Lone SD40 FAILS TO CLIMB Steep Grade Twice, Making Freight Train Back Up!

[@traviscurlutu7723]

Wet rail and fall leaves is your culprit. I've been running locomotives for 27 yrs and have been bitten by this scenario many times. Fall is beautiful time of year but absolutely sucks for those of us running trains. Great vid by the way.

[@Terk131]

Happens on the rails here in the Adirondacks. Wet cold tracks, wet leaves and steep grades don't add up to anything good.

[@litz13]

Did that once on a scenic railroad in a thunderstorm. Rain was literally washing the sand off the rail before the wheel got to it. Took us 3 tries to get enough momentum to crest the hill. 2 GP9s and 10 passenger cars (and 450 people) adds up to a lot of weight.

[@mandm339]

Wet leaves on the rail. Every engineers nightmare

[@johnalder6028]

Wet leaves on the tracks snow on the cars and an atumnal colored 503 struggles to complete it's mission as autos and Jason wait patiently. Life goes on.

[@scottriggs6014]

Jason, he is going up the hill, light engine, and sanding the rails as he goes. We used to do the same thing when I worked for CSX. He will back down on his cut again, and give it another try. We would do this quite often when we had contaminated rail....

[@johnzeller1338]

We had our biggest problems in the fall. Rain and wet leaves on the rails makes for a very slippery situation. Plus that's a lot of cars for just one loco on a day like that. Bad dispatching! Great video.

[@thomasmackowiak]

Wonderful catch, Jason! I am glad that you stuck around to see they finally make it up the grade.

[@hiworldstephensonultranate290]

hi tks irish fan

[@Sven_Okas1967]

Autumn time, smear from the leaves on the rails without sands there is nothing. Greetings from Berlin/ Germany. Sven

[@JawTooth]

That was cool! I have seen trains stall on grades a few times but never twice that I can remember. That makes short line interesting. I love that line

[@wiseolesage]

I have to say this is something more rarely seen now than in the past. With computers and calculator a dispatcher should get it right. Now with weather conditions being added into the problem I personally think the engineer did a fantastical job without adding a extra engine or splitting the train up. Good video Jason A. Good catch.

[@RogerDiotte]

For sure eh Ted (nice meeting you btw)....that's common on short lines about now with fall and dew-leaf lined rails! I'm working on one myself (short line) and this is the dreaded season to fear as a railroader!

[@davecruzen9352]

Priceless video captured. This gets an A! Boy, you lucked out. Even my wife loved it hearing me laughing. Great video!

[@CutterJ]

Wet leaves and rail can make even the smallest of grades difficult Cutter & Ms C

[@winifrednorwood5428]

Great Video!!! Put me in mind of “The Little Train that Could”, The rhythmic sound of the steam locomotive becoming, “I think I can, I think I can!” Eventually , that diesel locomotive knew it did!!

[@libby5335]

That was really interesting. Not enough speed the first two times. But he had it going good on the third try. Have never seen that scenario before. Thanks for hanging around to make sure he made it up and over the grade.

[@scotthayes4135]

"I Think I Can, I Think I Can, I Think I Can!"

[@TravisTLK]

Don't just stand there. Give the guy a hand and PUSH! 😋

[@hiworldstephensonultranate290]

It brought out d best n You n All of us better than a movie

[@hiworldstephensonultranate290]

Tks J Please show again i ckd Google ur videos its not on it I'm sure it will be Soon!

[@hiworldstephensonultranate290]

hi Jason when i get money I Will Meet U Brian

[@hiworldstephensonultranate290]

hi J put dat video on Again

[@robertbate5790]

EPIC !! Rails must have been extra greasy with the damp. Great engineer skill wins the day 👍👍👍👍👍

[@mattl9687]

This happens frequently here in PA on the short line grade. Mainly in the fall and spring when rails are wet. Especially at grade crossings. Just was slipping, so backing clear, sanding, and getting a run-in is the easiest and cheapest option. Now if this were a tonnage unit coal train, not happening. Nice catch though. Love hearing that old 645 pulling its guts out👌

[@hiworldstephensonultranate290]

hi gt comments from Ireland winter set n 2 wks ago

[@ChiefCabioch]

Sanding is automatic if the wheel slip indicator detects wheel slip and if it continues the system drops that traction motor out or seriously derates power to the wheels slipping.

[@hiworldstephensonultranate290]

hi tks for d information gd guy Jason n like Pennsylvania too Brian Ireland Fan

[@johnwinter8273]

I think I can! I think I can! Maybe not. This would be a good time to have a scanner and hear their conversation with the office.

[@LeahK2018]

This is most likely the train couldn't make it up the hill because if the falling leaves off the trees. When the wheels go over the leaves it squashes them resulting making the rail more slippery. There probably getting a ton of wheel slip on the locomotives. Ohhh I do know what I'm talking about , I have worked for CSX for over 22 years and autumn 🍂 leaves are a issue in some parts of the country

[@matthewclark8898]

Leaves are a bitch

[@randknu1]

My guess is they are sanding the grade, going slow gets more sand pr length. Then going back to get the cars. I am an engineer myself i have stalled on a grade but was able to slide back a few carlengths while sanding and get started again.

[@jackvetra2844]

Thanks for leaving a comment Leah

[@bradhardy2629]

Looks like an old Milwaukee Road engine. Or maybe a Great Northern / BN..

[@tredworthngaugemodel2753]

An RHTT is needed Rail Head Treatment Train for this exact purpose

[@erict5234]

This time of year the leaves and wet rail creates a grease that causes wheelslip like crazy...

[@7892rl]

Brilliant commentary !! Sometimes silence is golden.

[@leslie-up7qs]

When i worked for BN on the local frum Great Falls to Laurel we took 3 runs at a long grade bfore 2 extra units showed up to help pull us

[@kawasakiz76]

As an engineer, what I would've done, is shoved as far down the hill as I could, left the conductor with the train, and sanded the hill up and back with the lite locomotive. The branchline that I work had several 2 and 3% grades. We have to do that at least twice a week.

[@pamelawarren5405]

The little engine that couldn't ! 😄

[@sernajrlouis]

That's happened to me before. Had to physically put sand on rails to help. Great video

[@sernajrlouis]

Just subscribed too

[@philknerr4587]

Wow. Railroading is not all fun and games. Great catch Jason

[@larrythumper1559]

Wet leaves really makes for a nasty time climbing any hill. I had my first accident in Michigan on wet leaves only going 15 MPH, Thanks for another great video.

[@mr.wilson8340]

There is an old steam locomotive that runs up a canyon near my home pulling passenger cars with sightseers. When I was young we put axle grease on the tracks. Lots of spinning and steam.

[@pierrevandyk9242]

That was quite nail-biting. A long train for one engine. I was chasing a train up Sir Lowry's pass and the train stopped due to traction. Was a wet Black Southeastern wind blowing. The sand towers in Belleville were empty. The driver got out and had to put ballast on the track!!! It worked.

[@thedesertdwellerfromutah4354]

SD40's are about the toughest units ever built. If one is unable to haul the tonnage like what's seen here you know it's loaded to the gills.

[@N4UPD]

Proper planning prevents piss poor performance.

[@conceyullena]

Like 38 beautiful video, greetings 🚂👍🚂🔝📽️🙋‍♂️

[@hiworldstephensonultranate290]

hi love ur symbols n comments Gt Fan Jason's Greetings 4000miles away in Ireland Brian

[@jimwilloughby]

I've never seen that either. I wonder if the wet rails were a contributing factor in not making the hill. How far away was the top of the grade? Kinda looks like he did what you said. he sanded the rails in reverse which gave him enough traction to build speed and make the grade.

[@hiworldstephensonultranate290]

hi thanks for ur education n words (im learning) on dat train i don't live n America but i felt for d engineer a truly gt feat n Jason on video

[@joshjones3408]

You get in lock the hubs in an gramer down in low winder up right befor she blow an let the breaks off...👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@spiderkidLarry]

Man, they should know there routes by now, thats silly, BUT good video any how, I enjoy trains so watching something unusual is ok,,,, glad you didnt get the snow, heard it was a bad one

[@garykuipers2696]

Slippery rail due to weeds, leaves, poor track conditions, not enough motive power=formula for failure. Imagine the frustration for the engineer. Before the aqua train we used to couple two locomotives together and sand ahead of the electric powered trains since the MU's weren't equipped with sanders. Diesel powered trains sanded as needed. I've had trains slide through station stops due to leaf accumulation on the rails, especially during rain.

[@ojarskrumins8476]

Yeah. Wet leaves on the rail and some rust makes a lot of trouble. And here main issue is a weight for the locomotive. It is too light. Power of engine and traction motors is sufficient to slip the wheels and in conditions like we have in the video, you can run out of sand very quickly even if you started a shift with all sanders top loaded.

[@donnlowe9129]

If he stalled On the hill it is because he didn't have enough momentum or he had A tremendous amount of wheel slip which is possible because of the residue from the leaves hitting the rail. Rails are very slippery in the autumn when you have condensation and wet leaves on the rail. He will have to backup and get a running start. Having full Sanders that work is imperative in the autumn.

[@N9IBZED]

Now That's a first for me as well but then I was never near a steep grade when I lived near the tracks before

[@DannyC379]

I don’t blame those cars. After seeing how slow it was going. I woulda went too.

[@paprna]

Leafs on the track.

[@WhitfieldProductionsTV]

now these are the types of videos I like, trains struggling.

[@spuwho]

It was apparent he was slipping even before he reached the crossing. It sounded like he had the handle at the highest notch the first two times (but not the last). So he dropped his load, came back to the summit and dropped his sand rolling backwards so it would be in place for his third and final attempt. Seems it worked.

[@ronaldhass8413]

Awesome video Jason that was great I think I can I think I can

[@curtfenslau3645]

They were just doing some run bys for you

[@thefaballbowler]

Thank u for posting this video bet it was a cold one hope your warm now

[@danielneeley5480]

I love seeing an EMD maxxed out!!

[@randallkuehnle8228]

That is quite common in the fall. Falling leaves on top of the rail combined with rain or wet rails makes the top of the rail very slippery thus causing loss of traction . It makes a goooey mess.

[@Florida8499]

Wet rails and a heavy train usually don't work well together. Good video.

[@petermiller9878]

That was really cool. First it was crazy with the 2 cars that’s pulled out in front of him, even though he was going slow that was dumb. The both of them. But it was cool to see the train have to back up twice. I was thinking the engineer is probably like…. Why does there have to be a guy there filming this? Lol. But he figured it out, whatever they did when they went up with just the engine. So good on them for getting that train through, and look at all that lumber it was hauling up that hill, makes sense it was getting stuck.

[@leonardovalladares4315]

I would do the same i first stop look if train goin fast i would stay still seeing going slow stop and go

[@tomdickinson8450]

Great job Jason! If you ask me it was a combination of everything everyone mentioned. And with the cost of fuel today I feel the engineer/contractor made the right decision. Thanks for another riveting video! WINTER IS COMING!!!

[@tomdickinson8450]

Of course that’s conductor, not contractor.

[@tomdickinson8450]

Sometimes spellcheck sucks.

[@jordanw8382]

The little engine that could.

[@Ma007rk]

More like the big engine that COULDN'T!

[@steelydan42]

The little Engine that couldn't 🚂🚂🚂🚂🚂

[@fullscale4me]

Fall leaves season stinks for trains. Decaying leaves is very slippery on the track. NYC area commuter agencies spray the rails to help their trains stop safely and make schedule. When commuting I've seen a train trying to stop slide right past a station stop and have to back up.

[@mirkomiskov477]

Great video, experienced Enginer.

[@caseyjones1950]

Wet rails, and out of sand? Bring in a pusher! Somebody didn't figure the tonage right! Seen this happen a few times here in Plymouth, Michigan a few times ,in the past going West to Lansing! First one was a rail train, & several coal trains that used to run to Holand. One time a mixed freight with 2 Chessie B&O GP40's, stalled coming out of Detroit, and had to have a 3rd

[@caseyjones1950]

Cool video Jason!

[@hiworldstephensonultranate290]

hi I used to watch Casey Jones when a kid gee All Aboard!! oh gt comments d Real thing watching from Ireland this video brought me hope in Humanity! Brian

[@SS-qf3di]

Congratulations! Loco driver did it. I think loco wheel slips on the iced rail In the winter season. The loco needs high speed and more powerful notch on this situation. Loco driver made a good decision.

[@SS-qf3di]

It was great video. Jason Thanks a lot.

[@flyingfortressrc1794]

Wow I guess I never thought about trains not making it up hills. Cool video .

[@wilber53]

Been there done it! Nothing new...Leaves on the tracks greases up the rail. You can back down and sand the rail while backing down,then retry again. 2nd choice is cut the train in half and take the first half to a siding and then go back and get the second half. Why they were going slow back n forth,they were sanding the rail. I did 37 years of doing this.

[@juicyfruit7995]

Watching from South Wales in the UK, love these trains.

[@Realroyrogers]

That is a jewel of a R/R video, a great catch

[@travisk5589]

This happens a lot this time of year. Deer hunters cover the tracks with deer fat.

[@alfredboyd1673]

great video of locomotive getting it done 👍

[@hiworldstephensonultranate290]

this is real life comedy ur words mk me laugh, now what stuck etc., i agree d cars messed up the momentum! Jason in right place at right time real life drama man wish u n them Well Never saw on video b4!! Brian Ireland Sla'inte

[@98grand5point9]

Wet, leaves, not enough sand. We ran out of sand one day with damp rails and falling leaves sticking to them.

[@kleetus92]

One of three things happened... Either his solo run was to prep the rail surface of fresh rust with some sand, they dropped a couples of cars, or, if any retaining valves were set, they may have kicked them all off to reduce drag on this particular run. Ok, maybe a 4th option, they exceeded track speed somewhere at the bottom for another 5-10 mph additional speed to carry the hill.

[@jocokscopwatch6641]

i still watch from time to time keep up the great work

[@davenitsch6094]

Great capture Jason, wet leaves on the rails are a bear!

[@jasonasselin]

Yes they are!

[@happyjack880]

Every curse word known to man (and some that aren't) was used in that cab on that day.

[@Jleed989]

Love the fall colors! Strange. They’ve made that grade hundreds of times before.

[@databang]

In a certain railroad yard in Northern Wisconsin there stood an extremely heavy train that had to be drawn up an unusually heavy grade before it could reach its destination. The superintendent of the yard was not sure what it was best for him to do, so he went up to a large, strong engine and asked: "Can you pull that train over the hill?" "It is a very heavy train," responded the engine. He then went to another great engine and asked: "Can you pull that train over the hill?" "It is a very heavy grade," it replied. The superintendent was much puzzled, but he turned to still another engine that was spick and span new, and he asked it: "Can you pull that train over the hill?" "I think I can," responded the engine. So the order was circulated, and the engine was started back so that it might be coupled with the train, and as it went along the rails it kept repeating to itself: "I think I can. I think I can. I think I can." The coupling was made and the engine began its journey, and all along the level, as it rolled toward the ascent, it kept repeating to itself: "I ---think ---I can. I ---think ---I--- can. I ---think--- I ---can." Then it reached the grade, but its voice could still be heard: "I think I can. I----- think-----I-----can. I -----think----- I----- can." Higher and higher it climbed, and its voice grew fainter and its words came slower: "I -------think --------I-------can." It was almost to the top. “I ---------think" It was at the top. "I ---------can’t… I cannot. I’m leaving, too many friggin’ leaves." Altered version of _Story of the Engine that Thought It Could._ This is an early version of the story that became known as _The Little Engine That Could,_ published 8 April 1906 in the New York Tribune en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Engine_That_Could

[@keithshayle123]

Being in the UK I am amazed at the 'have a go' approach adopted by the driver. Over here they would have to call a meeting, get some additional staff to make an assessment of the situation, then do a health and safety check to ensure there is no risk to the staff or public, and then when it was all over carry out an investigation in to what happened!!!! There's probably a few steps I've missed in that, maybe involve the Police and Fire brigade in case of potential disaster!!!!!

[@adventurekid9242]

Not to turn it political or anything but that's difference between more of a socialist based economy and society and this free range free-for-all we have in America. Often times things need to be tackled with a group mentality but then oftentimes the group is not with us and it's a goet alone thing. I admire his thoughtfulness and creative thinking

[@keithshayle123]

@@adventurekid9242 The UK whilst currently undergoing somewhat of a Political upheaval, we are on our third Prime minister in four months, has currently a centre right Government (Conservative party). Our latest is Rishi Sunak the first British Asian to be elected into the role just today when the King offered him the job, so in that sense we are certainly a very diverse country. The main opposition party is the Labour Party and they certainly do believe in socialist left wing policies, and regrettably given the current state of the Country there is a very high likelihood of them winning the next General election. Their leader - Sir Kier Starmer described himself and his party as centre left, however behind him is his deputy leader - Angela Raynor, and she is very far too the left, some would say almost Communist! The problem is, she will probably end up ousting Starmer and her and her 'Trotski' nutter friends could take over! No surprise I am centre right i.e a Conservative voter. Beyond the Political lesson, in answer to the point, the UK and Europe have always been a heavily governed society, with legislation and rules to cover every aspect of life, but society is used to it and generally don't complain as it's just the way things are. So when it comes to 'British Rail' as it's called overall, it's no surprise that health and safety take a front seat, and any mishap such as in this video, will require an extensive procedure to be followed to avoid any risk to the public or staff. As another example, in the UK 99.9% of all rail lines are securely fenced to prevent the public even getting near the track!

[@rustyshackleford6637]

@@adventurekid9242 kind of like baseball

[@drummachine434]

Wow now that's new. I think they might need to buy some more power eh?

[@walterfink9782]

I've seen videos where this happens. The majority of the time, more power is needed and wasn't figured correctly. On flat land you can use less power. But., any change in elevation no matter how much or how long, more power is needed. Like this. Many times you'll see trains with what looks like too much power. But with hills demanding more power, it's added in the beginning. Sometimes "helper engines" are added and then removed when not needed. The weight of the train and what elevation is going to be traveling helps in determining power. Weather can also make a difference.

[@RobertSanders-mp2ef]

He had to back up sanding the rails. Nice video. I enjoyed

[@davidtattersall7684]

This was the first clip I watched of your channel. Loved it. Subscribed and been a fan from down here in New Zealand ever since 🙂 Keep up the great work. Makes my day watching your content 😎

[@rons3103]

And I was expecting the title to be, "The Little Train that Could!" or "The 3rd Time is a Charm!" 😁😁😁😁

[@tooling_engineer]

Wet leaves on the track creates problems this time of year.

[@raymaier3953]

Try putting loads next to engine mty cars on rear

[@yvindHvaal]

Hi Jason! That was fun to watch. Slippery rails, I guess. But they made it in the end.. have a marvelous weekend, Jason.

[@lydiafife8716]

Great video - and yes we don’t see this often - thank you 🙏

[@thefaunasondenworks3904]

Poor old 503. I feel bad for them.

[@johnparker7874]

Wet rail and leaf debris on the railhead. Makes it slipperier then greased owl dung. Sometimes you just can't put enough sand down.

[@stephengile530]

At 1:04/05 you can hear the engineer cut back on the power. Must have been getting some wheel slip but taking a run at it solved the problem.

[@ratbag359]

Damp and leaves affect adhesion very much id say on a dry day no problem. may even be able to start on the grade.

[@einn32]

I always stop because I actually want to see the train!

[@lelandgaunt9985]

He had that former bnsf reverse pretty quick though!

[@smitajky]

After the train crossed the road I heard the engine throttle back twice. Most probably as a result of excessive wheel slip. Throttled back there was no way to make the grade. Without seeing the end of the clip I would guess that they are sanding the rails on the way back. Each time they tried the grade they would have more momentum and get further. Depending on the distance to the top they would get there after a few attempts. Which could still be faster than going back to divide the train.

[@doubleutubefan5]

This is similar to me at my work site. We shove up a 3.5% grade with old GP38 and a GP39. Usually loaded cars like ethanol/sweet bran/corn syrup. We tried to shove yesterday with 45 cars on us and failed twice just like they did here. Our sanders are disabled because the owners of the locos doesn't want to pay for sand. We eventually gave up and spilt the train to make it up. even with only 24 ethanol tanks it still was close

[@daniellewis1789]

A couple hundred pounds of sand can't be more expensive than fuel and labor to double the hill? Penny wise, pound foolish.

[@doubleutubefan5]

@@daniellewis1789 Welcome to reality. The company who owns the locomotives didn't even want to replace a piece of snapped rail, they wanted us to roll over it until something derailed, berceuse apparently that was "saving money"

[@EL-sp5zi]

Another case of more dollars than sense...

[@gordonvincent731]

As a retired engineer, been there done this! I couldn't see any sand coming out of the pipes. How many cars did he have, what was the tonnage? He should be laying down more san while backing up. Wet rail with leaves on the rails is a real bitch! Trust me.

[@tythomas1991]

There was a lot of cars there for one locomotive

[@deaneastwick]

37 cars on the train. I could not believe they got the train over the hump that was crazy only one locomotive pulling that with 37 cars. Thanks, Jason

[@thud9797]

37 empty cars. 😀

[@unutentequalsiasi5669]

Is a sd-40, not very powerfull

[@GregoryZucco-z6m]

Was not totally empty, didn't you see the cars with the logs on them, what about the box cars and hopper cars, you can't see inside so how do you know if they are empty or not?

[@jeffreyswartzer6613]

It happens I had 80 loads of coal and 1 ac 44 and 1 ac 6000 stalled 2 times cut away and sanded the rail twice and finally topped the hill at .01 mph

[@TessasDaddy7132]

Looks like an SD40-2..either way should had another locomotive on that train with it.

[@CV4014]

The problem is the tannin in the leaves. it is like grease on the rails, and only liberal multiple applications of sand will work. i know i have dealt with a short passenger train that i had trouble starting after a stop.

[@paulstecker5693]

One last comment I'll say to this video this strength and great numbers thank you.

[@paulbergen9114]

Since I didn't see any bottles of corn oil by the tracks we can rule out kids messing around. Maybe it's a hex from the broken utility pole. Just be glad this train didn't have the cars of ore residue. Poor Freddy probably got nauseous with all that back and forth

[@tompoleet7665]

Hope Kids are Not reading this and get the idea toDump oil (any kind!) on tracks‼️

[@getataste]

I live next to a track and im totally gonna dump oil on it tomorrow seems fun

[@davarph]

What is anyone even talking about? On major Railways they literally use “curve oilers” to put grease on the rails. This cuts down on the squealing flanges, and does nothing to cause a train to loose traction. Trains also have sanders to improve traction.

[@getataste]

@@rc391995 no that you say that it seems even more fun i will go back tommorrow i went there 2 times last week to pour old diesel oil

[@thelovertunisia]

I've seen that happen in the middle of a main station here in Tunisia. It was a freight train hauled by an old MLW loco from Canada. They tried 2 times then cut the train in two.

[@RBC-V]

Back up and giv’er the beans!

[@EL-sp5zi]

Great video, amazing how sand is so important to a locomotive at times....if I had to get up a hill with too much tonnage and a single unit, give me an 80 MAC all day every day.