Almost thought it was going to be an Elephant Formation until it Passed and it was three (3) UP and one (1) KCS. Thanks for Explanation on Mid-DPU’s. 👍🙏
Rode one just like this from Portland to Hinkle and sat in a locomotive. Conductor was cool as hell, offered us water, told us don't touch anything and told me and 2 buddies we might wanna hop off at crew change. We heeded that advice and hopped a grain train back to Portland. Best time ever. Everybody should hop a freight train at least once. It was a blast.
I'm an american locomotive engineer who is now running in China, and watching this video brought a smile to my face. The second intermodal train had an AC 60/44CW as a leader. I really love running those units back in the PRB. Those were the days. Again, nice catch. Keep posting more videos.
Great job! Not only are your video skills spot on but your knowledge of Train Symbol, Origin and Destination as well as load/mty car counts and footage tells me you're a guy that's "in the know". Having been retired from UP for almost 7 years, some days, I miss it. By the way, the conductor on the ground doing a roll by, passed the test. Thanks!
I appreciate that sir! I’m happy you served the UP and got to retire. I hope you enjoy it thoroughly! If you don’t mind me asking, where you worked on UP? And what field? Thanks again!
Great video shooting, editing and narration. I travelled this route in the 1980s on Amtrak's Pioneer, a train that no longer runs. It joined the California Zephyr at Salt Lake City, along with the the Desert Wind, another passenger train that no longer runs. It was nothing like the cab ride described earlier, but it was a memorable trip. I get to see lots of rail action when I've been cruising on the Columbia River. Keep up the great video work!
Hey fellow Oregon Railroader here. Great content ma man. I wish more railroaders loved their jobs as much as we do. Keep it up. Side note longest train I’ve been on IG4SE 15,322 feet. Bringing that over the blues was AMAZING.
Life ona Mainline! Yessir, that’s us, and I count my blessings! Still love doing this after 20 years, so maybe I’m not alone! Thanks for sharing! And holy fire sauce Batman that’s a long train! Especially over the Blues! I’m hoping to see that part of the state in a couple weeks! Maybe I’ll get your train buddy!
Just drove up the gorge this past Saturday, stopped at Wyeth and watched one of those super long double stack trains go by. 6 engines and 187 cars! Love your videos.
I always love seeing footage from the neighborhood so to speak and The Gorge makes for an amazing backdrop. If I didn't love my truck driving job so much the railroad would probably have been my next choice
Nicely done! At least the blocking on these monsters was good with the spine cars and the Auto racks on the rear. When I retired we had a 8k max length and that was enough train to walk the air on for me!😎
Being from back east, the first thing that struck me when I visited the Gorge the first time was how expansive the vistas are and how far you can see because you are not hemmed in by a “tunnel of green” (trees). The next thing was the massive scale, which you don’t fully appreciate until you see how tiny a distant train appears when it is framed against the surrounding hills. You captured this perfectly as it can be without being there in person, in the scene that starts at 0:26. That was 7-8 years ago, though, before 3 mile trains with mid and rear DPUs. This has inspired me to revisit!
Man I love how you put that Eddie! I really couldn’t have said it better! I grew up in upstate NY watching the old B&M-D&H and was utterly shocked at the differences in railroading AND topography when I moved out here as a 13 y/o
The Gorgeous Gorge! As a railfan and former trucker, I, too, enjoyed the scenery along the I-84 corridor. Especially in the morning when the weather is calm. Blessings to you for posting a scripture at the end of this beautiful video!☝️😁👏
Very nice video of the eastern side of the gorge. Lived in Troutdale for 35 years. I am not a fan of these ultra log trains. Three miles is too long. Back in the day (early 70s) when i travel between Moscow Idaho and West Des Moines while in College I once saw, on trip back to college after X-mas break, a big train engine so I pulled off on I-80 a bridge over the dual tracks. I caught two trains make an east/west met. Each consist had two of these big engines on the front. Didn't know these were DD40Xs until much later.
Right now the rr's look like rocket scientists and there is so little fallout when there is a derailment. I live a couple of hours from the one in Ohio and all is forgotten. Oh well. Here we call those hills mountains but the scenery is really nice (and different). Thanks for the video.
I appreciate your viewpoint! I’m sure the railroad in the eyes of your neighbors and communities has a lot of work to do to earn respect again-and that is fair. It was a terrible thing we all witnessed for you folks, and I’m sorry to that town for what it endured. Things are forgotten so quick
Really enjoy and appreciate you great information, video and location content. Keep it coming, plan to continue following this enjoyable channel! Nick, North West Farmer (Oregon)
Great job! It's not easy to make freight trains look sexy. ;) But seriously, you did a great job at portraying the trains in an artistic light and in a way not many people get a chance to see. For a train geek like me living in Oregon, this is such a winner! Thanks.
I gotta say, this is a new compliment for me, and I’ll take it! My wife knows the only girl she has to worry about is 200 tons- she laughed at that one!
Great Video - noticed a few flat wheels on some consists [experience from an old railroader] Happens around here a lot too! [train brake application on an empty car - skidding resulting in a flat spot]
Yep, or when a switcher pulls a track out to switch, and the brakes are on the other end. That is common practice in Eugene Yard. Brakes on the north end, south switcher does most switching.
Very glad to see the conductor checking the passing rolling stock. The previous train had a lot of troublingly loud wheel noise, possibly flat spots, but not being knowledgeable on train sounds, I like to think there will be another conductor along the way who will know if that noise needs attention and takes action, if needed. Great content! Nick, North West Farmer (Oregon)
Jeremy, thanks so much for another gorgeous day on the Columbia! I was amazed by the three-mile-long stack train and figured the crew gets a highball straight through since very few sidings can accomodate them.. The amount of freight moved, expressed in tons per mile per gallon of fuel, is staggering. And I'm gonna repeat myself once more, but those Dash-9s sound SO impressive!
Very nice work Sir! Good narration with just the right amount of info. Lovely shots and nice colour grading if it was done. The music was well chosen and mixed nicely, a pro job and not easy to do well! You mentioned you are a railroader? What line of work are you in? All in all a pleasure to watch! CHeers Gregg.
Gregg, I really appreciate that! A very encouraging critique to say the least! I am a conductor out of Eugene for 20 years now, on the extra board. So, I guess I’m a little nuts about this subject;)
@@pacificrailproductions5281 Yes , about as far away as you can get almost..LOL WE work more on the British system, single signals with route indicators , unlike the multiple heads you guys use. I did speak to a signal guy in Tehachapi when I was there in 2015 , was cool to see how it's done in the states🙂 Gregg.
I agree with your analysis of the train length and its potential problems. That train is ridiculously long. I wonder if there have ever been any problems with DPUs malfunctioning. Another top-rate video - thanks.
Que maravilloso video, el paisaje espectacular y muy bien narrado x el señor que filma. Las locomotoras norteamericana son mi preferida. Un saludo desde Argentina.
Great video dude. As an engineer I couldn’t imagine running a 14k long train. I would guess they split it at Hinkle before it went up and over the blues the way it was built. Make a cut at the mids, hang and arm Fred and off they go. The second train then would depart 2x1.
Maybe so! The grade is over 2% over the Blues Mountains. I’m hoping to get a trip over there to see for myself this year. Maybe we will find out. You’re a hog head? Where do you run? Thanks for sharing!
@@pacificrailproductions5281 I have been a hog head since 1977, my first management job was in LaGrande as an MOP. 1995 to 2001. Implemented DP that year, we had 16 helper turns and 6 sets of 2 sd40 type helpers. From there I went to Eugene to DP the Cascades.
@@trainsafeeccentricswithben2984 oh man I should’ve read the title! I remember you Ben; but didn’t know those things about your career, so I’m glad I asked!
Is getting to where you shot your video hard to reach? It looks like a near perfect place for a road trip. Lodging choices are okay in The Dalles. Thanks!
No, not difficult at all really. The last spot was the worst because the shoulder there on I-84 wasn’t as wide as I would have liked. My car is quite slim thankfully, but there really are many very good places to see the action throughout the gorge on both sides. Where are you from?
Was Conductor doing Rolling Inspection was Assigned to Stopped Train or was he Hitching a Ride on this Train ? You showed Open Side Door on 3rd Unit. Thanks!👍🙏
RR had 5 member crews in 1956. Fireman, Brakemen, Engineer, Conductor and Rear trainmen. 3,200 tons 76 cars and caboose. 12 hours rest. Now 2 member crew, RR's wants 1 man crew, I guess this helps RR Mgt thinking. PSR ,12,000 tons 200 cars trains, rest when they tell you, no time off. RR's killing the profession and people not wanting to do this job now.
Thanks for the video! That first half of the video where you're shooting in the canyon on the river side of the tracks, may I ask how you got there? Was there a grade crossing that you crossed at or just walked along the tracks? Have you done that for a while? No issues with security?
There is a road leading down to the area with plenty of space for parking. I did cross the tracks on foot, but no issues with anyone. If you are smart about it, and behave safely, don’t take risks, and remain away from rail well enough, you won’t find trouble. As a railroader, I can say it’s easy to tell the difference between someone who doesn’t belong in the area, and someone who is alright. Also, railfans tend to be cautious and have equipment and are easy to spot. Their intentions are obvious and don’t raise any alarms in my experience. It’s very different in certain areas where yards, cities, chemical plants etc come into play. Hope that helps! Good question.
You do such good work. where do you get all the knowledge from. I live near the Tucson branch of the UP and often go railfanning there. I would like to know more about my area...
Just found your videos and I hit the subscribe button 😉. Just curious have you ever filmed and UP action in Boardman Oregon. We camp a lot at the Boardman RV Marina campground. You can see the mainline right from your camp site. Also do you have any videos shot near LaGrande. By the way I worked for the FEC (Florida East Coast RR) in the early 80’s and I remember the longest train we ran back then was just under 2 miles long and it was the hot UPS train. Back then most of the sidings were only 2 miles long. Robert now retired and living in Island City Oregon.
Thanks for your subscription Robert! Welcome to Oregon, and I think it’s awesome you worked for FEC: and in the 80’s! A VERY cool railroad in my opinion! Thanks for sharing a bit of your experience too! I enjoy that. I’m a conductor with UP in Eugene and have been for 20 years now. I’ve never shot anywhere east of HINKLE. I hope to this year however. Thanks a lot for your time! Talk again I hope!
Really good video, just a thought but get Danny from Distant Signal he does a lot of CSX videos from Florida to come up to your neck of the woods to see the country side and the trains, such a contrast. And especially enjoyed the psalm at the end.
Thanks Shawn; Danny does good work-I am a subscriber of his. I do love the contrast in our geographic locations. Such a big difference! That would be great fun
I appreciate that! I am probably much simpler than you think. I use my iPhone 13ProMax. I love the simplicity and readiness when chasing shots, seconds count. BUT…I am ready to look into better filming equipment, and putting some finances toward investing in the picture quality. But thank you very much.
Great Video! Just found your channel and subscribed, just curious as to what camera or camcorder you use? I am also a rail fan and shortline locomotive engineer in Texas originally from Erie Pennsylvania. I recorded some Conrail Action just before Conrail was taken over, as others have mentioned thanks for documenting this railroad action for others to enjoy it definitely is appreciated!
I am grateful to you for sharing! You can share your short line name of your railroad, and I’d like to look it up! As for the camera, I’m just using my iPhone 13 ProMax. It’s remarkably good for this *most the time*. Im starting to pick up some steam with this whole RU-vid thing, so I will be looking for an upgrade in the near future. My biggest frustration is the quality of deep zoom ins. But the stability is fantastic if you have a steady hand or a tripod. Otherwise, night shots are decent, but could be better. Conrail-a missed railroad along with Santa Fe and BN.
@@pacificrailproductions5281 thank you for responding, I appreciate this. I work for the Blacklands Railroad in Texas. We operate a former MoPac branch line from Henderson to Overton Texas, we interchange cars with the UP Railroad at Overton. Louisiana Rail Productions did two RU-vid video last year on the HOB line I work on. I have worked for the Blacklands Railroad for the past 13 years. I am going to see if I can post a link of the Louisiana Rail Productions videos.
Is there an exit off of 84 to get to where you are shooting from or do you just pull off the road and hike down to the tracks and set up? I'm looking to come up tentatively sometime in September.
Well, the final location was an interstate 84 “pull off to the side of the road spot”. Other than that, there were access roads or parking areas I used. I hope you can come up in the Fall! It’s a terrific place! There are so many great railfanning spots.
@@railsofwesternwashington6877 well, I’m not aware of anything…if you have a radio scanner, it helps. www.atcsmon.com/ I haven’t tried it, but try using this link for BNSF
@@pacificrailproductions5281 thank you for the help! I use a BNSF app to track the trains. As for the UP I have not been able to successfully track them. But I will definitely try a scanner thanks for the advice!
How about the "wild life" issue ... risk of any attacks? I was up at the Wellington avalanche site in Stevens Pass in Washington a year or two ago and the possibility of sighting a bear or something similar was always in the back of my mind as I trekked around to get some photos.
@@pacificrailproductions5281 Thanks for the info. Looking forward to making the trip and visiting Cascade Locks too. I'll bring some books and a comfy camp chair to wait out the time between trains.
I finally made it to Blalock a couple of days ago. There were no real long trains and I didn’t see an eastbound one all the time I was there, 4+ hours. Yesterday, 7-18, I was by the twin bridges just east of John Jay Dam and no westbound trains came by. After seeing at least 5 on the UP side and more over in BNSF country, I headed to Cascade Locks and on the way, the trains were stacked up like cordwood. One eastbound UP hopper train passed with 3 KCS, and no UP units. A BNSF train was coming across the bridge onto the UP tracks. I thought that was interesting. Off to K-Falls today and back home tomorrow. P.S. I think my iPhone 14 took better movies than my HD camcorder. The camcorder had more “zoom” but it was shaky, even on a tripod with a fluid head.
Really hustle? Back in the 1970s, "Fast Forty" SD40-2 snouts and DDA40Xs would roar thru here at 90. UP lowered speed limits to save fuel after Amtrak's Pioneer got the axe.
There is nothing wrong with showing the entire train. I like to count certain types of cars. That’s a no go with your videos. So I end up leaving the site early.
