Manned Helpers on Soldier Summit

[@petertimowreef9085]

You know you're geting old when trainspotting videos start popping up in your recommendeds.

[@sethcampbellmusic]

I’d argue it isn’t an age thing, I’m in my 20s and get plenty of these recommended to me.

[@superfamilyallosauridae6505]

@@sethcampbellmusic we're getting old man. somebody born today is the high school class of 2042

[@andyharman3022]

I've never seen a part of Utah that I didn't like. There is beautiful and varied scenery all over that state. This video captures some of the mountain scenery and mixes in raging EMD's waging their battle against gravity, and even some snow. Marvelous.

[@7ideaproductions]

Thanks Andy!

[@SouthernAlbertaRail]

Takes me back to a very memorable trip onboard Silver Solarium tacked onto the rear of #5 a number of years ago. Running a good 10 hours late out of Helper overtaking a coal drag on the hill. Vestibule door open almost able to touch the Helpers working hard against gravity. A flood of sound and smell that will never be forgotten. I have this vid, as well as 95% of your offerings... top notch. Thanks for posting. Cheers. -grant

[@harrisonofcolorado8886]

Is Silver Solarium a private car from a railroad that used to operate passenger trains?

[@SouthernAlbertaRail]

Originally owned bt the CB&Q, went to Amtrak and eventually on to private ownership, operated by California Zephyr Railcar Charters. The car is now in Ohio running on the Cayahoga Valley Scenic Railroad I believe.

[@DanMeyer80]

private cars should not be allowed on Amtrak

[@brakel8r]

Some of my fondest memories as a kid growing up in western, very rural, New York was having the conductor throw us candy from the back railing of the caboose......something tells me he enjoyed it as much as we did.

[@hiworldstephensonultranate290]

those were the Days Hi from Ireland viewer

[@garyquelch888]

Absolutely breathtaking as an Australian I’ve never seen railroading like that thank you so much

[@7ideaproductions]

You are welcome and thank you for watching!

[@heinzbreuer2674]

Ein wunderschönes Video. Habe viel gelernt darüber .und ein schöner bundes Land 🦅greetings from Germany Cologne....cheers🍻

[@TigerDominic-uh1dv]

The Snow Scenery ❄ Is Beautiful 😊

[@davegeisler7802]

Helper , Utah with 2.4 % grade at Soldier Summit , that takes some serious Power to climb that grade !! 💪🏼

[@richardk5849]

Been lucky to have visited this area a few times during road trips in the US. Nice to see the ex Aussie SD50’s. Easily to spot with the different radiator grilles. Great video. Richard, Melbourne Australia.

[@YellowCatBooks]

The power plant at Castle Gate is now gone (9:48).

[@7ideaproductions]

Yes it is long gone now. We were glad to see it in operation when this video was shot.

[@Kansas-Trains]

This is what mountain grade railroading is where it all started with manned helpers pushing their guts out balancing the grade and I learned from the best old heads around. 😊🤔🇺🇸

[@michaelharris3296]

Saw a few old MoPacs in that train

[@RollerCoasterLineProductions]

I live just off the Pittsburgh Mainline, Altoona and HSC isn’t too far away and the most we ever get are 4 helpers on the rear of the long coal trains 15:58 38,000 combined HP is crazy!

[@JohnnysTrainVideos]

Great video... Thanks for making and sharing...

[@geraldcates7785]

I enjoy the narration of the workings of the train movements!

[@ralphaverill2001]

Excellent, well-produced video. It was a pleasure for this non-railroader to watch.

[@Raptorman0909]

Loved the sequence at 7:45 from ground level as the train begins to move and you see the slack being taken up. When I noticed the Carbon Power Plant I knew this video had to be a few years old and, sure enough, 2012. Power was shut down in 2015 and demolished in 2016.

[@7ideaproductions]

I saw that it was gone the last time I came through.

[@TheEMD710]

Old school.... Love it

[@TheRailfanDan]

The Utah Railway coal trains over Solider are something I'll always regret I didn't get to witness. It was just after they stopped running over the pass that I got my first drone and started flying. It's great you got them while they were still running!

[@7ideaproductions]

I didn't realize at the time that there wasn't much time left. Really glad I did when I did.

[@johncamp2567]

Always excellent photography!👍

[@geomodelrailroader]

Nothing like some Rio Grande action on Soldier Summit this is one of my favorite places to watch trains.

[@jasoncutlip950]

Our last RG guy retired last month. End of an era...

[@franciscoantonio4321]

Hola, qué paisaje tan hermoso y un vídeo igual de hermoso, gracias.

[@dougkubash8673]

Great video!! Scenery, Quality, Narration and Power!!

[@1JUSTGOTLUCKY1]

Great video!!! Clear narrative giving important details!! Thank you for the post!

[@7ideaproductions]

Thanks for watching!

[@hanscom0790]

Thank you once again for the awesome train videos!!!

[@troyledbetter6597]

Beautiful scenery and video!

[@donhunking2286]

Very impressive video . Good quality audio and video as well as professional narrative of the movement itself . The power and control of a train that size on the move can truly leave one aghast. We'll be looking for more from you . 👍

[@megadavis5377]

Wow!! An absolutely professional production.

[@donnellivy7632]

I do enjoy the video of the train. Keep up the good work.

[@trapezosusinbadorus8085]

Wonderful train captions. Your commenting is well pronouced, very clear and makes me feel transported to the State of Utah geographical and topographical scenes. Nice shots and thank you for sharing.

[@hiworldstephensonultranate290]

gt comments read mine? oh Hi

[@franzbrunner499]

passed Helper mid June 2021 -apart from trains, there is the Western Mining and Railroad Museum -strongly recommend a visit (plan approx. 2 hours)

[@hiworldstephensonultranate290]

hi Utah Gt Video just discovered it on 24th October met 2brothers from idaho wks back Greetings from Ireland this is Superb Viewing

[@shaunaustin7848]

In the 70's, the Union Pacific were the only train to haul coal from a union mine, non union coal was moved by DR&G. Now Union Pacific owns DR&G so it 's all the same.

[@terrywallace8922]

Thus is what every railroad should be using.with manned helpers, the engineer can get a long train over the mountains with very little trouble.

[@StormySkyRailProductions]

AWESOME video!!!, I loved the EMDs working hard just like the old days plus the great commentary throughout the video. Have a great rest of your Tuesday evening.

[@7ideaproductions]

It felt nostalgic listening to all those EMDs spilling their guts. I wish I had come earlier for the show the D&RGW tunnelmotors put on here. Or back a little earlier for anything with a 567. Yes there is an EMD bias in this comment!

[@StormySkyRailProductions]

@@7ideaproductions Ah yes all the older power and railroads you speak of, I sure miss the glory days of being trackside before my RR career now all you see is the GE T4s running around chugging, my least favorite, But I guess something more irritating might comes out in the future that we cherish the GEs, Who knows, Have a greet rest of your evening.

[@bhproductions1061]

@@7ideaproductions I catch the B&P and BLE which has all EMD power

[@charliebrooks2570]

Great video! I love UP trains! Cool scenery!

[@gradentreadwell8103]

I have traveled thru here a lot over to Spanish fork at the 15 loved seeing them load coal off of hwy 6

[@tom7601]

All those hoppers and no graffiti! :-)

[@alcopower5710]

Excellent content 👍 love those Utah units

[@Ottos_ScLm_Race_videos_2009_on]

Coming out of the tunnels it really shows why Southern Pacific went to the tunnel motors. Wow are the engines running rich till they get more cooler air.

[@edwardokpu2719]

I like the video is wonderful

[@Willysmb44]

Another great video! My wife and I did a cross-country sightseeing road trip in 2012 and we drove right through this area at night. We didn't see any trains, though. I'd often wondered what it looked like in the daytime

[@donaldappelhof2059]

It’s a nice place I think. People extremely kind there. We go through there once and a while on our way to Moab.

[@v1-vr-rotatev2-vy_vx31]

Was guessing on those SD50s, and that great view of the underside of the wheel bearings

[@hiworldstephensonultranate290]

Outstanding The Truth love the snow mt. footage reminds me gt film , b'heart Pass, Watch it d scenery /train/freedom is it forgotten?? they had! but Violence in it

[@randallellison6421]

Excellent video!

[@7ideaproductions]

Thank you!

[@marryannlamb9853]

Great video . Have a great day.

[@7ideaproductions]

Thanks Marryann. You as well!

[@BorisLu]

Super film!

[@mikepoteet1443]

I've made that trip over the summit many times in a car. Beautiful drive.

[@danshelburne1948]

interesting video even though I've made that trip several times trucking.

[@transittown7891]

Wow epic catches. Well done 😊😊👍👍

[@yankeecornbread8464]

I love Helper, Spanish Fork, and everything in between. Didn’t UP 844 make that trip once?

[@shospulecolupis9718]

Yes it did. But not only did that train traverse this portion of track, it went all the way from Canon city Colorado to Salt lake city, making it's way over the now long ago shuttered Tennessee Pass. I found part one of a two part video which covers the journey from Canon City to somewhere in Utah, if I remember right, here on KZbin a few years ago, don't know if it's still here. But I couldn't find a part 2.

[@jamielacourse7578]

That's a great water tower......

[@jedgeled759]

excellent !!!!

[@museumjunkie9317]

I really enjoyed this video

[@TrainLoverHimu]

Amazing ❤🚂❤

[@BobSmith-mj7ik]

Awesome 😎

[@southernpennsyrailfan8579]

They have manned helpers on The Horseshoe Curve

[@tylermcintyre1454]

Tyler Mac here we go this is Tyler Mac here I need dispatch too

[@Bonzo_B]

Just curious, why are the manned helpers cut in mid train? Wouldn't it make more sense to put the remote controlled units mid train and the manned helpers on the rear? That way when they reach the summit they only have to uncouple the manned helpers and not have to break the train in half...

[@jasoncutlip950]

The mid train units are temporary just to get to the summit, where we cut them back out and head back to Helper.

[@jasoncutlip950]

The rear motors need to stay on the rear, due to loading and unloading requirements.

[@kevinburt8638]

Missouri Pacific. Chicago & Northwestern

[@tylermcintyre1454]

And heading too Colorado over

[@domesticatedwolverine4152]

This is almost better than a Chuck Norris movie.

[@michaeld53]

What can you tell me about the UTAH CENTRAL railroad??

[@driveincanada9713]

👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@ChadsRailfanExperience]

Great action, wish the UTAH was still running coal buckets over Soldier

[@TommyJensen-pl8qz]

I noticed once that American locomotives used / use wig wag lights, is that something they don't use anymore?

[@rorirocks6663]

8:52 whats up with those SD50s, short frame and weird radiator intakes

[@7ideaproductions]

Those are imports from Australia.

[@tylermcintyre1454]

Tyler Mac this time we are going too get on the Train

[@cats0182]

Run those locos full throttle day after day. Wonder how long the prime movers run before full overhaul or replacement? Hope the engineers and conductors have very high quality ear protection. The noise in the cab must be outrageous.

[@jasoncutlip950]

Far longer than the manufacturer intended.

[@stipcrane]

With 11 engines how can anyone breathe going through Nolan Tunnel? I rode in a boxcar behind 4 or 5 engines through the Cascade Tunnel many years ago and I thought I was going to die of smoke inhalation. It took about 33 minutes to get through, since we were going eastbound at a 1.6% uphill grade.

[@matthewprather7386]

@19:53 can see coal going opposite directions, which seems funny..

[@lostmoose7352]

Great footage. I am just wondering why they dont replace those,old locos with the ones Germany and Sweden got? German locos got 10000 hp and Sweden I believe 18000 hp

[@travisolson9190]

Those are electric locomotives. America has trackage rights to allow long trains, so stringing several locomotives together will achieve the same goal

[@eltontv6002]

the problem is that theres no overhead power in those regions, building the lines and actually getting the electricity up there is a huge project that would propably cost billions. its easier to bring the energy with you in form of diesel fuel. the electric locomotives have more power but are lighter with less traction effort per unit so theyd need the same amount. and to those billions of dollars investments for the overhead power, the railroads would need to purchase a rather big amount of electric locomotives as there arent any in service by now.

[@johnrhansonsr]

What does Helper have what Las Vegas doesn't? An Amtrak Station. Las Vegas can thank the late Senator Harry Reid for that stupidity.

[@jasoncutlip950]

Well, an Amtrak platform anyway.

[@MegaSnow121]

How long does it take for the helpers to be connected to the coal trains?

[@7ideaproductions]

Not very long. I should show the process sometime.

[@gaborgredely1848]

@@7ideaproductions Köszi a filmet, fantsztikus! Itt Európàban nincsenek ekkora vonatok. Azt szeretném kérdezni,hogy mint vezérlik a mozdonyokat melyek a szerelvényben vannak sorolva. Vezetéken,vagy rádióval? Ha elromlik egy egység azt ,hogy veszik észre? Volt szerencsém EMD mozdonyon ülni. A magyar vasút 1967 ben a svédektől vásárolt 20 db NOHAB gyártmányú mozdonyt. Valójában EMD licenszek voltak. Igy kerültek a vasfüggöny mögé amerikai dieselek. MÁV M-61 számon futottak. Nálunk hatalmas kultusza van ezeknek a gépeknek. Kivàló minőségű mozdonyok. Néhány még mindég dolgozik. Köszi még egyszer. Jó filmezést.

[@7ideaproductions]

@@gaborgredely1848 Koszonom a kedves szavakat. Örülök, hogy tetszett a film. Az egymáshoz kapcsolt mozdonyok is „többegységes” vagy MU-kábelekkel vannak összekötve. A vonat közepén lévő mozdonyokat egy mérnök üzemelteti. A vonat hátulján lévő mozdonyokat a vezető mozdony mérnöke rádióvezérli. Érdekes hallani, hogy amerikai mozdonyokat használtak a vasfüggöny mögött. Számos EMD mozdonyon dolgoztam, beleértve az SD90MAC-t, SD70M-et, GP38-2-t és GP9-et. Ez egy nagy élmény. Remélem, hogy válaszomat megfelelően lefordítják az Ön nyelvére. Még egyszer köszönöm, hogy megnézted a videót, és hogy időt szakítottál a megjegyzésekre. Üdvözlet az USA-ból.

[@gaborgredely1848]

@@7ideaproductions Köszönöm ,hogy magyarul válaszoltál , sajnos nem tudok angolul. Teljesen érthető volt a forditás. Gyerekkorom óta nagy vasút rajongó vgyok, pontosan ma 6éve Californiaba,Nevadàban jártunk egy körutazáson. San Diegoból LasVegasba menet láttunk a hágon egy hatalmas vasúti szerelvényt át haladni. Csak filmem láttam ilyet, hatalmas élmény volt! Még annak is aki nem vasút mániás. Hatalmas ország, hatalmas vonatok. Amint olvastam mozdonyon dolgoztál. Ennek külön örülök! Szeretnék megosztani néhány érdekességet. A 2. Világ háború alatt az USATC számára J.w.marsh őrnagy vezetésével egy hadi gőzmozdonyt terveztek. Az Európában szolgáló csapatoknak.S 160. Néven,Alco,Lima gyártotta. 45után ezeket a gépeket eladták. Sok ország vett belöle. Köztük a magyar állam is ,ócska vas áron kilóra. 510darabot, Truman nevet kapta a magyar mozdony vezetőktől. Az akkori USA elnök után. 1948-49ben a kommunisták átvették a hatalmat. A mozdonyok elejére vörös csillag került! A bece név maradt! A hidegnáborúban szidták a kapitalistákat,nyugatot. A sineken meg amarikai mozdonyok ballagtak terhükkel egészen a 70évekig..... Erről persze nem volt szabad beszélni, mi igy éltünk! Nyugi, most sincs máskép! Csak a calendárim változott a falon. 1db s 160 ast egy éve újra üzembe helyeztek, sikerült utaznom rajta. Ha nem probléma tarthanánk a kapcsolatot? Biztos sok érdekeset tudnánk mondan. Thank you!

[@jasoncutlip950]

About 15 minutes plus 5 to 20 for the air test depending on weather.

[@danielkennedy1524]

Whew! if one unit were to fail at that grade seems it would indeed stall! are all on line at the time? GREAT video BTW

[@jasoncutlip950]

No, one unit slows you to 11 or 12 mph, two units stalls you out.

[@grahaml6668]

I see loaded coal cars going in both directions. How is that efficient?

[@jasoncutlip950]

You realize it belongs to different customers right?

[@robertheinkel6225]

Those ties at 8:25 looked pretty bad.

[@Cnw8701]

Do they still use manned helpers as of 2022?

[@jasoncutlip950]

Yes. I ran a set last week.

[@Cnw8701]

@@jasoncutlip950 Nice!

[@michaeld53]

Do they always use 5 at the head end, and 6 in the middle over soldier summit ?

[@jasoncutlip950]

No, currently it is 2x4x2

[@family02yy47]

also usa!

[@hughhynes7351]

Many engines are manned in a train with DPU units?

[@hughhynes7351]

Put how in front question.

[@jasoncutlip950]

Only on summits where trains regularly stall out.

[@siglavikingkearns8108]

Why put pushers in the middle of the train instead of at the end?

[@7ideaproductions]

It's about safe train handling. Basically it is for the best distribution of power in the train. Railroads use a formula for calculating where to put the helper power based on the territory and train makeup. This is my (filmmaker) answer. I am sure a railroader who does it every day will be able to give you a better answer.

[@randallellison6421]

@@7ideaproductions BNSF is currently testing mid train DPUs with their coal trains here on the Thayer Subdivision as well running them in a 2×2×1 configuration.

[@jasoncutlip950]

Because too much power at the rear will derail you on a curve. Is the simple answer.

[@hughhynes7351]

How many DPU units are manned?

[@7ideaproductions]

DPU (Distributed Power Units) are radio controlled from the head-end. A set of "manned" helpers generally have a crew of two: 1 engineer and 1 conductor. Where you see the set of three UP engines cut into the train, there is only one engine that is crewed. The others are MU'd (Multiple Unit) together electronically and simply mimic what the crewed engine does. At the same time, DPU power works similarly. Only one of the remote controlled units needs to communicate with the lead locomotive on the train. The other engines in the set are MU'd and mimic what the radio controlled engine does. I hope this makes sense. This is a general answer and there are a lot of different scenarios that could be covered.

[@robertgarrett2290]

Are most helpers unmanned?

[@jasoncutlip950]

All "helpers" are manned, if they are unmanned they are called "dupes"

[@shauntakata1762]

Has this route been abandoned?

[@jasoncutlip950]

Not at all.

[@Hucklechuck45]

I think you mentioned that the middle helpers were automatically controlled (APU?) while the tail end engines were manned. How much are the various engineers occupied with balancing the load of the train among all those power units?

[@7ideaproductions]

Sorry this has become a longer answer than I anticipated! Actually the middle helpers are manned and the rear engines are DPU (controlled by the engineer on the head-end of the train). As to where they make the cut to add the manned helpers a formula is used based on the total tonnage of the train. This is more complicated if the train is a mixed manifest with different types of cars and a mixture of loads and empties. (A railroader could answer that part better than I.) The engineers communicate via radio as to what throttle setting, etc. In DPU operation, the remote units can either mimic the throttle/brake settings on the lead engine or the engineer can "put up the fence" and run the DPU's independently. Say the lead engines have crested the grade and need to throttle back while the rear DPU's continue to shove. This takes experienced engineers who know when to make the proper adjustments when working with all that tonnage and horsepower.

[@RyanHatterer-Ryanns999]

@@7ideaproductions Here on the east Coast when we have to add mid helpers, we try to make it so the helpers are pushing and pulling about the same weight counting what the front is pulling so about 50-60% back in the train base on tonnage. If the train does have DPU on the rear we'll move the mid units ahead a number of cars.

[@jasoncutlip950]

Railroad answer: 47 cars back.

[@scottmcdonald7577]

What's the combined weight of this massive train? The coal train with 11 engines and 100 coal cars?

[@7ideaproductions]

Just a guess but probably at least 14,000 tons not including the engines. Each GE locomotive pictured here weighs roughly 426,000 pounds.

[@jasoncutlip950]

Generally around 12k. However it has been years since this stuff has been weighed, so that is approximate.

[@anb740]

I really wish I had made the effort to film the Utah Railway operations before they stopped hauling coal. As I understand it, most of their motive power roster has been reassigned elsewhere.

[@7ideaproductions]

The best advice I can give is to shoot a subject while you can because you never know how long it will last. It is a lesson I have had to learn too many times.

[@Raptorman0909]

As I understand it, the train traffic in the Helper are and over Soldier Summit has declined substantially given the dramatic reduction in coal use that drove a significant percentage of consists over the summit. Waiting around for a train at Gilluly Loops can now take many hours.

[@anb740]

Exactly! While filming the crazy lease consists on CSX in the early 2000’s, a good friend said “photograph it today, because it’ll be gone tomorrow.” I caught WC 6652 in Georgia in 2002. After it returned to home rails four days later, its fluids were drained and was strickened from the roster. I got the very last photo of it on the mainline.

[@brentbrown51]

Are the manned helpers radio controlled or is the throttle set by the crew on board?

[@7ideaproductions]

Manned helpers mean there is an engineer at the throttle.

[@brentbrown51]

How do they coordinate throttle settings with head end?

[@alejandrayalanbowman367]

In the UK they are called banking engines

[@hadesdescent6664]

👍 when was this recorded? UP6702 is in Building America paint scheme for some time now and one of the 3 GE demonstrators on UP as ,9997-9999, later renumbered 6700-6702! Built in 1994!

[@7ideaproductions]

This was filmed in 2013-14

[@michaeld53]

TLETC!!!

[@Osceola36dd]

Caterpillar engine unreliable!! Who would have thought it?

[@hiworldstephensonultranate290]

Camera People Had Very Hot Chocolates after dat!!!?

[@TigerDominic-uh1dv]

So Catapillar Couldn't Make A Good Train Engines 😕

[@BPJJohn]

Those Railroad tie/Sleepers look to be in terrible condition, hopefully they were replaced not too long after this video.

[@billrey8221]

Hey Hillary Clinton, (Clinkdon)....look at all of that coal!! God Bless America.

[@terrywallace8922]

No railroad should be using radio controlled locomotives in the middle of the train.because, if the helper units RECIEVE a bad signal, the end results will be a derailment with dire consequences!remote control locomotives are not safe to operate, or be around. Especially in freight yards where you have a lot of tankcars carrying hazardous chemicals!it is better for the engineer to bein the cab controlling the units instead of being on the ground controlling the locomotive!

[@jasoncutlip950]

That is a ridiculous theory. What do you base it on?

[@anthonyciolli5891]

Them ties need replaced,,,,,,,,

[@wasatchrangerailway6921]

Those MK's are the ugliest damn cursed things I have ever seen!!!!!