Critical Alarm! Hot Wheel Detector Goes Nuts! on Dragging Equipment Message

Critical Alarm, Critical Alarm, dragging equipment near axle 111, excessive alarms.
The little guy in the wayside bungalow apparently felt he wasn't getting enough
attention and went nuts with giving alarms. You get to see 4 trains pass thru our
detector site plus hear the critical alarm messages from 3 trains. And at
the end of the video will take you inside the cabinet and show what we did
to try and correct the critical alarm message.
I just happened to make a video of the train passing EB on this particular day
and lucked out hearing this message, it was the first time it goofed up. We ended
up having to get a tech from Progress Rail out to diagnose the problem. There
was some kind of glitch in the computer software that he had to reprogram,
I'm sorry I don't know exactly what it was but it is fixed now.
I have more videos of our hot wheel detector on a playlist you can view at this link:
• Hot Wheel Detector
#HotWheelDetector#DraggingEquipment#CriticalAlarm
Made 03/23/2021

[@christophermattox3972]

Very great commentary. I think that detector needed a cheeseburger. I am blind and I love trains. I learned a lot from these comments. And the people who work on the railroad. God bless you guys.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you very much Christopher for the really nice comment, it is special to me to hear your kind words, we also wish God's blessing for you and your family my good sir.

[@christophermattox3972]

@@ccrx6700 you’re certainly welcome. Hopefully I will get to meet you one day. Thank you so much. There are people who will not talk to you on social media because a lot of the people think that their stuff don’t stink.

[@AmtrakFlareon]

Make sure the burger it gets is digital…

[@ccrx6700]

@@christophermattox3972 that would be awesome if we could sometime meet Christopher

[@jadedfox4672]

Just a question, if you’re blind, how do you type and read comments, just curious

[@jason27swg]

I honestly can't tell you how many steps I've walked when I was a conductor and how many hours I've wasted due to a defective detector. On the other hand I can't tell you how many times they have saved our asses

[@ccrx6700]

We've been pretty lucky here Jason, this is the first time this thing goofed up, but it has caught several hot bearings over the years saving us derailments. I can appreciate your comment! Really do thank you for writing in and that comment was spot on good sir.

[@rhino2960]

best case scenario, it keeps you alive, worst case, its an excuse to stretch yer legs.

[@keithgiles1233]

I maintain 11 detectors.. got the most part they behave themselves..my guess is either loose mounting bolts or dirty contacts

[@Neilukuk]

Can these detect if a person is being dragged or is it just for other stuff? Unsure if people even get dragged so probably a stupid question.

[@thecelticprince4949]

@@Neilukuk If a body is being dragged by a train all there is going to be is minced meat. And it ain't a nice sight to remove whatever remains. Especially of it was a person.

[@dougsturgill1356]

It was great to see that equipment in action when you are by it even if it is faulty its always interesting to listen to you explaining the workings of your job

[@ccrx6700]

Golly Doug, great comment sir, really appreciated hearing you enjoyed the show good sir

[@lewistodd9242]

Great catch Dave. As usual with electronic equipment, when you get different readings each time, it can be hard to pinpoint the trouble. Have a great day.

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks Lewis, glad to hear you enjoyed, was a lucky find for this one. Do appreciate your watching and hope your day is great also my friend

[@tbok75]

I used to live by the switch yard in Roseville CA. I had a working bearcat scanner that would still pick up their radios. This was only 15y ago. I'm 46 now but the 12 year old in me will never leave where trains are involved. Thanx for the great video.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome 😊👍

[@jens_hatje]

Wow, those cars are riding those rails straight as an arrow... thanks your your track levelling and straightening skills.

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks for the nice comment and for watching Jens, we do appreciate that my good man

[@sterlingspencer2934]

I enjoyed the video . I knew how a heat detector worked but not how the dragging detector worked . Learn something new every day. Thanks!

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed Sterling Spencer, we do appreciate your watching sir.

[@russelltrupia4479]

Glad that everything was good, when you were hollering for Russell you caught me off guard. I almost answered you Dave.

[@ccrx6700]

LOL, Russell is our best operator, every time I call him on radio, you always come to mind. Your one of my most faithful followers and I certainly do appreciate that my good man. Russell here is a great guy, you would love to meet him, a hard worker, very conscientious just like you

[@russelltrupia4479]

@@ccrx6700 Thank you Dave, I really enjoy your videos and the classes on behind the scenes of railroading.

[@ccrx6700]

@@russelltrupia4479 😊

[@edbiedenkapp1322]

I love your sense of humor I’m just dying laughing over here. Really interesting all the maintenance that you have to do. Thanks for taking me along on that trip keep on filming.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Ed for the very nice comment. Glad you are having a good time with us. We certainly appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.

[@tomgoodman2024]

I really enjoy your videos they are very educational on how railroads work. Thought it was funny about the little guy in the cabinet going nuts. Keep up the good work and be safe!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you very much Tom, really great to hear you enjoy these home movies. We really do appreciate your writing in and for watching my friend.

[@conrailfan6277]

I didn't know Progress Rail built hot bearing and dragging equipment detectors!! There's a Progress Rail Locomotive build shop only about 25 miles from me in Muncie Indiana and they are now EMD builders!!! Another great railroad video Dave!!!

[@ccrx6700]

I did not know they had a build shop in Muncie, do thank you for sharing that with us, always like to learn new stuff like that and it's so great when good folks like you write in and tell us what else is going on out there. Do thank you for the nice comment and for watching my good man

[@markmccummins8049]

Good video, David. “Critical alert!” I love tech. Retired teacher. We had two different grading programs. Admin of course got rid of the easy one that we liked. Got one that had the IT guys running. They began every job with “Did you do…?”

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Mark, glad you enjoyed watching. My wife is a professor at Fairmont State, same deal as you had, the easy program they had they did away with and went with a higher tech complicated one that is always driving her nuts requiring IT intervention, she;s always emailing them about some function in it not working.

[@Bender24k]

I just love seeing these inside scenes of Railroadin'. THANKS!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Bender, glad you enjoyed. Appreciate the nice comment and for your visiting with us and watching. May you have a most blessed day my friend.

[@shirleyharrington-moore9657]

Exciting! Best of all, with a look see, nothing appeared to be wrong. Maybe the equipment in its little shed had developed cabin fever and just needed a little fresh air. I'm glad it was a real emergency. Thank you for sharing.

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks so much Shirley for dropping by and checking out the critical alarm presentation. May you have a most blessed day my friend

[@arbutuswatcher]

I worked for a Class 1, now 20-years ago, and we used Devtronics Hot Box Detectors. Most of dragging equipment detectors were 'flapper' style, but a few were static sensors - essentially a fixed-triangular steel plate, with percussive sensors beneath it. We had monthly routines we did on all of the HBDs, checking the thermal cameras, within the cast aluminum housings on the outside of the rails. We had a 'heat' source to simulate hot bears/journals. We also checked the transducers, both the advanced turn units, as well as those that count the axels. For the HBD to falsely alert, I suspect something is out of calibration. Mice getting into the buildings can also cause things to go awry, from time to time. The life of a maintainer is never dull. We also had on-track lightning protection, to protect the HBD equipment in the trackside hut from both induction & lightning strikes. Miles of track can do some crazy stuff to electronics.

[@ccrx6700]

Pretty neat stuff you shared with us, we really appreciate your writing in. I love to hear stuff like that and will keep in mind the mice for a future reference! There was a glitch in the computer software and the tech had to come out and fix it, but wasn't here when he did so I really don't know the exact thing he did. Very interesting bout the lightening protection, I would like to learn more about that. Once saw lightening strike the track and a fireball went down the track bouncing from rail to rail, my goodness that would have made an awesome video but it was before I even had a cell phone years ago.

[@rayshutsa6690]

Thank you for another awesome video. I think you need to let that littlé man out a little more often and take him for a walk. Those sensors are there for a reason computer's and relay's do go bad. Have a great day and bless everyone. 😀❤👍🇨🇦

[@ccrx6700]

If I could find him Ray, I would or else get him a girl friend, maybe Siri might be available for a date? Tech guy had to fix something in the computer, not sure what, I wasn't there when he came. Do appreciate your watching the home movie my good man

[@tas7997]

Very cool that engine is still alive! Love those SD units! ☕🍻👍

[@ccrx6700]

Yes it is, really glad to hear you have a respect for older locos still in daily revenue service instead of being relegated to a switch yard. Do appreciate your writing in and for watching today's show

[@Dave-id6sj]

What an awesome video, even though the detector was out for lunch it shows that the technology is really good for avoiding problems when the detector is working ok.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you and glad you enjoyed 😊

[@DarkTerritory71]

It might be the angle, but that switch stand looked like, it is leaning in to close to the train? Very cool video

[@ccrx6700]

Your right, it is, got hit by the regulator one time 😊 thanks for writing in and watching Mark

[@Romans--bo7br]

"To err, is human.... to Really screw up, takes a computer"!!

[@Newberntrains]

Wonder if the ballast against the drag plate was enough to knock it out of wack where the rail flex would set it off but that plate looks free Someone needs to smack that speak-n-spell or something lol

[@ccrx6700]

Good suggestion John, we gave that some thought and cleaned out around the dragger, but ended up having get tech out to fix a computer gremlin issue. Do appreciate your writing in and watching the show today

[@Nderak]

this is a cool aspect of RR operations that ive never scene before or knew happened

[@ccrx6700]

Really glad you enjoyed the video, we do appreciate your writing in and for watching the show today

[@bluefj-wc3vz]

Interesting you standing there when detector craps the bed. Lol

[@ccrx6700]

Just happened to get lucky on this one for sure. That has never given a message like that in the past. Do appreciate your tuning in and watching the show today good sir

[@briankemp5206]

That gets your heart beating faster! Great video Dave.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you very much Brian, really great to hear you liked it, we do appreciate your tuning in and watching today's home movie my friend

[@--marshy--]

That detector is going quite crazy, but that SD38 looks very nice.

[@ccrx6700]

Appreciate your tuning in and watching the show today my friend.

[@--marshy--]

@@ccrx6700 Your welcome!

[@ericcoffedgp40]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing Dave!

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Eric, we really appreciate your tuning in and watching today's home movie my friend

[@ericcoffedgp40]

@@ccrx6700 Right on! Great content as usual sir!

[@fireballxl-5748]

Great catch on video! Highly enjoyable to watch. Thank you!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you, just got lucky, this was the first time the detector every gave that message. Really great to hear you enjoyed the show today, we do appreciate your watching and writing in

[@acsxfan1]

Looks like a good little dip in the track there .. :)

[@ccrx6700]

Yes sir there is, very observant of you. Gonna have to fire whoever does track maintenance here....LOL, ugh, that would be me, but if they fire me, then no more videos. Do appreciate your watching today's show

[@raymondsprengelmeyer1278]

Technology is great when it works properly, but it sure is a pain when it doesn't!

[@ccrx6700]

Keeps the tech guys hopping. More and more RR stuff is going high tech, tampers and specially locos, great future in RR industry for someone who understands this kind of stuff. Do appreciate your watching and writing in Raymond

[@tucobenedicto109]

I see a brake shoe in the ballast in the right side! So your saying jack in the signal box is nuts?

[@ccrx6700]

Jack in the box me thinks would like a Jill in the box to keep him company...LOL Appreciate your tuning in and watching today's show Tuco

[@alanswafford9964]

The boy in the box has lost it ! I guess I would too if I lived in the box ! 😂

[@ccrx6700]

Yep Alan, being cooped up in that little box for over 4 years has taken it's toll. We trying to get him a date with Siri, hoping it will cheer him up and give a fresh perspective on life..... LOL Do very much appreciate your writing in and for watching my good man

[@steamgent4592]

Wow this is great Railroad videos by a Real Railroader!

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks, really great to hear you enjoy the videos. We do appreciate your writing in and for watching my good man.

[@wraith0127]

That poor guy in the metal box just wanted someone to talk to. It gets lonely out there just waiting for the occasional train to drive by! And they don't even stop to offer him any coffee!

[@ccrx6700]

he is definitely an introvert. We tried to get him a date with Siri but he was too bashful to even come out for that....LOL Thanks for stopping by and checking out the video my friend.

[@jclay6680]

That reminds me of the good old days , standing on 1 of 6 tracks ( always the rusty one ) only I got to wave to the caboose people riding by ).

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you so much for taking your time to watch the video and for sharing your thoughts with us jclay6680.

[@2xKTfc]

The only thing that looks odd is some serious pumping in the track. Is that what you meant to crib out, before the little gremlin derailed (heh!) your plans? Thank you for showing us the innards of the fault detector! That's not something I get to stick my nose into often, or at all for that matter! Cheers :)

[@ccrx6700]

Yes there is some pumping going on, very observant of you! Hard to get proper drainage in this little spot here. it does need cribbed for sure. Have another video on a playlist where I show a much better look around of the insides of the cabinet it you would care to watch sometime, it's on a playlist on my channel here: kzbin.info/aero/PLTyDYTDnT027i3KeBR3YaLSnmY4KwBOoM

[@bsimpson6204]

I’m ex UK railway signalling, this kind of equipment is new to me but by the evidence on the ground, it looks like someone has been digging ballast (stone) out of the mechanisms and that maybe fixed it. Btw, I noticed the transducers to count the wheels.

[@ccrx6700]

Yes sir they are called gated transducers which count wheels in and again on the other side out. Tech over the phone suggested cleaning around the dragger and looking in the switch box on it's end for broken or loose or corroded wires which is why the pick and shovel were there. Was all good, tech had come out and exorcise a gremlin in the computer software to fix it. Do appreciate your writing in and for watching my friend

[@ThePoxun]

oh man... those image stabilisation artefacts around 1:00 making me feel queasy... just watch the metal container beside the track warp and shimmy... Otherwise keep up the good work! :) (The stabilisation has decided that the moving things - the train cars - should remain stable and is warping everything else in the picture to achieve that.)

[@ccrx6700]

We will blame Google Photos on their job on stabilization for that. sorry. My new camera has stabilization in it while taking the film and don't seem to get that. Do appreciate your pointing that out, I had not noticed.

[@lobsterbark]

@@ccrx6700 that's interesting, different phones use a different method to correct for the rolling shutter. Mine senses the motion of the phone directly and uses that information to know how much to distort it the other way.

[@ccrx6700]

@lobsterbark amazing isn't it. I don't have a clue how it all works.

[@lobsterbark]

@@ccrx6700 A lot of this modern technology is so complicated even the people who designed it don't know half the stuff that goes into it.

[@ccrx6700]

@@lobsterbark I can believe that!

[@tayro7265]

"Did you hear that?" This is why you can't have nice things.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for taking the time to tune in and watch the video today tayro7265

[@billmorris2613]

Good afternoon to all from SE Louisiana 24 Nov 21.

[@ccrx6700]

Good afternoon Bill, thanks for saying hello and for watching the video sir

[@paulromsky9527]

At 1:59 you can see sparks under the trailing locomotive. Can you explain exactly how that hut count axels, measure wheel temperature, detect drags, and detects locked wheels and such? I want to make a Dragging Equipment detector for my O-Gauge trains. I make my own detect/speed/axel counters. I drill a tiny hole in the rail just at wheel flange level, then I have an Infra-Red (IR) emitter/detector LED pair shine through the hole. When a wheel passes, the flange breaks the beam, and a tiny Adafruit Trinket M0 connected to the LEDs can trigger accessories, determine speed, count axels, or what ever I want. I even have a box car that I modified that has a tiny hole in a wheel, IR LEDs, and a microcontroller the measures the time between the hole passing the sensor to display scale speed of the train with a 3 digit LED display mounted in the top of the car. Your's truly has content of it if you go to it. I can even send you schematics and instructions on how to do all this.

[@ccrx6700]

You ask a lot of questions and far too involved answers to reply in a comment. I have several videos explaining the detector on a playlist on my channel. Please watch them and then if you have more specific questions that are not covered in any of the videos please write me back and I will try and be of assistance. Quick answer on the count: there is a proximity switch on each side of the detector, it is called a gated transducer. It counts axles in and then counts it out as it goes over the second transducer. I show that in one of the videos. Heres the link to the playlist kzbin.info/aero/PLTyDYTDnT027i3KeBR3YaLSnmY4KwBOoM

[@paulromsky9527]

@@ccrx6700 Thanks for the link and I will check out your videos.

[@nashguy207]

Thanks for sharing this with us!!

[@ccrx6700]

Your certainly welcome, my pleasure. Really great to hear you enjoyed the home movie today, we do appreciate your watching

[@michaelpass2176]

Good morning to you.

[@observingthegreatillusion5087]

Didn’t even realize they had detectors like that, can’t help but think about that recent incident in Ohio where the wheels were sparking and flaming 20 miles away from the eventual accident site! Malfunction? Yikes!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you so very much for visiting with us and watching the presentation and for sharing your thoughts my friend.

[@LegendaryRadioJock]

Yes two cameras caught it but the real question is are there any defect detectors located in the same area of either camera? If so, did they trip and did the crew receive the transmission? I understand detectors can be spaced out 10 to 20 miles apart.

[@tomelder6028]

Back in the 80 s we machined for stink bombs in the journal boxes for hot boxes

[@miken8rbiradio220]

Wow Dave that detector was going nuts maybe that little guy in the Box was in there too long haha but getting to the point of possibly What's going on I would say by judging the mud Moisture around the sensors maybe the switch is getting water shorting out or maybe a software issue since I have pretty good knowledge of electronics and computers and technology could be a good bet thanks for the great video I love you take care now👍73 de Mike N8rbi Radio

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks for the nice comment Mike. We were on phone with tech and that was one of the first things he suggested taking a look at. Ended up he had to come out and fix a computer software glitch. Since that video was shot we have dug out all the mud and also took the dragger out to send in for a rebuild. Always a pleasure to have you join in with us my friend.

[@robertgift]

Whyvas the detector not videoed close-up? Were the flaps manually moved to check if something was loose? No contact marks on the flaps? Could have hit flaps without disturbing the ballast which is a little lower than the flaps.

[@ccrx6700]

Wasn't videoed up close cause I simply didn't think to do it, hope you won't fire me for that..... No marks on the dragger were present and it has to flip over to the side in order to make the alarm go off, hope that helps. Do appreciate your watching the show today Robert

[@TheRagingCracker]

Glad to see its not only $800k cnc machines demanding attention like this. Equipment really does take on a personality each of their own.

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed the show. We do appreciate your writing in and for checking out the video sir.

[@paulsmith5398]

The joy of electronics!, YIKES!

[@ccrx6700]

Yep, thank goodness for techs who understand this kind of stuff. Actually this has been almost trouble free for the 5 years we've had it, so knock on wood will be good for another 5. Appreciate your watching the show Paul

[@paulsmith5398]

@@ccrx6700 i took computer programming many years ago, and learned that the very first computer bug was actually a moth! And its been documented! Maybe that cabinet needs a bug zapper, just to be on the safe side.

[@ccrx6700]

@@paulsmith5398 😉

[@secondarymainlineproductio3033]

What railroad is this?

[@ccrx6700]

Cumberland Mine RR, short line goes from mine to a barge loading facility, 16.8 miles 😊

[@stevecoon3800]

Did you keep running the same train back and forth that's probably the best way to test it I guess. I think the detectors having a goofy time, as long as it doesn't say. Shall we play a game LMAO

[@ccrx6700]

Second train that was shown he backed up so he could get a running start for the long grade ahead of him which would be to the right in the video. The other trains were run at different parts of the day later on. Thanks for writing in and watching the show Steve.

[@dezertraider]

BIG HELLO,,DAVE ,HOW DID THE DERAILMENT IN PALESTINE OH. NOT DETECT HOT BOX FOR OVER 20 MILES?AS I UNDERSTAND IT...AND LOOK LIKE ALMOST FIRE/SPARK ALL THAT TIME..

[@ccrx6700]

Well Ralph, next video out 2/15 I will talk about defect detectors and the derailment at E. Palestine. Video will air at 8 PM EST so hope to see you there my friend.

[@dezertraider]

@@ccrx6700 I WILL SEE IT,,THANK YOU,,I KNOW YOU DID A VIDEO ON MALFUNCTIONING HOT BOX..STAY AWESOME..

[@everettduncan7543]

A business in Salem literally saw it glow about 20 miles before it derailed in East Palestine

[@dezertraider]

@@everettduncan7543 YES I SEEN THAT,,DAVE DID ANOTHER VIDEO ON IT..

[@jamespetty9545]

First time I have ever seen what is inside those houses next to the tracks

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you could find out something new James. Not very often does anyone get to see what's inside them except if you're a RR employee. Thanks so much for writing in and for taking the time to check out the critical alarm video my friend.

[@smokeandsteamxsw9831]

Walked 70 carlengths carrying knuckel and pin. Pain in the butt. Railroaders do things the average person has no idea what it takes. Bad detector is no good. It does work. Its a pain in the butt. HOWEVER a full wallet is not a pain in the butt. Greetings from old geezer smokensteam.....!

[@ccrx6700]

You are certainly right in that my good man, not a lot of folks realize what all a railroader sometimes has to do. We certainly appreciate your years of service to the industry and for writing in and watching the video today

[@barneypfeffer3032]

Up out of Kary tex I was watching it go by air hose leaking around fred.i caught the crew taxi told them. They said everything was ok.when the train passed by it was still leeaking

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you very much for taking the time to check out the presentation Barney. We really appreciate your visiting with us.

[@captaintrips2980]

CRITICAL ALARM David- "Oh, dear". Everyone else- "Oh, @!#&"

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks Captain Trips for taking the time to check out the Detector show today my friend. That's the 2 words you never want to hear on a RR, Critical Alarm.

[@paullanyi516]

Have heard similar a couple times while monitoring traffic on my scanner. Detector keeps repeating same problem.

[@ccrx6700]

They do sometimes have problems, think the little guy hiding in there is just wanting some attention and appreciation....LOL Thanks for writing in and for watching Paul.

[@wrrail]

Glad the railroad has a defext detector!

[@ccrx6700]

You and me both. We had several bearings go bad which tore up some track in the past, they finally decided to spend the money on getting a detector bout 4 years ago, it has saved them 4 times what it cost since them from catching hot bearings before they derailed and tore stuff up. Do appreciate your writing in and for watching today's show

[@jeanjean9343]

What state and the geographical location in that state. I'm curious about the accents of the guys talking in this video. Precise location is not needed, South West Whatever, North Central, etc., but the rough area and state if you can.

[@ccrx6700]

Southwest Pa. bout an hour south of Pittsburgh in Greene County. Thanks for watching Jean Jean.

[@NYandAtlantic]

What are you guys moving in and out of the arear

[@ccrx6700]

We haul coal here if that's is what you meant? Not sure if that's the answer you were seeking, could you elaborate more on what you meant my friend.

[@NYandAtlantic]

How many cars a day do you roll out from the mine and where do they go

[@ccrx6700]

Our train has typically 38 cars. it goes to the harbor where it is transloaded onto barges for shipments to various power plants and some over seas shipments. I do not know all of our customers. We have 2 power plants very close, Fort Martin and Longview and they just picked up a new contract for Cardinal Power Plant that is near Brilliant Ohio. the demand for coal is tremendous and we cannot keep up with orders. They have coal sales already into 2026!

[@MikeK2100]

Short in the system that vibration sets things off?

[@ccrx6700]

If I remember right there was a computer program glitch and we had to call out a tech from progress rail to fix it Mike. Thank you so much for taking the time to visit with us and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@Wildfire86872]

Same voice used on most BNSF detectors (the ones that still talk anyway), except they say "you have a defect" instead of critical alarm.

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks! I've had guys write in from CN and CP saying the same voice they have also, that's pretty neat. Must be all made by Progress Rail? Our little guy in the bungalow is more of a drama queen using critical alarm....LOL Do appreciate your writing in and for watching graywolf rob

[@DavidHuber63]

Awesome thank you Dave!

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome David, really glad you enjoyed the show today good sir

[@shopshop144]

How many detectors do you have on your line?

[@ccrx6700]

Just this one, sure has been a blessing to have it mid way here, has saved at least 5 possible derailments from bad bearings since it was put in bout 4 1/2 years ago. Do appreciate your writing in and for watching today's show my good man

[@joeblow8593]

Where is this at? What city and state ?

[@ccrx6700]

This is located in Garards Fort, Pa. Thanks for watching the video Joe Blow

[@mikeashely8198]

The little guy in the house needs a raise or vacation

[@ccrx6700]

Yep Mike and I'm thinking just between you and me a night out with Siri ....LOL improve his mood.... do appreciate your watching my good man

[@cedarcam]

Well that was fun. I see you got it fixed but no cause of the problem. I wonder if it was a faulty micro switch setting it off as the track moved under the weight of the train. Inside the cabin looks very like ours with the same Betaduct for the wires and 2BA terminals I saw on another video you also use the same railway alphabet to identify equipment.

[@ccrx6700]

Something possessed the computer software, had to get a high tech out to perform an exorcism on it , all is well now, but little guy in cabinet still can't be found...LOL appreciate your watching my friend

[@cedarcam]

@@ccrx6700 Aww he got lonely in there and wanted a bit of company

[@ccrx6700]

@@cedarcam 😊

[@kortniwennihan9800]

What frequency do the defect detectors broadcast on, is this something that could be picked up with a scanner?

[@ccrx6700]

464.200 it is on our mine's radio frequencies. I have no clue if a scanner can pick it up or not, sorry bout that.

[@JeffreyStrader]

It was the Chrome Muffler Bearing. Their always giving us hell!

[@ccrx6700]

You know Jeffrey we have the same darn problem with ours.... LOL Thanks for tuning in and watching today my good man.

[@JeffreyStrader]

@@ccrx6700 hahahahahaha.............I truly enjoy watching your videos Sir...🙂

[@ccrx6700]

@@JeffreyStrader 😊👍

[@michaelpass2176]

Do they have engineer in both engines?

[@ccrx6700]

No sir, only 1 in the lead locomotive. He switches from one loco to the other depending on which direction they are headed.

[@michaelball760]

I don't know if you've mentioned it before, but how many miles of track do you have and what speed are you guys running?

[@irongoatrocky2343]

About 16 or so miles of closed track and a speed of 25 MPH on this line....the detector is mid way on the trip

[@ccrx6700]

16.8 total plus some sidings Michael and we are class 2 track with 25 MPH. Thanks for watching today's show my friend

[@awizardalso]

I'm already subscribed.

[@ccrx6700]

We do thank you for that and also appreciate your following watching these videos

[@Scorges1]

Needs some attention. Heh those computers do go AWOL every now and then.

[@ccrx6700]

Yes they do, we been lucky on this one, was first time in5 years it goofed up. Do appreciate your tuning in and watching the video my friend.

[@ArmyPL1981]

Dragging equipment. **Critical Alarm** 👀

[@ccrx6700]

Certainly appreciate your checking out the video today Jason. We actually just took that dragger out this weekend to send out for rebuild.

[@alwaysbearded1]

How does the banana work? Is it lunch for the little guy in the cabinet?

[@ccrx6700]

LOL, after I made this and first time I watched, I thought what was that banana doing there? Then I realized it was the razor knife used to strip the wire back for the jumper. Do appreciate your watching the show today my friend

[@giantgizan]

@5:54 to the right of the white pipes you see the track raising up and down, could this be part of the issue?

[@ccrx6700]

It can cause issues yes sir, however in this case the tech ended up having to come out and exorcise a gremlin in the computer software. There are many things that can go wrong with all this equipment for sure. We do appreciate your writing in and for watching

[@wayneakins7850]

Good job

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks Wayne, do appreciate your watching today's home movie my good man

[@DanielFCutter]

Isn’t that what locomotives do all day? Drag equipment?

[@ccrx6700]

I guess they do.... LOL Appreciate your writing in and for watching the video Dan.

[@DanielFCutter]

@@ccrx6700 welcome. I appreciate your posting train vids with some inside knowledge and commentary. I grew up without neighborhood friends nor television. So the freight trains and rails became surrogate entertainment. At nine years old I’d ride my bike 5 miles in the dark just to spread my sleeping bag under the stars alongside the tracks. Alone in the silence I could hear the subsonic thrum of 12 cylinder diesels approaching, there was no better thrill than that. 50 years later I realize I am infected with the rails, trains, and highways. The western states offer up endless opportunities to that end. Popular culture romanticizes the “highway” but for some of us the siren call of the rails and highway are “in our blood”. So thanks for shedding light on the typical day of a train professional. Trained professional?

[@kingjames8283]

Critical Alarm near mile post 8.0, Critical Alarm near mile post 8.0, The Sky Is Falling The Sky Is Falling, repeat The Sky Is Falling!!!

[@ccrx6700]

The detector that cried wolf....LOL thanks for the laugh and for watching the show today James

[@veneroso3337]

Heh. Have you tried turning it off and on again? Seems you've made an "everything's ok" alarm here!

[@ccrx6700]

That was the first thing I tried, that is the extent of my technical ability with this thing....LOL Had get tech out to fix it. Do appreciate your tuning in and watching the show good sir

[@happyjack880]

Train crew's first day? Maybe they never heard a defect detector before?

[@ccrx6700]

Train got stopped although it was around the curve below where you couldn't see. Train operator followed proper procedure for a defect message. Hard to stop a loaded train going 25 MPH in a short distance, takes awhile. Do appreciate your watching the video and hope that clarifies the situation for you.

[@grisslebear]

Well poop-squiggles!!! That's why I hate electronics. You never know exactly where the grimlins are unless they send up a smoke signal, & in that case things are catastrophic.

[@ccrx6700]

You're right about that, smoke from electronics signals big problems....:-) Thanks so much for writing in and for checking out the critical alarm video my friend.

[@mattygates1]

Funny how the sensors that are supposed to detect trouble whether in a situation like this video or in your personal vehicle can often be the culprit

[@ccrx6700]

That's called modern technology.... LOL Thanks so much Matthew for dropping by and taking in the video today my good man.

[@ChristianBitter]

Thats cool and so funny 🙈😂

[@ccrx6700]

Appreciate your watching the show today

[@kenmuggli4613]

Why do your trains contain so few cars? The number of cars in your trains are a fraction of our trains.

[@ccrx6700]

We have 38 cars Ken because we don't have enough room on the loading or dumping end to accommodate any more. There simply isn't enough room on either end of the track for more than 38. Thank you for taking the time to visit with us and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@jeremymountain2383]

Your dragging alarm may be a low hanging dump hose between the air dump hoppers

[@ccrx6700]

Ended up being a computer software glitch, had get tech out to exorcise a demon from the software, but all's well now. Do appreciate your writing in and for watching Jeremy

[@piemadd]

I don't know if it was just me but I swear I heard a thwack around that 110th axle, maybe it isnt broken /shrug

[@ccrx6700]

Hot wheel detectors don't detect thwacks Piero..... :-) All is well. Thanks so much for stopping by and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@piemadd]

@@ccrx6700 I thought I heard something hit the dragging equipment slapper thingies, thats all. Good video, thanks!

[@ccrx6700]

@@piemadd 😊👍

[@paullindberg9230]

sounds. Like either therse a hot box. On that train

[@johnfick6347]

Man that detector seems to have something going on

[@ccrx6700]

We trying to get him a date with Siri, but he's bashful and wants to stay in his cave, my grandson is autistic and when he visits us he wants to go to basement all the time, it's comforting to him. So maybe the guy in the box has some issues we don't know about...LOL Do appreciate your watching John

[@darrylwmurphy738]

It may be the system

[@ccrx6700]

Yes sir Darryl, there was a computer software glitch that required a tech to come out and exorcise the gremlins from the system.Thanks so much for watching and writing in my friend.

[@Garcansdad]

Sounds like the railroad equipment gremlin to me.

[@ccrx6700]

Yes sir, had get tech out to exorcise a demon in the computer to get it fixed. Do appreciate your writing in and watching today's home movie my good man

[@divox9pqr]

My kind of life on the railroad. Check out that alarm....dragging an axle is an accident waiting to happen....get on it man...Could be one axle is stuck and being dragged by the whole train

[@ccrx6700]

We certainly did stop the train the first time and walked the entire trip, nothing was wrong thank goodness, we tried several things with the detector and dragger but tech ended up coming and out fixing a gremlin in the computer software. Do appreciate your writing in and for watching Rodney

[@VirtualJMills]

1:18 (or so) -- in-camera side-panning smoothing gone awry, makes it look like the dumpster next to the rails is drunk. :-)

[@ccrx6700]

Yep, was an old video took on my phone which didn't have video stabilization on it so used Google Photos to stabilize it and they kind of messed things up a bit on that one! Appreciate your watching the video my friend.

[@capnskiddies]

The pumping on the fishplate near those white loops is throwing it around too much I'd guess, just enough to trip the microswitch. A packing issue, I'll bet.

[@ccrx6700]

We checked out the dragger switch box and everything seemed fine, tech ended up coming out and fixing a software issue in the computer, do thank you sir for watching the video

[@boobtubeakatv1296]

It was just a little spider seeking some warm refuge that got it fried until it disconnected 🤪👀😅

[@ccrx6700]

Something possessed the computer software, had to get a high tech out to perform an exorcism on it , all is well now, but little guy in cabinet still can't be found...LOL appreciate your watching the show today

[@emknapp6713]

Whenever our computers are messing up we try a little Applied Science on them. Whack them with a reasonable sized striking apparatus a couple times. When that doesn’t work we call IT and they tell us to give a few more whacks with something a little bigger.

[@gravelydon7072]

We'd just pull the plug on them and then plug them back in. If they still didn't work right, the phone to our HQ would get used. IT didn't like getting phone calls at 0200. They'd tell us to pull the plug and then reboot again. And the control room didn't like hearing we had lost communications with our remotely controlled equipment. If we didn't get it back up in a half hour, it meant someone else was going to get a wake up call. And for the last two years I worked there, it meant I was the one who was going to get woke up. It made for some short nights and some long days as my reporting time was 0600 anyways. Twice in the same night meant no going home until 1430. If it was two of our remote locations, and the local one was working fine, it meant two people were going to be spending the night baby sitting the equipment till the crew from 100 miles away got there and got it fixed. Computers could be a help, or the bane of your life when you are working with critical infrastructure and have a Federal Judge who might get woke up. And anyone could see what the equipment was doing and make the call to the judge. I can still see it today and haven't worked there for 18 years.

[@mikeznel6048]

Oh yeah. The old technical tap.

[@ccrx6700]

Sounds like a coal miner mechanic, if it doesn't budge with a big hammer, get a bigger hammer....LOL We did shut it off first thing but that didn't help. Tech guy finally came out and did a computer adjustment. Do appreciate your watching my friend

[@antonbruce1241]

As a life-long computer professional, I can tell you that there is a specific tool which some techs use to manually take care of a malfunctioning computer. We in the business call it "a 2x4"....

[@gregbroburg7351]

In the radio broadcasting business the whacks are called RCA field adjustments.

[@boweandrew3]

what railroad is this?

[@ccrx6700]

Cumberland Mine RR, we haul coal from a mine near Kirby Pa to a barge loading facility at Alicia Pa. Appreciate your writing in and for watching Andrew

[@boweandrew3]

how long are the trains? and do they always run with SD38-2’s at each end?

[@ccrx6700]

@@boweandrew3 usually 38 cars plus the 2 locos. We do have a sd 40-2 that sometimes replaces a 38-2 if one breaks down or is in for inspection

[@boweandrew3]

@@ccrx6700 fascinating I have been a fan of railroads and train operations for years and a railroad historian how long is the railroad?

[@Flintsmooth]

There is a switch in the dragging detector assembly, when the train knocks the paddle over it trips the switch. The ones I worked on had a relay in the shack, and you could hear it click when you kicked the paddle over with your foot, a good way to test it. The switch has a mechanism that allows it to trip with either back or forth deflection of the paddle, and that is a PAIN to adjust! If things get loose from all the vibration, the switch can go with the shaking of a passing train. There is also the possibility of water in the cable shorting things out, but in this case I would bet on the passing train vibration causing the activation. I preferred my equipment over this one, my detectors would send out a horn alarm over the radio when the detector paddle was hit, so people nearby could look at the exact spot on the passing train. This silent alarm is spooky!

[@Flintsmooth]

@@douro20 The scanners for the bearings and wheels do, but we're just talking about the dragging equipment detector.

[@NiceMuslimLady]

I wouldn't see much point to it. How often would there actually be someone standing nearby?

[@ccrx6700]

You are correct in this having a switch on the dragger that trips when knocked over. I do believe the relay you are talking about is the one the tech had us try jumping over to see if that eliminated the fault message, but as you saw it knocked the whole system out of giving any kind of message. Appreciate your writing in with your expert knowledge and sharing that with us my good man

[@Flintsmooth]

@@NiceMuslimLady Well, if the dispatcher told me there might be a problem with an HBD, I would be standing there! I used to verify trains running over the systems every chance I got. I've often heard the radio alarm while standing there. The engineers who designed the system thought it would be valuable... Of course, you are right about there not being someone around all the time.

[@NiceMuslimLady]

@@Flintsmooth But that is after the detector malfunctions. There won't be anyone there the first time.

[@kb1kos]

Well, repairing the detector equipment is a lot cheaper than repairing the damage done by dragging equipment.

[@ccrx6700]

You are certainly right in that good sir. Was a computer gremlin and the tech guy did something in the software to fix it. Do appreciate your watching the show today

[@johnsmart964]

Thank you so very much for giving the people an inside look at this equipment for alerting you to problems with the rolling stock, this is much appreciated by the people.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome John, really glad to hear you enjoyed the show today my good man, we do appreciate your writing in and for watching