LORAM RAIL GRINDER ~ CLOSE-UP, NIGHTTIME at Deshler, OH! 8/16/2019

[@blakemckee3196]

Not kidding you. This is our grinder. Its RG414 and we have a switch grinder (rgs9) that follows us. I was in the secondary operator seat when you took this video. We are in marion ohio right now.

[@shinjukustars]

3 years later do you still operate this and if so where is your train so i can watch?

[@blakemckee3196]

@@shinjukustars yes I do. I'm on time off for another week. Then I go back. We are headed to Toledo. We are in Indiana right now.

[@mannymachinist8912]

​@@blakemckee3196What regions do you generally operate in?

[@blakemckee3196]

All of CSX property. We are in Findlay Ohio right now.

[@blakemckee3196]

@@mannymachinist8912 currently parked in Danville Illinois behind Holiday inn express

[@ausblue1]

looks real special at night time with them sparks flying on the grinder WOW!!! thanks..and I not seen ever day or night

[@shariys1]

Most spectacular thing on the rails ... I had the pleasant surprise of seeing the short one, as I was coming home from work one night. Working the crossing, sparks flying. What a treat!

[@cyberrednec]

That ain't a grinder, it's the first low rider train👍

[@googoo-gjoob]

just behind the cab AND at the back of the caboose are water cannons. as you might expect, during an extended period of no rain this thing can quickly start a fire. i have piloted this machine dozens of times. i ALWAYS set the cannons behind the cab to a wide spray....and leave it on. this has the sparks land on wet brush. dramatically minimizing the risk of a fire. after this machine left me it went to the Old Main Line...where they burned many acres of the Patapsco State Park. same region, same weather. a wide light spray...saves the day.

[@holoholohaolenokaoi2299]

nice!

[@ottavva]

please explain if rail-grinder can damage points ?? any other tracks that might be crossing ?? 4:30 apparently it stops when crossing other tracks

[@googoo-gjoob]

@@ottavva , i retired 3 years ago. technology may change... but when i last piloted this machine, it did NOT grind switches. there is a machine local areas can purchase to grind switches. my boss had one at his disposal. it was too large to pick up unaided. our boom truck set it on & off.

[@ottavva]

@@googoo-gjoobthank you Sir, happy retirement :)

[@googoo-gjoob]

the short version of how many gallons of water? i dont remember exactly. but it is many thousands of gallons. an ENTIRE tank car. how many rail miles can be ground? depends on how much track time/train traffic. and how many passes needed in each location. Loram gets paid for each rail mile ground. so, they got mad at me for setting the front cannons to spray full time... because if we run out of water, they have to stop grinding. dozens of times i piloted this machine, i only ran out of water one time. about 30 minutes before my track authority was to expire.... but, i never had a fire bigger than we could contain ourselves. so, i stand by my policy. as you may have seen in an above comment, the day after they left me, the next pilot didnt set to spray...and they burned down the State Park.

[@apollomoon1]

First time I saw one of these monsters was at night in my rural area and I couldn’t imagine what it was until I got close. I was able to follow along the tracks for a few miles. It was incredible to watch.

[@gman2013]

I just saw this in action at night a few weeks ago. I got caught in front at a railroad crossing, it was cool to watch! Amazing piece of machinery.

[@RobertNesbitt-nv7dx]

As a Conrail and then CSX welder foreman, i piloted this equipment from1992 to 2001 between Erie PA and Syracuse NY mainline. At 1/4 mile long, it required special track use rules that did not exist when i began the runs. It had to keep moving without interruption through CPs. If stopped, it had to back off the entire 1/4 grind and reset the computers to restart the progression of grinding wheels at the proper increments. Usually it ran at night when traffic was lighter and ground crews were not on duty. A shattered grinding wheel could fly several hundred feet, so observers are best to keep their distance.

[@Garcansdad]

About a year ago I was the first car at the crossing when the grinder came by. Impressive sound and spark show. I agree - I'd like to see the finished product.

[@Garcansdad]

@Cayden Webber That answers my question. Thanks.

[@misterflibble6601]

Nothing quite as spectacular as a Loram working at night

[@planetlizz]

Took place in Riverside CA last night. A resident posted on nextdoor (the app) that "a train with a bunch of little buildings on it was going back and forth in front of her house and sparking everywhere." She was afraid it might catch the hill on fire! Another resident chimed in and said, "Oh that's a Loram Rail Grinder, it smoothes out the tracks.". I've lived on this planet a very long time and never knew such coolness existed! Another resident posted a link to your video on nextdoor and the City is now at rest once again, a little more enlightened than a day ago!

[@mylesspear]

*[The daily grind intensifies]*

[@mistermadmachine6311]

Myles Spear 😂

[@Bacon47SuperSakura]

I like it. The train must be a real glender. An carpooling Union Pacific?dream on

[@Bacon47SuperSakura]

I don't think that's Union Pacific. It's more different pulling a train. As it's carpooling? We all know. this is a low rank and's and low pay balance who

[@j-man6001]

WOW! What an awesome sight and sound!! Great job recording!

[@xheralt]

🎵 MOW MOW MOW your track, with a grinder train, fiery, fiery, fiery, fiery sparks are just insane! 🎵

[@brianfoster7794]

It’s the first time I have seen or heard of this type of machine looking down the comments bigdave46148 had given the answer to how it works and why a big thumbs up 👍 to bigdave46148 great video, regards from the UK 🇬🇧.

[@TeganRose12345]

I live next to a train line and genuinely thought I was about to be abducted by aliens, glad it was just one of these.

[@Slowly_Going_Mad]

Hear you there, just seen one for the first time tonight.

[@KitKatKent]

@@Slowly_Going_MadJust seen my first one. Thought it was a ghost train on fire….😰

[@KitKatKent]

It was at 3am too

[@mikebunner3498]

This is quite the light show, thanks..... I got to watch the unit working mentioned below, but not at night..........

[@sneekyturbo_AMG]

Never actually seen this before . I work for cn. Thanks for posting brother

[@jefftripp189]

That exact setup just came up the line running North through the west side of Columbus, Ohio. I heard a different noise than the trains always made coming through and walked out the door to see the grinder and everything just like in this video, wild thing to see at night!

[@mikebunner3498]

What a machine? Outstanding!!! There is one parked on a spur tonight 1 and 1/2 blocks from my home.

[@icannotsay8692]

It's amazing watching it at night time with all the sparks.

[@tannerrobinson5110]

I think the best thing I've ever seen is a Loram rail grinder 20 feet in the air being loaded onto a flatcar. The units had ARTC (Australian Rail Track Corporation)on the side. This was at Loram's Facility in Medina, MN.

[@mikejordan8259]

I used to live no more than a Street's Width away from the Northeast Corridor in Pennsylvania. These Rail Grinders always caused Brush Fires along the Embankment. I miss those days.

[@theofficerfactory2625]

Different. It is neat to see MOW at work. It is something different.

[@williamjacobs236]

The cameras do not do justice to what’s going on ! First time I saw one I thought the train was on fire !

[@iceclimberGD]

Same!!

[@justinhoyt3036]

Mullinville, KS, 11 PM, July 2015, UP Pratt Subdivision, is where I saw my first rail grinder. I thought the train was on fire.

[@SharkGirl]

That train is grinding hard. Spectacular video

[@Perseid]

That sound, it's like a science-fiction movie.

[@Railfan62]

Awesome video. Those beast are lit up nice.

[@Gizmologist1]

I saw this once here in Palmdale, CA a couple years ago. On that run, they had men with water hoses on the rear platform on the last car to quench any little fires caused by the spark shower which was in-TENSE in some areas. Numerous little flare-ups resulted.

[@kleetus92]

Happy to see the CPLs are still in place too!

[@nekomasteryoutube3232]

I remember when I was a kid about to go home from my friends place and the only quick way out of the area was a pedestrian crossing at the end of the street to the other street over. well as I was making my way out of buds place I hear the signals ringing and I ran up to see what it might be (not because I wanted to beat the train) And I saw some big long train coming down the tracks slowly, sparks everywhere and there was a smell of something in there air as it passed. I'll never for get that. I was worth the wait at the crossing as a kid.

[@donnygillihan8768]

I just saw one of these and didn't know what it was so I went to KZbin and this popped up it was quite a sight in the middle of nowhere on the Yakima Indian Reservation at night I thought it was that long black train

[@lewisdoherty7621]

There is a hy-rail truck following up behind probably to check for fires. I remember a few years ago in New Orleans one of those rail grinders ran out of water to soak the newly ground areas, but they kept on grinding and set fire to the right-of-way. The fire department had to be sent.

[@TheNemosdaddy]

Actually those are the company track inspectors. Making sure everything is good after they go through (no shelling of the rail head, cracks/breaks, etc.) They also get the 707 protection for the grinder and it's associated equipment.

[@RM.....]

Very cool .Thanks for sharing

[@MrLegohaloman7]

What does a Loram Rail Grinder do? Sorry, but I'm not really savvy on Maintenance equipment.

[@bigdave46148]

It does what the name implys. It grinds the rail. As more and more trains run over the rail, they change the shape of the rail. As the shape changes, weak spots can occur which can cause derailments and accidents. The railroads hire Loram to bring the rail grinder out to grind and reshape the rails back to the proper profile.

[@brianfoster7794]

I would of asked the same question so thanks bigdave46148 for your information it has turned the light on in Reason and understanding 👍👍👍 Regards from the UK 🇬🇧

[@thomasdupee1440]

Rail profile grinding not only removes surface defects and metal flow, it also reduces rolling resistance which, in turn, reduces fuel consumption.

[@lelksldfsjwjdo]

Thank you. I was waiting for that question to be asked.

[@googoo-gjoob]

@@thomasdupee1440 , and... it increases the temper (hardness) of the rail. thereby making it more resistant to the influences of the trains wheels.

[@mikekrelik4980]

Once at Deshler I saw the machine that regulates the ballast come through. Forget what it was called but it was a real monstrosity like this too.

[@carrieslantern9224]

It's so amazing, watching this machine shave or grind the rails.

[@TrainsForever]

That’s really cool 😎

[@AndrewTye1]

Beautiful, no other way to describe it

[@tjwilliams1134]

The first time I seen this in person was awesome it was at night

[@TonyVRailfanning]

Agree, great shot of the grinding . What a racket, but so worth seeing

[@feliciasmith3808]

To : Virtual Railfan, I really love trains, and I never seen a Loram Rail Grinder do that before & I'm curious on why it does that...!!! And I'm glad that I saw 2 trucks on rails and catching up to the Loram Rail Grinder & some kind of rail machinery & I've heard the name once and I'm glad it's following along?

[@thesavagesoutherner]

I work for Loram. So the purpose of a rail grinder is to re-shape the rails. As trains pass over the rail gets flattened out from it's normal convex shape. So when our grinders pass over, we put the convex shape back in the rail, thus making that rail last longer. The rail is shinier after we pass, but it's also a little rougher. There's usually 3 trucks following our machine on the rails. 2 of them are water truck. They're there to put out any "smokers" or tie fires. The third truck is usually a company truck from the railroad itself.

[@romeubatista4]

That's nice. I'm railworker in Brazil. I work in the similar machine.

[@jeffreyg3831]

I would like to see the “finished product”..........a photo or video in the daylight hours Mr. Virtual Railfan. Thank you

[@jeffreyg3831]

Carl Ferrigno Hi Carl. I would think the rail would look smoother. But I don’t know.

[@thesavagesoutherner]

@Carl Ferrigno I work for Loram. So the purpose of a rail grinder is to re-shape the rails. As trains pass over the rail gets flattened out from it's normal convex shape. So when our grinders pass over, we put the convex shape back in the rail, thus making that rail last longer. The rail is shinier after we pass, but it's also a little rougher.

[@Lockbar]

saw this at night about 25 years ago on the old CNW west line tracks outside Chicago. Impressive and noisy.

[@misha2197]

This is the coolest ever! :)

[@enriqueponce7001]

reminds me of my tomix n scale track cleaner the grinder is loud lol

[@DK-nv9zu]

Saw one of these parked in Denver recently. Was really curious what it was. Thank you for posting!

[@rwnye108]

I saw these once or twice when I was a kid, and was totally mystified.

[@dimmacommunication]

I would be curious to see the grinding machines in a video disassembled or else...

[@Gordonseries385]

Wow never new they had something like that

[@pauloh.barreiraremasterrp2576]

(Brazil) Could someone explain to me what they are doing !! ?? very beautiful but I would like to know what they are doing. Sheltere

[@dude-jk2hn]

A railgrinder is a maintenance of way vehicle or train used to restore the profile and remove irregularities from worn tracks to extend its life and to improve the ride of trains using the track. Rail grinders were developed to increase the lifespan of the tracks being serviced for rail corrugation

[@ottavva]

@@dude-jk2hn does it not obtain the opposite result?? I mean, the tracks must be constantly diminishing

[@evanm8497]

I fly to Minnesota in July for training.

[@bpresgrove]

I’m not a train person. Why are they grinding? Thanks for the insight and it does look cool.

[@schlipie9674]

As the track rails age, they very slowly flatten, corrode, and deform from all of the use they see. The rail-grinder grinds the rails back down to their original profile, removing deformations and extending the lifespan of the track. It's a pretty regular maintenance job, yet can be done with little to no impact on regular train traffic when using engines like these. Hope this helped! :)

[@bpresgrove]

Schlipie thanks for the explanation. I always thought a little rust on the track was good for traction but now I see there’s more to it than just that.

[@burningisis]

@@schlipie9674 Thank you so much! I was just thinking this exact same question!

[@dylanjohnson7091]

Saw one of these today in Montana, looked cool asf, wondered what it does

[@MisterBroadnax]

Why does he get to proceed past a STOP signal? I thought that was illegal on the rail.

[@Sharpshooter64Gaming]

First one is RG400 series, second is a RGS series (does more specialty grinding such as switches)

[@toxic1venom]

They sure are super confident about not starting a fire. Usually they spray water afterwards.

[@Abbotsfordjohn]

Saw one this morning in a siding Didsbury Alberta.

[@jakeeves5935]

whenever I'm on a vr rail cam I'm always looking for this machine hopefully one day I might see one in operation live

[@kpkndusa]

Really like watching those. This one must have been in a hurry, the ones I've seen move at about walking speed. Good video, thanks.

[@kpkndusa]

@Cayden Webber Thanks for the reply.

[@davidhester7249]

Ive seen one in action before at night. Its something else to see

[@taslimchoudhary1253]

Excellent Video 🇮🇳

[@countrymusiclover9199]

Incredible

[@fluffnose3386]

So. I’m still confused on what these things do. Do they just smooth out the rails to make a smoother ride?

[@TheNemosdaddy]

No. They reprofile the rail to reduce the wheel tread to railhead contact area. Saving fuel and extending the rail lifespan before replacing.

[@fluffnose3386]

Cool!

[@barreandre]

nous en france nous avons pas de t'el rames pour entretien des voies férée !! un fan de DEAUVILLE !!

[@CameraManJohnny]

Seen it live? Heck I work on the dang things every day Rg408

[@jrayproductions7790]

Yeah, but yours ain't YT famous -Signed RGS9

[@CameraManJohnny]

@@jrayproductions7790 haha touché brother

[@CameraManJohnny]

@Cayden Webber 😂😂 probably not

[@michigandon]

Saw it go by at night just a few minutes ago!

[@TrumperVex]

One just went past the Eugene Oregon station at 0635. 23 Jan 2021 Headed northbound to Portland I would wager.

[@ThomasShelby-cq7st]

Are they doing this on purpose to clean the rail?

[@TheNemosdaddy]

Not clean. Re profile to a rounded over head.

[@brucebaugh47]

Are the grinders programmed not to grind the diamond? What does the second set of engines do?

[@jrayproductions7790]

If you're talking about the second railgrinder (my baby, btw) that's a switch and crossing grinder. The mainline can't do switches, because you have to pick up and set down the stones at certain points and the mainliner's grinders just don't like doing that.

[@brucebaugh47]

@@jrayproductions7790 Thank you, Robert. That helps this novice understand the process better.

[@curtnicholson7771]

The thing I don't understand is how straight rail needs grinding so much as I would think that it would wear pretty good and if it is that important then I would think it would be even more important right at the diamond or at sidings so how and when are they addressed or should I say dressed?

[@gtroyFJB]

Always wondered if they did that Now I know. Glad I checked it out

[@Yellowstone216]

Bro that’s like welding

[@trainzguy2472]

Interesting to see how they skip grinding the diamonds.

[@jrayproductions7790]

Well, yeah. We'll tear up our stuff on those.

[@tgflux]

I take it that it is doing what it is supposed to do? [Removing any rough edges/corrosion on the rails, I'm guessing?]

[@TheNemosdaddy]

No, reprofiles the ball of the rail to extend the life of the rail and help reduce friction. On fresh rail the contact area is only about the size of nickel. Taking less fuel to move the train.

[@StandStrong614]

I used to be the operator of RG 318. I drove it for about 6 yeara until it was either get off of the road or lose my wife. I do miss it though. It was always interesting.

[@jrayproductions7790]

That is RGS9 and RG414. The short one is 9. That's mah baby

[@austingiyer6465]

saw it in sprague washington yesterday

[@611isthebest]

Wow nice

[@MuhammadNadeem-gn4in]

Wool amazing machine...

[@칼질하는요리사]

멋져요👍🏿👍🏿👍🏼👍🏼👍🏻

[@soldierofchrist6220]

I caught that sitting in the yard by my house once!

[@Jenny_1158]

wow! I bet it put some serious ruts in your lawn.

[@soldierofchrist6220]

@@Jenny_1158 No, it wasn't in my yard, it was in the rail yard by my house. XD

[@mistermadmachine6311]

😮I’ve never seen such a thing before

[@jackknopf5974]

Why isn't the video playback smooth?

[@jordanhoffman2605]

Do these things travel around the country?

[@mikegaskin5542]

Yes

[@rickygarcia7400]

Jordan Hoffman the crews also live on thim

[@jrayproductions7790]

@@rickygarcia7400 No we don't

[@jack5505]

Why do the grind the tracks?

[@hattrick5076]

Why do they have to grind the tracks?????

[@llkjjjss]

Setting at a rail yard now. One is parked not far from where I'm setting. It's not that new or that clean lol I've never seent one run before but have heard about it.

[@jimupp2235]

That being a commuter line, how in the world do they know where to grind?

[@TheNemosdaddy]

Not a commuter line. That's CSX freight lines. They have a preplanned map of what needs ground where.

[@hankrogers8431]

So one set grinds, one set oils and one set buffs?

[@TheNemosdaddy]

No....

[@hankrogers8431]

@@TheNemosdaddy Then be a dear and explain.

[@cordamainmckenzie8031]

@@hankrogers8431 we grind on all directions we wouldn’t buff a rail unless it’s Amtrak and we don’t grease or put oils on the tracks. we just grind and spray water

[@nicepush2574]

And me wondering how these wildfires start all the time........ 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@jrayproductions7790]

We've started one or two

[@frankpierce2008]

Love the grinders

[@obadiahkilgore2964]

so what does this do to the rail? Ive never seen this.

[@justincase2153]

Obadiah Kilgore prevents flat rail and removes surface defects

[@railfanaiden9094]

What do grinders do can anyone tell me

[@greynolds17]

its in the name

[@misterflibble6601]

They remove imperfections and restore the profile of the rail head to increase the useful life of the rail

[@railfanaiden9094]

@@misterflibble6601 thanks

[@rickygarcia7400]

Grind

[@lathamarea1437]

Would of liked to see the before and after..

[@OldSchool-px1xk]

Why do they do this? Can somebody please explain? The question may sound silly to a lot of people here, but not everybody is a railroad specialist. Is it to have a smoother ride?

[@josephbennett3482]

It's to remove rust and uneven spots on the rails that cause wheel slips and loss of traction. It restores the rails back to the original shape because over time train traffic causes wear and tear on the rails which eventually causes a derailment or loss of pulling power to trains.

[@OldSchool-px1xk]

@@josephbennett3482 Thank you, sir

[@josephbennett3482]

@@OldSchool-px1xk you're welcome. To make it simple , the grinder gives the rails the slight curve on top which allows the train to run on and use up less power and fuel during trips , over time the weight of trains wear down the rail top which causes drag and forces a train to use more fuel. Normally the wheels a only in contact with a very tiny amount of the rails , about the size of a nickel or quarter but increased wear causes problems.

[@justamalfunctioningai7940]

Yo dis train is in falls creek PA rn

[@pammilner7161]

Does this happen every time a train slows down?