Behind the Scenes 1993 Amtrak California Zephyr pt4

[@stephenjones8928]

Excellent quality for 1993 with, dare I say it, great vintage content (gawd, I'm getting old) :)

[@GreenFrogVideos]

Thanks for watching, we are glad you enjoyed this video, also please subscribe to our channel if you have not yet done that. Green Frog Prod.

[@mhm2472]

That's a really nice video. Very interesting to see Amtrak from an engineer's point of view. And the engineers actually was one of SP's "mole people" --- as they called the folks (employees and their families) who lived in the old buildings at Norden. Donner is a really beautiful place to run trains through. Liked hearing what the engineer had to say about that -- he saw a bear and even mountain lions! Am very surprised his Amtrak work schedule kept him away from home far more than it did when he worked for the SP running freight trains! That is not at all what I thought was usual. Those F40s were actually pretty good locomotives. And that Amtrak paint scheme looked pretty good. Again -- thanks for the really interesting video that showed the human side of railroading -- which is what trains are for, after all -- to move people and our goods.

[@tammygrahama7767]

mhm2472

[@ZedBeeE]

I really enjoyed riding along with these guys in this video. As an engineer myself with a major "west of Chicago" freight railroad for 28 years, the man at the throttle said it best at 27:19. You can tell it was a good trip and he was ready to get home. The part at 28:59 hands down says it all! "Highball the running bell test....." Hahahah. What a great crew!

[@johnkeating4221]

Wonderful video it was nice seeing normal people go about their work and enjoying the countryside they live in. like the gentleman said if you dont have the time to enjoy life take the plane.

[@kens.3729]

Great 👍 Job with this Series. There is a Lot that goes into these Documentaries. Thank you! 👍

[@Mark-MRL]

At about 26:00 it's crazy to hear them talking about the new locomotives (GE P42DC's) they hope there going to get and now those trains are now being replaced with the ALC42's.

[@stripervince1]

I went to signal school at Sacramento when I hired out with SP in 1983. Great railroad to work for back then

[@Pkilznah]

Such a great little series. Homie having a cigarette 🚬 as he’s driving the train leaving the station….. PRICELESS ( 10:30 mark ). Wonder if any railroads would frown upon that now😂😂😂🚂🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥✊✊✊✊

[@Beargizmo3]

Really enjoyed these videos. Very well done and I loved the cab rides! It was nice seeing the Zephyr pulling into the old Oakland station. The last time I saw my dad was there in 1982 as he dropped me off for my Zephyr trip back to Colorado.

[@mbta1051]

I think this engineer was also featured in a documentary from National Geographic on trains back in the 80s. He was working at the SP then, running a perishable train. Sounds and looks a lot like this guy, and he mentioned he worked for the SP.

[@oubrioko]

His smile, voice, and speaking cadence sure sounds like the Espee hogger running east from Sparks on the 1983 _I Love Trains_ National Geographic documentary. It's kinda cool seeing him ten years later.

[@503railfan]

Definitely interesting! Seems like a neat character for sure

[@danielsebring6220]

I just found out, his name is Patrick Willick. I bet he's retired now

[@northlanderdude]

Ever weird seeing the inside of an F40 without desktop controls like we have at VIA.

[@jacknio6032]

Engineer seems like a cool character, wonder if he’s still around?

[@norcalemt02]

he's probably dead by now

[@dlane5292]

I was pulled by the 277 back in the Summer of 1991 on the Baby Builder.

[@jllopez787]

Who's watching this in 2022, they talking about politics in California if they had a Cristal ball back then he would not believe what we going through right now.

[@Eric-wj9cu]

never knew kenny loggins had a side hustle working for amtrak

[@gordonvincent731]

The man running the train was the assistant engineer, the man on the left was the engineer. I can't remember his name, we both came off the ATSF Valley Div. with the AMT zone 12 start up. Dick work out of Richmond while I worked out of Fresno. Dick died in the early '90's.

[@geoffreylee5199]

The Canadian and Panorama/SuperContinental had occasional slow downs, but wow that time ...

[@damgreene]

that mechanical supervisor near the last 15 minutes is hilarious!!!

[@1974rail]

The engineer was on pbs love those trains

[@shadedmuse]

Took Amtrak from Spokane to Anaheim what consisted of empire builders coastal starlight and California surfeliners

[@coleallen3895]

16:00 - Davis is where I grew up for most of my childhood

[@pepper0912]

Great video. What's the process for getting authorization for a cab ride?

[@GreenFrogVideos]

For one thing John Yeager was with the Press and had those credentials, also things were different back then and Railroads were quite a bit more loose pertaining to Cab Rides. I would imagine it is much harder or impossible to do this today!

[@Bondmanproductions]

GreenFrogVideos you’re not kidding, after 9/11 rules and regulations changed rapidly....Not just Amtrak but railroad laws are absolutely strict and sometimes even ridiculous...I’m a baseball PA announcer for Long Beach city college and one of the umpires is a UP engineer and he says all the railroads do now is cut cut cut...meaning they fire people every damn day but as they mentioned in the movie unstoppable, if you have the right last name and a rookies pay grade...you got a job my uncles also a conductor for Amtrak and he only got the job cause he has a buddy who works for them

[@dlane5292]

Yah it ain't what it used to be. Ran a switcher even switching on my 17 birthday, my Mom drove semi locally hauling containers to & from a small port in Montana, doubtful that would happen nowadays. Wanted an Amtrak F40 cab ride back in the day, they were one of my favorite types. Did do a lot of Amtrak miles as a kid/teen as a passenger back in the day. Fast forward 22 years beyond my teen years & got to pilot Amtrak 6 for 70 miles worth in Nebraska once, Joe Boardman, & gang was on the rear that day. Very intense ride for a typical freight guy used to 60 mph or less.

[@Highspeed110]

It wasn’t 9/11 that changed everything, it was ‘9/12’ (2008).

[@khalilreid]

Ride away on my zephyr I feel it more than ever

[@wildandwackywade]

what are the sticks throttle and dynamic break but it seems like it have two throttles? Also where is the train car break?

[@Highspeed110]

Not two throttles, but a throttle and a dynamic brake controller.

[@zacharylucisbecker2352]

Is that Pat at 00:19:30?

[@dodger1214]

25:32 A wig-wag sighting! Don't see too many of those these days.

[@Beargizmo3]

What is a wig-wag?

[@dodger1214]

@@Beargizmo3 The old crossing signals. They had a pendulum-like motion that would swing back and forth. They were in placed mostly until the 90s.

[@Beargizmo3]

@@dodger1214 Thanks very much! I thought that might be it

[@dlane5292]

Seen one up in the Sierra's in operation back in 1986.

[@dodger1214]

@@dlane5292 Was it by Norden/Tunnel 41?? I remember seeing one in the Pentrex video they did over Donner.

[@graphtonix6607]

The abandoned Amtrak station in Oakland.

[@nutbean7794]

Skillet man

[@csxrailfanbronyzachbecker2105]

Who’s at the throttle in this KZbin video? I was just wondering. Is that Pat?

[@jacknio6032]

Was he in another video?

[@jenna9390]

The days before Ditch Lights, but as people got dumber and more dependent on their phones we needed ditch lights and some to alternate to keep crossings safe, blame it on the dumb to cost money to alert them of paying attention

[@aceebrown9266]

Wow I didn't know Kenny Roger's could drive a train.

[@karlhungus1569]

Only the one bound for nowhere.

[@Bondmanproductions]

Just noticed his left fourth finger has been amputated

[@utubewatcher360]

Dude - you wouldn't be smoking in my locomotive

[@tsant6591]

Kind of funny how they were right about the decline of California. Wow

[@stevesulligan1080]

If they’d see how bad it really has gotten now

[@dennisjackson4085]

No smocking in my cab. If you have to smoke hang outside.

[@777-Phil]

@8:01 He talks about walking on the moon! Sadly, that never happened.

[@cats0182]

3 hours late? 5 hours late? More hours late? Why run the darn thing if you can't get even close to the printed schedule? That was in 1993. From what I've read, it's really no better today; it may be even worse. AMTRAK is a "forced share" with the freight railroads. When economic times are good, freight has to come FIRST. The AMTRAK services have to be squeezed into available slots on the freight railroads' right-of-way. It rarely is a good outcome for the passenger service.

[@GreenFrogVideos]

Amen to what you said! Green Frog Prod.

[@helmitpeak]

I agree but frieght has the priority most of the time regardless of the economic situation. I really don't care if the train is on time, I enjoy the trip and could care less if it's on time, if your in a hurry, fly.

[@SinisterKnightz]

Yeah I agree, if you gotta get there fast, just get on one of those cattle cars with wings. If you're lucky you'll get mugged and dragged off the aircraft...why walk?

[@dlane5292]

The only thing one should care about in riding the train is having a safe trip, making connections, & having a good time. Freight at times, & depending on commodity has priority but not in the way that it's always placed ahead of Amtrak like some of you all think. Once in a while we get cars that say "please expedite asap", but most of the time it's based on customers needs, which the railroad as best as it can shuffles it accordingly. Every railroad runs their own show, however the outfit I'm with does our best to clear for Amtrak, at times often an hour a head it's arrival. Many folks want to blame Amtrak for delay, but often times delays go way beyond Amtrak to effect; mechanical, & weather cause much of it.

[@kevinhoward9593]

Amtrak's slogan "We will get you there....EVENTUALLY!" Um the CZ never was operated by the Chicago and North Western. It was always a Burlington-Rio Grande-WP Train. The museum guy is an idiot if he cant even remember that simple railroad fact. 1993 Emeryville Station opened. But they are stopping at the destroyed Oakland Station. Hell even the tracks aren't there anymore.

[@jackboerner1901]

First off, take it easy dude. There are so many midwestern railroads that existed back, so what if mr. Yeager or mr. Grey got the CB&Q mixed with the CNW? I’m sure plenty of midwestern Railfans can get those names mixed up.

[@teddyschulte5639]

He isn’t very good on the horn

[@centralcaliforniarail]

Foamer....

[@teddyschulte5639]

😂