Cleaning Up a Huge Coal Spill on the Railroad Track - Hulcher in for the Rescue

Nobody ever gets to see stuff like you gonna see today! Hopper Cars dumped a
huge pile of coal in the railroad tracks and Hulcher is in for the clean up.
See Hulcher's vacuum truck in operation and their grapple truck with a clam bucket
cleaning up the coal spill. You will see them moving the rail cars with their
grapple truck, then gonna show you what a Skate is and what it does on the railroad.
This is fascinating for me to watch how all this huge mess gets cleaned up
and I am so pleased to get it done. Fortunately the coal will be reclaimed,
the big expense is in the clean up, but it has to be done.
I love when Hulcher comes in because they tell me all these really cool
railroading stories of their derailment events and they do have some wild
stories! However I hate for the reasons why they must come in. But every railroad
has unpleasant events that happen and thank goodness contractors
like Hulcher exist to help us out with equipment and expertise we don't have.
If you haven't watched it, here's a link to the video on when the hopper cars opened up.
A Very Bad Day on the Railroad What an Absolute Mess:
• A Very Bad Day on the ...
#CoalSpill#Hulcher
Made March 2022

[@ram2791]

When my uncle was a kid he would have loved this. He carried an empty bag to school everyday and had to fill it with coal from the tracks on his way home. Could not go home till it was full. 50lb feed sack. It was how his family heated their house

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks for taking the time to check out the video ram2791, we do appreciate your tuning in my friend.

[@rollawy]

my dad said the same...he grew up in western,pa during the depression...

[@jerrykinnin7941]

Nannie( dad's mom) said she had to do that to.

[@Em22-wtf]

Woww, that's kind of a lot, no?? Must have taken forever to fill a 50 pound bag of coal pieces?! Must have come home hungry! 😯

[@rollawy]

@@Em22-wtf only source of heat..

[@trainmaster0217]

Dave, you don't have to thank me for watching. I have to thank YOU for presenting just another outstanding video! I was wondering how that coal was going to be salvaged ...and now I know. Just awesome. Thanks Dave.

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed Curt and we do appreciate your tuning in and checking out the show today my friend.

[@scottanddebranelson8419]

gotta love the internet. heck in just one generation we can now see how things from all over the world are made, shipped, repaired, sold, consumed, mined, respected, rejected.....you name it we can see it, first hand. thanks to folks like you sir. also makes one appreciate how supply flow can be affected by just one mishap and how valuable folks like ya'll really are. i've had a great appreciation for the logistical side of military operations for a long time (since i really paid attention to history especially) and i know the struggles first hand. but most "normies" don't so vids like this help to open the eyes of those people of what it takes to function in society. kudos to you once again.

[@ccrx6700]

Awesome comment Scott and Debra! You are so right, it is just amazing to me how technology has so changed the way we view the world and learn and what all can be found out. So appreciate your writing in and sharing that with us my friends.

[@rickcooper6817]

That's some major clean up and time consuming for sure. I would imagine the cost is way up there too. When you take into consideration the man hours and the down time for the rail service, it equals "wow". Thanks again Dave for providing great inside coverage of railroading for all of us!!

[@robadams5799]

Keep on smilin' Dave.

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks for taking the time to check out the video Rick, we do appreciate your tuning in my friend. Actually the recovered coal will more than pay for the cost of cleanup. Coal prices are up around 50 a ton now.

[@dennisketterer814]

It's all paid for by the taxpayers money.

[@dennisketterer814]

But that shouldn't affect the train from running as normal.

[@capttom7772]

DAVE, that's quite the operation, both the vacuum and the clamshell ! The finished product after the "bucket clamshell" went through is SURPRISINGLY clean ... ... shows a true PROFESSIONAL running that rig ! The "Vacuum Operation" reminds me of some DREDGING operations that I worked on here in Apra Harbor, Guam, ... ... main difference being we were using water instead of air to move the material. ... ... It too would get plugged up often, anything from rocks, rope and even old fishing nets. I realize you said that you did not know what they do with the coal after it's picked up ... ... but I would imagine it's a operation similar to separating the "wheat from the chaff" ... IDK ??? Dave, I can see by the other comments that I'm not the only one who appreciates your "RailRoad" videos. They are very informative and educational and a GREAT place for anyone to start that is considering a career in the RailRoad ! We ALL appreciate the fine work you do in editing all the footage of videos done by you to get the hours of footage that we are able to see and enjoy. THANK YOU ! Captain BUCKLEY(ret.)

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed Captain and we do appreciate your tuning in and checking out the show today my friend and for the very nice comment. I can imagine dredging has it's own challenges too, I had never thought of that. They do some dredging at our harbor, but it is with a clam bucket. We used to get river tug boats in and tie them off to a mooring cell then run the engines full ahead and wheel wash the silt away. They usually did that after midnight so the EPA wouldn't see it, but no longer do they do that.

[@capttom7772]

@@ccrx6700 Have you ever heard of a "SILT CURTAIN"? NO WAY would the EPA let any silt escape to the coral !

[@valeriebassett3107]

Wow, I didn't know that it could be recycled. It is looking better. So sorry that this happened to the company. I guess that's life. Never a dull moment. So glad that no one was hurt. They did a really good job cleaning the track up. Thank you for showing us what is being done and educating us again on the many things that can happen on the railroad. Stay healthy and safe.

[@ccrx6700]

That's railroadin! Play the hand the RR god's deal you. Unfortunate yes but no one got hurt and nothing derailed so we did luck out on that. Do appreciate your checking out the video Valerie and thank you for writing in.

[@tsclly2377]

can't leave a fire hazard..

[@huggy2]

Had Hulcher out on our last coal spill a few weeks ago when 20 loaded NS coal hoppers went on the ground. Dumped every single car out to draw them off the main. Destroyed 3 main tracks about 800ft each. That was one hell of a mess and busy week!

[@ccrx6700]

Oh dear I can imagine what a mess and a huge expense. NS does seem to have a large share of bad luck. Thanks for writing in and watching the video my good man.

[@cliffweinan3907]

Dave: thanks for sharing "I've been working for the railroad". Railroad heavy duty work is not going away soon. This is an inspiration for kids and a future career. Jobs are solving problems. Thanks for sharing all the behind the scenes work that track crews do to keep train supply chains in motion.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Cliff, glad you enjoyed the home movie. We do appreciate your tuning in and watching sir. I like that: jobs are solving problems!

[@lorenwillis425]

That autorack derailment that you and the Hulcher foreman were talking about was shown on the Wide World of Trains you tube channel. It was crazy!

[@ccrx6700]

Yes it was pretty wild, I've never seen anything like that. Thanks for writing in and watching the show today Loren.

[@Brett3am]

Brett: "It would be really cool to see how coal is recov....." (CCRX 6700 interrupts and delivers!!!) Thanks for these videos... amazing footage as usual!

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Brett. Glad you enjoyed and appreciate your watching my friend.

[@Justone372]

“That’s railroading”, you’re awesome. Love seeing you work on these heavy projects.

[@ccrx6700]

Appreciate the very kind words Ira. That was thoughtful of you to say that. What a pleasure it was to hear that my friend.

[@TvshkaHumma]

Boy if I hadn't broke my back twice and became disabled my operator skills would fit perfectly with you folks, I sure would enjoy working with you.

[@ccrx6700]

Can always use good operators here! Wish you could come, it would be fun. Thanks for taking the time to watch the video my friend.

[@timlabell]

This is just flat out happy video for us viewers.😊 nobody's getting killed, nobody's getting sassed at it's just good viewing. hard working people and machines. Kool stuff . Love it thank you

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Tim for the nice comment. Really appreciate your visiting with us and checking out the video. May you have a most blessed day my friend.

[@richardbause2453]

Good job 👏 Dave. Hang onto that timber for Plowing the coal and at least we know 1 car will go at least 3 car lengths for the coverage formula. Glad you got the link I sent you for WWOT for the Dunkirk derailment. WWTO is a neighbor to Scott Symonds and his steam engine. That's how I knew when Scott called me. He lives just around the corner from that location. Stay safe and I'll talk to you soon. Richard Bause

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed Richard and we do appreciate your tuning in and checking out the show today my friend.

[@richardbause2453]

@@ccrx6700 it was still a cold 🥶 day that day. Now spring is insight. Coal ballest can be replaced with real stone and maybe the door gremlins will go into hibernation. Stay safe and I'll reach into the magic hat for newer cars for ya.

[@tpobrienjr]

That bucket at the end is well designed - not much leakage when it is closed and moving - makes for a neat result. 😁

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you very much Mike for the nice comment. We really appreciate your taking the time to pay us a visit and write in my friend. These guys did a good job for us.

[@mikep1085]

Even on the really bad days.... like cleaning up a mess like that.... its clear that you love your job! Thats awesome!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Mike for the very nice comment and yes I do love this job for the most part, but it's like any other job, it has it's down days. More up than down tho. Appreciate your watching my friend.

[@joewalker9325]

Keep em coming Dave! The best railroad videos out there! I like the way you explain everything so even the non railroaders can understand! Stay safe!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you very much Joe for the really nice comment. So pleased that you are enjoying the home movies my friend.

[@johnhauser4589]

I think there's a water remediation company who's slogan is: "just like it never happened..." I think when you guys are done cleaning the spill, you can steal their tag line. What a mess. But the clean up is pretty amazing.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you John, glad you enjoyed the home movie. We do appreciate your tuning in and watching sir.

[@JimNichols]

You are way to happy to be a railroader... :) I did 16 years in the last 11 as either CMO or shop manager (working) and I have to say I miss exactly what you are doing right now a great deal sir. Thanks for the time and effort these videos take and sharing your day with us...

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Jim and we do appreciate your tuning in and checking out the show today my friend. Yes I am happy and blessed to be able to do what I do and to be able to share it with you guys.

[@littlepaddy7444]

Thanks Dave , that was really interesting . Will those skates hold a car in place on a grade ? If you get an opportunity , a video about how the high rail equipment is adapted to road vehicles and how they get on and off the tracks would be of interest .

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome and glad you enjoyed my friend. I do not have an exact degree of grade that a skate will hold 1 loaded car on. Obviously the higher percent grade the less ability one would have to hold it. Gonna have a video come up sometime late spring or summer on getting a hi rail grapple truck on track

[@sarahsumpter5291]

@@ccrx6700 #

[@thomasglessner6067]

Another cold wet day for you. Looks like it is slow going with the wet material. Sure beats using a hand shovel. Thanks for another great video.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Thomas. Glad you enjoyed and appreciate your watching my friend. Cold, wet, just another day for SW Pa. ....LOL

[@kens.3729]

You certainly show us things we never get to see anywhere else. Not many ways to do this Clean-Up. Thanks Dave! 👍

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Ken and really glad you enjoyed the show my friend.

[@KenHill]

I'm a lifelong rail fan and I really appreciate seeing the nuts and bolts and reality of your line of work. Once you clean up the spill, will you need to come back and re-ballast?

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Ken for the nice comment, glad you are enjoying the home moves. They brought in a vac truck and sucked up almost all the coal, so no new ballast is needed for now. Really appreciate your visiting with us and checking out the video. May you have a most blessed day my friend.

[@dennisb-trains23]

Great video again Dave! Teamwork is key to getting through a tough situation. Thanks for giving us perspective on the unseen work done on a railroad. 👍😃

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Dennis and great to hear you enjoyed the adventure. We do appreciate your tuning in and watching my friend.

[@dennisb-trains23]

@@ccrx6700 hey Dave, I wanted to share this with you incase you weren't aware of these guys! kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4PdfnxuoNieodU

[@BigBen1991]

I'm a trailer mounted vacuum repair technician! First hirail vac I have seen yet.

[@ccrx6700]

We know who to call when this beast breaks down! According to Terry it is an electrical nightmare when something does go wrong with it and I can believe it. Thanks for writing in and checking out the adventure today Big Ben.

[@BigBen1991]

@@ccrx6700 Thanks cc, Yeah a lot of them are built by different techs that do things different. There never is a machine that is the same it seems. Engineered as it is built I guess.

[@shawnpowell5876]

Another great video Dave as usual and what a neat piece of MOW equipment! I'm sure it gets frustrating when the end of that vaccuum tube gets clogged from the coal being damp/wet. It definitely seems to do the job with added time but "THAT'S RAIL ROADING" lol. You mentioned the derailment in Dunkirk, and the cause was from the entire coupler assembly broke off the frame rail to it. Then when it tumbled down between the rails the AUTORACK rode over it breaking the pin holding the the bolster assembly and wedged itself just past the middle as if the AUTORACK had Landing gear like a trailer. They definitely had a mess and have never seen anything like it. Thanks again for sharing your videos with us along with your time and effort!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Shawn and we do appreciate your tuning in and checking out the show today my friend. In that Dunkirk video, Terry the road foreman was standing next to the coupler when the Cat first came up on the tracks, he is a good friend of mine and tells me all these cool stories of the derailments he's been on.

[@tommybritton9273]

Doesn't matter what you're doing Dave, I love everything railroad related,and grew up running heavy equipment from age 10

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you so much for the very nice comment Tommy! I really do appreciate your support of this channel my friend.

[@tommybritton9273]

@@ccrx6700 watching the new video now with the brush cutter👍👍

[@robertf3479]

I've just had the YT algorithm show me your presentations Dave, as it happens the first offered was the "Bad day" that produced this mess. I also saw the one where the axle burned through causing a derailment. I get the feeling that any day you can get through an accident or incident without someone getting hurt is a good one. I'm about your age or maybe a year younger and been a railfan since the days you and I were about knee high. This is a facet of railroading that doesn't get a lot of coverage so I doubly appreciate this. Stay safe sir.

[@ccrx6700]

Very glad you enjoyed Robert. Yes any day nobody gets hurt and nothing derails is a good day. We do have our share of problems here, everything is worn out and in need of replacing, but there's also only so much money to go around. Our new owners are trying their best to replace stuff, but it takes time. Thank you so much for visiting with us and writing in my friend.

[@Robbie31]

thankyou dave for sharing the videos of spillage helps me understand all that happens on railroading

[@ccrx6700]

You're very welcome Robert. We appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and check out the video. May you have a most blessed day my friend.

[@curtisstewart2829]

I’m sure the reason you clean this coal dust is because it is flammable and it wouldn’t surprise me when engines go over it the traction motors could even suck coal dust into it an cause a fire some way. Keep the videos coming. Curtis, just south of Union Pacific railroad, Glidden subdivision just east of San Antonio, Tx.

[@ccrx6700]

Never helps to have something that will burn laying on top of creosoted ties! Also as it rains the coal fines soak down into the ballast and eventually will plug ballast up, so cleaning this up is a win win situation albeit a bit expensive to do. Appreciate your watching today Curtis.

[@mikeyoungblood1706]

Using the Vacuum Truck was pure genius !

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Mike and really glad you enjoyed the show my friend.

[@Em22-wtf]

😂 They are LITERALLY vacuuming the coal up! Lol!!! That is wild! I wouldn't mind a sit down controlling vacuum like this for my house, lol! 😂😉🏡

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you so very much for paying us a visit and checking out the video, we really appreciate that and for writing in my friend.

[@tucobenedicto109]

Dunkirk, I went to school in Buffalo NY. Frontier yard wasn't far. The railroad bridges still said new York central. Some of them ran by Tuckers old car factory. And yes the grass is greener on the other side of the tracks. Real nice to clean your ballast. And to recycle that coal. Love the video.

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks for taking the time to check out the video Tuco, we do appreciate your tuning in my friend.

[@neptune4167]

Dave you are such a happy dude. Love the videos!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you very much Neptune for the kind words and for taking the time to check out the video. May you have a most blessed day my friend.

[@GhostDrummer]

The dude chilling at the back of the vac truck was funny to see. You said it was run by remote, so I figured it was the guy standing at the drivers rear tires. Very cool video to see.

[@ccrx6700]

Very glad you enjoyed the show GhostDrummer. We really appreciate your visiting and taking in the clean up video my friend.

[@StormySkyRailProductions]

Another very cool video and commentary on the mess that you guys had to clean up , The vac truck from Hulcher which we worked with plenty of times throughout my RR career. Thanks again for sharing this process with all of us. Have a great rest of the weekend.

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed the video Steve, we do appreciate your tuning in and checking it out my friend. Vac trucks are cool to watch for sure and are a big help to us. I love having Hulcher come in, they do great work for us and even found a really cool Hulcher safety vest on my truck seat this morning! Almost as cool as the PRR lantern I got for Christmas!!!

[@nashguy207]

I would say you've had a bad few weeks. But I know it could of been a lot worse. At least it can be cleaned up. Thanks for sharing. Have a great day!!

[@ccrx6700]

That's railroadin! Unfortunate that things like this happen, but they do and we play the hand the RR gods deal us. Appreciate your checking out the show my friend.

[@JOHNMORIN100]

Thank YOU DAVE THAT CLAM BUCKET IS THE CATS MEOW FOR SURE We like how you bring the railroad to YOU...100 points

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the very nice comment John. Glad you are enjoying the home movies. Very much appreciate your taking the time to visit with us and check out the video my friend.

[@rayshutsa6690]

Thank you Dave for another awesome video. I did not know that they could recycle the oar. This was a major clean up the track looks great now. It is my pleasure to watch your video's. May God bless you and keep you safe. 😀❤🇨🇦

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Ray, glad you enjoyed the home movie. We do appreciate your tuning in and watching my friend.

[@SebisRandomTech]

Just learned about this railroad from…Snapchat of all places (their maps feature not only shows every rail line but also shows the name of the line/railroad) and now I have a new operation I’d like to check out near my hometown! Cool to see the EMD power and all of your videos!

[@ccrx6700]

We been here since 1977 hope to see you sometime railfanning here. openrailwaymap.com also has a very good map of all the rail lines across the globe, only thing it doesn't have is crossing numbers and mileposts, the FRA map has those but only covers US. Thanks for checking out the video today.

[@JawTooth]

Very interesting! I really like that railroad. I just did a video showing a defect detector. I only know the basics but I was wondering if you know anything about the voice on the detector radio, is it a real person and how do they do that?

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed the show my good man. Our detector is made by Progress Rail. The voice is of one of their technicians, Randy Goyer. You can hear his voice on a lot of detectors across the country. I heard Randy retired but that just rumor. I haven't talked with Randy for several years. If you would like to talk more I would be happy to share what I know. Here my email: [e-mail]

[@trenamerritt5344]

Was it the same "seasoned" guy which operated the machine that picked up the rails? Fascinating how the man was describing all what they did with the buckets! Thank you for bringing us the video. Love watching! Have a good day, stay safe! As my niece used to say, Be careful, there's only one you!

[@ccrx6700]

No it was not Trena. He was with Frontier RR and this truck is with Hulcher. The man talking about the buckets was Terry, the road foreman for Hulcher. Appreciate your watching and writing in my friend.

[@llapmsp]

Thanks for posting this video. Great job on the clean up. Most interesting. Thanks again.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Mike, really glad to hear you enjoyed the show today. We do appreciate your nice comment and for watching my friend.

[@P61guy61]

Thank you for posting. I especially liked the bucket fabrication story. Ingenuity at it’s finest.

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed the video William, we do appreciate your tuning in and checking it out my friend.

[@davidmunro1469]

Thank you for sharing. That vacuum truck would be the perfect machine for cleaning my bachelor house. HA HA HW.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome David, glad you enjoyed the home movie. We do appreciate your tuning in and watching sir.

[@espeescotty]

Boy Dave, as I said before, that was a heck of a mess, but when you get the right folks with the right tools and know-how, they sure can take care of the messy business. Thanks as always for sharing with us.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Scotty and glad you enjoyed the home movie my friend. We appreciate your watching and writing in.

[@espeescotty]

@@ccrx6700 Absolutely Dave. 👌

[@anthropicandroid4494]

The amount of resources dedicated to clean-up here is amazing

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you so much anthropic android for taking the time to tune in to the channel and check out the video. Sadly we do have a lot of coal spills, very, very sadly I say that..... May you have a really good day my friend.

[@chrismaverick9828]

it really seems like it might be a bit faster to have a rig that can be swung quickly by hand rather than strictly remote controlled. Keep it held up by the arm in the vertical, but being able to swing it a little faster and more directed by closer eyes would be helpful, I think.

[@dznuttzonyachin7499]

shut your trap Chris 😁

[@ccrx6700]

They were having a hard time with the out riggers wanting to slip which is why the going seemed slow. When you really put a lot of down pressure on the outriggers, it lifts the hi rail wheels off the track and looking at a possible derailment and they sure didn't want to derail this thing. Thanks for taking the time to watch the video Chris.

[@tomeasley5979]

Dave, thanks for taking us along on the coal cleanup process. Slow and steady gets the job done. That is an amazing process for the suction and for the clamshell bucket. Take care.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Tom and really glad you enjoyed the show my friend.

[@dennisketterer814]

Wouldn't it figure as I was watching the video of the coal incident How lucky am I Just as I was about say something. I was without this video 😂😅

[@tzadik36]

Thanks for this informative video! Every lock on each door under. a hopper car should have a sensor: when one of them is not secured closed, the door should prevent release of the train's brakes until the defect is corrected. Many modern passenger trains have this safety feature.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Robin. These cars have a safety latch but most of them have wear and when the doors don't lock over because of frozen coal then the latches don't function as they should. So air pressure holds the doors up. Then when the train loses air, viola the doors open. big problem was the afternoon shift operator did not make sure the doors were properly locked over so the safety latches would function correctly. Sensors on the latch certainly would have mad a huge difference and a much less costly one to correct. I will put your idea forward to the powers that be and see if they would be interested in looking into something like that for these cars. I think it's a great idea and appreciate your sharing that with me my friend.

[@martynbuzzing3327]

I had a vacuum truck come into my back yard and he dug out all my post holes I needed for my deck I was building. They sprayed water to lose up the dirt and make it easier for the vacuum to work.

[@ccrx6700]

Wow that would have made a good video! Must have been some pretty loose dirt, these guys have an awful time here sucking mud out of the cribs. Thanks for writing in and watching Martyn.

[@dougsturgill1356]

As always, it's an interesting video on what can happen when something doesn't work properly and the unique tools of the trade to fix the problems

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed Doug and we do appreciate your tuning in and checking out the show today my friend.

[@wilburroth5150]

Dave , if you want to see that auto rack which lost the truck, go to wide world of trains and check it out. That was a crazy mess . I really enjoy your videos and hope you keep them coming! Btw, just light that coal up and watch it disappear, LOL just kidding.

[@ccrx6700]

I saw that Wilbur When Hulcher came in that first day Terry gave me that link to watch. At the beginning where the Cat was just getting in place to pick the car up, Terry is the guy in the orange vest standing next to the coupler on the car. Thanks for checking out the show tonight my good man.

[@290wayne]

Snow here in Holland, Michigan. Hulcher cleaned up the Amtrak accident in Chase Maryland back in Jan of 87. Where 16 people died... 1/2 mile from my fire station. Horrible day.

[@ccrx6700]

That was a horrible accident Wayne but it did usher in the advent of the positive train control technology that is in use today in order to help prevent such types of tragedies. Unfortunately as we all say, most RR rules are written in blood. Appreciate your writing in and for watching today my friend.

[@lewistodd9242]

Great update on your coal problem. Thanks for sharing with us and have a great day.

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed Lewis and we do appreciate your tuning in and checking out the show today my friend.

[@alainaarrhodge5900]

WOW!! This is a great video. And you're right. Unless you happen to live near a major coal derailment, you're not going to get to see this without trespassing onto RR property. Awesome stuff and very informative. This two video series would make for great modeling! Thank you!

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Alaina and do appreciate your tuning in and checking out the show today my friend.

[@davewallace8219]

you show....and explain to the youth. of america. what it takes to maintain track...who knows. maybe they'll chose this as there profession!thanks dave...

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Dave for the very kind words. Always appreciate hearing from you and for all your wonderful support of the channel my friend.

[@jjxtwo1]

Wow, I don't know what to say except what a headache. So much extra time and work. Nothing else to do except just keeping on going! At least we got to see new railroading things getting done. 👍🏼👍🏼😁 Thanks Dave

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Jeff. Glad you enjoyed and appreciate your watching tonight my friend. Gotta do what you gotta do. Big expense to clean it up but at least the coal will be salvaged.

[@johncloar1692]

Thanks Dave for another Railroading video. It looking better after the cleanup.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome John and we do appreciate your tuning in and checking out the show today my friend.

[@martir3499]

This is a good adventure for me. I love how things are done and run. Thank you so much Dave. Keep showing us the way railroads handle life on the rails.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment Marti. Appreciate your taking the time to visit and check out the video my friend.

[@johndanaher6371]

Thanks for showing us how this cleanup works. So will you be adding any new ballast to the rail? Or will the ballast separated from the coal be returned to duty?

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed John. New ballast will be dumped in the track. Ballast that was cleaned out of the coal will be sent to the mine's slate pile as the cost of recovery of it would be far more than to buy new ballast. Appreciate your watching today my friend.

[@Arkay315]

I really like these behind the scenes type railroad videos

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome and really glad you enjoyed the show my friend.

[@paullindberg9230]

God bless you guys .Ill say again always wondered how. something like coal spill is cleaned up. Interesting .and again. we all are like gears.In all we make it work

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed the video Paul, we do appreciate your tuning in and checking it out my friend.

[@richardaustin2640]

Great insight to how you go about the recovery. Thanks again, always something interesting to see and learn 👍

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed Richard and we do appreciate your tuning in and checking out the show today my friend.

[@lydiafife8716]

Kewl!!! We saw the magical opening of the cars video - we were waiting for the update! Super! 👍🏻🙏

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you liked the show today Lydia. We do appreciate your tuning in and watching my friend.

[@daddybearlv]

If you have not seen their videos, might I suggest you check out: East Terminal Railway. If you are close to their location (I think Ohio), you might find it interesting to meet up with them, and give them some advice about trackage. They are currently replacing some of their ties.

[@tomtucker3193]

East Columbus Ohio, south of the airport.

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks William I will give them a check out. I would not do it myself personally, but if you happen to see something that you think would benefit them that's in one of my videos, make the suggestion they watch it. I won't cause I wouldn't want them to think I was using their channel as a means to advertise mine on.

[@trainmagnet5845]

There is a video of the Autorack, with the wheel-set, half-way under the car, you mentioned. Type in train derail Dunkirk, NY. The video is from Wide World of Trains. With energy prices as high as they are, any form of energy, even contaminated coal is still worth good money.

[@ccrx6700]

I saw that Train Magnet. When Hulcher came in that first day Terry gave me that link to watch. At the beginning where the Cat was just getting in place to pick the car up, Terry is the guy in the orange vest standing next to the coupler on the car. Pretty neat stuff. Appreciate your writing in and watching today my friend.

[@GrnArrow092]

When I saw the video on the coal spilled out on the tracks, I wondered how in the world were they going to clean all of that coal up. I also wondered if it was possible or if it was just going to be left there and used as additional ballast on the tracks. Then again, coal leeching into the ground isn't a good thing. It's interesting to see how it's being cleaned up, though.

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed the video about the spill and this one on the cleanup, we do appreciate your watching my friend.

[@littlewingpsc27]

So after the clean up with the vacuum truck, do you need to go back and re-crib the ties again in that spot and put down new ballast to prevent tie damage?

[@ccrx6700]

We will for the time being just dump ballast, eventually it will get cribbed but we got a whole lot of cribbing to do yet in other far worse spots than this. Good question my friend and appreciate your watching today.

[@NYandAtlantic]

Never have to thank me for watching its us who thank you for doing what you do

[@ccrx6700]

Well with out great viewers like you this channel would be nothing more than something for me to watch when I retire. So it's you guys who have made this channel such a success and for that I am truly grateful NYandAtlantic.

[@NYandAtlantic]

@@ccrx6700 My name is Richard. Ny and Atlantic runs close to me and even closer to my job Without your videos I wouldn’t be on you tube so thanks and keep them coming

[@RothBridge]

Looking Great Dave! Proud of you and all the hard ya'll get done. Please except my humble thoughts and feelings when I say you inspire and motivate me in my personal direction with life. Thank you sir.

[@ccrx6700]

Wow thank you very much Mike for the very nice comment, I'm flattered to say the least.... really glad to hear you are enjoying the videos my friend.

[@WideWorldofTrains]

That derailment in Dunkirk he mentions can be seen on my channel

[@ccrx6700]

I watched that. When Terry from Hulcher came in first day he gave me that link. Terry is the guy on your video when the Cat first hooked onto the car in the orange vest nearest the coupler. thanks for tuning in and watching the show today my good man.

[@WideWorldofTrains]

@@ccrx6700 That's cool, they do great work

[@ccrx6700]

@@WideWorldofTrains I'm with Hulcher today and will tell Terry your kind words. Safety and doing the job right is very important with them.

[@pauld.1256]

Yet again.. great to see work on the rails! Good, bad or indifferent, it’s all interesting..

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks for the very nice comment Paul. We really appreciate your joining in with us and checking out the show today my friend.

[@pfflyer3381]

You know we love you out here, keep us informed and smiling!

[@ccrx6700]

Certainly glad you enjoyed pf flyer. We do appreciate your stopping by and watching the show my good man.

[@MegaSilverStacker]

You seemed to be one heck of railroader! Like watching and learning. Keep it up good sir

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the kind words MegaSilverStacker. Very much appreciate your taking the time to write in and also for checking out the video on cleaning up a coal spill my friend.

[@brucepaul6251]

Thanks Dave for another great video. You show us aspects of railroading that very few people ever get to see. I did get to see the LORAM RAILVAC equipment working on Amtrak's Keystone Line - same principle but on a bigger scale. Once again, Thanks for sharing and Stay Safe. BP

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed Bruce and we do appreciate your tuning in and checking out the show today my friend. I have made the suggestion they get us a vac train like you describe, we sure need it with all the coal spilled here, hopefully someday they will. But good news is they are in the process of getting us some much newer hopper cars and what a blessing that will be when they show up!

[@jg2072]

thanks for sharing. Between this an the other video it's very interesting to see how a spill like that is handled.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome J G and do appreciate your tuning in and checking out the show today my friend.

[@trailwayt9H337]

My engineer sir. Views of new events are very Beautifull. Thankyou very much for this different video.. Your friend..Thomaskutty.. from India 🇮🇳

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Thomas for the very nice comment. Really appreciate your joining in with us and watching my friend.

[@davidmunro1469]

Thank you for sharing. You sure have good work teams.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you David and really glad you enjoyed the show my friend.

[@alsehl3609]

The guy sitting in the back of the truck operating the boom looks like Steven Hawkings in his wheelchair!

[@ccrx6700]

Bet he wasn't quite as high IQ as Hawkings and probably hasn't written any books.... LOL Thanks for tuning in and watching today Al.

[@davidg5369]

Thanks Dave, I was wondering exactly how y'all were going to remediate that "bad day", cool solution! I'm well acquainted with vac trucks in my former trade, WWTP Operator 3! If it was any stronger you'd pbly get more ballast mixed in with the coal! Have "fun"!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you David and really glad you enjoyed the show my friend.

[@DeepakKumar-lv4te]

great stuff, you're an excellent video presenter. interesting stuff indeed. Railways, who needs em? 😃😃

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you the kind words Deepak, 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.

[@IrishEddie317]

Dave, does the railroad carry any kind of business insurance that compensates them for an accident like this? This and a number of the other incidents you have shown us had to be a fairly expensive cleanup. I carry insurance on my business against accidents happening. Does the railroad have insurance?

[@ccrx6700]

Good question Edward. We are not a common carrier and thus have no insurance on the coal hauled. They do have liability insurance for the RR tho. The mine eats the cost of the clean up in all our instances like this along with derailment expenses etc.

[@briankemp5206]

Thanks Dave for sharing, great job so far in the cleanup.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Brian and great to hear you enjoyed the adventure. We do appreciate your tuning in and watching my friend.

[@danbelzile4203]

Hey dave good to see u again. Allso I will allways watch your videos that I miss. . U are the best railroad guy.👍👍🍻🍺🇨🇦

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you are enjoying Dan and we do appreciate your tuning in and checking out the show today my friend and for the very nice comment.

[@bobgallo3775]

That is a pretty slick operation Way to improvise

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Bob and do appreciate your tuning in and checking out the show today my friend.

[@peerkirksey3678]

I was wandering how you guys were going to clean that mess up. Great video.

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed the video Peer Kirksey, we do appreciate your watching sir.

[@HugsBach]

Thank you for sharing this! You're a wonderful teacher!

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed the video and you are welcome, we do appreciate your tuning in and checking it out my friend.

[@PowerTrain611]

I saw that video of the derailment in NY. I can't imagine the incredible forced that must have been at play to cause that unique situation.

[@ccrx6700]

I saw that Bryson. When Hulcher came in that first day Terry gave me that link to watch. At the beginning where the Cat was just getting in place to pick the car up, Terry is the guy in the orange vest standing next to the coupler on the car. Pretty neat stuff. Appreciate your writing in and watching today my friend.

[@BobSmith-mc7uq]

Good stuff as always Sir! Something about the railroad that puts you into a state of mind like no other.😀

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Bob, glad you enjoyed the home movie. We do appreciate your tuning in and watching my friend.

[@stanpatterson5033]

Must have been a `short` night at home. Dave skipped the shave this morning. But sometimes, hey... That`s Railroading.

[@ccrx6700]

I'm like my grandfather, need to shave twice daily to have any effect. Sorry, I always worry about how I look, but never think to shave in the mornings until after i watch the video I made. I need a make up crew.....LOL Thanks for writing in and watching today Stan.

[@stanpatterson5033]

@@ccrx6700 Dave, it is okay ! I am so tired of shaving, I just let it grow in the winter, then chop it back and do the daily maintenance thing in the spring and summer months. So while its not a perfect balance of 6 months with and 6 months without, I put in SOME effort. Can not imagine having to shave twice a day every day, though if I must attend an evening function, I will do exactly that, just in case. I only pointed it out because I thought that you got a call and had to RUSH in to work, post haste.

[@ccrx6700]

@@stanpatterson5033 😊👍

[@jasonbabila6006]

Is that the type of coal that can be used in a forge? The company we hire here in WA don’t use a narrow nozzle at the end, they use whatever diameter the hose is.

[@ccrx6700]

It is bituminous and yes it is Jason. Get many blacksmiths to write in and want some for their forges. We got a lot of it! Appreciate your checking out the show my friend.

[@jasonbabila6006]

@@ccrx6700 Can I get some of that coal, I’m not sure if the coal from the old mines here are any good as it is bituminous, I’ve read that anthracite is the preferred among some blacksmiths.

[@ccrx6700]

@Jason Babila sure thing just pull up in your dump truck and we load you up 😊

[@z_dog7739]

Love the Comfo-Cap! Reminds me off my papaws old mining helmet!

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks for writing in and watching the video Z dog77. I have my grandfather's old mining helmet and it wasn't very sturdy compared to the ones we use now.

[@z_dog7739]

@@ccrx6700 Our local Coal Transloader , The Westmoreland Bullit Complex , actually supplied everyone until it closed with Identical helmets to what you are wearing from their patent in 1964 until it's closure in 1998! They bought a surplus of them in the 1960s and they handed them out until the 90s! My whole family wore them so that's where my appreciation of such a odd thing comes from.

[@brianhickey5949]

That is one big job :) We get the inside scoop from you on the workings of the coal RR and it is fascinating. So much work goes into things, often unexpected things. As you say "That's railroading" :) I watched a video of that autorack derailment you mentioned. I remember the crew working well into the day to repair that car and get that track re-opened. I am not surprised it was Hulcher :)

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed Brian and we do appreciate your tuning in and checking out the show today my friend. Terry the Hulcher road foreman was standing next to the coupler on that car in the video when the Cat first pulled up onto the tracks, he is a good friend of mine.

[@brianhickey5949]

@@ccrx6700 that's cool!

[@jeffbronowicz3264]

Great video dave, I saw the auto rack I new york on another channel. That was crazy!

[@ccrx6700]

I saw that Jeff. When Hulcher came in that first day Terry gave me that link to watch. At the beginning where the Cat was just getting in place to pick the car up, Terry is the guy in the orange vest standing next to the coupler on the car. Pretty neat stuff. Appreciate your writing in and watching today my friend.

[@cedarcam]

That was an interesting follow up to the bad day. Good to see how clean the ballast looks the vac truck worked well despite the wet. I was thinking if the coal was going to be cleaned up on that spill why was that loaded into cars not going to be done in the same way. Maybe whoever bought it thinks they can get it cheap and clean it themselves.

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed cedarcam and we do appreciate your tuning in and checking out the show today my friend. I'm sorry I really don't know the destination of the coal in the loaded cars, you very well may be right, I will have to do some more checking and see if I can find out.

[@railfanpat1719]

I believe Wide World of Trains did a video on the derailment up in NY that you said had the truck up under the autorack

[@ccrx6700]

I saw that Pat. When Hulcher came in that first day Terry gave me that link to watch. At the beginning where the Cat was just getting in place to pick the car up, Terry is the guy in the orange vest standing next to the coupler on the car. Thanks for checking out the show tonight my good man.

[@railfanpat1719]

@@ccrx6700 not a problem. Always good information and entertainment. Thank you for sharing

[@2sk21]

Great video! But I have to say: if your company switched over to rotary dump cars, it would probably pay many times over from reduced maintenance and clean-up costs!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you and glad you enjoyed. Our founding fathers USSteel did not for see what a problem that would be caused. You are right with the rotary dump cars, and also they put in all jointed rail another curse on us. To change over now would be astronomical expense and down time so it won't ever happen unfortunately.

[@TriGogglin]

Great video coverage Dave. Love that vac truck and their great idea on how they made a claim bucket for the grappler. I do have a burning question though, you had a lot of space to work with at the point the grappler was working.. why or why not use a 3.5 or 5 yard front end loader. To knock it out faster. Just always curious on the choice of equipment on certain jobs, I don't know. That's why I'm asking.

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed Pappy and we do appreciate your tuning in and checking out the show today my friend. Problem with a loader is it wouldn't be very long before he would be fighting mud all the way in and back out being on a slope and with the wet ground. At the first location there is no way he could even get back there.

[@TriGogglin]

@@ccrx6700 oh yeah, that would pose a problem, MUD !! Yeah that makes sense. I gotta ask these things. Keep you on your toes buddy.

[@Kremithefrog1]

​@@ccrx6700 Why not shovels?

[@davidbass7593]

I was wondering how that coal was picked up good thing most of it can be recycled good job!!

[@ccrx6700]

Yes and after they scooped the big stuff up they came back with their vacuum truck and got the small stuff David. Thanks so much for checking out the cleaning up a huge coal spill my friend.