The Officer's Special - Everyone's favorite dumpster fire behind the scenes... Visit the channel shop: hycetrains.com/shop/ Join my discord: / discord Become an ES&D Train Crew Member and get extra perks! / @hyce777
"Could have saved 3 days with an extra 30 minutes"... From watching the other SFS videos, that is literally the most "Yep, that's the railroad for you" thing I have heard in this video.
Cleaning the trucks? That just seems like a profound waste of time cause those will just get absolutely filthy with in about five seconds of running (not running over the road, just running in general). Also gotta love people like Mr. smiley, having no fear about telling higher ups that sh!t is F*cked, cause as much stress and panic as it causes now, the longer a problem waits, the worse it will get.
Exactly, if you see Mr Smiley with his signature grin on, you know your day is about to get worse, but you also know that you are learning about it as soon as possible, which is the silver lining. Problems don't go away on their own, so the sooner they're addressed the sooner things get back to "normal" or whatever passes for it.
Well, I do not see why would someone fear this. I mean he did not cause the problem, so telling about it to the manager has to be fun. I would most likely have the same smile if I was told to check something and found a problem that was in no way caused by me.
@@Pentium100MHz : You haven't had the experience of dealing with a manager or parent or someone who would react to such things by venting their anger at the messenger, I suppose. There are enough people who react that way that a lot of people have some trauma about it. "Don't shoot the messenger" wouldn't be a saying if it didn't need to be said.
@@BrooksMoses Well, at worst they can fire me and if that were to happen, I probably would not want to work for that boss anyway. I am not talking about reporting bad news to Stalin etc. In that case, yeah, the consequences could be much worse. But yeah, as long as I did not cause the problem, it's kind-of fun watching the boss react to bad news. I mean, since I am not the cause of the problem, if there were consequences (let's say in this case there was no spare locomotive), they would probably be worse for the management.
@@backonpro5679 Per my husband, who gave me the original comment, CSX does have a dedicated heritage fleet: a trio of F40s. "They aren't the greatest heritage fleet, but they are a heritage fleet." NS got rid of their heritage fleet (meaning the F units) a few years ago.
@@katherinec2759no NS didn't get rid of their heritage fleet, it's still around. I see them pass my house on the regular. I live right in front of the Mainline of the Pittsburgh division in South Fork, PA.
When I was working in on-board service for Amtrak out of Washington, DC over 30 years ago there was often some kind of executive or VIP movement that the mechanical/maintenance departments had to deal with. It was not uncommon for the late former Amtrak President and beloved railfan icon W. Graham Claytor to ride a train out of DC, and not always on a business car. I can't remember the exact circumstances or how I heard about the incident, but he was scheduled to go out on #29, "The Capitol Ltd." one afternoon with a business car, by this point probably #10001 "Beech Grove". I am fairly sure this was before the train was converted to Superliners, so it was a fairly long Heritage/Amfleet II consist. Standard practice for high officials riding the train was for the consist to get extra-special attention in servicing that day. Nothing that could be made to work was not going to be left unfixed, up to and including swapping out cars. Anyway, in addition to freshly washing the consist, they usually touched up the trucks of the cars with black spray paint before boarding. Well, this time Mr. Claytor heard about it and pretty much had a fit that they were wasting time and resources to do that just for him. I guess that practice ended for the rest of his time as CEO.
As soon as I heard "two inches of engine oil in the water sight glass" I thought "oh shit..." lord knows you wouldn't have had time to get another engine all dolled up.
Railways in Victorian England painted the coal in the tender white when Queen Victoria rode with them. BNSF scrubs their trucks with toothbrushes when Bezos rides with them. How could such an elite person bear to see a characteristically dirty machine being... dirty? Great story! I love hearing the stories from the shop! Mr. Smiley is the man.
soon as i heard "Mr Smiley" "oil in the coolant" my brain went "milkshakes" (commonly, 6.0 powerstrokes ALSO had the same problem with the oil cooler cracking lol)
I worked for a VW dealership for a little while, and we had a customer come in with an Audi SUV, their version of the VW Touareg. The VW Touareg according to the book, just for the oil change, pays 1 hour work. This dealership constantly expected 15-20 minute oil change services, even on the Touareg, including a full multi-point inspection, tire rotation, brake fluid flush, and filling of DEF tanks on diesel vehicles. They treated us like a quick lube joint. Well, if it can take an hour just to do an oil change on a Touareg, imagine the new guy working on something even more complicated and being expected to have it done in 15 minutes or less, including the car being washed, because the customer was late to his own appointment? Needless to say the customer had nothing good to say when he left because I had to find the tools just to take off the stupid belly pan to get to the TWO oil sumps I needed to drain. Gotta love when the higher ups rush you through a lot of work in a very short time. And then blame you for the delays and screw ups THEY caused by rushing in the first place. We had a main tech that could do 15 minute oil changes..... And more than once, he had a vehicle leave with oil filters double gasketed. One of those screw ups cost an engine... I never once did anything to risk a customer's vehicle, yet I got griped out if I dribbled a few drops of DEF into someone's messy trunk because I had to rush getting their junk out of the way just get to the DEF filler... YAY for clueless upper management!
Can't imagine being the engineer on the OCS, blowing the horn one extra time, waving, engaging your brakes a little to fast, with one wrong move getting you fired. To be honest BNSF should really acquire some locomotives specifically for OCS work because let's be honest the units they put at the head end probably haven't seen a wash rack since being built and the pain of having to clean them (especially the underbody) is a pain.
“This will be faster, do it this way” that comment has made me more money than anything else out here on the rails. 😂 An old head told me when I was going through conductor training, “Don’t ever offer suggestions, let management make the decisions and they will line your pockets with money.” and he was 100% right. 😂
You absolutely Must react to the video taken by the crew of that train that stopped and got run over by a tornado. "Um, should we move away from the glass" and other notable and totally stereotypical quotes, that showed why stereotypes exist. Especially around trains. It's all over X, just happened the other day, train in the dirt after a direct hit from a tornado.
Hyce: Most always enjoy your enthusiastic commentary on subject matter from "the inside." In reference to your story about the OS, their first mistake was to assign GE power. Back in the early to mid 1970's my career started in the locomotive shops as a hostler helper, later promoted over to the operating dept as an engineman and operating rules instructor. Anyway during my shop days often one would hear electricians beef about GE power by quipping "GE can't make a descent light bulb let alone a locomotive." For us back then it was the U-30 C's, and U-50's. (All the Alco's were gone when I started). They [GE's] were funerals waiting to happen --- and they often did. Those two cycle diesel engines seemed to hold up better than the GE 4 cycle engine (the latter often plagued with oil leaks and fuel line rupturs resulting in fires). . The SD35's, SD40's, DDA40X's and later the dash two's ran rings around the GE's. Why even the GP9's and the SD24's 20 plus years old hung right in there. Passenger specials, business specials most always turned upper officials into "chickens with their heads cut off"! But unfortunately EMD's achilles heel came with the SD50's. Their turbos died one right after another, and when EMD pulled out of LaGrange for Canada, well one might say "the rest is history". On a final note about silver painted trucks. On the class 1 I worked for, all trucks were silver up until about the 1990's The reason for the silver passenger car and locomotive trucks painted silver was that it was not only for aesthetics but it made it easier for inspectors to find truck frame cracks. One of the most unforgettable experiences was walking up to the head end after a 20 plus car passenger special sat occupied all night, and see "pile after pile" atop the ends of the cross ties beneath the discharge pipe of the "you know what!" Can one only imagine to be a car toad and having to change brake shoes kneeling next to that!?
A few roads had units dedicated to office car specials so then its not grab random power and make it look nice. But with the recent crazies leading class 1s they are almost all gone.
Back in the 1990s BNSF had a beige special private business train with the very dark green and subdued brownish orange trim for Warren Buffet. That business train came highballing through Sun City into Phoenix, Arizona @ >75 MPH all the way from above Lizard Flats to the old ATSF station (closed, shuttered and almost abandoned), in downtown Phoenix and on into the SP yard. When the train ran down Grand Avenue all the lights on Grand go to flashing yellow, so haul ass and get from Sun City to downtown Phoenix @ 75 MPH!!! People were stuck on the tracks between the approach and departure at Sun City and a few vehicles almost got hit. Lots of gates got broken too. I got all the way home from a job that had well over an hour & 20 minutes of commuting time in less than 20 minutes. I was zipping down Grand @ just under 80 MPH all the way from 171st Ave to 31st Ave. 140 blocks = 1.414 blocks for every 7 blocks. Over 28 miles in well under 20 minutes. That beige paint scheme was gorgeous. Even the locomotive power consist was all painted beige, save for one -80.
WTF? I just pulled out my TT and the max speed in that area is 40 with 20 and 30mph head end restrictions. And the legal limit for dark territory is 59 for passenger.
Hi Mark, your shop stories are so enjoyable. You’re a great story teller. I can’t even imagine the stress that an Officer’s Special choo choo caused the shop crew. And then the Eye of Sauron watching-what could go wrong? Clearly the Three Fates had a hand in this. 🤣 So hilarious to realize about the silver trucks! Always thought they were black. Can’t even contemplate having to clean those. Well, Professor many thanks for another fabulous learning episode, looking forward to the next installment and as always cheers to you!
Oh my God. My brother in law is a dispatcher at The Eye Of Sauron (he loves your videos, btw), and I'm applying for a position as one as well. He's said that there are a few rules: don't break the FRAs, don't delay the Amazon train, don't crash anything, and did we mention not delaying the Amazon trains? I can only imagine the sheer and utter hell relating to an actual train with Bezos aboard.
Story of my life as electrician for UP. Take an engine out after an inspection, and shits the bed on the outbound. The next thing I hear in the office “what do you mean it wasn’t inbounded??” 😂
@@Hyce777 😂 then you cue the end of the month business meeting with the craftsmen, with the managers saying “we need to get better. Over the road failures are up.” And I promptly respond, know what’s down? INBOUNDING POWER. That machinist you talk about smiley, I’m the electrician version of that guy. Management doesn’t like me. 😂
Puget Sound is a part of the Pacific Ocean, it's ok. Also taking the Cascades up to Vancouver next month. Can confirm that the Scenic Sub truly is, and I cannot wait.
As an actual full-time chef for BNSF working the O Trains, I really appreciate the effort the mechanical department puts into making our choo choos go. I do wish we had our own dedicated motive power, though.
I agree, it'd be cool to have something historic and sleek for the officers' specials. Just think of how cool they'd look with a Burlington E unit in silver on the front...
Seems like no matter what industry I work in, middle and upper management runs around screaming with their head on fire anytime "important" people are looking their way, which is the only time when they care about anything besides the bottom line. Everything's gotta be 120% perfect. I'm with Mr. Smiley :)
Another delightful and entertaining SFS!!! Lovin' it!!! My Grandpa was a lifelong employee of MoPac and retired as the yard master in the St. Louis switchyard, but he never told us these stories, likely because we were too young and innocent for them at the time, I guess! I do remember riding in the switcher and puling the horn, though (what kid could ever forget such an experience? LOL)
This is why special trains always use a steam locomotive because using a GEVO for the special trains……this is why they’re always have “nasty surprises” during the three day cleaning prep
Regarding the GN roundhouse you worked out of, all good things must come to an end sadly. I’m with you mark, I’m all about railroad preservation, but it sure does suck to see historical American history get knocked down due to the progress of man.
Actually, you can say that the Puget Sound is the ocean. If you REALLY wanted to get into the marine science of it all, the Puget Sound is brackish, meaning it's a mix of fresh river water and salty ocean water. So it is technically the ocean. Love the vid. I always love to hear about Tom, a.k.a. Mr. Smiley.
Thanks so much for the video, Hyce. It reminds me of an excruciating experience I had living back in California. I was hired as a temporary employee for Mecum Automotive Auctions during one car week in Monterey, CA. Now, for those who don't know, Mecum is a company that sells both (relatively) cheap and expensive cars, so you could get any mix or match of people who show up and want to sell or buy cars. One time this "daddy's money" kid had bought a Dodge Demon at the auction, and as he was leaving the tent with his car, he did a huge burnout, which is highly prohibited. What he didn't realize was that his brand new tires sprayed hot rubber all over two classic Ferrari's that were going on auction in a matter of minutes. I think they were a Testarossa and a Barchetta, both VERY high dollar cars. Thankfully, the kid was detained by the police for reckless driving, and the car he just bought was impounded. However, these two Ferrari's had to be cleaned spotless before they were to be sold. So being valet's, me and my coworkers had to sprint to the nearest convenience store to buy soap and buckets and chamois, because Mecum only provided spray-on, which was not going to cut it. We scrubbed down those Ferrari's as fast and efficiently as possible, all the while the auctioneer was stalling to buy us more time. Finally, after about twenty minutes of tense waiting, the Ferrari's finally rolled out on stage, spotless. All of us valet's behind the stage were drenched head to toe in sweat and soap, and Mecum gave us new uniforms. All of us valet's laughed our heads off about it afterwards.
There's police inside the auction? I would think that since it's a private event, there wouldn't be, or did they just hear him doing a burnout and went to investigate. Also, I don't think that they could arrest him inside a private event, unless I'm wrong. I've never been to Car Week, but it sounds like an epic time.
@@user-ch4ff9ps7r, yes, there are police inside the auction. Actually, during Car Week, the greater Monterey area, including Salinas, Pebble Beach, Carmel, and Pacific Grove is crawling with police. They are everywhere. There's even motorcycle cops at each end of the tunnel underneath the Portola Hotel to keep people from being too rowdy. Also, the auction was held out front of the Dust Bowl Brewery, in a public parking lot, so even though it was a private event, the police are still permitted to be there since it's public property.
Love these stories from the shop videos. Even though I know nothing about railroading (beyond what I've learned from Hyce's videos) it's still fun and fascinating.
This is a great funny story, but if Bezos and company can't handle riding behind a dirty locomotive they can go themselves. Kinda feels like the railroads pinch and save every penny in stupid ways and then throw it all out the window so rich boi can have an extra shiny choo-choo.
Considering the times I've caught BNSF ripping past southwest of Joliet on the transcontinental or on the Fort Madison ( home of the most awesome one stop cigar/variety shop that literally advertises alcohol tobacco and firearms on it's sign) railcam and the sheer amount of Amazon containers on those trains I can definitely see Bezos getting extremely special treatment by the BNSF
Ah fair enough. I never got to ride in them and just assumed that they'd hit max track speed, though I suppose that's probably on the P speed. Learn something new every day, cheers!
I live in front of the old PRR mainline, the Pittsburgh Division of NS now, in South Fork, we have a yard in town for local coal trains that service the coal mines. I was surprised to see BNSF, and UP locomotives at the head end of trains, being pulled by NS locomotives, and it's their trains.
Maybe the "silver trucks" guy was a left-over from ATSF. They used to paint the trucks/bogies after the end of each trip on the passenger trains 😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜
Cool story. How heavy are those O trains? I would have thought that one working engine is enough to haul a few passenger cars and just drag the inop one around for the looks.
It's not about power per se, it's about branding. It doesn't look as good if one of the engines you're hauling around is just, deadweight. Or say for some reason the secondary engine ended up having a breakdown during your run, and then you have to tell the passengers "sorry guys we're stuck because our second locomotive already didn't work." Having the second engine being pulled around just for looks is something you'd want to be able to fall back on if something went wrong During your run, not beforehand
They wanted push-pull operations without having to have a stand at the other end. So they had to them arranged back to front. Also, I'm pretty sure American Freight locomotives don't like to reverse, so another reason they needed two if they were going to do push-pull operations.
Holy crap, I would think this sort of cleaning duty would be an absolute honor. A pain in the butt, as per always when cleaning stuff, but one I could definitely tolerate. EDIT: I am VERY much surprised you didn't turn the train wash into an actual community car wash style affair, 1980s style. I mean, I know professionalism and all, but I honestly believe that was a prime opportunity to have a little Friday night-style fun at the train wash, complete with music and fun times. While observing all rules (especially Rule G) of course! The right music can turn even the dullest job - like washing, waxing and detailing a train - into a very, very fun time. I'm sure the overtime guys would have appreciated that.
I wonder how much effort was put into President George H.W. Bush's funeral train by Union Pacific? I know it was at least a new paint job. Was it a brand new engine?
![[SFS] That time we almost ruined Jeff Bezos' special train...](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
