How It's Made: Railway Bridge Ties

[@stagergamer4172]

I like how he says “a menacing looking device” with such a calm voice lol

[@bustercellillidari5325]

No wood has been hurt/injured in the process.

[@Powerbandm]

It’s a mighty fine looking debarker but that doesn’t change the fact it’s a menacing son of gun

[@stagergamer4172]

@@kellanedits97 0:50 you're welcome lad

[@kellanedits97]

its calm asf

[@asnaproyExcavator]

Apik apikm..apik

[@maxravenwood3877]

This is why I'm subscribed to this channel. Just a Thursday morning watching logs get cut up into railway bridge ties.

[@elijahdage5523]

I like to fall asleep to these videos.

[@elijahdage5523]

If we were on opposite sides of the world, then we could meet up each day to watch our daily/nightly how it's made.

[@Zeta-vb2xh]

@@elijahdage5523 Me too it's so relaxing...lol

[@GreySamson]

I can't remember to have ever seen a wooden railroad bridge in central Europe but it does look nice.

[@JHDZ14]

who else read this in a British accent

[@beepboopsloane]

@@JHDZ14 you know Britain. From Central Europe

[@beepboopsloane]

Lotta lumber in North America still, and regenerative logging laws mean there will be for quite some time

[@Jack22000]

Concrete is slowly replacing all the wooden ones here in US. A track near me sees 2 trains a day and they just replace track with wood ties so I guess it depends on the traffic on the line? Not sure.

[@jonnycando]

@@Jack22000 concrete ties are very expensive…and depending on location very maintenance needy….if the revenue on the line can’t pay for that, wood ties are still best.

[@barrettbachner8657]

good to see you kept the intro after so many years

[@yan5471]

What an oddly specific yet fascinating thing to watch be made

[@POBulkhead]

I was a B&B railway foreman for ten years. They always referred to these as timbers as well as the ties on the headwall, called headwall ties, the five before that called approach timbers. Different railroads different names... I've re-decked about 50 brid es from ten feet to 600 feet, some of curves, some on spiral twists (very tricky).

[@SuperKenndog]

Yet another video where I thought to myself, " this seems like random information that I don't care about". But yet I do. Kudos to you Science Channel

[@gabadaba5436]

I love how easy it looked like they moved the full logs, because those are at least 200 lbs, probably more like 3 or 4, and they're just tossing them around like it's plastic

[@ffjsb]

Closer to around 1.500 lbs...

[@captainjohn787]

From my experience, a lot of those cutoffs actually end up at the big box stores labeled as "prime" lumber.

[@geoe5137]

Must not have much experience if you don't know how lumber is graded.

[@southaussiegarbo2054]

Nope they are not they are mulcher

[@spaceducky101]

@@geoe5137 The joke is that big box store lumber is shit.

[@EddVCR]

I love the relaxing music.

[@hyrenaj2888]

These things must be expensive... literally a solid wooden log

[@VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM]

Solid Oak even.

[@emperorpalpatine2531]

I think it costs 1million dollars to build one mile. I’m not sure I’ll have to check that

[@50oldsmobile]

Raw cross ties was $34.50 a piece delivered to that plant 6 months ago I'd be willing to guess that the price is now under $30

[@ClockworksOfGL]

JarJarBinks - Amtrak seems to now use concrete sleepers, at least in the northeast.

[@rwboa22]

@@ClockworksOfGL, most of the Northeast Corridor and portions of the Keystone Corridor between Philadelphia and Harrisburg use the concrete sleepers. The exceptions being at the switches, fixed overpasses, and moveable bridges. The Delaware River Port Authority's PATCO High-Speed Line between Philadelphia and Lindenwold, NJ also uses concrete sleepers.

[@donavanmcelroy6263]

Cool stuff! I’ve never thought about how those are made.

[@bradzeigler]

I recognize that bridge. It’s the Buckingham Branch James River crossing in Bremo Bluff Virginia.

[@CLINT-THE-GREAT]

I grew up next to a train track. I can’t be the only one who likes the smell of creosote soaked railroad ties....

[@tommypetraglia4688]

Had an urban fragrance shop mix me a cologne they called Black Sand. It had a honeysuckle base with a touch of coal tar. The women in the shopping aisles were always turning heds. Then the next day at work passing brick/shoveling mortar, the funk was delicious

[@Sol_7]

I can’t be the only one that likes the smell of the brake pads after stopping on trains

[@s0nnyburnett]

Without that smell there's no point in exploring old train tracks.

[@davejohnsen8540]

You're not. I actually have a client that manufacturers creosote. Went to his plant one time and it smelled heavenly.

[@d.jensen5153]

I think of creosote and my entire childhood flashes before my eyes. :) Prominently featured in that 'movie' is the Pikes Peak Railway terminus in Manitou Springs on a sunny summer day.

[@nicholasscott350]

My Father told me that in the 1930's men would come by the farm in Kentucky and ask to cut oak trees for railroad ties. Using only axes, these men would cut an oak tree and square it off for a tie. A tree might yield two ties. They would pay my Grandfather about 25 cents fort a tie. I am not sure, but I think a man could make two ties in a day.

[@johnpenguin9188]

That's some hard work. I made a walking stick last week and felt proud of myself.

[@jacobvanantwerp2001]

@@johnpenguin9188 That reminds me: when my family was staying on Beaver Island for summer vacation, my dad found a huge wicked-looking stick he decided to take home. He then painted it mahogany and made it his own walking stick! A couple years ago, he dressed up as Gandalf for Halloween and used it as his walking stick.

[@verteup]

They were making alot more than that for ties back then. And they were using sawmills to do it not axes.

[@nicholasscott350]

@@verteup Look up Railroad Tie Association history. Hand hewn railroad ties were still being made in the 1930's. I may not have been clear. The men that made the ties paid my grandfather 25 cents just for the wood. We are talking Meade County Kentucky during the depression. Selling a couple of oak trees for $1 would have been a good payday. Money was scarce on the farm. Most purchases were made by barter with eggs, milk or homemade pies. Grandfather would often have strangers stay in the barn during the winter in exchange for some basic help around the farm.

[@verteup]

@@nicholasscott350 Sorry for being so harsh. History like this is beyond interesting to me. My granddad was born in 1912 and he made railroad ties in the 30s and 40s with a steam powered sawmill. He did his first logging job with axes and crosscut saws at 12 years old. Not as a helper either it was his own job. This was in Monroe county West Virginia. He died of cancer before I was ever born. Probably one of the biggest tragedies I've ever heard of. He got almost 3 dollars per railroad tie, by the way. He was a logger all of his life. thanks for sharing your story.

[@dazzlingsky8863]

It’s always nice to sometimes just watch random informational videos

[@RandyBroderick]

This is the first episode of How it’s Made I’ve ever seen that didn’t look like it was filmed with a potato. They’re finally in 1080p HD!

[@ransom4734]

Didn't know this wood long last 25 years

[@carlwilliams8354]

Savage Activity Creosote makes them last.

[@tommypetraglia4688]

And dont forget they up in the air and not touching the ground so they get to dry on all sides. My uncle's doug fir deck boards in Maryland lasted over 30 years as it was off the gound covered and well aired

[@s0nnyburnett]

The railroad will be using these long past 25 years.

[@johnshultz2437]

Who thumbs down these videos? People who hate reality?

[@ravensharpless]

This is pretty cool. Always wanted to see the real life version of that one scene in Fern Gully

[@henryfreeman6113]

So this is how my stretcher sheets are so perfectly folded! 😮

[@harpothehealer]

I'm amazed i actually watched this however found it interesting thanks for upload

[@redblue40rc33]

They were perfect for jack blocks on a farm....we had plenty to use to jack up tractors, combines, cotton pickers and other implement equipment to change out flats or do repairs....lasted for years......heads up FYI, if ya cut a tie with a chainsaw, better have long sleeve shirt on, gloves, and goggles....that creosote will blister you up like a 2nd burn....it's bad for ya skin.....

[@benbrice9343]

Yeah I would definitely have a designated chain for cutting those. Once the chain on my saw gets old ( meaning I have sharpened more than a few times ) I use them for cutting brush, tree roots, and anything else that has dirt or an old nail. A dull chain is aggravating to work with and adds danger to an already dangerous activity.

[@MyBelch]

@@benbrice9343 Good advice. I live in rural Thailand near a wood reclamation yard where they tear down old teak houses and re-purpose the wood. They run a handheld metal detector, like ones found in the airport, over each timber before sawing it. The wood is outrageously expensive.

[@perlasandoval7883]

in my country using railroad sleepers in gardens are not permitted because of the environmental damage they could cause because all railroad sleepers have chemicals to protect it from pests and rotting which is toxic

[@rayinpau.s.a.6351]

Every thing about a Curved Bridge is quite interesting . Not an easy task in the Hobby !

[@wolfie8012]

This video ended rather abruptly.

[@ROGER2095]

Then everyone lived happily ever after. The end.

[@AnonymaxUK]

No it didn't

[@bassambouhamad7935]

What beautiful works, God blessed.

[@harrytiltmam3075]

I’m sure god would agree with you 👍

[@frankbullitt4556]

very cool

[@masterofpuppets5072]

See kids this is what they had on TV back then TV used to be good not that crap they put on television today

[@johncameron4194]

Wow

[@50oldsmobile]

Filmed in Virginia

[@carlwilliams8354]

50oldsmobile Buckingham Branch RR crossing the James River at Bremo Bluff!

[@civlyzed]

Love the Old Dominion!

[@50oldsmobile]

Mill and treatment plant in Goshen virginia as well

[@Goldarr1900]

I love how nothing goes to waste👍

[@jacobvanantwerp2001]

Smart idea, huh?

[@Goldarr1900]

@@jacobvanantwerp2001 yes, most definitely.

[@Socal_Geo1]

Really interesting. I wish there was a How It’s Made app.

[@TRPGpilot]

Maybe you need an app for your brain . . .

[@Socal_Geo1]

@@TRPGpilot I think that leaded avgas is getting to you.

[@indicahybrid974]

0:39 A question I have been battling my whole life

[@tlahuicolexiii2844]

Watching things made brings me satisfaction 😊

[@5150cash]

I work for the railroad here in California and those ties last a lot longer than 25 years I can guarantee you that.

[@justinfowler2857]

You must get better ties then the crap one csx buys for us to use. My hands hurt just setting spikes because the ties are so hard.

[@5150cash]

@@justinfowler2857 lol ya we have hardwood oak ties. But just depends on how fresh they are and how much oil comes out of them lol while spiking. Switch ties are the worst they are always dry

[@5150cash]

@Jupp Schlabutt true lol they burn before the rot

[@justinfowler2857]

@@5150cash Our ties have basically no Preservation anymore. They're hard as a rock and rot much quicker. All to save a buck now in exchange for long term higher costs. Oh well poor quality ties means more repairs. More repairs equals more money. Lol

[@5150cash]

@@justinfowler2857that's true but with uprr it's also a money thing. Where ties are needed they don't want to put any in but when the FRA comes in or a derailment then they bitch and makes us put ties in....🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️

[@PacoOtis]

Well done and very informative.

[@trxtech3010]

I wonder if that "De Barker" will help stop my neighbors dogs from barking.....

[@Moohie]

wood is amazing

[@Parapresdokian]

25 years is insane...

[@daviscraig83]

that river was super cool.

[@dhirendrapsingh6758]

Informative. Useful. Calming. Inspiring. Life-changing. Enjoyable. Heart-warming. Other.

[@ourv9603]

Not any more. These days all RR tries are made out of concrete. !

[@prettycountrygirl2]

Very interesting. Thanks.

[@charleschuckfinley3304]

In the UK, we call them railway sleepers

[@marsh2202]

I've seen them called sleepers here in the US, though it's mainly the concrete once called that. Otherwise wooden ones are just ties.

[@elultimo102]

Learned "sleepers" from watching Thomas the Tank Engine. (It was a fun show, esp. the early ones).

[@ossieostrich69]

In Australia we also call them sleepers. Never heard them referred to a ties before.

[@JaredLS10]

The amount of knowledge the announcer picked up over the years, wouldn't want to go up against him during trivia night.

[@TheGreatAtario]

The speed that saw goes through that log from one end to the other is mildly terrifying

[@brandtfj]

Wood is the perfect Building Material... it's supports both compression and tension, it's flexible under vibration, much lighter than concrete for bridge building.. impervious to most chemicals, and doesn't suffer from freeze-thaw like concrete

[@50oldsmobile]

It's also pure solar power

[@SynchronizorVideos]

Pulls carbon out of the atmosphere, too.

[@steelcityrailfan4808]

1:20 splinter heaven

[@TheAutisticCapricorn811]

I so definitely want to work on the railroad.

[@jacobvanantwerp2001]

🎶You'd be working on the railroad, all the live-long day.🎶

[@EverythingScience]

dope

[@VonSolo5]

Amazing! ❤

[@carboncuber3147]

The saw mill looks so terrifying. Like something out of a Saw movie.

[@probegt75]

railroad ties last a lot longer than 25 years

[@KaizenSteelDrums]

I was thinking the same thing.

[@monkyspnk777]

What railroad tie plant was this filmed at?

[@rocioaguilera3613]

A very complicated and precise job. I like that they're ecology conscious. Thanks

[@phillyphakename1255]

They might be on the wood front, but creosote is pretty terrible for humans and the environment. It is responsible for a large number of EPA Superfund sites.

[@callummclachlan4771]

Does also seem a little weird how little is automated. I know jobs and all, but automation does result in more consistently.

[@brendakrieger7000]

I love trains🚂

[@justinfowler2857]

Yeah I work for a railroad. They don't preserve ties like they used too. A good tie used to last 20+ years. Now if you get 5-10 years you're lucky. Plus due to not being treated properly the ties are hard as concrete and split very easily.

[@MrRander7769]

Cut a old tie and it had Creosote all the way through. A new one only soaks about a inch into it.

[@justinfowler2857]

@@MrRander7769 I wish they were an inch of creosote. Ours are maybe a quarter inch at best. Basically they're dried and dipped. That's it.

[@a-totally-random-person]

25 years? I'm 35, and don't remember the ones in my town ever being touched.

[@Syclone0044]

There are definitely less well maintained railway lines. I’m sure the narrator was just giving a general estimate. I mean technically there are still ties probably 100+ years old still connected to the active railway but long abandoned and never traversed. I’ve seen some awesome overgrown railroads I wish I knew a railroad engineer who could answer, is it realistic to imagine driving a private (or stolen) locomotive and joyriding down those tracks and just bashing trees and rocks etc all out of the way? Or would the locomotive actually derail disappointingly quick?

[@a-totally-random-person]

@Matthew Chenault I live in Rhode Island twenty minutes from the ocean. I just don't think they fix anything til it's clearly gonna fail.

[@fredhoy6697]

Very interesting. Thanks.

[@swapnilsalunke1732]

Best engineering 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@SoCalStyles]

How long does it take to grow an oak big enough to make a rail road tie?

[@KaizenSteelDrums]

almost 100 years I'm sure

[@apolloandcreedbulldogges2229]

I wish I was fishing under that bridge right now

[@Syclone0044]

0:25 What a riveting musical score! I laughed, I cried.. this track is Oscar-worthy as any winner in history. I remember the year this song was produced: women fainted, children danced in the streets, wise men reevaluated their lives and questioned their own morals. Indeed a memorable piece of music.

[@mvblitzyo]

Awesome

[@ruez]

Union Pacific and BNSF still using the wood track.

[@SynchronizorVideos]

I design equipment for rail applications. Those people probably mumble "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" in their sleep.

[@ILGuy2012]

Union Pacific tracks between Chicago and St. Louis were upgraded to use continuous track mounted to concrete ties during the 0bama presidency. The reason given for the upgrade--at a huge cost to taxpayers--was for high speed Amtrak trains. It was supposed to cut the travel time between Chicago and St. Louis from 5 1/2 hours down to maybe 3 hours. Once the upgrade was completed, they did some test runs of Amtrak trains traveling maybe 110-120 mph. However, today the Amtrak trains are traveling about the same speed (80 mph) as they were prior to the upgrade. So, high speed Amtrak trains didn't quite materialize like we were told was going to happen. However, I did notice the Union Pacific freight trains are traveling faster on the upgraded tracks--around 75 mph. It makes me think the real reason for upgrading the tracks was to allow higher speeds for the freight trains and not Amtrak.

[@AVeryRandomPerson]

@@ILGuy2012 That's how UP works. Everything for freight, nothing for contractually obligated passenger rail services.

[@BLKWTR]

@@ILGuy2012 class 1 railroads are full of crooks and lobbyists

[@happygus1304]

Man it must smell real good in there

[@markmalasics8413]

Thank CHRIST, the regular narrator on this one. No female, no Billy Badass punk.

[@Lt_Krispy]

This is where 3 am brings me

[@zacharyfedora9384]

Ho scale is also my favorite for model railroad and and I like trains

[@gravee83]

i like everything realated with railways iam railway workman myself

[@rockclimber3045]

really old video they weld all railroad rails they have been solid rails for years now!

[@francoisrossouw9864]

It depends on what type of train is going to use the rails because it's a lot cheaper to just weld . And diesel trains don't really need seamless traks they are built like a tank . That being said this video just might be old .

[@rockclimber3045]

@@francoisrossouw9864 very old

[@Joshuadalewillis]

False, some rail is jointed by brackets and some are welded.

[@Christian-cz9bu]

Yes it's an older video, but I'm glad they are putting up all their show segments, always stuff to learn. (And I can't stand that voice over on the independent uploader of How It's Made content).

[@legostar55]

@@rockclimber3045 I have train tracks near me that use plates and are not welded

[@deliciousfoodvlogs2843]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@daffyduck5171]

Not all sawmills are set up like this worked at 2 different sawmills and hsnd stacked railroad ties hot hard work. Lots of sawmills in South Central Missouri

[@ffjsb]

You can't stack bridge ties because they're about 3-4 times as heavy as a regular tie.

[@melchristian8876]

👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@tonyfraire6975]

I do this for a living but the debarking is done by hand with a hammer after cutting and they’re all stacked by hand

[@judclark7376]

oak is nice

[@bobstaub8903]

Especially when receiving a full bedroom set for your trouble!

[@Cline3911]

I know each and every one of you that watched this video were making sawmill noises in your head when you watched the wood being cut.

[@AF_Gulfstream]

They should name the Debarker . Bob. Bob Debarker

[@shimonigmagames]

Now I know 👍

[@wcochran05]

Anyone know this song they use in this segment? It’s a commonly used one and albeit it’s catchy.

[@Freeze3573]

What do they use to treat them now, since Creosote was banned?

[@topgear3487]

0:25 IT'S A DIESEL ENGINE FROM CANADA!!!! Waddon and Dominian of Canada lives in Canada.

[@surajhumanworld4533]

Please make complete video

[@jamesaustin1988]

4:49 Caboose!

[@TowMater603]

Sleepers *

[@scratch6897]

I might be wrong but I thought that the sleepers were the concrete ties.

[@geomodelrailroader]

this is how railroad ties in general are made

[@jimmychanbers2424]

You'd figure as long as the railroad has been making these,it would be a lot quicker. Most union workers would try to find a quicker way. Hand laying out each one means they get paid by the hour.

[@hockeyteeth]

I dropped a log this morning.

[@henrygoodbar9477]

That’s why you don’t use ties for fire wood... they’re treated..

[@prakarshpathak7529]

जय हिन्द

[@I_SuperHiro_I]

Do: “Rigged Voting Machine” Featuring Dominion next.

[@RicochetRichard]

I'm no railroad expert but several years ago the railroad took up the wood ties and replaced them with concrete ties. Just recently they removed the concrete ties and put back wood ties... Go Figure..

[@MartinXBrina]

#ScienceInTechnology

[@mattt198654321]

I wish I had a de-barker for my doggo...

[@K-Effect]

A lot of those trees look like they have some type of fire damage, I wonder if they’re from the massive Northern California Campfire?

[@davidgage1566]

Wow I didn't know that they sell boards to wood plants that is very good to hear from the bottom of my soul

[@MetalMusicManiac]

Think this show used to back in the 1990s before it went to a pay extra channel

[@royhoco5748]

well burst my bubble, I thought bridge ties were made from bridge trees.

[@bugsbunny4859]

Looks nothing like any sawmill I've worked at

[@obstinatejack]

very nice video, but we should get into the new blast-less type railroad technology, as this way too old for new day and age