Hoosac Tunnel Cab Ride - East to West, 2015 - (No Audio) in Amtrak Heritage Unit

[@offroad77]

Thank you so very much for this tremendous view from the cab of the Hoosac Tunnel. I always wanted to see the Engineer's view of what it is like to drive through the tunnel. What an incredible ride!

[@Imrfilms]

I'm glad you liked it! Thank you for watching and posting! You may also be interested (if you haven't already seen it) in the Infrared Footage I took going the other direction.

[@JoeSimonin]

Thank you so much for sharing this opportunity to see the tunnel from the head end-especially since the headlights light everything up. Even without sound, it truly is great. I really admire your dedication to the tunnel.

[@Imrfilms]

Thank you Joe!

[@brendanflynn6456]

I surveyed through the Hoosac right before this video was shot. On the left side, I set wooden stakes with alternating red and white reflective stickers set every 500' from end to end.

[@Imrfilms]

Very cool! I hadn't noticed those before, but see them now! How many did you put up?

[@rugerkidd2076]

you must of had a creepy feeling in that tunnel! is it haunted???

[@DDNH]

An old video of the Hoosac Tunnel showed white numbers ever 100', this one does not, are these still there? Also, is there any work planned for this historic Tunnel?

[@EvanCops]

@@rugerkidd2076 I think it is, I went there with my dad and i think i caught some orbs in a couple pictures.

[@davefuller9087]

Good for you.

[@elizabethhjenkins6172]

Wonderful. The quietest ride ever. That tunnel is a work of art.

[@michaelpatanella]

And a curse. Took 200 lives when built

[@williamh.jarvis6795]

Supposedly, it took the "accidental" freezing of the Nitroglycerin charges so to make it much more safe to handle it, so I have read.

[@FFGuy-eu7hr]

Of all the Autumn Express runs Amtrak did, this one was by far the best.

[@TrinityCourtStudios]

I dispatch District 3! I got to ride thru the tunnel myself and it’s an impressive piece of engineering. First signal is a blinking yellow over red. NORAC Signal “Advance Approach”. Proceed prepared to stop at the second signal. Trains exceeding Medium Speed (30 MPH) must begin reduction to medium speed as soon as engine passes the Advance Approach signal. In layman’s terms, continue at a Max of 30 MPH past this next signal. The second signal AFTER this one will likely be a Stop Signal.

[@williamh.jarvis6795]

In this particular video I did see the flashing yellow light (but, the red light seemed rather dim, if at all present, at 2:20). However, the following signal, at 9:09, displayed a CLEAR aspect. The dispatcher must must have the home (absolute) signal, outside the west portal, to a more favorable aspect after this train passed it. (From the last time I saw it, some13 years ago, it used to be a single headed searchlight signal. It now appears to be a vertical row of lights, G-Y-R, fitted with those more modern LED's.) For the opposite bound trains it would be a staggered headed two light (a "permissive" signal) mounted on the same mast. Maybe it, too, is two headed and staggered modern lit signal.

[@staceyallen3139]

Yes! Thank you for sharing this!

[@Imrfilms]

You're very welcome!

[@gmaneis]

Liked this one even better than your awesome infrared video! It's nice to see where you're going in such a terrifying place!!! Natural sound would have been nice, but silence is a lot better than the obnoxious rock music so many folks paste over their KZbin stuff. Thanks for sharing this unique ride. It's aaaaweeesome!!

[@Imrfilms]

Thanks! I would have loved to have included the audio, but unfortunately there were some "conversations" going on which wouldn't have been good to include.

[@gmaneis]

That was one of the possible reasons I came up with for the lack of audio. Hmmmm, either a heated political argument, or a tunnel-long child tantrum, or a bunch of nasty dirty jokes. Fun to speculate! Ha!@@Imrfilms

[@Imrfilms]

@@gmaneis I'll give you a hint, it wasn't the first two!

[@gmaneis]

Hilarious! Yep, on a scale of 1 to 10, I had given that third possibility about an 11, considering it was probably a bunch of guys involved.

[@williamh.jarvis6795]

@@Imrfilms I fully respect your reasoning for not including audio in this video. Give respect of privacy for those in the cab, who allowed the filming from the locomotive.

[@tbo2341]

I really enjoyed the ride through that tunnel.

[@Imrfilms]

Thank you!

[@rudiewhitebwoy]

5:30 Light at the end of the tunnel

[@garyscoville]

in this video, can you give a timeframe when you approach the central shaft? Thanks Gary,

[@Imrfilms]

We passed by the Central Shaft at around the 5:30 mark. At 5:33, you can see a dark void on the right which is either one of the side shafts leading up to the central, or the "Hoosac Hotel". You can see the West Portal appear at this time also. Thanks for watching!

[@justforever96]

@@Imrfilms I don't understand, how can you see the Central Shaft at 5:30 and the West Portal at 5:33? They are several miles apart, aren't they? Or do you mean you can see the light appear at the end of the tunnel? As far as I can tell that's just the signal lamp about 3/4rs of the way down the bore.

[@johndeluca230]

@@justforever96 If this helps... The Hoosac Tunnel was built in a straight line from portal to portal. From each portal, there is a slight upward grade that meets at the Central Shaft (the highest point). The reason for this grade is to let groundwater drain to the portals and a path for rising fumes. So, just after crossing the Central Shaft, you would experience the downward grade and have a straight-on view of the other portal. Now, that light from the portal is about 2.5 miles away at that point. It does show up rather prominently due to the darkness of the tunnel and takes several minutes to get to. That prominence surprised me, but I have no experiential reference of looking multiple miles down a straight tunnel. I'm no expert and correct me if I am wrong about Hoosac Tunnel.

[@williamh.jarvis6795]

@@johndeluca230 Yes. If you stand in the center of the tunnel, somewhere around Central Shaft you can see daylight at both ends, that is, until a trains passed through it. You might be surprised at just how thick that diesel exhaust can be. It will literally block your sight of either portal! (I simply rested for at least a half hour, allowing the Central Shaft fans to suck much of that exhaust out, before I continued my hike westward!)

[@williamh.jarvis6795]

@@justforever96 At Central Shaft there is no hole in the top of the tunnel. Supposedly, that "Hoosac Hotel" mentioned must be where the shaft splits in two and you will see (and feel an air draw) holes in both sides walls of the tunnel (but, not exactly opposite of each other). Therefore, if something were to ever fall down the Central Shaft it will NOT hit a train (or any maintenance personnel or their vehicles) passing below it.

[@ocsrc]

I don't see the vent. It should be between 6:00 and 6:30 but I don't see it. I do see what could be flush vent screens at 6:08 to 6:15 Is that them ? Do they have the vent covered at the ceiling for some reason ? Or is it somewhere else in the video ? I saw the huge spike around 5:20 but I don't see anything there What are people looking for in this spike ?

[@Drumm3rB0y]

2:28 Are we passed the central shaft at this point

[@Imrfilms]

No. The flashing signal light on the side marks the one mile point. The central shaft is around the 5:32 mark. (I'm pretty sure that void on the right is part of one of the side shafts that loops up to the main shaft.)

[@redbarnz]

The Tunnel used to be double tracked until 1957.

[@ArtStoneUS]

And during days of steam locomotives, pulled through the tunnel using electricity

[@mickeyfinn457]

What’s that sticking out of the walls both sides at 0:17?

[@Imrfilms]

Those are old foam sheets which were placed to try and prevent too much ice from forming at the portal. As you get deeper inside, the ambient temperature is always around 55, so there's no worry about ice there.

[@mickeyfinn457]

@@Imrfilms That's interesting. Thank you

[@Imrfilms]

@@mickeyfinn457 You're very welcome!

[@amtrakandcsxrailfanning164]

Awesome ride along in front of this Autom express with a cab ride by hertige 822 I wonder haw long is this tunnel Is it longer the the longest tunnel in the United States the casecade tunnel.

[@Bill-xx2yh]

As tunnels go...this one looked to me the best one. Lots of room inside, especially side to side

[@Imrfilms]

This one used to be double track until 1957. I can't imagine two trains in there at the same time!

[@DpLfilms]

Awesome!

[@Imrfilms]

Thanks!

[@DpLfilms]

+IMR Films Autumn Express?

[@Imrfilms]

That's the one!

[@DpLfilms]

I'm jealous haha

[@justforever96]

This tunnel gives me a bad vibe. Even when I was just reading the small book on the subject I found in my grandfather's stuff. I am not a paranormal enthusiast, but I don't disbelieve either....and I know this place gives me the creeps. Not all tunnels do that to me by any means. And then I found out after I watched this that my mother visited this place in the 1970s or 80s and said it scared her so bad she couldn't make herself go any nearer that 30 feet from the entrance. Said her grandmothers house had terrified her in the same way for no reason after she died, and she felt the same way about the tunnel, and it got worse the closer she got to it. She couldn't move when she got close enough to see it, and she just wanted to run away as far as she could go from it. Makes one wonder.

[@robertb5465]

I've gone in there and it is something that should go on your bucket list.

[@walterschivo9123]

Why did they seem to put in 'signal lights' inside the tunnel for?

[@TrinityCourtStudios]

It’s such a long tunnel that signals in the tunnel were installed decades ago to give train crews status of the tracks ahead. If you have a green, a blinking yellow, or a yellow then you’re gonna keep moving as a decent pace. But if you have red signals, NORAC rules meaning “stop and proceed” you will have to pull up to the signal, stop and then proceed and restricted speed, which is lower than the speed limit. Takes longer to travel the tunnel.

[@williamh.jarvis6795]

@@TrinityCourtStudios I do recognize the CLEAR aspect on the second signal in there, showing up at around 9:09. AN UPDATE: The flashing single yellow light must be indicating: "Advance Approach. Prepare to stop for your second signal ahead." (That being after you exit the tunnel, where the single track goes to double track. Don't know that MP number.) What has likely happened here is that after the train passed this signal the District 4 Dispatcher must have set the route and the signals outside of the west portal so to permit this train to proceed on, hence, the following signal displays a "Clear, Proceed" aspect, green over red. Otherwise, that signal would have displayed an "Approach, Prepare to stop at your next signal," and showing a yellow over red aspect instead.

[@TheBrightSkittle]

This is surprisingly quiet! I love it! But there’s no ghosts🙁

[@Imrfilms]

Thank you! Here's the "ghost" video! kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnbQXoqnlKtpZq8

[@Nohandle4me2]

Are those scrap marks along the top of the tunnel?

[@Imrfilms]

In 1997 they ground away about a foot on the ceiling to increase the clearance of the tunnel. Thanks for the comment!

[@paulvalentine1483]

At sixty-five, I'd walk through this again but, after a stroke and heart attack, not without backup.

[@williamh.jarvis6795]

My first walk through it, in early 2000, I did encounter a westbound train. Back then, its speed was at least 35MPH as it passed by, me being well hidden in one of those niches in the north face. Almost 10 minutes prior to it passing me I did happen to notice a change in air movement, coming from behind me, almost five minutes before I spotted its headlight! Once I arrived at the Burger King in North Adam's, MA I so noted that I had a kind of sooty black face as a result of it passing by me, so I noted in the mirror in their bathroom! One can stand in the center and see both ends, that is, until the diesels fill it full of their exhaust. All that exhaust WILL block your view of the portals!

[@williamh.jarvis6795]

If the west portal's door is down are you able to slide under it? It's just like trying to crawl under your jacked up vehicle so to make repairs underneath! I did happen to fit under it, though, during my second walk, back in 2008. I encountered no train that day.

[@maybenotsolittlegamingdude644]

who owns the track going through the tunnel?

[@Imrfilms]

It' part of the PAS system - Pan Am Southern. The Pan Am part is owned by CSX, the Southern part is owned by Norfolk Southern.

[@Avery1980]

Great video only thing that could make it better is if it had auto but I do got a question thou what are those wires on both sides of the tunnel? Are those leftover wires from when the tunnel ran Electric train cars??

[@ChrisSmith-nm8gb]

More than likely they power the signals.

[@Imrfilms]

Thanks! The wires you see are actually power/communications wires. To my knowledge they're still active.

[@Avery1980]

IMR Films oh kool thnx for the info I’d love to take a train ride threw the Hoosic tunnel do they offer these to the public?

[@Imrfilms]

You're welcome. This was a special excursion train that Amtrak offered a few years back. I haven't heard of any more as of yet. If you're on Facebook, you can follow the Hoosac Tunnel page, if there's ever another excursion it will be posted there.

[@Avery1980]

IMR Films ok thnx 😊😊

[@ocsrc]

Flashing Yellow means what ? Treat as a green,? 20 mph ? 10 mph ?

[@Imrfilms]

I believe in this case it simply means proceed with caution.

[@glasswinder]

How long is the tunnel 🤔

[@Imrfilms]

It's around 4.75 miles long.

[@Savedbychrist25]

Wonder what kind of trains in front of him

[@williamh.jarvis6795]

I think that is one of the block signals inside there, along its north side.

[@tylerblackwell2688]

never seen a tunnel with signals in it

[@williamh.jarvis6795]

Was this footage taken after the tunnel's partial wall collapse (to which closed the tunnel to train traffic for about six weeks) or, was it taken before the closure?

[@Imrfilms]

This was taken about five years before the collapse. If you look at the 11:46 mark in the video on the left hand side of the tunnel, you can see where it was beginning to cave in already. Thanks for the comment!

[@williamh.jarvis6795]

@@Imrfilms YES! I SAW IT, some of the brick arch has shown signs of collapsing there. Replayed it a couple of times to be sure.

[@briansmith5895]

Just one little statement. How long is this tunnel ? Many would ask that question, when it's a clip about a tunnel .

[@Imrfilms]

Brian Smith It’s just around 4.75 miles.

[@williamh.jarvis6795]

@@Imrfilms or, 25,100 feet, from the east portal, going down to ZERO at the weat portal. It is numbered inside, on its north face, every 100 feet. (That is what the "251" you see means at the east portal.)

[@Imrfilms]

@@williamh.jarvis6795 Thank you!

[@Steve-xf4uv]

Nice video; of course the tunnel looks a bit dirty and uncared for, nobody sees this but the engine crew. Nice job to show it to everyone. Photo shot from both sides - never went in.

[@Imrfilms]

Thank you! This was definitely a unique opportunity to get this shot. If you haven't seen it, I also have a video coming the other I was able to shoot from the back car of the passenger car. It was quite an experience!

[@richharris9489]

how the hell u get a cab ride let me guess u know someone

[@Imrfilms]

I wish I'd been up there! I actually got this by asking an engineer if he'd take the camcorder up in the cab with him. I did get to ride on the back deck of a passenger car (Hoosac infrared footage). That was awesome!

[@AllanLoveJr]

THAT IS SCARY ASS TUNNEL.

[@jason401.]

Me and my family are gonna walk it all tomorrow

[@williamh.jarvis6795]

@@jason401. Did you happen to note some form of corridor, in its north face, heading north, leading to a door with a frosted glass window in it, somewhere within the tunnel's center? Seems like it is some form of a secret meeting place! Weird!

[@klbird]

Nice ride but the old tunnel is showing its age. Needs a relining and new drainage channels.

[@Imrfilms]

Yeah, it does need work in there. Last time I was there I saw a piece of equipment that looked like it was used to drill test bores in the ceiling. I've heard rumors of them heightening the tunnel again. If they do, I'm sure they'll do some other much needed maintenance!

[@Afroman29]

@@Imrfilms I think there are plans to enlarge the tunnel so double stack container trains can go through it. But the tunnel badly needs a renovation, maybe they should put lights in it, so it isn't you know SCARY!! ;)

[@Hathorr1067]

@@Afroman29 Hell, look at the Cumberland Gap ride through. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sHTVioiibZKKisk

[@bweldon13]

what's the light?

[@Imrfilms]

Do you mean the flashing one you see in the beginning? It's a signal light that flashes as a caution light when trains enter.

[@JJsSassyLass5]

bweldon13 It's a train tunnel signal

[@williamh.jarvis6795]

@@JJsSassyLass5 Yes! Since the tunnel used to be room for two tracks wide inside. There is plenty of room inside so to install signal masts. Typical on this railroad an "Approach (permissive) Signal," consisting of two heads, mounted in a staggered fashion and not vertical, tends to precede any "Absolute Signal," which normally governs all of the interlockings. These Approach Signals can display a greater variety of indications, more than a single headed signal can do. Outside both ends of the tunnel the track go from one to two tracks. An opposing bound train may be waiting for clearance to proceed once the previous train clears it.

[@rugerkidd2076]

wow, what an incredible tunnel video. how many miles is it? i would say men lost their lives building it, would have to be an eerie haunted place!!!

[@Imrfilms]

Thanks! The tunnel is about 4.75 miles long. If you haven't seen it yet, I have another video from the back of the train when it went through the other way which I videoed in infrared. It's pretty cool and you see a lot of detail!

[@kevinshreve8071]

I got this info below from Wikipedia : Deadly accidents during construction killed 196 workers[6], leading the survivors to dub the Tunnel the "Bloody Pit". Many of its victims died in explosions, most by black powder, others by the more powerful, but less stable nitroglycerin. Among the deadliest incidents was the horrendous Central Shaft accident. On October 17, 1867, workers were digging the tunnel's 1,028-foot (313 m) vertical exhaust shaft when a candle in the hoist building ignited naphtha fumes that had leaked from a "Gasometer" lamp.[8] The ensuing explosion set the hoist on fire, and it collapsed into the shaft. Four men near the top of the shaft escaped, but 13 men working 538 feet (164 m) below were trapped by falling naphtha and pieces of iron. The pumps were also destroyed, and the shaft began to fill with water. A worker named Mallory was lowered into the shaft by rope the next day; he was overcome by fumes and reported no survivors, and no further rescue attempts were made. Several months later, workers reached the shaft's bottom and found that several victims had survived long enough to fashion a raft before suffocating.

[@williamh.jarvis6795]

@@kevinshreve8071 As I have reviewed many of the documentaries about the construction of the tunnel the workers learned about "freezing" the nitroglycerin in order to make it much more stable. The workers were said to have learned it by accident! The workers would put the frozen charges into the drilled out holes as they were starting to thaw out.

[@demil3618]

That rain driver just hopes he won’t see anyone walking the tunnel. There’s absolutely no space left/right to let a train pass and although he‘s slow, not sure how soon he could stop.

[@NeilEvans1980]

There’s actually way more room than you might think though it does mean standing in deep muddy water

[@bobbeaumont324]

A nice video. Real shame it’s not modern day double track wide.

[@Imrfilms]

Thank you. It would be pretty neat to see how the old double line would work with modern trains!

[@bobbeaumont324]

IMR Films The tunnel was double track from 1881-1957 and the story goes that clearly as newer equipment came along that it was becoming tight in there with two tracks. It’s interesting how the various B&O tunnels built either near the same time or later were built wider and via notching the portals, are still usable for modern double track standards.

[@williamh.jarvis6795]

@@bobbeaumont324 Are those cutouts known as "Cat Ears?'

[@bobbeaumont324]

@@williamh.jarvis6795 Given the CHESSIE System history, probably, yes.

[@keamsilva]

So is it haunted

[@Imrfilms]

I've heard some stories of strange events occurring. Some more reputable than others!

[@JoeSimonin]

Was the story about the tunnel inspector featured in your documentary one of the more credible ones? The story where he claims to have seen two men with a lamp but no footprints in the snow except his own at the West portal?

[@Imrfilms]

Yes, that's definitely the most reputable one I've heard! Some others are pretty credible while some I've heard aren't really at all or have changed each time I hear it, getting more and more exaggerated each time!

[@Cweskos1]

www.hoosactunnel.net/ghost.php great stories from long ago..........my fav is this story............Owens visited the tunnel, accompanied by James R. McKinstrey, a drilling operations superintendent. Dr. Owens wrote the following account, which was thought to have appeared first in a Michigan newspaper: "On the night of June 25, 1872, James McKinstrey and I entered the great excavation at precisely 11:30 P.M. We had traveled about two full miles into the shaft when we finally halted to rest. Except for the dim smoky light cast by our lamps, the place was as cold and dark as a tomb. "James and I stood there talking for a minute or two and were just about to turn back when suddenly I heard a strange mournful sound. It was just as if someone or something was suffering great pain. The next thing I saw was a dim light coming along the tunnel from a westerly direction. At first, I believed it was probably a workman with a lantern. Yet, as the light grew closer, it took on a strange blue color and appeared to change shape almost into the form of a human being without a head. The light seemed to be floating along about a foot or two above the tunnel floor. In the next instant, it felt as if the temperature had suddenly dropped and a cold, icy chill ran up and down my spine. The headless form came so close that I could have reached out and touched it but I was too terrified to move. "For what seemed like an eternity, McKinstrey and I just stood there gaping at the headless thing like two wooden Indians. The blue light remained motionless for a few seconds as if it were actually looking us over, then floated off toward the east end of the shaft and vanished into thin air. " ... I am above all a realist," he continued, "nor am I prone to repeating gossip and wild tales that defy a reasonable explanation. However, in all truth, I can not deny what James McKinstrey and I witnessed with our own eyes."

[@justforever96]

@@Cweskos1 More interestingly there is a second account by a Mechanical Engineer Paul Travers who says he and another man entered the bore at 9PM, and (again) at about the 2 mile mark they heard "a sound that sounded exactly like a man groaning in pain". They turned up the wicks of their lanterns, but could see no-one else. Interesting that both happened at about the same point in the tunnel. I must say, SOMETHING about this tunnel rubs me the wrong way. Even before I had seen what it looked like. To me it seems like a bad idea to dig under a mountain. Maybe I read to much Tolkein as a youth?

[@shirleybalinski4535]

Totally awesome. Looks pretty clean in there except closer to west exit; there appears to be insulation, fungi or something laying along tracks & walls. I did not see leaking water or overhead netting or evidence of "campers". I do expect it gets inspected frequently. Do wish the RR owners would do a better job of " sprucing up" the entrances to all tunnels across the US. RR appear to be guilty of this throughout the country, much more than the road systems. One other thing, this could be a real tourist draw if attention was given to an information platform or center where it might be viewed.

[@Mark-iy4no]

This was double tracked at one point . Barely enough room

[@miltonblack7563]

TRY""WALKING""THROUGH""THAT"""1000%%%%%

[@Imrfilms]

Gets REALLY dark!

[@mikegonzales8458]

this is a good video but I'd like to know why it was filmed with no audio there should have been audio the cameraman fucked up

[@Imrfilms]

There was audio on the video, but it was a bunch of talking. I removed it to respect the engineers privacy. (They did me a big favor by taking the camera up in the cab with them.) Check out the West to East infrared footage if you haven't already. There's audio on that.

[@Hathorr1067]

Tunnel maintenance must not be in the budget.

[@mikegonzales8458]

only an idiot would think I'm filming a video with no audio

[@thomasl8734]

Mike Gonzales ......only an idiot who thinks that would still watch it.

[@justforever96]

Why, what is there to hear? The drone of the engines and the fans? Maybe the sound of radio static? I doubt they get any signal in that tunnel. There is nothing to hear in this video. It's a 12 minute long still picture of the inside of a tunnel. Get over it. What do you want? Music? Inane commentary _a la_ PewDiePie? Not...not....SILENCE!!! I can't TAKE IT ANY MORE!!!! I can hear my own thoughts and it scares me!!!