Excellent work and uplifting Thank you for sharing this outstanding catch Obviously a man who loves his profession and takes pride in his ability to connect with humanity Please forget about all the negativity in some of the comments and seriously consider deleting ALL OF THEM & blocking their authors
I couldn't hear what these folks were saying, due to the Diesel-Electric Locomotive running. Must have been his family. I also wonder who videoed this?
I'm a long haul trucker; have been for 40 years now. Always loved trains - not sure why I never got into the rail industry; I always have wanted to drive a truck, though. A few years ago, I was at a customer with a spur next to the unloading lane, and I had a wait of over an hour. A local came in to pick up a couple cars and drop a couple more; I talked to the brakeman and he contacted the engineer - as long as I agreed not to interrupt the engineer or touch anything, I could get up into the cab and watch the switching operations !!!!! That was SO COOL !! Another place, I was delivering HUGE tires to a mine for their HUGE dump trucks; again, I had a wait. I asked if I could get up into the cab of one of the dumps; as long as I didn't touch anything, I was fine. Then the guy had ME drive that HUGE BEAST the 200 yards to the tire changing pad. ON MY BIRTHDAY!! When I was a kid, my grampa was a dispatcher for an oilfield trucking company. He arranged for a driver to take me out on a five minute ride - I WAS BESIDE MYSELF !!! Yes, these things stand out in a persons mind, no matter if they're 5 or 50...
I was at a railway museum with my two year old son, and on a siding was an enormous rusted out derelict steam locomotive. I walked up to the fossilized machine, carrying my son on my arm, and he was visibly awed, almost to the point of being afraid to approach the thing. It impressed me that even in its inert state, the old machine still had the power to inspire respect.
I’m an old trucky too 😊 and also a bit of a train fan , some decades ago , I got a job to pick up an over dimensional load , which was a very large 20 ton case that had a locomotive diesel engine in it , I had to pick it from the wharf and take it to the rail yards, As it turned out , the case was much bigger than their lifting equipment, so had to wait at the rail yard for the crane company to go and get an appropriate spreader bar , while I was waiting, I got talking to one of the young train mechanics that then gave me a bit of a tour of the workshop and let me have a look around inside one of the big diesel Locos, that was a very good day 😊.
That is SO COOL indeed! And on your birthday! I don't care if we're 6 or 60, trains, trucks, and heavy equipment are awesome - it's just that as we age we're supposed to act more nonchalant about such things. Not me! I'm they crazy lady pulling over in the big gravel turnout near the tracks over Tehachapi Pass to watch a train go by and wave at the crew. 61 and still refusing to act like a grownup. A thought, if you want to play with trains: Join your local railway museum. They'd be thrilled to have you. At ours (the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in eastern San Diego County) you can help with restoration and maintenance, track/MOW work, and even work your way up to become an engineer and operate the trains.
If only that little guy was around where I was by the Woodside station of the Long Island Railroad circa 1960 and took a trip to Manhattan bypassing the Sunnyside Yard of Pennsylvania Railroad where the Pennsylvania R.R. and the Long Island Railroad kept their trains for the rush hours. Both had the same type of trains except that the Pennsylvania R.R had pantographs for the overhead wire and the Long Island Railroad had a 3rd rail shoe for the 3rd rail outside the tracks. Bother had the hoot sound air whistles! 😊
@@luislaplume8261 from Canada: I wondewr what caused the delay prior to thios footase? Was it simply because so much of Amtrsak runs ontracvks owned by freight interests (as so oftenthe case in ?Canad also)?
I was already having a good day and watching this video shot things up 1000%. When I was a youngster about the age of the boy in the video (1948-1952) my grandmother took me on numerous train trips from California to visit family in Chicago and Tennessee. Just waiting for the train at the various stations made me so happy and whenever an engineer waved at me, I was ecstatic. God bless this little kid because, as so many have already noted, the memory will not only be something he will remember but it will also teach him a wonderful lesson about what being amiable and kind can do for human beings. Thanks for taking the time to film this incredible piece in such a caring manner. It is a beautiful and moving glimpse into the bright side of human interaction.
I will always remember the Rock Island Conductor who tossed me a hat pin, at 89th & Throop St. with that famous RI Shield. I moved out to a College Apt. Sadly, I forgot it. So I made sure to buy a new one at Discount Trains of Addison. TX.
I always tried to do that with people when I worked for the railroad. I remember being a lonely kid watching trains and some of the train crews who engaged with me. I tried to pay it forward during my career as a locomotive engineer.
My friend was an Amtrak engineer and she would always wave to the kids along the line. One day she was waiting for some cargo to be loaded because the lift had broken down and stepped out to look back and there was a dad with a little girl and boy and when the girl saw her she yelled, "Dad the train driver is a girl!" The dad walked the kids up to the engine and she talked to the girl. She yelled and said , "When we get ready to leave, I'll blow the horn extra loud for you." My dad was an engineer for the NYC in the early 30's and he remembers the fireman tossing kids coal to take home, and women coming to the locomotive with buckets to ask for hot water in some small towns that didn't have running water.
Awhile back there was a great lady who was an Engineer on the Crescent between New Orleans and Atlanta. She was really great around us foamers and had a magic touch. Starts and stops were incredibly smooth. I haven't been on that run in ages, but I always enjoyed seeing her. And even in jest, if any of the old whiskers gave her a ration, she held her own. In spades. Even with the safety vest, gloves, safety shoes and all the rest, she was always looking sharp. Even a touch of makeup. Had I been 40 years younger... I hope she is still as happy at her craft today as she was then.
Yes it does Thank you and especially thank you for someone saying this who is from 🇬🇧 the UK I am embarrassed by some of the shit for brains comments on this post by residents of my own nation People from the UK & Ireland 🇮🇪 are our BEST friends
This is what it's all about, inspire our young ones and youth. Our time is short while hopefully theirs is very long. Kudos too the Engineer who may have planted the seed for this child to drive a train to the planets and stars..!!!!
Awesome. 50+ years ago I was that little guy looking up in awe at the locomotive. 50 years later I was the guy who spent many hours getting this very locomotive back on the road after a wreck. What will today’s little guy be doing in a half-century?
Very nice! That little guy just had a great time. Things like this impress kids in a positive way. I run a Powerhouse for a facility and enjoy giving people a tour of the workings. When someone has a chance to see something like that it's usually a great time for them. I wear Carhartt or Duluth at work and always try to look presentable. A little bit of public relations is good for most things and this was a great example
I spent 62 years in broadcasting as a design/build/operate/maintenance Engineer. in my youth, I was given tours and explanationn of radio and TV stations. I've always paid back those wonderful folks in kind. i was always proud to show off my TV truck, station, even transmitters. I recieved tours of railroad engines and switch towers. people like that Engineer let me to a great career and a wonderful hobby, and earned their wings by doing so.
It was mine also circa 1960 when my late parents took the subway train to Manhattan and changed subway trains at Queensborough Plaza station. The motorman had his cab door open and his side window open for fresh air. I saw him using 2 throttles to slow down and speed up the train. The train we were on to Manhattan was the BMT Standards built from the World War 1 era. 1914 til 1918. Check it out on Google. 😊
THIS is exactly how my love of trains began. Uh, a "few years" ago my grandparents took me to a grade crossing where a switcher came by every afternoon. The second day, the engineer stopped the locomotive and asked if I wanted to visit the cab. I don't think I've ever run faster than that day! It's too bad kids these days just tag trains instead of riding them. And yeah, this was back in 62-63'... just a few years ago!
Train drivers are cool. I always take all of my toddler grandkids up to our local platform to wave at the drivers, and the drivers always wave back. They are great! 🙏
The real issue is we should hope this happens more often. Today, fewer and fewer younguns like trains. If it is not on their smart phone there is no interest. I am part of a group of Friends of the Cumbres & Toltec that are writing histories, operations, etc. that will be edited down to the 10 year old level in hopes that such material will help to feed the younguns. I know for a fact that the bug bit me on the posterior while sitting on my Uncle's knee as a two year old. He was a high seniority engineer on the L&N and worked such trains as the Pan AMerian, South Wind, & others. And guys, now almost 86 years of age I know that IT IS A TERMINAL BITE.
When I was 8 my dad had an office in an old warehouse in downtown Charleston. The warehouse had a siding and when the train would bring a rail car in id help the guys unload it quickly while the engine would wait. The engineer saw me helping and how fascinated I was with the locomotive. He asked if I wanted to jump in the cab to see how it worked. Then we got to switch the empty box car to another track. Wow. That engineer has no idea what an impact that has on this now 58 year old man. I can still hear the woom woom woom sound of that EMD as he let me give it a little throttle. Probably was against every rule in the book at old seaboard coastline railway but damn I'm glad to have had men like that engineer in my life. Will never forget that day
When I was eight years old we lived by a Denver and Rio grand spur. We would run on the road along the track and the crew would throw a candy bar or a pack of gum out of the cab to us. They have families and miss them while working and are great people. We thought they were the coolest guys in town.
At which station was this film made? My spouse's brother and wife are members of MARP (Michigan Association of Railroad Passengers) they might recognize this area. 😀
I can tell you from a guy who drives trains for a living. That little guy probably made the engineers day too. I love seeing the look of joy on a little kids face when you give them a toot and a wave. It Makes you feel pretty good.
I live in Europe 🇪🇺 and it's so weird to me that somebody can stop a passenger train in totally random place 😮 but I admire americans due to your flexibility and laid-backness 🙃 weren't there any delays or traffic interruptions then?
Amtrak has small stations in some towns, that don't have anything but a ticket office. The train stops, and you walk over to the track and climb on. I don't know if they are taking on passengers here, or waiting for a freight train to clear the track, but Amtrak uses track owned by the freight railroads and they have priority over passenger service. Sixty + years ago, it was the opposite, but then the railroads owned the passenger service, now it's owned by the federal government. If it wasn't for the government, we wouldn't have passenger service, because it doesn't make money here, except in the northeast corridor, between Washington and Boston, where all the population is jammed together.
@@ramblerdave1339 oh, thank you! But it's still a little weird. Passenger services in europe are much more paying off than the freight trains, and a lot better than driving a car. Many people prefer a train to a plane as well. That's why rails in Europe have to be competitive and reliable
@@JohnDoe-fl3mrin-reality, the population density of the US is much lower than Europe. Maybe in 100 years if the population triples, trains may become practical.
The train has stopped at the station, but the locomotive is at the front, beyond the station. Also the second car is the food car (with no passengers boarding or alighting), so there is an extra distance beyond the station to stop. It looks totally random, but it isn't. The passenger car doors are aligned with the stop
Witamy, oto komentarz i odpowiedź właściciela kanału: @falconseyeaerialservicesll8176 1 miesiąc temu Ponieważ ten film nie ma napisów dla osób niedosłyszących, a ja jestem niedosłyszący, nie mogłem zrozumieć, o czym rozmawiały te dwie osoby. Czy ktoś może mnie wypełnić? Dzięki! Odpowiedź @michiganrailfanfilms353 1 miesiąc temu Inżynier (osoba stojąca na lokomotywie), mały chłopiec i jego mama rozmawiali o kilku sprawach. Mały chłopiec idzie zobaczyć Thomasa z lokomotywą czołgową w Greenfield Village w Detroit, jak opowiada o tym inżynierze swoim nauczycielom i kolegom z klasy, dostał fajną koszulkę z pociągiem, a przed wyjazdem chciał kupić trochę lodu krem i jakie były jego ulubione lody. Zastanawiałem się nad dodaniem napisów, ale w wielu przypadkach nie rozumiałem, co się mówi. Przepraszam! (Przetłumaczone przy użyciu Tłumacza Google. Mam nadzieję, że to pomoże!)
So there are brand new passenger coaches and an old AMFLEET1 snack car? How much longer will those old cars run? Why didn't the order for coaches include snack cars?
From WC, I thought the Engineer’s interaction with child was great, but I was horrified at how hodgepodge the train was put together, it looked like they got cars from half a dozen different railroads to put the train together! And we are supposed to be impressed with Amtrak after this?!
You use what you have. While this consist may have triggered your OCD, take a look at any freight consist. Same thing. Alas, the days of the unified consist are gone, we are a utilitarian society. i am impressed with AMTRAK, and ride every time I get the chance. After all the conniving, political and other pressures, it still carries people who either can't or don't want to drive, fly, or ride a rolling toilet (bus). Even after being treated like a rented mule, they still keep pulling.
Since this video has no closed caption for the hearing impaired and I am hard of hearing, I couldn’t get what the two individuals were talking about. Can someone please fill me in? Thanks!
The engineer (the person standing on the locomotive), the little kid and his mom were talking about a few things. The little guy going to see thomas the tank engine at Greenfield Village in Detroit, how he talks about that engineer to his teachers and his classmates, a cool train tshirt he got, and before he left, if he wanted to some ice cream and what his favorite Ice Cream was. I was debating on doing closed captioning, but there were so many times where I couldn’t understand what was being said. My apologies!
@@michiganrailfanfilms353, I forgive u, there r so many people in this world that r hard of hearing that we can’t see with our own eyes. U can’t tell if that individual is hard of hearing or deaf just by looking at him/her. I just can’t hear the s, st, sch, ch sounds so I depends on lip reading. I can’t speak for others. Even if I hear u talking to me, without those sounds I can’t hear, I can not identify the words, does that help u understand how we miss words? I lost my hearing at the young age of 3yo, when a lady came over to visit my mother, she had brought her sick son with her, he had Measles and gave me an severe measles case, with fever of 107* degrees, and nerve damage to my ears. Lucky to be alive thanks to my mother. So it was not to loud music or guns as to what others say. Thank u so much for responding, I appreciate that.
@@falconseyeaerialservicesll8176 I totally understand, one of my best friends is deaf and uses hearing aids, and your comment about not knowing if someone is deaf is 100% true. I didn't know he was deaf until he told me, and I always thought he could hear without needing anything. There are times when he can't use his hearing aids, and we'll have to talk through text messages or I'll have to mouth (is that the right word?) what I'm saying to him. I'm sorry about what happened and how you lost your hearing. That is absolutely horrible and I can't imagine the pain you went through. Because of your comment, I realized that I should be more accommodating to my viewers, thus I will be adding closed captions to videos that are narrated or vlog style content.
For the same reason they buy jap cars, Chinese made clothes, electronics and damn near everything else. Detroit is no more. EMD, Baldwin, Alco and more are gone. GE has gone into ye olde porcelain convenience. People want cheap, they get cheap. In this case, the Alstom and Siemens gear is top notch. No US builder wanted to or could build what was needed for an economical price, alas.
Okay one last go around, as this is getting too much traction (no pun) First and foremost, what the engineer did for that little kid was awesome. If you’re hauling passengers, look the part. If it’s coal, get your Duluth’s on (besides, I like their ads). If Amtrak are relying on drivers to fix the trains, then there’s something wrong. But then there probably is. Love trains. And love train travel. And for the record, I prefer the Regional/Metroliner to Acela. And if pride in your appearance at work is a “high horse” attitude, well like I said. It’s a shame.
So the cat who just took you from BWI to NYP climbs off the ACELA in jeans and a T shirt, and you have a problem with that.🤣 I've seen it plenty, work down there. Yes, there are some very well-dressed engineers on the corridor they sit in brand new electrics while I sit in 30 plus year old diesels. Destroyed many a pair of Dockers slacks earlier in my career from getting caught on things that were not fixed properly. Yes, we are expected to fix what is wrong if we can it is called trouble shooting. Where I work vs. where you ride are two completely different animals. Been that way since the inception of Amtrak. Not jealous, just facts.
My grandparents on my mom’s side grew up in Royal Oak. Plus my mom went to school in Royal Oak until 6th Grade when my parents moved out towards Howell.
Unlike most all American locomotives that have heavy duty medium speed diesel engines, those Charger locomotives have lighter duty high speed diesel engines. Not the best choice for a locomotive. Plus the front end has a lot of glass, not the greatest protection in a collision.
Talk to the freight rail owners. Passenger trains are supposed to get certain priority, but often do not. This guy was likely waiting for a signal or was early and could afford a couple of minutes' pause.
@@The_DuMont_Network Good point. I do ride trains regularly and I realize that most of the passenger delays are beyond Amtrak's control. I wondered why a whole train would stop for a 3 year old. Now that you mention that it makes a lot more sense that this train was stopping for another reason and the child just happened to benefit from the pause. The fact that the engineer stopped right in front of the little boy and his mom is almost certainly not a coincidence, but the fact that they stopped at all is, i'm sure, not because they decided to just take a break and say hi.
Since at Two different points... 1) When GE began building Passenger locomotives, and... 2) we started Importing locomotives from Germany. Germany Does Not buy "our" locomotives, though!
@@michiganrailfanfilms353 must be a new line the only Amtrak lines in Michigan I remember were the Detroit to Chicago line, a branch from Kalamazoo to port Huron and a tiny shuttle from Detroit to Pontiac?….. any new commuter systems?
I suppose this comment will be seen as bad form, but given the incompetence in the ATC system, whose blunders caused by *distraction* and poor communications have risen to a dangerous level, it is concerning that a train engineer is seen here with attention elsewhere. Not at the radio. Not watching the systems. Not able to respond quickly and efficiently to the unexpected. Boarding is a critical safety exercise. Mistakes and failures can happen - tragedy is invited with the public so exposed and the Engineer elsewhere. AMTRAK has enough ineptitude and corruption in its highest echelons. Crews should be in uniform (not in jeans), act smartly and remain focused. Appearance and demeanor sets a professional tone. A professional tone implies and encourages safety.
Allow me to explain a few things. One, you can't get in trouble standing still. Two, radios have a volume control, so you can turn it up. Three, the "ststems" are just fine. Trust me, if something was wrong, the engineer would not be chatting with a couple of folks at the station. Alarm bells would be ringing in the cab. Four, the unexpected, see number three. Five, we have rules as to how we are to dress. There is nothing wrong with this engineers appearance. Boarding a train is not dangerous. Train brakes and engine brakes should be fully applied. The throttle is in the off or idle position. EVERYTHING IS RECORDED JUST LIKE THE AIRLINES. We are checked with downloades and rides. If something is wrong chances are you will have a nice 30-day unpaid vacation. Like I said, can't get in trouble if you are not moving. It's hard to make a train move if you are not sitting at the control stand. As for your rant on ATC (Automatic Train Control for those not in the field,) please explain. 21 years in the seat 25 in T&E
They had been at the station about 2 minutes before I started recording and I talked with him for a bit before the little guy came up (which is when I started filming). As they were departing, he waved to me out the side window, which was hard to see.
@@stretchlimo7275 This engineer has made appearances on the channel many times and he loves it, he was just focused on getting out of there once the conductors said they were ready to go. :)
It's really a shame that the illinoise taxpayers had to buy all them locomotives and cars for Amtrak because they didn't have any money but the government said that was fine if you could see on the front of the locomotive it says i d t x that's Illinois department of transportation Illinois taxpayers put it all that money for all them local motors that are in the Chicago yard
Yes, entertaining the child was nice BUT, look at all those cars ahead stopped at the crossing that he held up, not to mention further delaying the passengers on the train. He was NOT stopped for a red signal either. I find his lack of concern appalling. Entertain a child on your own time, not the people who pay your salary. I DIDN'T SEE the platform. Thank you.
Such a shame the driver looks more like a great train robber than a great train driver. Amtrak, is it too. much to ask that your drivers show some pride and wear a uniform?? Other than that? Lovely.
What would you like us to wear? Myself I prefer a pair of work pants and a collared shirt in summer, same type pants and a sweatshirt and pullover in winter.
Well. You could look to Europe. Or to Japan. A nice shiny uniform would fit the part, in my opinion. Look at the pedestal that little boy has you on. You could at least respect that. I don’t remember seeing an Airline pilot in sweats. You’re missing an opportunity to be even more impressive. Walk the walk!!
@user-ur1ht1op4g Amtrak can barely pay its bills now you want them to pay for uniforms for engineers. Airline pilots I don't believe pay for theirs, and I'm pretty sure Japanese railroads don't pay for theirs either. HVAC doesn't work well in the old 42s so it is cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Shirt and tie? Did that when I was a conductor.