Replacing Railroad Bridge Timbers

[@billsimpson604]

One use of an adze is in digging a ditch to bury a water line or electrical line around pine trees. You use it to cut the roots which are growing vertically. Without an adze, the roots will have a tendency to make digging extremely difficult because they stop the shovel, especially in clay soil. It is far easier to grab the adze, or better yet, a 'cutter mattock' which has a narrow axe blade opposite the horizontal blade, and cut the roots off at the bottom of the trench as they appear. When digging around flexible, yet strong pine tree roots, a cutter mattock is a life saver. Being an office worker, I eventually learned to put gloves on before ripping the blisters open which would form surprisingly fast when digging or using an axe. You don't feel the blisters, until they rip open. Around here in Louisiana, they no longer use creosote for treating utility poles. All the new ones are treated with a clear chemical dyed green. I wonder how long it will last in this wet, hot climate?

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks for sharing with us Bill. Good idea on the roots! Never thought of that. My dad was a lineman for the local power company started back in 1950. All their poles were creosoted except for the cedar poles which were only treated on the ends that went in the ground. He climbed a lot of creosoted poles over the years. That green stuff is okay but it also makes the poles really brittle. They snap easily. Always a pleasure to have you visit with us my friend.

[@nolankaplan6646]

Kudos to the crane operator as it took real skill with the controls to maneuver the old ties off of the bridge without one falling to the road below!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Nolan for the nice comment. Richard is a very good operator. Was very nice of you to stop by and check out the video my friend.

[@lawrenwimberly7311]

that dude on the claw is excellent \

[@ccrx6700]

That guy is 72 years of age, been a railroader all his life and does a fantastic job Lawren. Great guy and someone you want on the job with you. He's done it all on the RR. Thanks so much my friend for visiting with us and writing in my friend.

[@skywatcherca]

Dave, always with the utmost respect to you and your colleagues, consider - having someone in your company CALLING the local lumber yards and or landscape companies - they WILL ASSUREDLY pay the CCRX railroad for your used and disregarded ties. Really: lumber yards, landscape companies up north, LOVE, they LOVE used disregarded railway ties - and they will PAY to acquire them. money is money - even if you only realize a limited income from the sale of old railway ties - it's still cash coming into the coffers of the railway. I enjoy your videos, Dave - you and your associates appear to work together (as a team) to ensure the safe operations of your railway. Love that! Stay safe, stay warm - keep the coffee hot. :0))

[@ccrx6700]

Really appreciate your suggestion. I will make some suggestions to management. It is good PR to give them to local farmers but there are only so many folks who want them, so there still is a good bit left over. Thanks for taking the time to watch and write in today my friend.

[@BoxcarJerry]

Hi Dave that grapple operator is pretty good at his job . Looks real good what they did so far .

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks Jerry, he is 72 years of age! Been railroading all his life, a great guy to have on the job, he's done it all. Really appreciate your watching today my friend.

[@GeographRick]

Richard is very dexterous with that grapple. It’s like an extension of his body.

[@ccrx6700]

Yes he is, Richard is a good man, been a railroader all his life, 72 years of age up on that bridge all day long. And a great guy. Thanks for watching the deck replacement geographRick.

[@gravelydon7072]

Interesting comment on cutting fresh ties with a chainsaw. In 1988 when I needed to move a piece of RR equipment off of an Army base, that is exactly how the Army guys cut the brand new ties for use as cribbing. I had asked why they used new ties instead of some good used ones I had seen that were good enough for the purpose. Their comment was the base Commanding Officer said to use whatever I needed and they swapped two lengths of rail for 10 brand new ties with another Army group. Chainsaw was a mess after cutting them but the guys were used to it. They had coated it with bar oil before use. Wiped clean fairly easily. They had on long leather sleeves that were already covered in old creosote and leather shop aprons so no big mess on them either. Face shields were disposable and after that use, were disposed of. They taught me a number of railroad things like the Army way of installing the oil pads for friction bearings. Most people install the pads dry and then fill the journal box with oil. Army way is to put the pads in a tank of journal oil and then put used brake shoes on top an expanded metal plate. Thus the pads soak up all the oil they can hold before being installed. Then when installed, there is little time wasted between when they can move the car(s) as they don't have to wait for the pads to soak up the oil. Once installed, top off the oil and ready to roll. 1000 mile moves with no oil needing added and one move at speeds of up to 75mph.

[@ccrx6700]

Wow thanks so much gravelydon for the awesome comment. Pretty interesting story. Always is a pleasure to have you stop by and write in my friend.

[@johnpyke4537]

THE BEST RAILROAD SHOW! JOHN PYKE | MICHIGAN

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you John for the very kind words. Glad you are having a good time with us. WE certainly appreciate all your wonderful support my friend.

[@hughgautier3894]

Almost looks like my grandfather's maddox which I know it is older than I am. he got it before WWI and was in both WWI and WWII

[@ccrx6700]

Oh wow Hugh, I certainly give your grandfather a 21 gun salute for his services to our country. That's just awesome to hear. Thank you my friend for taking the time to check out the video and write in today.

[@hughgautier3894]

@@ccrx6700 I'll go a little bit further my Dad was in the Army in charge of a CCC camp in Arizona and got transferred to Ft Monmouth, NJ with the Army Air Corps retiring before being sent to Korea. I was in the Navy in '63 stationed aboard the USNS Guantanamo Bay Cuba from 63-75 whereupon I left and joined the Army Stationed at Ft Jackson, SC; Ft Ord, CA; Ft Devon, MA; and back to Ft Jackson in a 10 year period. I went in at CWO2 and retired at CWO3 with 21.5 years. Back then the military had a 10-year hold on your life. I got a Master's degree in Industrial Computers, Robotics, and Electronics Engineering I did not use my GI benefits. I was visiting Tennessee State where my nephew was to be sworn in as an Officer in the USAF and was politely informed that I was being recalled almost 7 years after retiring back to the Navy to be attached to the Pentagon IG. Now, this was a job I could enjoy, I wore civilian clothes, and I went onto military bases looking for breaches of security. I did this for 6.5 years and retired with 28 years of combined military service.

[@josephbrandtner7713]

Crreosote is no joke! I ended up in the emergency room because of creosote burns on my face. While wiping sweat from my forehead I inadvertently transfered it to my face and had burns on my arms from the fumes.

[@ccrx6700]

Yes Joseph it's wicked stuff. My dad was a line man for the local power company back when a good many of their poles were creosoted, they carried a creosote burn was kit in their truck all the time. I think the fumes from creosote have burnt the inside of my brain as evidenced by my goofy laugh.... LOL Thank you so much for paying us a visit and watching my friend.

[@mustralineabsorbine5082]

This was a great series. Schedules and plans often don't mix well. You and your crew worked with the contractors to make it happen. Well done, sir. :)

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you so much Mustraline for the very nice comment. These guys did a fantastic job despite the adversity and heat they had to deal with. You know also that on the RR things change constantly trying to meet schedules. You do what you have to do to keep trains moving. Always is a pleasure to have you visit with us my friend.

[@rickcooper6817]

Well Dave, having to re-dap those ties slowed the guys down but looks like they still got quite a bit done, good job. Thanks for having us along Dave, stay safe!!

[@ccrx6700]

Yes it did Rick, but these guys were tremendous, they never gave up and did a remarkable job at getting done what they did. Thanks for joining in with us and checking things out my friend.

[@AlanMullen-w1f]

That's-Railroading. Fine Job *

[@Eddy63]

Very good series Dave ... That guy on the crane was good ... That's Railroading !!! Thx ...

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you very much. Glad you enjoyed the home movies. Richard on the grapple truck is 72 years of age and is an excellent operator and a really great guy. Appreciate your dropping by and taking in the show today my friend.

[@edjones833]

Ok, I misspelled the term but, the end of your video answered my question about the "dap".

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you got your questioned answered Ed. Appreciate very much your taking the time to watch and may you have a really good day my friend.

[@beverlymichael5830]

Frustrating when you have problems you have to work around and not being able to complete. Thanks for sharing.

[@ccrx6700]

Yes it is frustrating Beverly, but these guys persevered and never gave up, just kept plugging away. They did a fantastic job dealing with the adversity and high heat. Thank you so much for watching and writing in today my friend.

[@johndanaher6371]

Thanks again for giving us a glimpse of railroading. It's very fascinating to watch.

[@ccrx6700]

Your certainly welcome John. So nice of you to take the time to watch and write in my friend. Glad you enjoyed the show.

[@geraldblackburn4883]

Dang, hard work, Sweat in the Sun !! !

[@ccrx6700]

It was very hot for sure Gerald. These guys had a lot to deal with but they gave it their best shot. Always appreciate your visiting with us my friend.

[@davidknoll7174]

Dave, I love your videos and your gentle demeanor. I have to say I nearly fell off my chair when I heard you make a passing reference to Kathryn Kuhlman @ 8:48. I grew up 17 miles NExE of Pittsburgh and actually attended one of her meetings back in the 70s before she passed away. Keep up the good railroading videos coming!

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoy them David. Thank you for the very kind words. Used to listen to her radio broadcasts in the evenings back in the late 1970's. Have read all her books. Never got to visit a meeting even tho Pittsburgh is only an hour away. Many years ago did go to a Benny Hinn meeting in Baltimore. Appreciate your watching and may you have a most blessed holiday season my friend.

[@davidknoll7174]

@@ccrx6700 Too late to wish you a Merry Christmas but have a blessed New Year!

[@Bendigo1]

When I was a kid my dad got some used ties that were not too old but were in rough condition, He tries cutting them with a chainsaw and gave up after about 3 cuts because it was jamming up the saw with all the junk coming from the ties and the speed it was dulling the teeth.

[@ccrx6700]

Creosote is really hard on chain saw blades for sure! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and write in my friend.

[@jason27swg]

Those old ties look good I want em:)

[@ccrx6700]

Come and get them Jason. They're still here and we gonna finish Bridge 8 in February and also hopefully do bridge 10 then, so there's lot's of timbers here for you. Always appreciate your joining in with us my good friend.

[@jason27swg]

@@ccrx6700 that would be a heavy load back to alabama they still look like they are in great shape

[@Hyrev1]

Skilled operator there handling those ties. Kinda fascinating to see how delicately he could maneuver them into place! Glad you picked up that one lag bolt..gave it some perspective as to how large it is! Great video as always Dave! 👍🚂🚃🚃🚃🚃💯👍

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you so much for the very nice comment. Richard is a very good operator and is 72 years of age. Been a railroader all his life. Good man. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch my friend.

[@tomedgar4375]

Tedium work that requires a steady hand, great job!

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks Tom. These guys did a fantastic job despite all the adversity and high heat they faced. They never gave up. Always is a pleasure to have you come out and visit with us my friend.

[@lesterlattig]

You're videos are so enjoyable for me Dave. Thank you.

[@ccrx6700]

Well golly Lester, thank you so much for the very nice comment. Glad you are having a good time with us. It's always a pleasure to have you pay us a visit my friend.

[@fountainvalley100]

If you could get the track time you could benefit from a general contractor doing the work under your guidance. The contractor would pull the rails off and stock pile them at the end the new ties are stocked piled at. Then start removing the old ties working towards the opposite end. At the same time the contractor would start laying ties behind the removal crew. In essence rebuilding the deck right behind the demo crew. I’ve never done track work but I have done several projects where new construction was progressing right behind the demolition crews.

[@alro2434]

Yes, but that's railroading!

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks for the kind words. Very much appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.

[@FrogandFlangeVideo]

Thanks once more, Dave. James.

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed it James, that was a big project and glad to see it got done. Those guys worked really hard and did an excellent job.

[@peterlewis7292]

Thank you Dave, wow you've had a brilliant team there and the skills they all have is a delight to watch. Rgds. Peter.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Peter. Thank you for the very nice comment. These guys did a fantastic job despite all the heat and adversity they had to deal with. We really appreciate your joining in with us and checking out the video tonight my friend.

[@ThisIS_Insane]

The Egyptians used the Adze quite extensively. It's truly an "Old School" tool that does it's job very well. CHEERS! ☕☕☕

[@ccrx6700]

Yes it certainly is an old school tool. Now they even make RR machines called adzers that adze the ties hydraulically. Pretty neat stuff. We don't have one here tho. Thank you so much for watching. and writing in. May you have a wonderful day my friend.

[@ThisIS_Insane]

@@ccrx6700 The pleasure is all mine!!

[@ccrx6700]

@@ThisIS_Insane 😊👍

[@Bender24k]

Great shots, man I love seeing these hard working crews & your explanations. THANKS!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you the kind words Bender, glad you enjoyed the video. Appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and watch. May you have a most blessed day my friend.

[@michaelball760]

I always hear a groan when someone says we need to adze those ties 😂

[@ccrx6700]

Fortunately for me Michael, I've never had to do that. And tell you the truth, don't want to learn now either. Really appreciate your taking in the show today my good friend.

[@dezertraider]

COOL DAVID,,STAY WELL

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you, very glad you enjoyed. We certainly appreciate your stopping by and checking things out tonight my friend.

[@ljs6446]

Dave i think all the outrigger ties should be hook bolted ! That makes it every 4th tie ! We did that on my railroad also put on creepers every other tie and 120 ties at both ends out from backwall that the standards of class one rr ! Love the videos brings back great memories of 42yrs on bridge gang!!!

[@ccrx6700]

Your right LJS. I remember you telling me that in the past. I suggested that to the Frontier foreman. But as you can see it didn't get done. See I do listen to your expert advice on bridges and I hope you never stop sharing your ideas with me. I've requested several months ago getting an anchor machine in here and putting anchors that far out on all our bridge approaches. So far no one has taken me seriously on that either. What an improvement that would be for us just to do that. We have always had a big problem with too much rail creep onto the bridges. Gosh i wish you were foreman here! We would get along great.

[@brianhickey5949]

What a job! Everyone hit it as hard as possible and there was no way to keep time from running out. A fascinating video on the more difficult aspects of track maintenance :) The use of the adze is most definitely old school and, like everything you folks do, is done professionally and with great care. I am impressed with all you folks were able to get done!

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks so much Brian for the very nice comment. Always is a pleasure to have you join in with us my friend. These guys did a fantastic job for sure with all they had to deal with.

[@wayneakins7850]

Big boy tinker toys

[@ccrx6700]

Santa brought my first tinker toy set way back in the early 1960. What fun they were to play with. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the show my friend.

[@williamralph5442]

Good machinery makes easy work. Thanks Dave

[@ccrx6700]

Your very welcome William. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.

[@tomstrum6259]

Hi Dave ! Just found your channel by accident & really like watching this action...I knew nothing 'bout RR bridge work but do now !! ...That crane/bucket operator has the Pecision of a brain surgeon !! You do fantastic good informative videos.....Feel bad for the crew but not their fault.....I'm hooked on watching your channel....Thx

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Tom and welcome to our community, we are glad to have you with us and hope you will continue to enjoy. Here is an introduction video to get you a feel for what all we do here at the Railroad and a bit about our mine: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pYDYmGOwaJlkZ5o Lot's of cool RR videos on our home page if you would sometime care to check any of them out. kzbin.info

[@artillerest43rdva7]

that was great seeing the placement of the ties, the operator was so skilled at working boom. they moved the ties like small pieces of wood into a tight fit. I was so nice to see how they all are secured to the bridge, including the hard ware that is used. most often people never see that part of the job. just the finished project. stability is always key with the track for safe running. God bless, stay save , stay healthy, most of all keep laughing! barry

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed Barry. Richard is 72 years of age and a very good operator and great guy too. Thanks so much my friend for the very nice comment and for taking the time to watch.

[@kg4muc]

Just a minor setback 😮. Those guys are getting the job done! He’s absolutely right on the chain saw I climbed poles in another life and just topping an old one for access on a transfer will get you covered lol

[@ccrx6700]

My dad was a lineman for the local power company, for a lot of years he climbed those creosoted poles, they always had creosote burn wash in first aid kit in their trucks. Many a railroader has suffered from creosote burns from the ties. Thanks so much my friend for dropping by and taking in the video today.

[@kg4muc]

@@ccrx6700 always some super content here!!

[@ccrx6700]

@@kg4muc thank you

[@paulbergen9114]

Tucking those ties in just as snug as if you were putting your own child to bed. The crane operator sure had it down to a science and the other staff using the adze to make those Timbers fit in a timely fashion. Great job as always dealing with adversity. The budget. The staff. You're like the traveling One Man Band

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks for the very nice comment Paul. Richard the operator is 72 years of age and is a very good operator. And a really great guy. Always is a pleasure to have you drop by and visit my friend.

[@wilburroth5150]

What a job. Looks good though! Thanks for the video, Dave.

[@ccrx6700]

Your very welcome Wilbur. Always appreciate hearing from you and for all your great support of the channel my friend.

[@72chargerse72]

Yes I did enjoy it and thankyou for takeing your valuable time showing us the these type of jobs,

[@ccrx6700]

Your certainly welcome. Really glad you had a good time. We very much appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.

[@TurboTimsWorld]

Great job I bet you even ran a broom over it before the first train ran over it. Thank You Dave and to the Contractors for sharing their work with us.

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks Tim for the very nice comment. Actually Frontier RR Services who did the deck replacement took an air hose and cleaned off the deck timbers before they left. So you are right. Really appreciate your visiting with us tonight my friend.

[@raymondsprengelmeyer1278]

It was very interesting to me to see all of the fasteners used on the bridge. Thank you for sharing Dave! Too bad the job didn't get finished, but the guys made the best of a bad situation.

[@ccrx6700]

Very glad you enjoyed that Raymond. Guess what, we are now supposed to get the bridge finished this February when there will be a shut down for a long wall move underground. Gonna be pretty wicked cold up there then. So keep your fingers crossed it gets done. Also if the timbers come in will replace the deck on Bridge 10 at the same time. You are right, these guys did make the best of it, they never gave up. Good men!

[@doughuffman5790]

Fasteners; 12,500 spikes per mile of track. Great videos by a really personable expert. Thanks Dave. Might ‘dap’ be GAP?

[@ZachHart-jn8gr]

Thanks for another fantastic video Dave. That it a whole lot easier than when I replaced bridge ties, we of course did that by hand. I've done a little bridge work, it was something I liked doing.

[@ccrx6700]

Your certainly welcome Zach. I cannot imagine moving those heavy timbers by hand. But you real railroaders were some pretty tough birds back then! Thanks for watching the show.

[@williamswindle5445]

There are 2 trussels near me and I always wondered how they did that. Thanks for the video!

[@ccrx6700]

your certainly welcome Bill, glad you enjoyed. Really appreciate your dropping in on us and checking out the video. May you have a most blessed day my friend.

[@PlanetMojo]

Very smooth work by the crane operator! It's a shame the project did not get finished (I know that problem very well 😉), but you will eventually get back to it I'm sure. Gotta keep those trains rolling!

[@ccrx6700]

We are supposed to have a shut down in February and deck is scheduled to get done then. From extreme heat in June to bitter cold in February, but that's railroading.... :-) It's gonna be a big shut down, possibly month and a half and we got tons of projects to look after. Always a pleasure to have you stop by my friend.

[@PlanetMojo]

@@ccrx6700 A month and a half! That's a big shut down! I agree about the weather thing. I thought I could get the ceiling done in my shop before the real cold weather hit, but no such luck. A bunch of family things intervened, and next week tit will be below zero here 🥶 Oh well, no different than any other year 😊

[@dorothycole8611]

Good video. Takes a lot of patience as well as skill for this job.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you and glad you enjoyed. These guys did a great job. Richard the operator on the truck is 72 years of age and a very good operator and great guy.

[@garymessina1609]

The operator on the truck is very good thing are moving along because of him good job guys thanks Dave for a great video

[@ccrx6700]

Your certainly welcome Gary. So nice of you to take the time to watch and write in my friend. Always a pleasure to have you join in with us.

[@Paw95]

Wow made it just in time to watch this!!

[@ccrx6700]

We're certainly glad you showed up Preston. Always is a pleasure to have you come and visit with me my friend.

[@Paw95]

@@ccrx6700 always good stuff here!!

[@PBRJOHN684]

You had a great team there Dave and a great insight in how you replace a bridge deck. Thank you Dave 👍

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you John for the really nice comment. These guys did an awesome job dealing with all the adversity plus high heat. They never gave up. So glad you enjoyed and we really appreciate your taking the time to watch my friend.

[@waynegarrison2481]

Thanks for sharing Dave. Have a great day.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Wayne. Certainly appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.

[@richardaustin2640]

Great to see the progress Dave. Looks like they certainly put in some hard yards to get as far as they did. Like seeing all those little details too. Thanks so much!

[@ccrx6700]

Your certainly welcome Richard. So nice of you to take the time to watch and write in my friend. Yes these guys did a fantastic job and never gave up. Glad you enjoyed the show.

[@cameronmccreary4758]

They are doing an excellent job. 😀

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks Cameron for the very nice comment. We always enjoy having you come visit with us my friend.

[@christopherleenknecht920]

Great video Dave 👍 🚂

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you very much Christopher. We really appreciate your taking the time to tune in and watch today my friend.

[@GMCGUY-]

What a cool video these is Awesome Dave thumbs 👍 👌 😀 👏

[@ccrx6700]

Really glad you enjoyed the bridge timber show GMC Guy. Thank you very much and may you have a really good day my friend.

[@shirleyharrington-moore9657]

Thank you for sharing, Dave.

[@ccrx6700]

Quite welcome Shirley. This isn't something too many folks every to get to see being done. We thank you so much for watching and writing in my friend.

[@mikemissel7785]

Great video again Dave

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you very kindly Mike. Was swell of you to join in with us and check things out tonight my friend.

[@louisb229]

Based on what you stated earlier (quoting an evangelist) that may make us more than friends, but brothers in Christ!

[@ccrx6700]

Used to listen to her long time ago on the radio, circa 1970's. have read all her books. Wonderful lady. I heard they have closed down the KK Foundation in Pittsburgh. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in today my friend.

[@Freddie.Wiener]

That lag bolt seemed small until you picked it up! 👀

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed seeing that Freddie. We certainly appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in today my friend.

[@1000kmckinney]

Another fun video, thanks buddy ...

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed the show. We certainly appreciate your taking the time to check things out today my friend.

[@paulfalzarano5930]

Another great video!👌

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Paul for the kind words, very glad you enjoyed the show. We certainly appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.

[@mikefightmaster]

I made the mistake of chainsawing a couple of 4" x12" beams. Resulted in creosote chips in my shoes and down my shirt neck that stayed on my back. Shortly after I felt like I was on fire. Showered and soaked in bathtub for hours before th burning went away. That's why they don't use a chainsaw.

[@ccrx6700]

Creosote burns are not fun. My dad was line man for the local power company back when they used a lot of creosoted poles he had to climb. They always carried a creosote burn wash kit with them. I can feel your pain Mike. It's always great to hear from you and we really appreciate all the wonderful support you have given the channel my friend.

[@derrickanderson4932]

What a job Great Video.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you very much Derrick for the nice comment. So glad you took the time to check the deck replacement out and write in my friend.

[@garrybrooks3055]

You bring back memories

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed Garry. We certainly appreciate your taking the time to check out the show and write in my friend.

[@jamieoshea7468]

I wish we had one of the machines looks the goods

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Jamie for the nice comment, wish you had one too. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.

[@ericsikma4764]

Back to the steel fab days, a do-over scenario was a peeve. This one here: This is a BIG do-over. As for everyone in the video, it was a matter of 2 words repeating: "INCREDIBLE PATIENCE". Pretty amazing...

[@ccrx6700]

Yes Eric these guys did a fantastic job, never giving up despite all the adversity and heat they faced. Most of the guys were Mexican. Great guys and great workers, but when they speak Spanish you never know how many cuss words they were saying...LOL Always appreciate your visiting with us my friend.

[@wtfbuddy1]

Nice informative video Dave - haven't seen an Adze in years, would have been nice to see a youngster swinging it. Frontier must be a very busy company that's in high demand plus the deconfliction with your trains running must be hard to take to keep the rails open for business. Cheers my friend and stay safe, I'm getting ready for a foot of snow.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Pete. Always appreciate your visiting with us and for all your great comments. I was not able to get up there when they were using that adze, as I was tamping behind the tie gang that was in, or I would have shown you that. Frontier is swamped with work back then and right now. It's incredible the amount of work that is out there for RR contractors. Frontier cannot keep up with demand. If you get snowed in, then that will give you lot's of time to watch some of my older videos! LOL

[@wtfbuddy1]

@@ccrx6700 I'm a little over halfway through those as well. Cheers

[@StormySkyRailProductions]

Great video once again Dave those bridge timbers look really nice when they got done with them what they could get done. For the record the adze part of the video I have used that many a times in my railroad career especially when gauging track and the plates dug into the ties of course had to add them off so the plate slide evenly so we can gauge the track we also had an adzer cribber on the rail gandlg that did that so the rail would lay in place with the plates level. We enjoyed watching always and have a great rest of your evening Dave. Steve

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you so much Steve for the really cool comment. Glad you had a good time with us. Hand adzing ties is good work for the young guys, i sure wouldn't want to do it now.... Always is a pleasure to have you pay us a visit my good friend.

[@StormySkyRailProductions]

@@ccrx6700 Your very welcome oh yes I wished I was out there again every day. I agree leave adzing to the younger whipper snappers.

[@trainsbyben]

Lots of hard work and technical know how to get the bridge back in shape. Neat video.

[@ccrx6700]

Those guys did a fantastic job Ben despite the heat and adveristy they had to deal with. Glad you enjoyed the show. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in. May you have a most blessed day my friend.

[@cedarcam]

I was surprised the guys used an Adze an old tool I have not seen in years, takes a bit of skill to use one without injuring yourself. The view from the road was good to see. With no sidewalk or guard rails fitted will you be able to do that in February when they change the rest of the timbers

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed the show cedarcam. Hopefully in February they will get everything done. From extreme heat in June to bitter cold in Feb. But that's railroading. Thanks so much my friend for joining in with us today.

[@NSBlack_Stallion]

13:50 Looks to be a gouge down the middle of the old timbers. Wondering what caused that.

[@ccrx6700]

A car wheel had come off many years ago from a bad bearing. They're not kind to timbers and ties when they do that. Thanks for taking the time to watch and write in my friend. NS around here is moving coal trains like they haven't in years, demand for coal is tremendous. Caught 10 NS trains monday here on only a 20 mile section on the Mon Line. 2 years ago you'd wait for 8 hours to catch one train.

[@jasonbabila6006]

In previous years our B&B department replaced numerous open deck bridges to ballast deck bridges.

[@ccrx6700]

I wish all our bridges were ballast deck. Thy talked over the years of replacing some of ours, but no one ever did anything about it. Way cheaper to maintain and track bridge approaches hold up well on ballast decks. We are forever having track on the approaches on these deck bridges fall. Always is a pleasure to have you visit with me my good friend.

[@whoever6458]

That's typical repair work. You take stuff apart thinking you're just going to fix what you came to fix and find that there's something wrong underneath or inside of whatever you were going to fix in the first place so you have to fix that. It's like peeling an onion, potentially with as many or more tears. I know I once spent 12 hours fixing a toilet when all I had started out to do was to change the parts in the back of it. It wasn't the worst repair onion I've ended up peeling but it took the most time. So I went to turn the stopcock to shut the water off to just the toilet, as one does, but it was jammed in the open position. So I had to fix that. Well, my mom told me the wrong size of pipe to buy so I had to go back to the hardware store again but still got a part that wouldn't work (and I don't remember why now because it's been many years since this happened). Finally, I shut the water off to the entire house, removed the broken stopcock to take it with me to the hardware store, and that's when I finally got the right part. Then, it probably took me a half hour or so to do the actual repairs. I mean I could have just shut off the water to the house, replaced the parts in the back of the toilet, and just ignored the problem with the stopcock. The only thing is that toilet is more prone to overflow than the other ones so it comes quite in handy to be able to quickly shut the water off to it in order to avoid that misfortune.

[@ccrx6700]

Yep it happens, but that's railroading. I hate plumbing, Can glue together 2 pieces of plastic pipe and they will still leak....sigh, always minimum 3 trips to hardware store.... I hate fixing toilets too.

[@whoever6458]

@@ccrx6700 Indeed! Everything leaks. lol

[@briankemp5206]

Great video Dave, up and close to the action. Those guy did a nice job. Thanks for sharing.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Brian. Very glad you liked it. We certainly want to say how much we appreciate all your wonderful comments and for your great support of the channel my friend.

[@fireballxl-5748]

Another great video Dave. Thank you for educating.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Fireball. Really appreciate your taking the time to check out the bridge deck replacement videos my friend.

[@rogerswanson3628]

Cumberland mine, on the mon River, I work on towboat, and have hauled many ah coal loads down outta there

[@ccrx6700]

How awesome is that Roger! I worked on the barges and loaded them for over 20 years down there. Keep you safety vest buttoned or zipped up. When they bought us float coats, now that was the cat's meow. Warmest coat I ever had in the winter. We really appreciate your visiting with us and watching the video. May you have a wonderful day my friend.

[@ericcoffedgp40]

That was a really cool shot looking up at the bridge with the grapple truck! Awesome!

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed that Eric. A rather cool perspective I thought. Always enjoy hearing from you my friend.

[@ericcoffedgp40]

@ccrx 6700 That's Railroadin! It sure was a neat point of view and yessir I always enjoy seeing what's happening on the railroad!

[@johnhauser4589]

Maybe time for sanding and painting on bridge girders??? Nice blue to match locos?

[@ccrx6700]

We are always looking for volunteers to come out and do that kind of work John! Graffiti artists seem to want to do it for free.... :-) Who knows this new company is redoing everything in their Iron Synergy logos so wouldn't surprise me to see them paint the bridges LOL Thanks so much my friend for paying us a visit tonight and watching.

[@johnbutler8388]

Nice job man thank you

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you John. These guys did a fantastic job never giving up despite all the adversity they encountered. Really appreciate your joining in with us today my friend.

[@Santafefrank]

Thanks Dave

[@ccrx6700]

Your certainly welcome. So glad you could take the time to visit with us and check out the show my friend.

[@margaretragle1337]

Hard worker for the train

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks for taking the time to tune in to watch the presentation Margaret. Always a pleasure to have you visit with us my friend.

[@lewistodd9242]

Really nice video Dave. I was wondering why there was no spacing in the middle of the bridge, but you anticipated my question and answered it. Have a great day my friend.

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed the show Lewis. We always appreciate hearing from you my friend.

[@uTube486]

Merry Christmas !

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you and same also to you and your family. Appreciate your watching the show today my friend.

[@tomeasley5979]

Dave, thanks again for the great video. They seem to be quite thorough in their work. Thanks also for explaining everything in detail. Please keep posting the videos. I hope you and your wife have a Merry Christmas.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you very much Tom for the very nice comment. Glad you enjoyed. It's always a pleasure to have you stop by and write in my friend. Gonna be 3 more videos coming out for you before Christmas so stay tuned and hope see you on them.

[@willb.383]

Those ties being removed still look pretty good. Probably not great for a bridge deck but maybe used somewhere else. Part of my grandmother's gravel drive is lined with used ties that were probably removed 35 years ago. Who knows how long they were in service before that. I sure would love to have access to a bunch of good used ties. Do railroads or anyone sell them off or are they always thrown out or used in other projects?

[@alro2434]

Yeah, except for the lighter shade of creosote they sure look almost the same condition to me, recent replacements? The operator has a great touch maneuvering that stuff around, how the hell did they do it in the old days? pulling the track off maybe in sections of 2 sure would speed it up, also with 2 truck/cranes with 1 doing the pulling and 1 replacing. I am surprised that the guys wouldn't even stick in a crowbar to separate them, give'm a gap so he could maneuver & picke'm up quicker.

[@ccrx6700]

Don't know where you're at Will,, but these timbers are still here and if you can arrange trucking they are yours. We have often given them away to save on dumpster fees. We will also have some regular ties available as a tie gang is coming in to replace 1,000 ties in Jan/Feb. Always a pleasure to have you join in with us my friend.

[@willb.383]

@@ccrx6700 would I need to arrange more than a flatbed trailer? A loader? It’s a great offer but might be out of my reach. I’m about 8hrs from ya.

[@ccrx6700]

@@willb.383 wecan load them. You need arrange trucking

[@dr.ryttmastarecctm6595]

The trick is knowing how much you can do, including ALL the steps necessary to have the newly installed timbers properly fastened down. Question: How deep is the DAP cut?

[@ccrx6700]

Replacing a bridge deck is just like you say, certain order of steps to follow to keep things moving along smoothly. The way they are doing this is much better than the old method where they stripped all the rails and walkways off first. This saves a lot of time and effort. Dap is cut 3/4 of an inch deep. Really appreciate your visiting with us and writing in my friend.

[@davidg5369]

Thanks Dave, very interesting series! Wishing everyone there & their Families a Very Merry Christmas & a Happy & Safe New Year!

[@ccrx6700]

Your very welcome David. Thanks so much for taking the time to watch and write in my friend. May you and yours also have a blessed holiday season.

[@tucobenedicto109]

That's cool!

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed Tuco. Thank you very much for checking out the show today my friend. Always appreciate hearing from you.

[@aleu650]

Interesting as usual! Pity they couldn't finish it. I thought they would also paint the metal beam. It looks pretty rusty. Thank you for showing us these aspects of bridge maintenance.👍

[@ccrx6700]

Very glad you enjoyed aleu650. These guys did a remarkable job with all the adversity they faced plus the high heat to deal with. Really appreciate your dropping by and taking in the show my friend. Deck is scheduled to get finished in February when we are going to have another shut down.

[@roberttraylor1392]

awesome video i enjoyed it

[@ccrx6700]

Very glad to hear that Robert. We really appreciate your taking the time to tune in and check out the presentation my friend.

[@4everdc302]

Great on site coverage of a big job&overcoming an issue on the fly. BONUS: A new Scrabble word"adze"🚂🇨🇦🇺🇲👷⛏️🙋

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks so much Doug. These guys did a fantastic job despite all the heat and adversity they faced. Figure you got a tool pretty similar to that adze for your work, but don't know what you call it in your industry. Always appreciate your great comments my good friend.

[@4everdc302]

@@ccrx6700 My tire hammer is close to that one. Trade term is tire maul. Have had the one I've got now since 92. Two replacement hickory handles with the grooves. Most guys don't like them cuz it's rough on there hands. Ordered special for me.I'm ok with it lol

[@ccrx6700]

@@4everdc302 👍😊

[@northstar2007]

loooooots of hard work

[@ccrx6700]

Yep northstar. These guys did a fantastic job despite all the adversity and heat they had to deal with. Really appreciate your checking out the show and writing in my friend.

[@Boilermaker-Rick]

Awesome video Dave! Merry Christmas!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Rick. Very glad you enjoyed. We certainly do appreciate your taking the time to tune in and watch tonight my friend. Your gonna see some more pretty cool stuff before Christmas

[@blpblp-tj7ux]

just a matter of aDAPting the new timbers!

[@ccrx6700]

All we really needed was an ACME Adapter kit.....LOL If you watched Bugs Bunny you know what I mean with that. Glad you could take the time to stop by and watch today my friend.

[@davebrock6618]

great series Dave, thanks so much for posting and your time on the job.

[@ccrx6700]

Your certainly welcome Dave. So nice of you to take the time to watch and write in my friend. Always a pleasure to have you join in with us.

[@scottleidenberger4401]

Will the bridge have a slow order since the guard rails are not in place and will the transition from new ties to old ties cause any problems ? Great video, thanks for sharing .

[@ccrx6700]

No slow order Scott. We have several other bridges that do not have the guard rails in either. I wish they all did, or at very least the bridges over public roads and creeks. Transitions were taken care of by use of pads under tie plates that acted as shims to keep rails the same height. Glad you like tonight's home movie. Always is a pleasure to have you stop by my friend.

[@johncamp2567]

I was gonna ask how long the re-dapping took, and then the answer: it took as long as it will take to finish the project. Interesting series. I wish I could smell the creosote!

[@ccrx6700]

I've asked Santa to get his elves to work on making a scratch and smell video, so you can watch the ties being put in and smell them at the same time! Now wouldn't that just be the cat's meow if we could do that! Thanks so much my friend for checking out the show today.

[@johncamp2567]

@@ccrx6700 Ask the railroad elves to add diesel exhaust to the scratch-and-sniff!! And, maybe, grease and coal-smoke for the old-timers?? 🚂🎁

[@ccrx6700]

@@johncamp2567 😊👍🎅

[@alfgeorge5003]

I hope the bloke that measured the dap spacings wrong gets a rev up, that's cost your contractors so much time in having to alter those dap cuts to make them fit that bridge, old addich of measure twice cut once seems to apply again, great video & explanation of the job. Anyways Dave just incase I don't catch any more videos before Xmas have a Merry Xmas matey.

[@ccrx6700]

Guy that measure the bridge wrong worked for Frontier, so when they realized what happened, Frontier ate the extra cost involved. Sad that it happened, but like my dad said, to err is human, to forgive divine. Mistakes happen to the best of us. Really appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.

[@bobblenuts]

Dave, have you walked out on the Kinzua Bridge? Wife & I did it couple years ago, we're not into heights much but glad we did it. Can't imagine the old trains crossing some of the bridges like that but I guess you look straight ahead and hope all goes well! Thanks for another great video!

[@ccrx6700]

We've been there but that was way back when I was a kid, don't remember much about it. That was back when they were first starting to build the Kinzua Dam. So it must have been early 1960's, dam opened in 65. Glad you enjoyed the show today. Always a pleasure to have you join in with us my friend.

[@TriGogglin]

Man those new ties look great. I have a question. Now I obviously don't know nothing about the time scheduling on your trains or the crew that did the work. But the question is. Wouldn't it be faster to pull the rails and ties up at once by sections, relay that section and move down do another and so on, rather than trying to slowly slide out 1 tie at a time and then slowly slide another in. Seems like that tedious 1 at a time takes for ever.. . Just asking and hope you can tell me why it's not done that way.. thanks Dave great video...

[@alro2434]

Are you paid by the hour or by the job?🙄

[@TriGogglin]

@@alro2434 funny how there's always one on the crowd. You contributed nothing to this question but yet you still feel the need to chime in. Railroads must stay running. So the question is about the time factor of getting a job done quickly. Not if your sucking up some one else's money by doing a job slow cause your paid by the hour.

[@ccrx6700]

Good question Pappy. Yes it would be faster if it could be done. A section of those timbers along with the rails (like a track panel or snap track) would be pretty darn heavy and would require some heavy duty crane action to accomplish. Big cranes as you know are expensive, starting at $10,000 a day to get one in here. So assuming we had down track time, the big factor is the cost of the crane rental. They used to strip everything off the deck, walkway and rails which added 2 to 3 days on to the job. So even tho 1 at a time seems tedious, it's still better than the old way. Hope that help explain. Thanks so much for watching and writing in my good friend.

[@TriGogglin]

@@ccrx6700 thank you Dave, yeah didn't think of the weight of sectioned track, and now that the prices are up on everything, a crane would be a hefty charge. So that all makes good sense. Appreciate you replying to the question.

[@ccrx6700]

@@TriGogglin last bad bearing we had 1 day crane rental was 10 grand to pick up half a loaded coal car. Unbelievable!

[@Bassotronics]

I’m glad they got most of it done. Just wondering if the train now has to be on a safe restricted speed crossing that bridge until it’s finished?

[@ccrx6700]

No slow order on the bridge Bassotronics. They added some pads under the tie plates where the timbers transitioned from old to new so rails were really close to being in horizontal alignment. We will finish deck in February, or at least for now that is when it's scheduled to get completed. Thanks for dropping by and watching my friend.

[@Bassotronics]

@@ccrx6700 Awesome. That would be a great continuation of the series. 👍🏻