an HO scale layout in my parents basement when I was in junior high. Now just about retired I want to get back into the layout scene! I don't even have a place for a railroad yet, and the very first step is to convince the wife for some space...
Hi Dj,I love your channel and your humor.you are one of the best youtubers I've ever seen. I have so much fun watching the channel. I have a big bedroom floor layout that is a double track mainline with an 8 track rail yard and I am thinking about replacing the 6 inch curve pieces with the 1 foot curved pieces reducing the string line derailments.the trains can be longer than ever. I can finally have 34 car trains on my outside loop. And I have 12 trains in total some of the engine bodies are H O scale with wheels that would fit perfectly on the wooden train tracks. That way I can operate the trains by hand to save electricity to reduce electric costs for my home and my grandmother. I also do that so I don't have to get track cleaning supplies for every single engine that is HO scale. But then there are costs of all the locomotive wheels from whittle shortline railroad and the 5 8ths screw in couplings for the trains. That is why I have a wooden train layout in my room. And I also like to make my trains look nice and clean. I am so glad I could make the trains very big and so much fun to operate on the railroad. I also deliver the freight from point A to point B and I haul everything coal to gifts and recycling materials to the costumers all over the imaginary Island Of Poultney. I got that from the Island Of SODOR from Thomas and friends. I love that show except All Engines Go. I hate that part of the show so much. I would rather watch chuggington. I think All Engines Go is the worst train show I've ever seen in my life but I like Big World Big Adventures because they got a new engine for the steam team on SODOR. Her name is Rebecca. She is very very kind and helpful to everyone even to devious Deisel who tricks her into doing the jobs that the other diesels were supposed to do but he gave her the wrong destinations to get the other diesels into trouble with the fat controller. Rebecca found out about the plan after she delivered the cars to the wrong place and told the fat controller what diesel told her to do and that got him into trouble and I think he deserves it. Rebecca is one of the best Engines ever. Sorry for going off topic. Thanks Cory Mears
I have just found your channel. I live in North Texas. Except for the Houston Ship Channel we do not have legacy waterways that carried freight or passengers. Also don’t have a lot of mountains to cut tunnels through. We do have big flat prairies. So I chuckle when you talk about building next to a river. In fact a river in West Texas may have less water than your creeks and streams. I do enjoy your videos and RailRoad experience. I just wanted to thank you and have a little fun. I live in Dallas, which is one of the largest land locked cities in the world.
Really great video DJ, so broad and informative. Thanks for validating my trigger of plywood spaghetti 🍝 double track 4 - 8 layouts. I can’t wait to get my prototype scene based layout started! On foam. 😂
You gave me some good advice! I'm in the planning stages, at 58 years old, to model three switch yards I grew up on as my Dad worked for the SOO LINE RR for over 40 years in Wisconsin and Michigan. I just bought a house with an open basement and I'm getting the plans together. Thanks for what you're doing.
@djstrains - just getting back into my n scale model railroading and came across your channel - wow! I am LOVING your content! Thank you for such excellent work, insight and experience.
Absolutely awesome video, so incredibly informative! And thank you for answering my question about train lengths/size. Sorry I'm a little late here to see the video!
Probably have past by me! I retired 2years ago at At&t and went to work taking care of a long line fiber that is on CSX right away in Ohio and West Virginia. I don’t know many engineers, but know almost all the road masters, yard forman, maintenance, etc in both states.
Good video, nice to hear the industry perspective. I appreciated how you highlighted some of the changes throughout time such as double track + lots of small trains compared to single track with big trains - made me realize some additional reasons I am planning to model Donner Pass during WWII era that I simply hadn't considered but fits in.
DJ you are the man, just love this and the commentary and explanation of the RR wow I never this or that. Thanks again you are the engineer that rocks 🙂
Around the same time you started on the railroad I started over the road trucking, I wish I could go back in time and stop myself from climbing into that truck!!
I'm doing a freelance "what if" road. The question answered is, "What if steam and turbine power never went away?" I use modern era rolling stock and non-railroad construction, but steam and turbine motive power with the associated infrastructure. I do have a few diesels, but they're mostly switchers. Up to third-generation, with minimal road engines. No F-units, no E-units. I do have modern electric engines, though. You might see an Acela or a GG1. But for the most part the road engines are either turbines or steam locomotives. Additionally, I use three-rail O-scale for more realism and less setup for signals and accessories. I also use speed-controlled slot cars wired to a set of timers and signal units, similar to block signals on the rails, in order to make realistic car traffic. When the crossing gates are down the street signal is red and the slot cars in the block, stop. Then when the gates go up the lights turn green and the cars move again. The cars are wired internally to have headlights, tail lights and specialty lighting (for emergency vehicles). My layout is hi-rail, but it is extremely realistic apart from the "what if" factor. It's basically "Budget Miniatur Wunderland".
Wow, very educational experience. You are a able to describe something while keeping the subject interesting, educational and easily understandable all at once. Not everyone has this ability. Many in the education sector could learn from you
On a layout, if you have a passing siding that holds 20 cars, that takes 15 ft so you are almost running double track any way. So two passing sidings and you are doing 30 ft. of track plus approaches and switch leads.
I worked at Elliott Turbomachinery a while back, when there was quite a bit of trackage on the plant property. The siding is under the truck, crosses Harrison Ave and proceeds to the right down to the PRR main in downtown Jeannette.
Excellent video. Problem with railroads is that they are controlled by Wall Street ( W/S wanted 1 man crew - are they insane- image if airlines only had 1 crew
Many railroads already operate with one man in the cab. Most Amtrak runs are that way. Many short line and regional operations operate with one man in the cab. Under the right circumstances, it works better than two in the cab.
Fantastic video, lots of very valuable information. I really enjoyed watching it & I think it's one of your best yet. Thanks for putting it together & publishing it.
Railfanning, stopped doing it since I work for the railways. Although the occasional oddity still can capture my attention and if time permits I happily take a picture.
I appreciate you candid, blue collar viewpoint on labor and business. Congratulations on your successful, self-made career. Takes discipline to weather the changes and downsizing while keeping a good professional attitude. Safety and environmental was always job 1 with me, even if I felt my employer was paying lip service to those priorities at he expense of expediency. I too enjoy drone videography and your Phantom 4's perspective adds a neat dimension to your channel and is a real help for diorama building.
Hi DJ, Great video full of information. The railroad I work for sent us to their training center for 2 months in Georgia all expenses paid. Now the motel was more like Motel 6 and most of our meals were taken at Subway and Fast Food restaurants, as you were only given so much money per week on your meal card. But all in all it was a very enjoyable experience. Also I don't know if you didn't want to go into a lot of detail, but it's the GE's that give you the load limited warning when the water temp is below 155 degrees. You know the railroad I work for but I'm not really announcing that, big brother does watch social media and my comments are my own and do not reflect those of the company. Having said that, our locomotives use AESS (Auto Engine Start / Stop) system that will shut the locomotive down, but monitors things like temperature, main reservoir pressure and battery voltage. Of course you have to let AESS shut the engine down, if you hit the EFCO (Engine Fuel Cut Off aka red stop button) you disable the AESS and the locomotive will not restart until manually restarted. Now onto the model portion of my long winded reply (ha ha ha) I love switching operations but have been unable to choose a specific railroad or time period. With my very limited modeling space I choose to create a fictitious or freelance branch line serving a small town. I want the layout to look like a little piece of the real world, but I don't get stressed if my tracks don't have drainage ditches. I'm not knocking anyone who does enjoy modeling that detail, that is the great thing with this hobby, there is room for everyone. My branch is loosely based on branches like the P&LE Ohio River Branch or their Ellwood City Branch, but I didn't want to limit myself to just the P&LE. So though out the year you'll find different railroads operating the branch, but one important thing you mentioned you'll only find railroad cars on my layout that are associated with the industries served on the branch, no stock cars or well cars on this branch line. Also something I learned years ago, never say never in the railroad world. Yes railroad of today want all their customers to be located right along side the mainline, but that wasn't always the case. A couple examples, the Montour railroad had branches that reached coal mines in Westland, PA and Library, PA. Plus the above mentioned P&LE that had a branch that went to Shippingport. Cheers, Rich S.
That is so so cool I railfan the now Ohio River Secondary in fact ive chased DJ on it a few times it ends at National Gypsum Company two questions ive been wondering 1 was that formerly owned by Penn Central? 2 Didnt that go to the opposite side on the river of Mingo Junction Ohio at one point?
Hi @@moregltfirephotography4857, Yes at one time the Pennsylvania railroad owned part of the branch between Weirton and Kobuta. I believe the PRR section was called "The New Cumberland Branch". The PRR and P&LE had a switching agreement where every 6 months they'd alternate between who would switch the industries in Kobuta. The story I heard was a trestle on the PRR section below Shippingport was washed out and the P&LE became the sole operator of the line. During the end of the P&LE era, the section of the branch between ARCO Polymers and Shippingport was under the control of Duquesne Light and only saw occasional movements of High & Wide loads to the power plants. I never got the chance to photograph the Schnabel car on the branch, but heard reports it made several trips to the power plant delivering High & Wide Transformer loads. Cheers, Rich S.
@@RWSBaden wow that is so neat a lot of small lines ended with track washing out etc I'm really interested in the railroad history the Smiths ferry Branch owned by Youngstown and Southern was right across the river from Georgetown PA it followed the Little Beaver Creek to Negly Ohio it was a coal route they were going to turn it into a scenic railroad but then the south portal of the main tunnel collapsed and they closed up shop for good funny enough in 2018 or 2019 rails to trails dug out the collapsed section of the tunnel turned out it never collapsed there was just a mud slid over the south portal and the south portal looks just like the day it was buried just like new concrete no cracks or anything beautiful compared to the North portal there was also a 100 foot high trestle no one knows what happened to it there was even a original wood caboose Shawmut I think it was left behind but very very very stupid teens apparently torched it in the 70s
Well then...thanks for saving me from double tracking this year, passing siding with only 3 engines in my collections DCC roster, and a small yard (literally 4 tracks, one for breaking down & building trains, one for a team track, an interchange to the SOO/CN and the final one for a bulk transloading facility). My area of interest sees coal, lumber, and agricultural products, and car storage for 2 & 3 bay covered hoppers, surprisingly covered hoppers & boxcars are more common than coal gondolas, tanks & standard gondolas in the prototype area.
In Ft. Wayne, IN there is a rail line that goes for almost a mile and a half from the mainline to serve a bulk material facility (for the INDOT facility nearby?) and a few warehouses/lumberyard suppliers. The tracks cross Butler Road via a creepy (wooden?) bridge. I’ve seen in the late nineties an SD40-2 being used retrieve cars from the sidings. Nowadays I believe NS uses the SD40E?(SD60) as local switchers. I might never get around to doing some sightseeing (from the streets) one of these weekends for an update.
DJ could you explain how the yard trains operations are carried out ! My father was a rate clerk many years ago when computers were just coming in for the Atlanta and Saint Andrew's Bay Line and I've always been fascinated.
@@cdavid8139 back when they were still The Atlanta and Saint Andrew's Bayline and painted what dad called "Bayline green" and yellow ! Recently the paper mill that was a big part just shut down. Good to hear from you.
@@scificowboy1350 I used to do some work with a dude named Earl Durden who ended up owning them for a while. Later with GWI. I do remember the initial paint scheme for ASAB and driving down the highway from Dothan paralleling the tracks. Shame that the paper mill is shutting down. I never went inside that mill but have been inside many. Paper mills are typically big rail customers. SciFi Cowboy?????
Catching all this back catalogue; another great segment. I was fascinated by so much of this, and particularly interested in what you had to say about appropriate train building, because you can actually see similiar physics at work with a model. I have some vintage hoppers that are diecast, and they track real nice, but if they're at the back of the consist and there are any unweighted or underweight cars in front, watch the fun begin! 😣😉
Hi DJ, Been trying to get back into the hobby, the pandemic hasn’t helped at all as some health issues keep me out of big box stores, hardware stores, hobby shops, train shows etc. My uncle worked for the B&O, Punxsutawney to DuBois until his retirement back in the late, 80s or 90s. Don’t know what his job was exactly but did watch him work the yard in Punxsy when we were up from D.C. back in the 50s I remember parking ear the tracks out of Union Station and watching the trains going to and from. First lots of big black steam, then diesels and the electrics of the Pennsylvania R.R. I’m not going to try to replicate DC Union station or up around Punxsutawney but I do like that era. My trains, HO, are from the Sixties and Seventies and are DC. So I need to decide to convert to DCC locomotives from DC and get everything out of storage. I intend to begin with Four modular sections, as being in my 70s my daughter and granddaughter will eventually have to move them out of the basement. This will also allow for expansion. Watch your videos plus about 4-5 others to get up to date on all the changes. Thanks for the videos
Thanks for watching. Start small and just focus on one scene. Small but focused. There is a lot of satisfaction doing one scene great, rather than trying to hurry and build a basement empire
I’ve been taught physics for years and being very interested in full-size trains and models was great to hear you talk about the physics of driving a train. I would like to know what happens if you lose contact with an engine In the middle or rear of your train. I believe this is a radio contact. An explanation of the way this works would be very helpful to me. Thank you
@@djstrains Thank you so much. That’s what I thought would have to happen but just wondered. Also my initial second word should’ve been teaching not been taught. I very much enjoy your site
You say to model what I grew up watching? Well we would sit backwards on the top set of bleachers behind the local high school. There were 4 sets of tracks that went straight in both directions left & right and there was a locomotive manufacturing plant a couple miles to the right. It was fun to watch the trains go back and forth from the plant but that's about it 🙃😜👍
There is those familiar GNWR hoppers. The 4750CF ones will likely be disappearing from salt service, they aren't loaded at American Rock Salt anymore, now the AEX cars are 2 bay hoppers mostly 3281CF cars lettered AEX/CAEX. Yes I only will buy stuff that fit what I will be doing.
Fantastic video as always! This video answered so many of my questions, thank you! I saw a SD40-2 leading a AC4400CW in McKeesport the day before Easter. And the engineer gave me a few extra honks. If you want to see that video I think it’s one of my most recent video. If I had to pick a fallen flag to work for I’d pick the B&LE. And recently they put in this coaling station near the CSX yard in McKeesport. Do they load coal train there?
PSR was a terrible nightmare, Greed envogue. sir please never stop making awesome content, i really enjoy your explanations and personality, we are under your learning tree
I would not call it 'greed'. These are for profit businesses. Truckers and barges put huge pressure on rail to keep costs down. And technology does change overtime so with PTC and DPU capability railroads are going to adapt. Trip Optimizer is a great example of technology stepping in and understanding what is going on in a long train far better than a human can. (Sorry DJ...not trying to diminish your running skills).
How does your employer feel about their employees making videos and comments? Did you have to get permission? Do you ever catch grief? Several times I've switched jobs & I wanted a railroad job but each time it seemed as though they were on furlough and now I'm older than 60 and I'm best suited to photograph or work on a layout. Thanks for sharing!
I used to live in Pittsburgh, I love seeing it today. Would you explain CSX signals? I am an S scaler. I got my first AF in Pgh. Switched from Ho to S. Now I am working on Scale.
Excellent video DJ, always informative! Question- what engines do you find best for flat switching, GP 38,39,40’s? GE B units? Slug or no slug? Keep the great videos coming my man👍🏼😎
Hey DJ can you do a video explaining remote jobs? There's a second CSX job that services the industrial park near my railroad's interchange that usually passes through while we're firing up our loco. They always have their RCL strobes going, is it a choice of the crew to use RCL vs doing it the old fashioned way? We also got PSRed and had critical cars with held, we raised some hell and they sent out an extra in the middle of the day that also came as a remote job, both crew members had control packs. What's up with that?
Conductors and some brakeman are RCO qualified. Engineers are not. The job may be a RCO only job, Sometimes they break so they will run "conventional" and call an engineer.
same actually. Our main line runs across western Pennsylvania. The district is now the northern district with this being the Pittsburgh sub district. But we have BRANCH LINES that are small less used less traffic like our ohio river track. Its 10 mph.
I like your video from drone I worked for Chessie System Pittsburgh division in early 80s up until csx took over they combined the seniority rosters I was on the track gang loved it but they did not have enough work for me to stay
