I must say thank you for posting all of these videos. Im sure your father was a wonderful man, and has inspired me to take the path of a railroad engineer. RIP Jim.
My dad didn't really talk that much about the other engineers. Usually it would be him saying " yeah so and so who works with me said it was a good resteraunt to go to" He always respected the opinions of the other engineers as to if something was good or not - because he knew that they were as tough depression era string saving kind of guy as he was.
These video's are my dad Jim Scott - I wanted to become an engineer but it was in 1980 when the railroad was having a hard time and not hiring anyone. My son Kyle is planning on Electrical engineering.
I knew of your dad. My dad was a engineer for the Rock Island for 49 yrs. He retired in 1992. He died in 2006. I use to work for the Rock Island myself. Never rode in the coach's. Always the engines.
@Metracab123 This is a cool video that brings back memories. My late grandfather took me into a yard switcher in 1965. I remember it well, though I was only 2 years old. It was a rear-cab switcher like an EMD SW-1. Later, in 1975, a family friend who was a hostler for the Western Maryland Railway allowed me to run an ALCO RS-3 in the yard in Ridgeley WV. Too bad that I failed the physical to become a conductor on CSX. I wouls have loved to have done the job.
I got the chance back in the Mid 2000's to have a Cab ride to Fox Lake and back, courtesy of my Grandmothers cousin who was a Metra Conductor and arranged it for me. Had to duck when there was any chance of a supervisor seeing the train. Pretty sweet for a 15 year old. Course now I run steam engines for a living, guess Metra never wore off on me.
Wow. I could not even begin to tell you how many times I have heard, from outside the train, the horn sequence at 2:39 to 2:56. It sounds a LOT different inside the cab. Thank you for sharing.
Man these must've been the days, even though I'm only 15 hahaha. I live and railfan most of the trackage covered from 1:20 to 2:46. Its also cool to see the changes from then to now such as the new clock tower station at Tinley, new switches right around 2:10 and the torn down private crossing at 2:17. Thanks for sharing these videos!
@jimmydcap I want to say 8, 10, or 12. I remember my dad leaving in the 1970's at 6:30 am and getting back home at 5:30 pm. But things changed in the 1980's I want to say it went down to 8 hours.
@jimmydcap Let me think. I remember him waking up in the 1970's at 5:30 am and taking his time leaving, so that would probably make it around 6:30 am and getting home around 5:30 or 6 pm.
when are you going to post the new video? i cant wait i love these cab ride videos. engineer jim jokes around alot like in the one with him going to work. they are funny and awesome 5 star
The Rock Island Budd cars sure had different horns then the Milwaukee road ones sounds like the cab cars had Nathen P5 not K5la's or some other kind The line between Blue Island Vermont street and Joliet is run under Cab Signal rules and the rest from Blue Island to Chicago Is CTC
I have a question. Was this engineer Jim featured on a National Geographic video about trains? There is a part in the show with a guy that looks alot like Jim but older that is riding in an engine and he sees some kids along the tracks the look like they're about to throw something at the train. Jim says during this part of the video "They're about to throw something" but the kids do not thought. Anyways, he looks and sounds like that guy. If he is I figured you may want to know. You can find that video on trains by National Geographic on RU-vid and watch. It's an hour long and really good!
The new Passenger rules state 12 hours on duty. When you come into downtown and you get a break you claim it as off duty. So even though I am at work 11 hours and 39 minutes I am only on duty 8 hours and 39 minutes ( for the train I have been working) Every job varies. though.
It depends on the railroad and on the job. Metra crews tend to work 5 jobs back to back which can range from 5-10 hours. Freight operations, if it's a cross country train on a mainline it'll be a 12 hour shift, yard job 1-12 hours depending on what the job(s) is (are). Otherwise how ever long the job takes is the number of hours they're at work. The FRA only allows 12 hours shifts, nothing more.
sorry to hear this....my father worked with yours very few times.....my father worked at the Rock Island from 1974 to March 1980....mine passed away in 2001....he carried on to CNW from shutdown to 1991 then the BN....till 1995....worked on a coal train job, came home and had a steak dinner with mom, then a bowl of chocolate ice cream...he broke into sezuires and was disabled after that day....we found that he died of a Viet Nam war illness do to Agent Orange....after he passed VN war vets are dropping at a faster rate from the slow growing tumor....
Ear plugs young man! Ear plugs ;) On the cab car you dont hear much. Passengers talking, wheel noise, wind noise and that mechanical voice saying " caution the doors are about to close ". Now hte locomotive side with the HEP running is loud!
A little bit of a late reply but more than likely it's Ctc and multiple main track. Gcor definition- Multiple Main Tracks Two or more main tracks that are used according to the timetable. Ctc Centralized traffic Control is a main track authority in which trains operate according to signal indication or verbal authority. In simple terms the dispatcher can line trains on either track in either direction.
This line is Metra Rock Island District and is bi-directional. On the main line, the peak trains always run on track #1, the station track so in the morning it is right hand and the afternoon is left hand.
no way most class 1 rr,s have cts as tracks are signaled in both directions they used it before by running against the current by a train order, got it?
How do you get an opportunity to ride in the cab of a locomotive or something like this? I've always wanted to get an opportunity to do something like this. It would sure be nice, especially in a Metra MP36.
@Capt_ CJ jim and my father were a few of many that were proud to be a part of the Rock Island.....Jim was lucky and always dislike freight so at bankruptcy he was able to hold a job on suburban....my father got laid off as he was a freight guy....he moved on to the CNW and later BN...thanks, my dad was a better man than me.
@trainman1995 Man, you aint kiddin ! If I could do it again I'd put a wireless on him and ask a couple of questions as he was driving. and just in general shoot more hours of footage.
i can see this lil boy is going to follow his dad on the rr when he gets 18n ys old, only its nor that hard to run a pass train, get 25 thousand tons with frt train a dif storie.
How fun! What a great video! Thanks for sharing! My son would love some more subscribers..MetraSnakieAsaurus..we are trying to get 50 so he can do his Special Special train run! Thanks and have a great day! Peace2all!
