Cab ride into The Narrows and around the wye | February 10, 2024

[@bekleidungu.ausrustung7068]

Excellent video, Jaime! Enjoyed the operations and being along on the ride🚂🚃🚃

[@JamieMakin]

Thanks so much!

[@LRSX]

That was a great video Jamie! I was excited for this one, its been about 33 years since I road through the Narrows with A Conrail Crew and my Dad. This one brought back some memories! Thanks for sharing! Chris is awesome, he always gives cam big waves! Take care!

[@JamieMakin]

Thanks so much, Ian! Glad this rekindled those great memories for you. Gotta admit I'm a bit jealous you got to ride in a Conrail cab lol! But it's all good, glad I get to do all this fun stuff with RBMN now and share it with everyone. Chris is an awesome guy and has a young kid too so he gets what that means to kids. We've had a few engineer trainees recently, and I told Chris he has be sure to tell them to honk the horn and wave for you and the boys!

[@JamieMakin]

And someone just told me 2023 is ex-Conrail, so technically I did ride in a Conrail cab lol!

[@TheShortlinefoamer]

Awesome Video Jamie! That was super amazing seeing behind the scenes operations that not many folks get on camera, Especially in cab views! As i have said in multiple other videos, Can always count Jamie for rare stuff like this!!! Good to see ya posting this mornin! Have a great friday Jamie!! Scott

[@JamieMakin]

Happy Friday, Scott! Glad you enjoyed this footage, and I certainly enjoy filming the rare stuff. Rare mileage rides are one of my favorite thing, especially if I'm in the cab and get a first-person point of view. Hope you have an awesome weekend!

[@marilynscull4585]

Awesome video Jamie

[@JamieMakin]

Thanks Marilyn!

[@dennis78382]

Good morning Jamie. Just starting this one friend. That is a great behind-the-scenes of Jamie. I would never thought that much time and effort would go in while I was looking around a small town. Very cool. I still have some time left so I'm still watching.

[@JamieMakin]

Good evening Dennis! I hope you're doing well and getting some rest. It's got to be great for you to be back in the fresh air and sunshine again. Even though I knew a lot of work was done behind the scenes with these excursion trains, going along for this ride made me realize there's even more to it than I thought. And what you don't see in this video (though you do hear some of it on the radio) is that there's 3 trains operating in that vicinity that day which adds to the complexity of the moves. Hope you have a nice evening buddy!

[@paulsmith5398]

Ohhhhhh, i didnt leave water running while watching the video, i learned my lesson the other day 🤣🤣🤣🤣❗

[@JamieMakin]

Thank goodness lol!!

[@davidmorris7696]

Good stuff!! New sub from WV.

[@JamieMakin]

Thanks! And welcome to my channel!

[@camhitchcock8659]

Another Gold Star Jamie! I really enjoyed seeing the operation and your commentary. Question... Given The R&N is "The Road Of Anthracite", I'm curious if you've considered doing a cab ride video on the QASD (Tamaqua - Shenandoah). It would be interesting to see how the R&N conducts the coal business. A lot of interesting views on this line. Others of interest are the Good Springer, and the Pittston - Mehoopany. Naturally, I appreciate R&N will have to give permission, and you'll need to find the time. This said, your videos of the R&N do a wonderful job of soft selling the railroad. Thanks very much for your efforts and to R&N for providing you access!

[@JamieMakin]

Thanks so much! I'd definitely like to do some cab rides on those freight trains. They recently said I can do the NRFF, and I've got to get that planned. The others would be fun too and could certainly be possible. Thanks for the kind words! I've got a great relationship with the railroad and am happy if my videos can contribute to their success in any way. It's mutually beneficial since doing these videos has been such an enjoyable thing for me, as is my work on the job with them.

[@camhitchcock8659]

Thanks very much for your reply Jamie. I was over in coal country the other day and it's fascinating. Looking forward to your video on the NRFF - say hi to my friend Eli Wilson if he's engineer that day!@@JamieMakin

[@JamieMakin]

Cool! And I'll tell Eli you said hi if I see him!

[@nomadsempirebuilder9461]

🤘😎🤠

[@JamieMakin]

Hey Blake!

[@nomadsempirebuilder9461]

Hey jamie lol@@JamieMakin

[@bigjohnrailproductions8370]

Very nice. Up and down and round around is alot work I see. The meduim approach signal is to process at meduim speed 30mph unless otherwise post on the speed limit on the lin then prepard to stop at the next signal ahead. I know you going to learn it and its takes time.

[@JamieMakin]

Thanks, John! I appreciate the info on the signals and your confidence in my ability to learn them. It's a challenge for sure, but I love learning stuff like that.

[@brianfalzon6739]

Now there's something you won't see everyday!

[@JamieMakin]

This was definitely a special ride!

[@hunterkotarski9182]

36:39 wonder who that kid is 😁😁😁

[@JamieMakin]

Awesome, so cool that we caught you!

[@paulsmith5398]

Interesting "switcharoo" move.......and just how far does the trackage go in "The Narrows"? The map i have of R & N shows it goes to a couple of towns further out.............

[@JamieMakin]

The R&N track terminates at the Norfolk-Southern rail yard in Packerton. The NS track continues along the east bank of the Lehigh River all the way down to the Allentown yard.

[@joegotlewski413]

I've always wondered where the rest of the track went to after stopping in Jim Thorpe!

[@JamieMakin]

I had always wondered about that too. I have seen the Packerton Yard where the track ultimately goes to, but I had never seen what was between Jim Thorpe and Packerton since you can't see it from Route 209 which rises high above it.

[@robkrasinski6217]

Would you be able to take a passenger consist to your other track at Packerton Jct. that heads north into the gorge? Even though you would have to cross over NS's track on a crossover?

[@JamieMakin]

As far as I know, NS doesn't allow RBMN passenger trains to use any of their tracks.

[@Alcochaser]

5:14 old signal mast presumably waiting for RBMN to salvage and repurpose it. Better view at 43:11

[@JamieMakin]

It would be cool to see them do something with that. You never know, they're repurposed other signals recently, so anything's possible.

[@Alcochaser]

@@JamieMakin Yep, its one of two left that haven't been moved. At Tannery south of White Haven there is another to the east of the tracks, its an old LV Bracket Mast. Its south of the crossing along that stub siding where they back the bike train in to pass the Pittston train.

[@JamieMakin]

Ah, I've seen the one at Tannery but had forgotten about it.

[@frankjonathan8043]

Very interesting but I wonder what it cost the railroad to do all of those moves.

[@JamieMakin]

I'm not sure, but I'm sure that's factored in when they set ticket prices.

[@jasonoliver5388]

Fantastic video Jamie

[@JamieMakin]

Thanks Jason!