INCREDIBLE 15" Gauge Vineyard Railroad is going Public! | Halter Ranch Railroad

The Halter Ranch Railroad, owned by Swiss Billionaire Hansjörg Wyss is incredible, and it's opening up to the public for Train Tours!
The first public Train Tour begins on May 25th. Make a reservation here: bit.ly/3xcMN0a
Visit the channel shop: hycetrains.com...
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Become an ES&D Train Crew Member and get extra perks!
/ @hyce777

[@georgen.8027]

My take-away of this video: It's fun to be a Swiss billionaire

[@henningerhenningstone691]

Billionaires who don't do this are clearing doing it wrong

[@Etienne_H]

For me it's no matter what you've got, you always need other people to enjoy it with. Or it's no fun :)

[@user-yd5jg7te9y]

Hansjörg Wyss made his fortune with his shares from the company Synthes. He is not very popular in Switzerland, since he lives in the US and he wants to influence the Swiss politic. He is also not very popular in the US, since he is Swiss and wants to influence the US politic by supporting indirectly the democrats. However, the railroad is cool. Rich man dream.

[@haf2567]

I don't get it why is it that we hate rich people and there political views, I don't know if anyone like's to be poor because I believe we all want to have comfort and being rich it's something we all inspired to trying to criminalize being rich is quite low I believe as long as they are paying their quarter does to society based on the rules it is no problem because the rules is there for all of us and most apply accordingly.

[@clockworkvanhellsing372]

​@@haf2567 The dislike comes when billionairs use their wealth to overwrite the will of the common people. Bill wanted to push private schools in california. Thus they held a public vote on this, with thebresult, that the people voted against it. Doing the only logical thinh, Bill of course used his money and influence to do two additional votes on this both ending also in a vote against private schools. Naturally the politicians followed the will of the people (who voted against private schools) and did exactly what bill whised by funding private schools and cutting public school funding. I have the feeling that cases like this, with blatend disregard for democracy are the reason ritch people are often disliked.

[@makipsee]

"look at this you can eat off of it..." Coming from the guy who cooks on a coal shovel hahah! Great video!

[@electroman1996]

In Switzerland, even 100+ years old original steam locomotives are that shiny. The associations that keep these old locomotives (both steam and electric) running take a lot of pride in keeping them in perfect condition. The railway in Switzerland is still incredibly important, and there's railway lines everywhere, even on top of mountains (usually rack assisted trains).

[@ComfortsSpecter]

Beautiful Humanistics

[@ayayaybamba3445]

Hyce's love for narrow gauge is being challenged by an even narrower gauge. What can we say, he likes tiny things with lots of power.

[@jhsevs]

😳😏

[@davidty2006]

Think 15 inch is coming close to minature gauge. But it can keep getting smaller from there

[@TitanicKid]

Okay, I gotta say, this whole miniature railroad is absolutely gorgeous. But the one thing that stood out to me the most: The fact that the steam locomotive manages its own fire. Just the notion of something like that is incredible and really goes to show how much effort went into building that little thing and making everything *just* right.

[@thetoontrain6073]

Was never the biggest fan of Swiss locomotives but this little 2-8-0 stole my heart

[@moover123]

what's the problem with swiss trains?

[@thetoontrain6073]

Nothing. I just don’t know much about them

[@JosipRadnik1]

@@thetoontrain6073 If you are more into Steam locomotives then Switzerland might not the most interresting place since they switched to electric propulsion quite early. If you are interrested in electric locomotives then Switzerland is quite a marvel - especially in the early times of electric propulsion. The Crocodile in all its variants was just one of the noteworthy Swiss locomotives.

[@Gerald_Hunker]

@@JosipRadnik1 Quite true! Since Switzerland has many mountains but no coal, electric traction was mandatory. However, Swiss electric locomotives are the most sleek and beautiful in the world. It's not all about the crocodiles. Just look at the Ae 6/6, followed by Re 4/4 and Re 6/6 - each of them is a legend and a design icon!

[@Lukas-qk6ll]

@@Gerald_Hunkerand the bogies of the Re460 with the radial adjustable axles are probably the best ever build for any locomotive

[@pat370]

12:00 this begs the question if you have to be forklift certified to run the baby croc

[@erichd9460]

LMAO!!!🤣

[@user-yv7mp7sn9u]

It's too late, I am now forklift certified. I'M TAKING THE CROCODILE !!!

[@farLander1]

I'm certified. Let me at 'er!

[@racecamonehundred]

This is way cooler than a mega-yacht

[@JanTonovski]

I've stood next to a crocodile at a German museum, it was unbelievable how big it was, it felt bigger than a drg class 50 steam loco

[@Genius_at_Work]

TBF even the "full-Size" SBB Crocodiles aren't much larger than other contemporary Locomotives like the SBB Ae 4/7 or BLS Ae 6/8. They may seem longer because of the flat and narrow Hoods, but they aren't.

[@Melanie16040]

I wonder how one would look next to a GG1

[@JanTonovski]

​@@Genius_at_WorkYeah, I think you're right. It was more my expectation that it would be a lot smaller than a steam locomotive, and then the running board is above your head

[@Buddha-eb5yl]

Es gibt in der Schweiz sogenannte " Krokodile " bei der Räthischen Bahn mit einer Spurweite von 1000mm. Bei der SBB dann gibt es das Ganze mit 1435 mm Spurweite. In Deutschland wurden die Baureihen E93/E94 als " deutsches Krokodil " benannt.

[@Zuiderzee-Lives]

The whole railroad is a thing of beauty, but the Croc and the Connie are just something else. Completely out of this world miniature engineering.

[@andrewframe8046]

I'm loving the spotlight on the "smaller" scale stuff. This is such a neat railroad.

[@SMVvids]

If you can get in contact with Peter Nott of Arroyo Grande, theres a 2 foot gauge steam locomotives (including the davenport trench locomotive) on the Norgrove Railway and i highly recommend checking that place out!

[@Hyce777]

I saw the Norgrove railway on this trip last year in October. Bloody fantastic. Peter wasn't around but I'd love to go out when they're firing something up. Incredible place.

[@balsonag6502]

Hello Hyce Many thanks for this wonderful contribution! You've shown the layout and our railroad in a great light and we're glad that you like it that much. As a manufacturer, we are delighted that our models are also so well received in the USA. We wish you continued success!

[@bluescrew3124]

Wow! Super cool ! The lateral invention is amazing but the adorable baby water tower stole the show (after the shininess of the Choo Choo)

[@burnerheinz]

Small correction about the standard gauge Croc it still only has 6 driven axles but it has two sets of leading wheels one at one end and one at the other it was built with two Mogul Frames and the center cab was responsible for the sparky bits swiss train classification is uniquely wierd in that the baby Croc is designated as Ge 6/6 G is for Narrow gauge e is for electric 6/6 is the driven axles/total axles indication Big Croc has the designation Ce 6/8 the C tells you that it's a Standard gauge locomotive that does between 60kph(37mph) and 65kph(40mph)

[@Hyce777]

Oh cool! Thank you for sharing.

[@Cmoredebris]

SBB standard gauge "Krokodil" Be 6/8 III 13302 . kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3bEcomdobSibKs RhB meter gauge "Krokodil" Ge 6/6 I 414. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nKSQYWZrpJanbsk

[@tahrey]

Huh, surprised they're somewhat low speed like that ... I expect they're geared low to get through the mountains?

[@burnerheinz]

@@tahrey Yup Switzerland in general isn't known for making fast Locomotives and Europe isn't known for allowing big Choo choos.

[@Fetguf]

@@tahrey Look at the build year, and the standard size Krokodil had a top speed of 75 kph.

[@trainsandtrams2020]

I think 15 inch has to be the most "fun" gauge of all railways. Big enough to matter, small enough to fit in and super refreshing to ride in the open coaches. The Swiss builder Balson is quite famous and this custom-made rolling stock looks magnificent. What an outfit and nifty, scenic layout in California.

[@suprisex4999]

whoah hold up that locomotive is beatiful

[@THEJake829]

So when should we expect the Colorado Railroad Museum to unveil their new "triple gauge line'" to accommodate 15"?

[@Hyce777]

Lol, that'd be fun but not likely! Haha.

[@25kmgb]

I worked with the track designer for several years while we designed and built the rail infrastructure for loading and unloading of construction aggregates. It’s great to see the final results of his work. Thank you.

[@Acela2163]

As a lover of the Rhätische Bahn, that locomotive is absolutely gorgeous 😍

[@spiercephotography]

Oh my gosh that whistle- what an adorable and also so much fun train/locomotive. Look at that! Even better that it's a passion project for the owner.

[@themanformerlyknownascomme777]

these minimum gauge railways are such a fascination for me, I mean personally I'm most fascinated by the (literal handful) of 20 inch gauge tracks, but these 15 inch ones are nevertheless super interesting!

[@bear470]

Man, the owner of that vineyard and mini railroad won. Just won life period. God that's awesome!

[@ryancooney3219]

That baby crocodile is amazing and I love it. I need 10

[@Tuckaway]

What a super railroad. I love the Swiss crocodile loco.

[@VixessRin1702]

That little steam engine, aahh

[@ostsan8598]

"Then it was my turn to take the throttle" *Smells Like Kenosha starts playing*

[@Hyce777]

No that's tomorrow

[@tramlink8544]

i operate a younger brother of the baby crocodile in Switzerland (Ae4/7) , and let me tell you, the majority of Americans wont fit through the tiny cab doors on the corners XD XD

[@Hyce777]

Lol, I believe that! We don't fit through some of our own cab doors...

[@tramlink8544]

@@Hyce777 The side corner Doors were only really designed to be used when needing to access the compressor or toolbox (one nose has the compressor in it, the other the tool rack) and there were normal cab entrances found on the sides to get in the cab. But due to bad design these drafted really badly in cold weather,so on the majority of swiss locos with that design the main cab doors were welded shut and only the corner entrance were used. If youre eve in switzerland come visit our steam society. We also operate a 282 light mikado (ex SNCF) Check us out online under 1244 Mikado in Brugg, Switzerland 😁

[@drewbarker8504]

I’ve seen their label before but never been to the ranch. So cool to see this historic property. (And it’s but a short drive down 101 so a good escape….and a good excuse to go see the Overfair Pacific engines too.) Hope you enjoyed your stopover in Paso and a good glass of Cab. (Whilst not in the cab 😂)

[@theromanorder]

I had a dream i made one of these around my old intermediate school and it conected into my primary school (these two are like the American elementary) and it brought in lots of people as finds for school across my country and was alot of fun.

[@timangelico6813]

Who's gonna tell Hyce that the Crocodile is basically an electric Garratt?

[@Hyce777]

Shush

[@railsuisseromande]

So nice to see the RhB Ge 6/6 I in 15 inch working ! I drive her little sister which runs at the Swiss Vapeur Parc on 7 1/4 inch gauge tracks. Our model was also built by Balson AG. We do also have a working rack and pinion steam locomotive (also built by Balson AG) and it’s really beautiful

[@NorthernNewEnglandRailfan]

Love those little swiss coaches, we have some swedish coaches that look quite similar

[@MachSpeed767]

I know nothing of railroads and just stumbled upon this video on KZbin. The giddiness and passion from Hyce is so infectious and fun. All of a sudden I’m a railroad enthusiast lol. Kudos to everyone involved in making this video. Great work!

[@DC4260Productions]

I know another place where you can see a railway track crossing an airport runway. It's on the Gisborne City Vintage Railway here in New Zealand, and it's really weird because the runway's actually paved, instead of the dirt strip on this vineyard line. As for motive power on the GCVR, they use a delightful little 2-6-2 tank engine built in 1898. As for this vineyard line itself, it looks awesome. Although, to be honest, I was initially weirded out by the steam locomotive burning propane instead of something more conventional. The idea to base the rolling stock on Swiss designs is very interesting, and I've seen enough of those routes in Train Simulator to know that they'd be awesome in real life.

[@web1bastler]

Simply beautiful! I smiled the entire time while watching the video. I now need my own small scale functional railway powered by miniature Köf or even a miniature Talent 2 set.

[@chicagolandrailroader]

That steamer is a real looker! The red wheels are something i always like about European steam locomotives. And the crocodile is really cool! I suppose electricity from the sky is how a lot of electric model locomotives run too. Thanks for the great tour!

[@burnerheinz]

I get to foam! I GET TO FOAM!!

[@C.I...]

If you like this, and fancy a trek to the UK, you should come to the Bure Valley Railway in Norfolk! It's a 9-mile 15" gauge railway with 5 steam locos (4 in steam right now) - very powerful for their size, and not just miniatures - they are outside frame 2-6-2/2-6-4s capable of >3500lbs tractive effort, and they run at 20mph. The ratio of gauge to loco/carriage width is ~3:1, for some idea of the scale. (The more famous and historic example of 15" is the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch railway, but their engines are scale models and they don't have any hills like the BVR does, so I prefer the BVR.)

[@Hyce777]

UK is on the bucket list.... I would *love* to see that.

[@davidty2006]

Theres ALOT of railways with tiny trains here in britain.

[@jonh845]

I was going to mention the Ravenglass & Eskdale, and the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch.

[@ctje1638]

Is that the Rheingold colour scheme I spot? That beautiful blue and beige that ran between my home country the Netherlands and Switzerland in the 60's? Absolutely my favourite train ever!

[@bahnspotterEU]

More the RhB pullman livery than Rheingold.

[@SteamfanScott]

Amazing! Thanks for sharing that wonderful railroad and story with us!

[@user-yv7mp7sn9u]

This is really cool, I strongly suggest you to go to the "Suisse vapeur parc" if, one day, you come to Switzerland

[@patricksheary2219]

OMG Mark that was so amazingly cool! Aside from being adorable I loved the immaculate beauty of these Swiss choo choos. To echo you Mark, they’re “shiny everywhere”! 😂 The details are absolutely magnificent; from the controls down to the beautiful gold plated door hardware. I enjoy seeing ultra-perfection detailing like this. Makes my eyes happy-WOW! I’m beside myself with how awesome this was to see. And to operate them amidst such a scenic place makes me scream. Mark, getting to operate them must have been a beyond amazing feeling; what a first-rate experience! Shout out to Mr. Brandon Blank for giving us this amazing tour. And, as always many thanks to you Professor for yet another A+++ video-Cheers to you!

[@EpicPuma]

Is that what brett is going to look like sitting in zuma :p

[@Hyce777]

Lmao, probably

[@DinsdalePiranha67]

My wife and I have made multiple trips to Paso Robles and the surrounding areas and I did not even know this existed! If we head down there again this year, I'm going to plan a stop at Halter Ranch.

[@TheUnknown-sh9vz]

How it going Hyce!❤

[@PiDsPagePrototypes]

Yeah, it's a big toy, but what an awesome way to transport the workers, tools, crop needs, and harvest around a bigger farm. And so much more fun then a fleet of pickups.

[@bobbymcloughlin3452]

16:35 They’re Needs To Be A Control Car (Full Width Cab) Not Gangway A Steam Locomotive Won’t Join Up The Carriages But It Can Couple To Them

[@Dan_Gyros]

Coolest model railway ever? This is so freaking cool!

[@CanicusVoid]

I want to like this twice. Just couldn't stop smiling seeing this tiny railroad and locomotives!

[@kellhound7227]

Honestly surprised that "Smells Like Kenosha" didn't play once, but that is 2 amazing locomotives that you showcased with this video! It would be worth it to travel to just ride on one of those beautiful trains!

[@JrFlexing909]

Those two loco is impressive looking. Amazing work on the amount of detail put in to it. Same for the pullman coach car. Lots of class to those cars and loco. Thanks Hyce for showing.

[@gundamwarrior]

I have 20 acres of farmland and I wish i could put a small live steam railroad on it but its too steep in most of the terrain and to level it out would take...so much land to be removed. I am jealous of this.

[@suprisex4999]

awesome! always a treat when this guy uploads you should collab with LMM

[@suprisex4999]

somehow ;)

[@Physigist]

@@suprisex4999 Hyce was on LMM's Podcast a few months back: he knows :D

[@michi0514]

Fun fact, from the crocodile in the Video, there two in real scale at the Rhaetian Railway which never really were out of service. After they went out of service, three were taken as historic locomitives which can run, but only 414 and 415 are the last running "rhaetian crocodiles" to this day. Thats because 412 (the third which could run) had a massive damage, which then lead to taking every useable part out and then scrapped sadly

[@life-is-so-colourful]

Oh, I'm impressed to see this Railroad in the vineyard. As a Swiss I like to see the ancient swiss trains, expecially I like the Crocodile. Thanks, love this Video and your channel too

[@drewski6843]

Awesome video. I wonder why here in the US, we don't have a public 15 in steam, diesel stations? I know England has theirs for a very long time. They can always retrofit abandoned train tracks that link cities and towns together. That would be an awesome thing to see here locally in the States. Great vid, btw.

[@OutbackCatgirl]

The grin plastered on your face the entire time, oh my god these are adorable baby locos

[@donwheeler1683]

I catch a few of your videos from time to time, but this came to me from the Swiss RhB railroad discussion group it's self! As a G scale modeler, my budget is far from a scaled down version of this one! Thanks for making this knowledge available to those of us in the US that adore the RhB! I'm just up the street on Hwy 101 in the middle of the Oregon coast so will have to visit this soon!😃

[@railwayjade]

A nice bark on that engine! The cars' livery remind me of American Orient Express

[@Tom-Lahaye]

This is very cool, these models look the part. This is the baby crocodile which runs on metre gauge and is a 0-6-0+0-6-0, the large Swiss crocodile runs on the standard gauge and is a 2-6-0+0-6-2. They both stem from the 1920s, and I had the honour of getting a full in and out tour of the Swiss historic fleet including the crocodile at the depot by a Swiss engineer or loco driver.

[@bdentre]

If you wouldn't eat off the running gear, it's not an authentic model of Switzerland! I lived there for four years, and its amazing how many of your superlative comments about this operation mirror my experience of visiting actual Swiss steam railways.

[@jonh845]

I would guess that the rod arrangement on the Crocodile is to allow suspension to work. The jackshaft is likely mounted rigidly, and then a long rod to the furthest axle minimises angle change and also minimises the rod forces tending to force the suspension up or down.

[@dermischa]

Seems, that I have a new place to visit, when I come to the US and see the little sisters of my work. 😉 Absolutely impressive!

[@Nick-zg8yh]

love it! greetings from swizerland! 🇨🇭

[@SirWhiteRabbit-gr5so]

Fifteen-inch railroads were used in THE UK as estate railroads...hauling supplies, building materials and fuel.

[@bobbymcloughlin3452]

They Also Have A Swiss Garratt E-Switcher Transfer Called The “Crocodile”

[@fsj197811]

Very cool, thanks for sharing.

[@annhinchcliff5460]

first ive always wanted to go here and they look great love those trains

[@AllisonChainz3718]

wow, I'm early today! Thanks Carl : )

[@shimesu443]

Both of those locos were cuuuuute, and I'm so jealous of Hyce for getting to drive.

[@garysprandel1817]

Oh that stack talk on the grade

[@crystalrock18]

I can see Mark making a trip across the pond to see the Bure Valley Railway in East Anglia.

[@bluebear6570]

Both the steam locomotive´s and the "Crocodile´s" prototypes still operate on the Rhaetian Railway in Switzerland, one of the most beautiful narrow gauge mountain railways of the world. The famous Glacier Express and the Bernina Express run there.

[@valtersludvigs2298]

Balson makes some of the best model steam locomotives! I have been in there workshop and the guys who run this company are some of the best model steam locomotive desingers/builders that I know of. But to be fair there quite expensive.

[@milkyway_9217]

Oh hey I made it in less than a minute :)

[@brenthinshaw8391]

Story of my life

[@bluenugget5658]

I made it in 5

[@1Nanerz]

Not the largest, but probably the nicest live steam setup I’ve ever seen. Wow!

[@AndreiTupolev]

That mini Crocodile is delightful too. Gorgeous burnished coupling rods

[@FlyingFiddler]

Airplanes: Halter Ranch is one of three different properties within 50 miles of each other where you can land an airplane and taxi up to a steam locomotive. The others are 2’ and 3’ gauge.

[@aoilpe]

Can you believe that the original network of the “Rhätische Bahn” , the steam locomotive has performed on ,was electrified in 1922 ? The Pullman cars are recognizable by their oval door-windows , these are missed here. The Croco Ge6/6 I was built from 1921-29 and is the little brother of the Ce6/8 II & III of 1919-21 & 1926-27 - the most beautiful electric locomotive ever built…

[@htilden42]

I love how the speedo on the Baby Baby Crocodile goes all the way up to 120 mph

[@OutbackCatgirl]

love when your camera guy gets distracted by COOL BIRD over the vines ngl i would too

[@krimskrams]

one thing I never understood about all these bigger, like 15 gauge railways are the proportions. the boilers of these steamers all feel like the proportions are different when compared to the wheels

[@eozcompany9856]

Beautiful!

[@hyperpowerfulform5132]

All silliness aside, this looks like a fantastic little railway. I'll be definitely adding this to my Railroad Bucket List.

[@QuorkQTar]

What a neat layout, thanks for showing it!

[@ZergSmasher]

Swiss billionaire always sounds like it could indicate a James Bond villain or something. I don't think any Bond villains had an awesome mini railway on their property though! Thanks for showing us this Hyce!

[@ronineter1]

THose are some wonderfull engines Those cars look like the Pullmans used on the Edelweiss express used between amsterdam and Zurich.

[@edwinvantienen160]

I’m from Holland but love Swiss Trains. Really cool railroad! The exact reason why it’s called the baby crocodile is not only the front runners. It’s smaller then the big crocodile from the Swiss national railways because the Rhätische bahn (RhB) is a narrowgauge railroad (1000mm)

[@Pyrotrainthing]

Miniature Gauge is always amazing. Narrow Gauge taken to the narrowest is so awesome to me.

[@davidty2006]

This isn't even the narrowest of narrow gauge. it gets smaller.

[@kasbakgaming]

If you sample the wine before you operate the loco, you'll pick up subtle hints of Kenosha

[@terryrerecich3869]

Beautiful equipment & land. Glad to be able to see things like this. Thank you Hyce.

[@herzogsbuick]

if i move the subaru, get rid of the firewood, tell my buddy he's gotta store his RV in someone else's backyard, take down the tree by the patio, lower the patio a foot, shave...i dunno, 3 feet off the side of the dining room, grade the front yard so i don't need switchbacks... i've got plenty of room for my own!

[@FelixvonMontfort]

Me, not living far away from the Rh.B... I'm amazed!

[@DanTheCaptain]

Been of European descent myself, I’ve always been more interested in European railways than those here in North America (although I am now getting interested in North American railroad history). Those locomotives are beautiful! I love how German/Swiss/Austrian steam locomotives paint their running gear bright red! It makes for some of the most beautiful steam locos! And the mini Crocodil is amazing too!

[@JohnSchuster-yc6dp]

I wish I had that in my back yard

[@AShadowboxsFSX]

What a unique experience, thanks for sharing it with us! If the wine is actually great then I might be able to convince my wife to go! Lol

[@Hyce777]

I'm not much of a wine guy, but I enjoyed it all :)

[@AShadowboxsFSX]

@@Hyce777 well that's good news cause I'm usually a whiskey/bourbon guy myself

[@jeromemorris2700]

This is so Awesome! Thanks for the tour!

[@jonh845]

For another shared space, look up New Zealand's 'one lane bridges'

[@glenntanner3]

I'm going to have to start drinking wine so I have an excuse to visit.... Thanks refined Hyce

[@Dj3ndo]

Thanks for sharing this! Your enthausiasm makes the video!