PREX 107 NW2 switcher and Husqvarna chainsaw Out of Service track Railroading ND&W Railroad

[@thomasabramson100]

On a shortline you do everything love the homemade flatcar from a boxcar that's REAL shortline

[@MichiganRailProductions]

These tracks look BETTER than the other tracks on the ND&W!

[@ksrailfan1008]

Love how they carry a chainsaw in the cab. There’s probably a lawnmower in there too

[@LordMemes2025]

What's weird is that Burlington Northern had a few NW2R switchers on there roster and one got sent to Pioneer Railway. (EX-BN No.5) PREX EMD NW2R No.105

[@Eric-zi1oz]

I was over that way not long ago and it looks MUCH better.

[@55nimrod55]

That rail looks like my Grandma's backbone!

[@richfiles]

XD

[@daniels4227]

Man, I LOVE your videos. You get trains on the absolute worst tracks in the world!

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

Thank you!

[@johnritcher5751]

That looks like an EX Burlington Northern Switcher Locomotive.

[@szlakowiec]

I do not want to believe that after so bent tracks can drive the train. Great movie ! A bit like " Chainsaw Massacre in Texas " ;)

[@straightto8]

If I win the lottery, I’m going to buy a piece of track like this, rehab it, and go cruising around in my switcher for fun, lol, If only money didn’t matter.

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

I know a few near abandonment lines that I’d buy!

[@sk8ersbus1]

That hump in the track shown around 1:15, I bet that's the same stretch as the "Wobbly chase to Jewell part 2", no? I distinctly recognize that crazy part of track!!! Very interesting horn for a train, too.

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

Nope, this was filmed about 10 miles west in Defiance.

[@vossi1975]

the saw is the law! nice horn and something is still alive!

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

Thanks! Glad I caught them running it!

[@wishusknight3009]

This railroad is strait out of a Dr Seuss book.

[@dakotanorth1640]

Green Eggs and Ham. I always wondered about those tracks, too!

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

Spreading new ties. Was out of service about 10 years but Pioneer plans on using this portion.

[@railroad9000]

The loco is pitching like a boat in heavy weather. Rough track for sure!

[@kirbyellis4337]

+Bill rouleau I can imagine the engineer taking his wife on a cruise soon after when the boat hits high seas. Shed be slammed all over the walls while he was walking straight eating an apple and reading a magazine LOL

[@trevorreel9070]

Guy with the chainsaw earned a raise in his pay.

[@MilePost106]

Awesome video!!! Thanks for posting

[@ivantrains]

Wow, very great railfan video. I very like video from rarely used track's!

[@cbt1960]

Another cool video. Love the ex BN switcher. I think those are ALCO trucks if I'm not mistaken. Really gotta love the horn.

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

Thanks! I hope they keep this one around a while. I need to film it crossing some of the trestles on this line.

[@peterleiza4351]

Looks better then some tracks ive seen.

[@larrymiller4]

With the ties staged near the crossing, looks like they have plans to upgrade the track. Any update?

[@haddler235]

The horn sounds like a trumpet lol

[@bigdaddyvu]

that looks like an old Burlington northern switcher

[@ShawnyNorburn]

Sure does!!!

[@TheDankEngineer]

It is

[@blacksunshine1974]

I used to service that BN unit in Vancouver Wa in the 90s.

[@myeyeisnotblue]

@@blacksunshine1974 i live there

[@38911bytefree]

He played well, by cutting this part of the three, otherwise it would have derailed given the general condition of the track.

[@SRJason747]

I hope they reopen this part of the line! I need to get up there some time to see the nd&w

[@ajplathwisconsin]

Get a reconstruction crew on that line fast! That looks like instant derailment!

[@ryansullivan369]

Give the piles of new ties, and that its being cleared out thats already being done.

[@brunnalorranesouzacostalor1074]

@@ryansullivan369 2

[@brunnalorranesouzacostalor1074]

Yyt4

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

I also like the horn on this machine!

[@abelwayne9613]

Oh my! GEE, I wonder the origins of THAT switcher, eh? No, really, Ex Great Northern, as demonstrated by the "reverse" pattern of the door louvers, early phase NW2, that is shown by the sand filler position(since we cannot see the front radiator grill), the exposed bearings on the sideframe appeared later in the units life as a BN unit, extended fuel tank(rare), deck mounted stanchions and a builders date of 3/39. The unit is referred to as an NW2R and also NW12. You will notice the odd numberboard/headlight on the rear. The front is also unique to these units. I had planned on modeling them in HO scale since I have a p2k sw9 frame(same length etc) and put a kato NW2 shell on the drive. Then all you need is plano louvers, an athearn SW1500/1000 cab(for the numberboard/headlights both front/rear) and some styrene to build the extended fuel tank. Other than that changing the sideframes to Des Plaines hobbies sideframes with exposed journals, all you have left is to paint with BN decals, and patch out/weather the unit. You have a 3 of a kind unit. 3 is all I know of, they may have had more and most went to other operators.

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

Interesting history on this unit. Surely the oldest diesel I've filmed!

[@鄭文彬-b7y]

abel wayne 我很喜

[@microbusss]

I thought it looked like a BN unit with the Cascade Green on it

[@SolidCold]

I wonder how the interview for the conductor position went. "So that about concludes your interview for the job." "That's great! When's my shift?" "Wait, one last question. Have you ever worked in landscaping?"

[@lewisner]

In the UK they would normally use a huge rotary flail mounted on the side of a rail wagon.

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

They were spreding out 7 loads of brand new ties for the Defiance to Cecil section.

[@SuzanneGillespie]

That's some rough track!

[@greenlawnfarm5827]

They should get one of those snowblower things that go on the front and just get that to shread the trees up.

[@joshuaericilac]

haywood jeblome there called rotorary snow plows and no they should not do that because that's not the proper way to handle trees...

[@greenlawnfarm5827]

Joshua Ilac Ok. But i think it would work good.

[@algrayson8405]

"CSX removed the diamond."Railroads hate 90° crossings. The wheels drop in the frog gaps with a heavy impact. A 90° crossing can be made with movable sections that flip over on top of the main line rails for a low speed line to cross over on but these are rarely used. They are complicated to interlock. Failure to re-set when a train has crossed over will cause a wreck.

[@DelayInBlockProductions]

Love the ex-BN colors.

[@ervinthompson6598]

Oh, don’t worry - OSHA and FRA probably knew of this operation from the minute the engine was started........

[@luckycharm5251]

How tha hell do the guys dare to drive on those tracks ??? That looks terrifying !

[@cmanlovespancakes]

Slow and steady

[@cdavid8139]

Terrifying. As a crew member it is just boring

[@thehighwayguy]

zoom lens make it look worse ... no problem if you go slow. But it does need some work - reballasting etc.

[@ShizSmitty]

Ahhhhh OSHA would not approve of operating that saw without helmet, eye or ear protection. Just sayin.

[@s0nnyburnett]

Or setting it down with it idling.

[@ShizSmitty]

True that.

[@southern207hobbies]

Anti-# fyi it's fra federal railroad administration who governs track repairs

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

Thanks. Yes it was but this time it was on line!

[@nicholasbolton4312]

Sweet video of 107!

[@algrayson8405]

Andrew Plath and others, I've seen plenty worse tracks than these with trains running much faster over them.Tennessee Central Ry., Cookeville, Tn. 1969- may have been operated by Louisville & Nashville RR. NO ties visible. No spikes. Rail would lift out of the ruts in the mud as wheels neared, then slap down, splashing mud. 20-25 mph.On the L&N (now CSX) main line south of Nashville, Tn., the trains went by at 50 mph posted limit. The entire switch rails and frog lifted free of the ties as the locomotive's wheels approached, then slammed down with a loud "crash!" as the wheels rolled over the frog.Everywhere I am near RR tracks I see that the spikes are loose, missing, lying on the ties or ballast. Loose or missing joint bar nuts, bolts.In Florida where concrete ties were used on the FEC everything looked tight.

[@markarrivi3818]

Too Cool Loved It Great Job

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

Thank you

[@tarmac2001]

Nothing wrong for a engineer to know how to use a chainsaw.

[@rubedogg6969]

Since when did Jason from Friday the 13th work for the railroad?

[@sanderdenouden7634]

Ruben Delgadillo u

[@SvendleBerries]

This is after Jason left rehab. Hes just trying to get his life back on track. Yeah, okay, Ill leave.

[@TOTALCAMARO]

He’s unmasked lol 😂

[@Nader620]

I wanted to see how that loco handled that section of wacky track. For some unexplained reason, the photographer decided to skip that part. Did the track flatten out under the weight of the loco, or did the wheels skip over the dramatic dip? It obviously didn't derail.

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

I think the photographer moved the camera at that point for some dumb reason!

[@peterp1158]

I think of steel rails being solid. What causes them to bend in such contorted ways? Is it the heat, the weight of the traffic, or lack of support from the ties and land?

[@caseyvanboxtel2279]

I was waiting for the same thing. He must of gotten scared and peed himself. No money shot for this video

[@discobear5752]

"The track, which runs over the swamp ground for much of its length, is in an extremely poor state of repair, having had no maintenance since the early 1970's. " -- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon,_Defiance_%26_Western_Railroad . The swamp is called the Great Black Swamp en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Black_Swamp . Wikipedia has a nice map of it on that page and says it was largely drained in the 1850's - 1900. Prior to that, malaria was endemic! If you imagine 3 rails, A, B and C all connected lengthwise, laying on half rotted ties and the soil forces A and C closer together, than B will have to shorten in effective length. One way is for it to be pushed up into the air. Or maybe the soil froze in the winter and pushed the rail up; then when the soil unfroze in spring, the rail was permanently bent upwards.

[@joshbenton4080]

@@peterp1158 Most likely 50 + years of deferred maintenance or the lack of any said track maintenance. I don't think there's even been any tie replacement projects done on these tracks in decades up to this point. Not to mention adding any new ballast to those tracks for presumably decades. From the way I understand it, this trackage was built on relatively "soft" earth, land that at one time was once a part of the Great Black Swamp. (When Lake Erie was much bigger before the last Ice Age 10,000 + years ago.) And judging by the size of the rails these tracks were built with, the rail appears to be 75 Pound or even 80 Pound rail. (Lightweight rail this light tends to twist and get all contorted easier than 115 Pound rail would.) Seeing all the "dips" in the rails would make you wonder how those trains would manage to stay on those rails without ending up "on the ground". They probably should consider upgrading the tracks on this line at the very least, to 115 Pound rail, just to be on the safe side. This does have the potential to rise the cost of track repairs in the Millions of $'s

[@lauraflorahill]

That track looks really bad. even for the ND&W lines. when was this built?

[@PinkLaffs]

Seriously? Single-man crew? Engineer/conductor/tree surgeon? Wow. Now THAT is resourceful.

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

The conductor follows along in a truck

[@General18]

3:41 Train horn goes "Heeeeeelp" "Heeelp" "Heeeeeeeeeeeelp" "Help" "Help" XD Can I have that horn for my car? :)

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

Thanks for watching! Its great fun to fan this line!

[@michaelnaisbitt1639]

There,s a lot of track that needs replacing if they are serious about using this line again

[@movie534]

Have these tracks ever been rebuilt/repaired yet?

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

Repaired enough to run short trains at low speeds

[@movie534]

Maybe one day we can get an updated video?

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

Sooner or later

[@movie534]

I'll be watching

[@erikmcc804]

cool!! the engineer got to get and cut limbs sweet!!

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

Not like on a class one where they call out mofw!

[@gingerrail7368]

How many customers r on this line now, new and old .

[@Catluke96]

That semi at 1:40 sounds reallllyyy nice

[@GEES44DC]

Why would you cut out them going through the dip just before 1:18?

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

Sometimes I choose a bad time time move cameras

[@vkotis]

It still show's it, but it's panned out. 1:20

[@caseyvanboxtel2279]

No money shot

[@jordanwilkison895]

sweet video scott

[@farmerdave7965]

How does that loco even stay on that bad track ?

[@darryl211]

did they finally get some of the really bad track fixed?

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

A lot of repairs have been made but the track still is great

[@mikeytrains1]

+Scott Taipale Make a video for us so we can see the repairs!

[@tullibee]

The track! The tracks! Look very dangerous! Screw the trees.

[@davep6977]

he''s got shims in his pocket to fix the track

[@nathanh.5373]

I LOVE THIS HORN

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

That's their plan! 7 loads of brand new ties is just a start!

[@marcconyard5024]

Nice little shunter. Is it a GM?

[@JMANWiSS]

Do I see an old abandoned axle?

[@markrhuett]

So this track is now in service?

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

Yes. At that time they were restoring it to operation. Now they move a short freight across it a couple times a week.

[@dakotanorth1640]

Ah. The ND&W. I thought that twisted track looked familiar.

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

Haha

[@davesmith8330]

That one dip in the track just before he cuts the tree branch back looked super sketchy

[@arbertstanley]

very nice .. train is slow move when pass railtrack

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

Thanks!

[@phillipwendt7505]

Scott Taipale Search

[@steveamurray59]

Shocking Alignment, wouldn't risk it.

[@tgmelinda7544]

Didn't know a chainsaw was standard on a train.

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

At least it was a quality saw :)

[@tgmelinda7544]

Thats true but can't say that about the trackage

[@mikepalmer392]

Why do some train engines look like or prefer to be driven backwards?

[@GRE2057]

are they going to re-open the line again scott?

[@kman-mi7su]

Why are they doing this? are they planning on reopening the line to regular service?

[@DerangedDragon99]

So when they gonna fix the track? or is clearing tree limbs more important that fixing the track?

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

This track was out of service for 10 years, clearing limbs was one of things needed to open it back up. They were returning from setting out a flatcar of new crossties.

[@sinatralerby7545]

Is pioneer still using this?

[@AmtrakGuy365]

Railroad tree control coming through!

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

Guess he got tired of hearing it whack the cab!

[@ShizSmitty]

Amazing. How can they look at that track and think...ya we'll run over that.

[@buixrule]

So are they essentially ripping up this line?

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

No, this line was out of service for 10 years and they were just opening it back up at this point. Now they run through here several times a week with revenue cars.

[@kingcedric511]

What kind of horn is that?

[@animal16365]

Were is this line at. Which section?

[@BNSF2184]

Is this motor still around or did they get rid of it?

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

It was transferred to another Pioneer line. I saw video of it recently but can't find it now.

[@SolidCold]

+Scott Taipale hi!

[@TheShospitali]

Switcher in the woods!

[@johnmoore8016]

where was this track located? thanks for the video.

[@conrailman1]

its scheduled for tie , ballast and some rail replacement on the complete line , cecil to indian is first

[@MrMark85044]

The engineer also does the tree trimming? WOW

[@GEES44DC]

Because the Class 1's have departments who take care of those things. On a short line you are every department.

[@cdavid8139]

That's for sure

[@8091pinewood]

Why did you skip past the part where the loco went over that really deep dip in the track ?

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

I probably adjusted the camera or stupidly tripped on the tripod

[@MICKSHRED]

8091pinewood lol yes i was waiting to see what was gonna happen

[@caseyvanboxtel2279]

No money shot

[@dannylittle6766]

Which section was out of service?

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

Both. 10 miles of this track was out of service for years so CSX removed the diamond. The shortline had to sue to get it put back in.

[@chuckyvanhoose8480]

why was the line on the out of service line Scott Taipale?

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

I'm not sure why

[@mikeytrains1]

+Scott Taipale Well, The Wabash owned it, But soon when the Wabash went of business, they lended it to the Indiana Hi-Rail, And soon the line was abandoned when the Indiana Hi-Rail went out of business.. The line as you know was soon embargoed under the Maumee and Western, and now the Pioneer Lines ND&W!

[@mortensen1961]

The Wabash technically didn't go out of business, They merged with the Norfolk & Western in 1965, along with the Nickel Plate Road.

[@mikeytrains1]

mortensen1961 Oh right!

[@Elfnetdesigns]

I didnt know a chainsaw came standard on a locomotive

[@cdavid8139]

They don't...but on branch operations after storms I've cleared many a line with a chainsaw

[@richfiles]

I believe they are included as optional equipment primarily for _branch lines,_ but may occasionally be used on _main trunks_ too.

[@phillipcrabb4795]

Wow great stuff....what a work assignment that would be...so far off the beaten track (so to speak). Was that a 1-man crew..?

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

Thank you. The conductor follows along in a company car on this railroad. That covers their ride if they don't make it back before their hours are up or if they derail!

[@steveturner3999]

Makes you wonder how you could have a derailment on maintained track after watching this.

[@Kevin-ev7hw]

This is the Wabash line from Ft.Wayne Indiana, to Toledo Ohio. The Wabash 7th District.

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

5th district.

[@Kevin-ev7hw]

thanks Scott I need help in my old age. heck I should of known hat since I took a couple of train up it when I was with NS. Kevin

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

Kevin Barwiler Neat was it to interchange with the Indiana Highrail or before NS shed the line?

[@ryanfrogz]

The horn sounds like an alien

[@hendrixarchives186]

Jesus talk about easy derailment they need to fix that up!

[@leonblittle226]

It would serve them right if that ended up in the dirt, its barely fit for a cart to use.

[@arthurmchugh5184]

Peace and quiet of the day ruined by a friggin Harley rider at 1:05 FUCKIN noisy wreck

[@STHFGDBY]

Why is the train running along a dead track. ? Parts of it was in terrible condition.

[@lynnthompson4363]

This is in the great USA folks not a third world country!!!

[@jasonwhipp5721]

With only one crew member no less

[@ScottTaipaleRail]

The conductor drives a company truck following along on this operation.