TIE GANG IN ACTION ON THE UNION PACIFIC! ALL EQUIPMENT, CLOSE UPS, AND DRONE VIEWS, TRAIN TRAFFIC!

06/17/2024 Le Grand, Ia. Finally caught the tie gang near Montour! Lots to see in this video along with passing trains. Every aspect of the tie replacement is seen on this video with drone shots and close up camera work. Montour, Ia. Caught the prep work for the tie gang by my camper. The tie gang is still yet to make it to montour.

[@kens.3729]

What even more impressive is the Concrete Tie Installation. You don’t see this process done very often but there are thousands of miles of it across U.S. 👍🙏

[@chefkevinpenner5869]

I'm old enough to remember when section crews would do continuous maintenance and most of the work by hand. I remember watching them using the rail jacks to lift the tracks. This is good stuff!

[@chefkevinpenner5869]

If I remember correctly, tampers and regulators started to show up in the late 1970s or so.

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Thanks CKP! Definitely a lot more man power needed back in the day.

[@52komatsu]

Red, I enjoy your videos. i was a tie gang foreman in the late 70's when the welded rail was first installed through Iowa. They are replacing tie's we put in 45 years ago. It's amazing how much work is done with machines.

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Thanks 52 Komatsu! My Dad did a lot with the welded rail on that line. Do you remember Marty Gearhart? He ran the weld plant in Tama.

[@52komatsu]

@@redsiowatrainvideos6645 I remember being at the rail plant. while they were loading rail trains. I really didn't have any interaction with people at the rail plant. I started as a laborer on tie gang. Then worked every weekend for months. Working with switch gang, crossing gang, buck undercutter gang. Just learning everything I could about the railroad. A lot off the work was manual labor back then.

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

@@52komatsu I believe I caught a buck undercutter going through Montour the other day. Didn't get to see it in action. Had a bunch of conveyors on it.

[@robertlute3794]

Thanks for that amazing video. I had never before seen any of those machines in operation to service the rails and ties, and I didn't realize how great of an operation it was with so many machines involved.

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

You're welcome Robert!

[@araneaetvelivolum1086]

Awesome presentation, Red. Super interesting to see the tie gang work the rails. I hope the tie gang member who had some issues is alright. Thanks a lot for making the effort , taking a day PTO, to bring us this exciting presentation. 🙏💥💯🇺🇸❤

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

You're welcome Aranea! Railfanning is always better than a day at work👍

[@tonydixon7820]

Wonder when they closed S Webber bridge in legrand, swear to God it was open the last time I was through town a couple of years ago because they were detouring everybody acrossed it while they were working on the other overpass

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

@@tonydixon7820 I'm from Tama and used to cross that bridge. I think it's been closed for 10 years or more.

[@wolfgangpfeilergartenbahnd6530]

Hello Red, the track construction work and the machines were filmed really well. It's great that the workers brought their Dixi with them. And your flag is waving in the wind again. Thanks for showing us, your drone footage is great again. Have fun and stay healthy. Best wishes, Wolfgang

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Yo Wolfgang, you're welcome! That was an interesting video to produce. It used to be 100s of people doing that job. Now about 20 machines handle it👍

[@paulkalff6408]

Very fine!! Yes! WP/UP in 1978 used what can be described as a “dual-head sabre saw” to cut ties into thirds. The blades cut the tie inside the gauge at what is called “Hearst” on the old WP line from Niles, CA to Pleasanton, CA and thence to Stockton to the East and Oakland to the West. I received permission from the tie gang boss to take as many sections as I needed. Four loads in the bed of a 1957 Chevy 1/2 ton pickup…height-staggered vertically as a landscaping element at our new home.👍🚂

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Thanks Paul K! Technology sure has come a long way. Hopefully I can catch them picking up the old ties too👍

[@paulkalff6408]

👍😎🚂

[@markdanielczyk944]

Wait until up brings in the old tie removal crew. It's impressive seeing the loaders on top of the rail cars! Caught the CN in Northwest Iowa with a beautiful pair of SD40-2'S, unfortunately no time to chase the train. Great catch Red!

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Thanks Mark! Hopefully I can catch the old tie crew.

[@garymiller5937]

A good mixed manifest to end with, Red! I thank you for a very interesting video! I thoroughly enjoyed it! I'd love to see the whole operation in person. I thought some of the ties they pulled still looked relatively good. I'm glad you explained why. It was a fabulous video! Thanks again! 😃😃😃😃😃😃❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

You're welcome Gary! I'm glad I could catch all of the steps related to the job.

[@garymiller5937]

@@redsiowatrainvideos6645 🙂🙂

[@louGriggs1944]

Great video. Love watching MOW work and those amazing machines. But man, you have a great spot there in Montour. Thanks.

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

You're welcome Louis! They definitely get up to speed through there👍

[@dansnow7374]

Great video Red. It’s fascinating watching the MOW crews work, I can only imagine how labor intensive track work was before the specialized machines came along.

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Thanks Dan! Lot's of man power in the old days.

[@crawfordgenealogy8989]

I hope that white blooming weed along the tracks isn't poison hemlock, you don't want to mess with that! I saw a lot of ties at an auction sell recently for $200/bundle.

[@bettym7346]

Nothing looks odder than MOW equipment. It looks like some were designed by a kid with Legos. You can’t figure out what they do, until we get a video like this. The only thing I can recognize is the PortaPottie. I thought I saw the heatstroke victim up and walking; how would they rescue him? Things are sure looking lush and green there - haven't dropped in on you since early Spring. Thanks, Red. Always great trainwatching. Be back tomorrow to see the finish.

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

You're welcome Betty! I was glad to catch them. Technology is cool👍

[@ronaldrondeau7870]

Thanks Red great to see how they work.hope to se more in front of you place

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

You're welcome Ronald! Might not be able to be there for my Montour spot.

[@johnniebellamy5912]

Nice Catch On The Dyna Cat Tamper

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Thanks Johnnie!

[@davedocker1195]

Red, I believe that most of the hydraulic hose on all of this equipment was made in Red Oak, Iowa by Parker Hannifin.

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Thanks for the info Dave!

[@timothybdavis7520]

That's an absolutely awesome Video!👍😎

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Thanks Timothy!

[@benjaminpettis5468]

Great Video on this MOW Tie Crew. Thanks for Sharing.

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

You're welcome Ben!

[@paulsmith5398]

Wow! about the R & N hoppers, @Jamie Makin always wants to know where they show up❗

[@paulbergen9114]

Since they are in the open Hoppers they are most likely headed to any of the sugar beet processing plants. It sounds so bizarre but it's true and I don't know the exact process but there goes coal the wrong way through North Platte en route to CO WY and ID

[@paulsmith5398]

@@paulbergen9114 you could be right about Reading & Northern sending Anthracite coal to those plants out west, Bituminous coal just wont burn correctly in some of those facilities.

[@garymiller5937]

The trailng DPU on the coal train sure sounds good! 😄😄😄😄❤❤❤❤

[@thomasmackowiak]

This is a fantastic video, Red! This is the first video that I have seen of a full tie gang in action. I have seen videos that show a tamper and/or a regulator in action, but they are alone and no other equipment is in view. Thank you for taking the day off to capture this tie gang in action. It would have been nice if the tie gang had made it to Montour, Iowa. The trains that passed the tie gang as they were workingwre a bonus. (23 June 2024 at 2355 CDT)

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

You're welcome Thomas! I would have loved to catch the action in Montour but the timing wasn't right. Probly today or Tuesday they will go through Montour.

[@jeffreyerickson3050]

The porta potty is a must need🤠

[@williamh.jarvis6795]

Absolutely a necessity!

[@gerardmeadsr5419]

You took a day off from work 😊and this is what you did, I hope you at least took your bike to get some videos 😊. Looks like a good place for your harley.

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Always more fun to railfan on two wheels👍

[@paulbergen9114]

Good thing you had a mostly decent weather day to work along with the tie gang. It's amazing how over the years how much automation has gone into this and the speed it can be done at. I believe I did see one or two Nordberg machines which are built on the south side of Milwaukee and are actually a customer on the UP ex CNW New Line. The tie remover is definitely top shelf high volume equipment and that arm just pulls them out so fast it's hard to believe I too remember the ties being chopped in half and there were probably several reasons for it. You usually had equipment not capable of pulling out an entire tie so that's supposedly made it easier also for disposal it was easier to camouflage broken ties in the weeds or stack them up in piles to burn. One place that may still be done is on the triple track commuter areas in Chicago especially around stations with a platform and the middle track up against the fencing. Air conditioned cabs and tinted windows things even your father didn't dream of. Rail Freight definitely tapers off when this is occurring so the perpetually slow 2 unit WP&L train for Columbia power plant at Portage WI slogged it out while the westbound most likely returning from an industrial customer or KCBX terminal in South Chicago. A good size Intermodal plus the varied freight train help to wind up the day. Out of curiosity with no siiding in Montour how far did they have to go at night to tie up? Very nice coverage of an integral part of the rail system

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Thanks Paul B! Other than the bugs it was a great day to film. It looked like the porta potties even had AC! They seemed to be behind on schedule so I had to back track from Montour to find them. Most likely they will be in Montour today or tomorrow. I won't take another day off work for it. The tie gang tied down in Tama which would have been about 10 miles for them. I did a recent video showing them tied down at the now closed paper mill in Tama. They took up pretty much the whole siding!

[@garymiller5937]

Cool hopper train, Red! Thank you. 🙂🙂🙂🙂❤❤❤❤

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

You're welcome Gary!

[@garymiller5937]

@@redsiowatrainvideos6645 😃😃

[@jackthegiantkiller388]

Enjoyed your video ,great like to watch thank you Red!!

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

You're welcome Jack!

[@StellaBoyd-t8j]

Interesting, wonderful ❤😊❤

[@robinroberts3335]

hello red . Very lnteresting how thing are done on the Railway so fast now Days . 👍🏻😎Robin out .

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Yo Robin! Technology has come a long way👍

[@fredtrench5684]

Red, the equipment gets better and better over the years. Good shots of the process - thanks.

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

You're welcome Fred! Sure was impressive to watch.

[@silverman785]

Love watching the MOW crews

[@gerardmeadsr5419]

I would see that equipment when I was working in Boston MA.

[@RRTrainVideos]

Wow that's pretty cool! Hey Red, you hear about the bridge collapse in Sioux City?

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Thanks R&R! Yes I did see that. What a disaster!

[@brandonreeves5979]

Dude I loved that video! That was so cool watching them putting in those new ties!

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Glad to hear it Brandon! Amazing to watch all that automation👍

[@karengunia5451]

Wow thats pretty cool! Thanks for video😊

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

You're welcome Karen!

[@roballen5670]

1 two many beers for that track gang member. Come on. Let's Go. We got a job to do. Great video Red.

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Thanks Rob! I was thinking hang over too😆

[@tylerstenzel8496]

Awesome catch mow equipment working on the ties

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Thanks Tyler!

[@tylerstenzel8496]

@@redsiowatrainvideos6645 your welcome

[@65gtotrips]

Gotta love the porta potty !

[@williamh.jarvis6795]

Yes! Drag the porta potty along, just in case! Thanks for mentioning this! My thoughts exactly!

[@geraldsmith5690]

That’s pretty neat of an operation.

[@centraliowarailproductions2810]

Nice catches!

[@aljohnson9119]

Thanks for the video. Great to watch. Good content.

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

You're welcome Al!

[@garymiller5937]

It looked like some of the trailing machines weren't doing anything except going along for the ride. 😂🙂🙂

[@ssweeps]

The ballast crew still needs to come through. 😊

[@michaelbuss5731]

And the most important piece of equipment is behind the tie installer, the porta-potty!!

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

For sure Michael! Looked to be air conditioned too👍

[@williamh.jarvis6795]

Yeah! Actually, I believe it to be a very good idea!

[@michaelbuss5731]

@@williamh.jarvis6795 Yes sure beats having to go find some tall grass 🙂!

[@daveschmitt4499]

And yes. Both the same machines pull out and shoved in. The machine grabs both rails picks them up slightly and pulls or pushes ties.

[@NejMoss4873]

Also, near the end of your video, you were videoing a ballast regulator. You mentioned the wheels were spinning on the end. That was the ballast broom rotating.

[@FrankMosch]

How do they make sure that the solid steel tie plates are put back in the proper inward track angle inward..????

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

I believe they are marked in some way for the correct direction. Possibly just the manufacturer marking.

[@paulsmith5398]

Even a couple of AC cooled Porta-Potties! Only a few empty CNW coal hoppers 🤔☹😤❗

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

AC would definitely be a plus! That day was pretty hot. Looked like an operator had heat stroke.

[@paulsmith5398]

@@redsiowatrainvideos6645 Heat stroke is nothing to mess with, it can be deadly if not taken care of promptly!

[@549BR]

Such rigorous and arduous physical work, watching the gauges in the air conditioned tie pulling and pushing rigs.

[@garymiller5937]

Red, the only time I've seen tie removal, the machine guillotined the old tie in the center and pulled them out both sides. I've never seen installation before. Any idea why they pass over some new ties sliding them in? 🙂🙂

[@rockymountainjazzfan1822]

The process is "choreographed" so that trailing tie inserters have ties to install--using multiple inserters makes the process go faster.

[@garymiller5937]

@@rockymountainjazzfan1822 Thanks , man! 🙂🙂

[@Jerry_SWMO]

Enjoyed the video. Thanks. Couple of questions for you. Why did the tie installed skip some ties and not install each one? About 21:30 there appears to be a standby generator in a field. Is that what it is and if so what would it be used for?

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

@jerrycarroll4581 Thanks Jerry! They had two installers, not sure why they skipped some. May have needed to spike some in place first to keep the gauge right. That generator looked to be for someone's home.

[@Jerry_SWMO]

@@redsiowatrainvideos6645 That's what I thought but why so far away? You'd have to run some big cable to go that distance. I dunno.

[@nkawtgn3695]

Red, going to Railroad days in Galesburg this coming weekend?

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Riding out to Nebraska and the triple track next weekend👍

[@claydog1299]

The MOW gang was outside of Clarence today

[@davidpierce1837]

very interesting video , always wondered how it all worked. Do you know how long the ties last before they need replacing? Oh was walking the old rock island line in CF behind some houses i like to check the dates on the rails saw one marked 1929 , been there awhile . Keep up the good work.

[@jamesrichardson559]

Saw a 1907 date nail on the abandoned CNW cowboy line. Tie still looked good.

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Thanks David P! I think 50 years is an average on ties. Obviously that can vary. Rail lasts a long time too if It's a straight section.

[@jeffreyerickson3050]

Tough guys use the bushes……even if Red is filming

[@anthonytidey2005]

It seems to me very labour intensive and same for the machines. Network Rail, NR has machines that can do the same replace track, tyes snd clean and sort the balest, removing worn out and replacing with new and a following tamper, tamping to line speed, with very few workers. In the UK, we haven't used wooden tyes or as we call them sleepers for meny years on main, also branch lines, mainly concrete tyes and fixings (chairs) moulded into the concrete, when made. This made the track safer if maintained regularly. But we discontinued the use of spikes very early, and about 1840, the use of chairs holding the rail screwed onto the woden tyes, now fixed int the concrete ones. On well maintained track speeds of 125 mph, with upgading the West Coast main line could have 140mph. With freight at present running at 80mph. When HS2 is compleated, fraight is being designed to run at 140mph as well. I do admire you diesels, we near here have lage shunting US diesels and EMD class 59 at the same quarry and a lot of class 66, both approx 2500hp at the rails, nearlyall diesels have cab's at both ends. Thanks for the video.

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

@anthonytidey2005 You're welcome Anthony! Thanks for sharing some information👍

[@colleenallen3382]

That tie removal machine was fascinating! Just think how that had to be done in years past. It must’ve been labor-intensive. By the way, What is a tie plate? Great video👍🏼.

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Thanks Colleen! The tie plate goes between the rail and the tie.

[@barrybickle7992]

Your comment about the ties being sawed. I think that was so they couldn’t be used again.

[@daveschmitt4499]

I never recall sawing ties out. I remember them cutting ties out with a machine called a sheers.

[@daveschmitt4499]

That shear machine would cut the ties into 3 pieces. Inside of each rail the tie would be sheared. The middle would be picked up with the shears and set on existing track. The ends would be pushed out of the hole with the same machine.

[@chrisstromberg6527]

Why are the passing trains not required to slow down near the crews working on the adjacent track? Need a better close up on how those plates are placed and spikes driven! Enjoyed the video and commentary!

[@daveschmitt4499]

The cherry pickers that place the new ties under the end of the first rail and remove the old ties to stack out of the way were machines I typically ran on a tie gang. PS. Cherry pickers can also remove full ties, and install new ties without hydraulics picking up the rails.

[@mikelockhart1827]

Red how would you know when the battery starts to Go dead when the drone is in the Air?

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

It has a percentage and estimated time on the screen.

[@garymiller5937]

What are anchors, and what do they, Red? 🙂🙂

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Anchors help keep the track in place for heat expansion. Hot days can expand the rail quite a bit.

[@garymiller5937]

@@redsiowatrainvideos6645 Thanks, Red! 🙂🙂

[@rockymountainjazzfan1822]

@@redsiowatrainvideos6645 With track anchoring on continuously welded rail (CWR), the idea is to force the rail to expand horizontally in high heat, rather than longitudinally. Longitudinal expansion of CWR can cause the rail to form what is known in railroad parlance as a "sun kink." Sun kinks, as the name implies, create a kink in the rail, or, in more extreme cases, actually force the track out of alignment. Either can potentially cause a derailment.

[@garymiller5937]

What does the regulator do, Red? 🙂🙂

[@rockymountainjazzfan1822]

A ballast regulator does just what its name implies--it smooths and grooms the ballast (the crushed rock) that holds the track in place. A tamper actually pushes ballast around and under the ties to make the track structure stable and solid. Typically, a tamper and ballast regulator work a segment of track in tandem. Tampers and ballast regulators make up what is referred to in railroad parlance as a "surfacing gang." The crew and various machines that remove, insert, and spike down ties are referred to as a "tie gang." On the UP and BNSF, most surfacing and tie gangs are "system gangs" that will work anywhere on the UP's or BNSF's respective systems. For years, a lot of surfacing and tie gang employees on both railroads were frequently Navajos from the Navajo Indian Reservation in New Mexico or Arizona. There are also "steel gangs," whose main function is replacing worn rail on the railroad. They are also usually system gangs.

[@garymiller5937]

@@rockymountainjazzfan1822 Thanks for the information! 🙂🙂

[@garymiller5937]

Do they let trains run that track when the tie gang gets off at a siding? 🙂🙂

[@williamh.jarvis6795]

Actually, it would not be safe for a train to operate on a track that is being repaired, such as in the tie replacement project. The track is now "weakened" and the completion of repairs (that being the new ties are installed and the rails spiked down, at an absolute minimum) before the trains can resume operations again.

[@25vrd48]

Tie extractor and installer are the same machines

[@craigzysk9666]

Thanks Red Looks like most of the manual labor has been eliminated

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

You're welcome Craig! Tie plates looked like the most labor.

[@floodedcar123]

Where are you in Iowa?

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

@@floodedcar123 Cedar Falls.

[@geraldsmith5690]

How far can you get away from your drone.

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

@@geraldsmith5690 Varies on the range. Usually a bit over a mile.

[@davidsnider1703]

So cool.watching this process

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Glad you liked it David S!

[@barefoot3662]

They where choping the ties into three chunks ɓack in the seventiès

[@LeeNichols-b1y]

Stopped work as trains pass at speed. Guy is ok.

[@daveschmitt4499]

The guys behind the tie remover and putting tie plates out of the way so they don't get buried. They will go back on the new ties right ahead of the spikers

[@NejMoss4873]

Note. The tie removal machine is the same type of machine to insert the new ties. No difference.

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

@@NejMoss4873 Sure is👍

[@garymiller5937]

That was a rather short intermodal that went past. At least, short for this line! 🙃

[@zman_o7]

🚂😎👍🚂

[@daveschmitt4499]

Imagine walking for miles daily doing only these few ties. We can literally walk 10 miles a day.

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

@daveschmitt4499 The guys setting the tie plates looked to be the big walkers. Then of course the tie markers walked a lot too.

[@ssweeps]

Trains are 24/7 365 no days off. Otherwise no revenue...

[@52komatsu]

Red, tie gang needs to stop work while train passes.

[@haroldreardon1407]

Some railroads allow trains to pass at 10 mph, sometimes.

[@rodneycody8746]

Got their pissn post

[@kens.3729]

A Loaded Coal Train with a Solo Unit at Front and Foreign KCS at End. You have to wonder who is working in the Power Group at Class I’s nowadays ? Clueless. 🤪🤪

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

I was surprised to see a KCS DP.

[@thomasboese3793]

Power Desk guys have a fun job of matching power to trains based on weight and grades. Any loco in the ready track can be used. If a DPU is used it must have the needed equipment. (Most locos in pool service can lead/slave.) It was found that it is quicker to keep power on a train than swapping units when the ownership of the track changes and the train continues on. The 113 car Coal trains on the UP going to the power plant in Kronenwetter, WI on the CN use 2 units on the point and 1 unit pushing. The return trip is a bit different since 2 units in the lead take the empties back and the CN will use 1 unit out of Wausau, WI for a run to Stevens Point. At the end of each month, everybody compares notes and settles the differences in horsepower hours used.

[@thomasboese3793]

@@redsiowatrainvideos6645 Always good to see a Lady in the mix...

[@rockymountainjazzfan1822]

If you look carefully, it's actually a KCS de Mexico unit.

[@ferraritoybox]

Red it’s looks like the graffiti artist R slowing down on the art work cuz there R 2 many unpainted rolling stock, lol😅😅

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

I'm alright with that Clarence! Nice to see some clean cars.

[@ferraritoybox]

@@redsiowatrainvideos6645 yeah me 2, I hate seeing that crap on anything, no respect

[@bekleidungu.ausrustung7068]

Great video Red! 1000 ties per mile. That's a huge amount of ties. That makes sense about the marking method, because you can't have the track out of service replacing them all at one time. I'll bet those ties are at least 20 years old, probably longer. 🚂🚃🚃

[@redsiowatrainvideos6645]

Thanks Bekleidung! My Dad did track maintenance and said a 1000 a mile was the norm. I believe there are roughly 2600 ties a mile. Some ties last 50 years or more depending on environment👍

[@rockymountainjazzfan1822]

The guys marking ties for replacement look for multiple defects--rotted, split or broken ties, ties that can't hold spikes, ties with severe warping, etc. They will often "thump" ties with a rod--a tie may look fine on top, but may be rotted underneath. Ties last longest in a dry environment--that is why railroads will periodically run ballast cleaners to clean "fines" out of the ballast that harbor moisture and allow plant growth next to the tie surface. Main line ties are usually oak, with pine ties sometimes used on sidings and spurs where heavy cars are not used. All ties are pressure-treated with creosote. A new creosoted tie can weigh up to 50 lbs. more than an untreated wood tie, just from the weight of the creosote in it. Yes, fresh creosote is nasty stuff--it can burn your skin. It also puts out toxic fumes if it is burned. You don't want to burn old "spent" ties in your fireplace or wood stove. Work around a railroad very long and you will never forget the smell of warm creosote from the ties on a hot summer day.