Running 2 Trains Today but Switch Keeps Malfunctioning

[@trainman2k]

Dave, you're a great representative of the Cumberland Mine Corporation. I wish to thank the upper management for permitting you to do these videos. I'm a train lover and a model railroader since childhood. I've never had the opportunity to get any access to see things up close, or to learn much as to how a railroad operates and the logic behind their decisions. The videos you post are a huge treat to me! Again, thank you for sharing your knowledge, and thanks to CM for permitting you to do them.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the very kind words trainman, we're so glad you are enjoying the home movies. It is an honor and privilege for me to be able to make these and share them, and a lot of fun to do. May you have a most blessed day my friend.

[@46fd04]

Dave, regarding the headlights, the company should make it a policy that any MOVING train should have the lights on. This would assist support staff such as yourself who work on/near the rails. When you see a loco in the distance with headlights on, you will know without a shadow of a doubt that it is MOVING and not stopped.

[@ccrx6700]

I totally agree with you on that TFS! In fact at next safety meeting I will make that suggestion. Lights on a loco have saved many a lives over the years. Very much appreciate your taking the time to write in and for watching my good man.

[@thelazyfarmer]

I think just following GCOR no matter what class of railroad is important.

[@davidpulaski5628]

Thanks, Dave. I learned something today; an engineer can throw a turnout from the cab, cool. Keep the excellent videos coming ! 👍👍👍

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the nice comment David, glad you enjoyed. Appreciate your watching the video my friend.

[@SedatedByLife]

There is just something about the sound of those engines I love.

[@ccrx6700]

Very glad you enjoyed hearing them Sedatedbylife. Appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in. May you have a most blessed day my friend.

[@tomeasley5979]

Dave, thanks for showing us how the switches are thrown, electronically and manually. Always learn something new. I appreciate you bringing us along for the show.

[@ccrx6700]

Very welcome Tom. Thank you so much for visiting tonight and for all the great support you are giving the channel my friend.

[@shirleyharrington-moore9657]

Whoever thought to make these videos and to have you narrate them deserves a big thank you. The insights you bring provide clarity on how trains run. Thank you, Dave!

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Shirely, I started making these videos for my friends who wondered what I did on the track. It's been a lot of fun and met some really great people along the way.

[@unitedstatesdale]

Dang..I didnt realize how technical switches are. Thanks !!!

[@ccrx6700]

High tech = more complicated but when working right replaces a man. Thank you Rich for taking the time to write in and watch the video my good man.

[@mikefochtman7164]

FIRST!! Hehehe.... thanks for sharing. So resetting it was basically, 'turning it off and back on again', then pushing a button. Would love to learn more about those switches.

[@ccrx6700]

Being first wins you the prize Mike! You get to have free viewing of all my videos for the rest of your life! LOL Thanks so much for all your great support of the channel my friend.

[@lewistodd9242]

Great video Dave. As a retired electronics technician I always really enjoy when you show us inside the equipment. I hope they get out there and fix the box soon. Have a great day my friend.

[@billreal76]

I also am a retired electronics technician in the Navy and enjoy the equipment side of railroading.

[@pathvalleyrailroad9277]

I was an AT. :)

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Lewis, really glad you enjoyed and appreciate your stopping by and watching my good man. Since you are a qualified tech, would hitting it with a 16 pound sledge hammer help fix it.... LOL

[@lewistodd9242]

@@ccrx6700 That is my tool of choice sometimes.

[@alangilman2015]

You got me hooked Dave! Been watching your videos for two days straight 😀. Thanks for your insights and entertainment!

[@ccrx6700]

That's great to hear Alan that you are having a good time watching. We appreciate your visiting with us and taking in the videos. May you have a most blessed day my friend.

[@Arkay315]

I think it's great you guys have solar panel switches, nice and effective operations my rail riding friend

[@ccrx6700]

They ain't all they cracked up to be Arkay, have to keep ice and snow off the panels in the winter and with the lack of sun in winter batteries don't always charge well, so we have trickle chargers in all 4 of our solar switches. Do so much appreciate all your great support you are giving the channel my friend.

[@themanfromcabowabo1559]

Always a good day when your video is over 20 minutes long. 😉 Thanks for putting in the effort to edit and post.

[@ccrx6700]

Well thank you, I'm always worried about making long videos. it does take about 2 hours or so to edit a video from all the footage I tape trying to cut out needless film. Really appreciate your nice comment and for all the great support you are giving the channel my friend.

[@raymondsprengelmeyer1278]

I love your positive attitude Dave, things go wrong but you keep smiling!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Raymond. Try to keep it upbeat, always something good to find in each situation. Appreciate your paying us a visit my friend.

[@yauwohn]

I was watching a video on KZbin yesterday, a German track laying machine!! Awesome. The machine is over 500 meters long, rips the old track out, prepares the rail bed, lays the concrete ties and rails, beds them in and ballasts them, well worth watching.

[@luvr381]

I saw that, very impressive!

[@garykuipers2696]

In all my years of railroading this is the first time I've seen a switch like this. I've dealt with spring switches, automatic interlocking, electric lock,etc. I know if we had a switch failure we had to block and spike the points for the movement. I don't know if I'd be comfortable with a switch like this. Your videos are the icing on the cake. A nice way to finish up the day.

[@ccrx6700]

We have 4 electrical switches Gary and this one has constantly given us problems, the other 3 work very well most of the time. Some point maybe next year I will make an in depth video of them. Really appreciate your watching today my good friend.

[@dezertraider]

THANK YOU DAVE,,YOU CAN SEND 1 OF THEM CARS TO MY HOUSE...THAT LAST ME A FEW YEARS OF HEATING..STAY WELL

[@ccrx6700]

I will call Norfolk Southern in the morning to arrange for rail transport to you sir! Appreciate your visiting with us and watching the video my friend.

[@dezertraider]

@@ccrx6700 GEAT VIDEOS,I WAS YOUNGER WOULD BEEN GOOD CAREER..STAY WELL MY FRIEND..

[@Hyrev1]

A day in the life of a railroader! Thanks for sharing the switching process! Great video Dave!

[@ccrx6700]

if I ever write a book, that will be the title to it Jim. Glad you had a good time with us today and thank you so much for paying us a visit my friend.

[@jason27swg]

Love it. ❤ that's one of them ole norfolk southern switches it's on strike!

[@ccrx6700]

That's railroadin! Really pleased that you enjoyed Jason. Do so appreciate all the wonderful support you have given the channel for such a long time now my good friend. Was so good to have them running a lot of coal after the terrible spring problems we had. They been running trains non stop all week and that makes everyone happy.

[@jason27swg]

@@ccrx6700 no coal no pay. I'm sure biden is loving it being he is so supportive of the coal industry...snickers

[@mattkinnard6899]

Thanks for the behind the scenes content. Those wireless machines are pretty neat, when they work right.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Matt. We have 4 electric switches and they all work very well except for this one. This one has given us fits since the day it was installed. But that's railroadin! Really appreciate your visit with us today and for all the great support you have given the channel my friend.

[@beverlymichael5830]

I always wondered how the switches were thrown electronically. When it is suppose to work. Lol. Thanks for the video.

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed Beverly. Really appreciate all you nice comments and for all the support you have been giving the channel my friend.

[@organbuilder272]

Dave, I would like to thank you for that dissertation on concrete ties Vs wood. Lengthy but informative. I wonder if switching, though convenient for the dispatcher, is a bit too technical. When things go wrong, they can go very badly. I think all your viewers appreciate your patient narration illustrating the trials and tribulation of railroading. Educational and informative.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the kind words organbuilder, glad you enjoyed the video on concrete ties. We do not have a dispatcher here, the train operators just go about their business hauling coal when the prep plant has coal and the harbor has barges to put it in. We do have a shift foreman in the office on all shifts who can help with coordinating everything. But this is not like a regular RR that would have a dispatcher. Very much appreciate your taking the time to pay us a visit and check out the malfunctioning switch video my friend.

[@silkkimuikku134]

Dave. I must say that I have very seldom enjoyed something as much as I do on your videos. The joy you have towards your work is admirable and makes me feel so good when I see that someone has such a passion. Keep up the good work and hope you will create lots on good moments for us who are watching your videos too. Greetings from Finland.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you for the very kind comment. Really glad you are having a good time with us Silkkimuikku. We do appreciate your wonderful support of the channel. May you have a most blessed day my friend.

[@mdwallace]

Can't have enough eyes on the railroad. Appreciate your videos, gift of the spirit your professionalism and encouragement to your coworkers. Good context in light of the recent rail safety challenges; whis the whole industry had your mindset

[@ccrx6700]

Never enough eyes is so correct Michael. Thank you so much for the really kind comment. We very much appreciate your taking the time to watch and write in my friend.

[@hughgautier3894]

I've missed your videos since I had a triple bypass operation on 6/20/2022. I'm still in rehab, and slowly getting better. But will be in rehab for at least another month.

[@ccrx6700]

Oh wow Hugh. I'm very sorry to hear you had to go thru that, but glad to hear you are getting better. My dad had the same thing so I can relate to the pain you have had. Please keep me posted on your progress. The wife and I will keep you in our prayers my friend.

[@luke_atthat]

Great way to end my day, with your nice smile. Great video. I like to see the real thing. It inspires me on my small HO layout.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you so much Luke for the very nice comment. Really glad you enjoyed and we appreciate your stopping by and watching.

[@docphillips5153]

My grandpa was a machinist and grand uncle a tower man on the old NYC, they always said the watched every train go by for everything from smoking journals to hobos riding in hoppers. That was railroading.

[@ccrx6700]

Yes sir it was. The good old days. Man would I have loved to talk with those 2 guys. I would be all ears. Really appreciate your writing in and for watching the video my friend.

[@Eddy63]

The only thing more beautiful than a SD40-2 , is two of em ...Great vid Dave and I love your job too !!! Thx for posting ...

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you very much Eddy. Really pleased to hear you enjoyed the show tonight. We do appreciate your joining in with us to watch my friend.

[@rdbrnr86gt]

Great video Dave. I also enjoy seeing the odds and ends like this of how things work. As a techie though, I really want to get my hands inside that switch controller and try to troubleshoot it. Or figure out how to bypass it w/out you having to pump a jack handle. Keep it coming and be safe out there!

[@ccrx6700]

Really pleased that you enjoyed Mustang Josh. I'm working this weekend so come on done and take a stab at trouble shooting! Thanks so much for taking the time to write in and for watching today my friend.

[@vernemattson3300]

I never realized the guts of a switch were so complex. Very enjoyable video. I also noticed your push transition at the top of the video! Slick! 🙂 Thanks Dave!

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Verne, really glad you enjoyed and appreciate your stopping by and watching my good man. Thanks for the compliment on the transition.

[@johnmurray4578]

Dave, Thanks for the inside look of the electronic switch box.

[@ccrx6700]

Your very welcome John. It's so difficult for me to know how anyone can figure out the electronics to be able to build something like this is and have it operate properly. Thank you so much for taking the time to watch and write in my friend.

[@PBRJOHN684]

It's really annoying when a set of points fail! but at least we have a backup system in place for throwing them to there intended direction! Thanks for showing how you deal with the problem 👍👍

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome John, really glad you enjoyed and appreciate your stopping by and watching my good man. Wouldn't be much of a switch without a back up manual system. If thing went kaflueey without an alternative means to throw it, that would be quite a pickle.

[@trenamerritt5344]

It's always something. Very good to have back-ups! So much goes on for rail transpo we just take for granted - thank you for knowing your stuff AND doing it! Switching AND a hot wheel detector going off! That will keep things hoppin' for you for a bit! Thanks again for another great video. Glad you can film it and that they let you share!

[@ccrx6700]

Really glad you enjoyed Trena. We so thank you for all your nice comments and for all the support you are giving the channel my friend.

[@johncloar1692]

Thanks Dave another great railroad video. Lot of work to through one of those switches by hand.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome John, really glad you enjoyed and appreciate your stopping by and watching my good man.

[@patrickmurphy2323]

lol, the hot wheel detector sounded so excited.

[@ccrx6700]

It's railroading and that hot wheel detector guy loves to be a part of our RR. hot wheels is what turns him on......LOL Thanks so much Patrick for visiting with us today and checking out the video my good man.

[@mustralineabsorbine5082]

That was a great video. Learned a lot by watching it. Well done. I have a suggestion. Could you show some video of the harbor and how the coal is shipped? Thanks :)

[@ccrx6700]

Really glad you enjoyed mustraline. Thank you for the suggestion and someday maybe next year I will do a vid on the barge loading process. Right now I have enough videos made just waiting to be posted to last into February of 2023. And new stuff is getting made all the time. A lot goes on here. Really appreciate all you nice comments and the excellent support you have given the channel my friend.

[@davidtharp7921]

Now that I'm 63 years old when I was a kid. I've always wanted to work with the railroad but I went to college graduated all the way up to mit. But? Thanks what you're doing babe thank you

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you David for the very nice comment. We all have regrets don't we. I am lucky, lucky to be able to share these videos with you guys and lucky to have great guys like you watch. We really appreciate your visiting with us and writing in my friend.

[@Boilermaker-Rick]

Well you got your arm excercise in for that day. Thanks Dave!

[@ccrx6700]

Arm exercise came later that evening lifting some cold adult type beverages Rick.... LOL Really appreciate all your great support you have given the channel my friend.

[@chuckmvs]

Hey Dave, it was great to see all three power units working at the same time. Thanks for the video.🚂🚂🚂

[@ccrx6700]

Yes Chuck it really was. Wish we could get back to running both trains every day. But of course doing that significantly cuts our maintenance track time down a lot. Thanks so much for joining us today and watching my friend.

[@rupak-travelmoments]

A mind-blowing train program indeed man !!👍 Greetings from India.

[@ccrx6700]

Greetings to you sir. Really glad you visited with us today and watched the video.

[@thomasmcginnis7447]

Dave, looking down on current gps sat image of coal loading area there is a semi tractor & coal trailer in picture. That would be a perfect location for a crossover track to blend staged empties from side tracks into the loader without pulling them out and repositioning them.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Thomas for sharing that, interesting idea. Appreciate your taking the time to check out the video my friend.

[@pcap2700]

Pretty cool to see how switches work and solar powered too

[@ccrx6700]

Really pleased to hear you enjoyed the show Pcap. We do thank you so much for taking the time to tune in and watch today my friend.

[@rayshutsa6690]

Thanks Dave for the great video. The explanation of the way the switches work has taught me something new. I am enjoying your channel and content. Great commentary Dave. ❤🇨🇦

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Ray! Just saw your comment over at Stormy Skie Productions. Steve a great guy and here in about a week he will be on our show riding track and showing how do track inspections

[@rickweissmann7101]

Thanks for the knowledge. You're videos are always great

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you very much Rick for the very kind words. Really appreciate your visiting with us tonight and watching my friend.

[@46fd04]

Great video! Watching this electronic switch fail makes me worry more about remote controlled locos.

[@ccrx6700]

Oh believe me the remotes here goof up a lot. However there is a fail safe built in them so the train doesn't just keep going with no control. it stops after a short time. I do hear your concern which was the concern of us here also. Thanks so much for taking in the video my friend.

[@brianbickley8368]

Thanks once again for letting us in on those interesting secret railroad things!

[@ccrx6700]

Yea big secrets ..... LOL But guess something that doesn't show up on the rail cams. Just showing what i do on the job Brian, and kinda guess I take these things for granted a good bit of the time. Really appreciate all your great comments and support you have given us my friend.

[@davidbass7593]

I guess in the old days those switches were all set by manual... electrinics although fail from time to time but made things much better and less labor intensive thanks for sharing this Dave

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome and you are right David, in the days of old all switches were thrown manually, a lot of them still are. Appreciate very much your taking the time to write in and to check out the video my friend.

[@jimbos3421]

Thats exactly how I cleared alot of faults at work. The guy with the "magic box" to diagnose this computer crap was on a different shift, so sometimes it didn't get fixed!

[@ccrx6700]

Couple of others suggested try using a 16 pound sledge hammer Jimbo.... LOL Very much appreciate your showing up and taking in the video tonight my good man.

[@jeffreykennedy5956]

You have a great job! I love working with big stuff.

[@ccrx6700]

I do too Jeffrey, 1 to 1 scale.... :-) Thank you for visiting with us and may you have a very good day my friend.

[@annettelaurence5716]

We love your job too! Thank you for sharing with us🙂

[@ccrx6700]

Your very welcome Annette. Very much appreciate your taking the time to write in and for watching today my friend.

[@captainboing]

Great stuff. Remember to update us on the fix (or a vid if you are about when the techy turns up would be great) I won't sleep til I know the fix 😆

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks captainboing. Glad you enjoyed and we appreciate your watching. Our electrician can diagnose the problem using a laptop so hopefully he will get freed up to get there soon.

[@christopherleenknecht920]

Another great video Dave 👍. We had manal switchs on the railroad I worked on. No elec problems. Keep them coming 🚂👍👍

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Christopher and really glad you enjoyed. This one used to be manual, but when they first decided to run 2 trains all the time years back they put in this electric switch and it has been a perpetual problem since then. We have 3 other electric switches and they give us no problems at all. The original switch here was a spring switch so you could run it one way without throwing, but going from the main to the diverging track had to get out and throw it manually.

[@alkennedy1124]

I see the extra box of glass fuses lasting , that put some grease on the switch slides , lol nice thanks BigAl California.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Al for visiting with us and watching the movie my friend.

[@cedarcam]

I was surprised how much there is in that switch machine Very different to anything we have which are driven over by gears. The hydraulic ones we have are just a small box with a solenoid valve for Normal or Reverse and contacts boxes fixed on the rails to detect the switch position. I would not be surprised if the heat had cooked something in sensor, sure was hot there and rail temperature must of been sky high

[@ccrx6700]

On one of our manual switches at the harbor we also have a contact box that sends a signal to a switch position light. Some time maybe next year I will give you an in depth look at the electric switches. Heat is unkind to electronic circuitry for sure. Appreciate your watching the video today my friend.

[@StormySkyRailProductions]

Outstanding video Dave with lots of train action plus the illustration on the switch.

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed Steve. Really appreciate your visiting with us and for all the excellent support you have given the channel my good friend.

[@StormySkyRailProductions]

@@ccrx6700 Your very welcome Dave and its our pleasure to support a great hearted person as yourself and all the hard work you do.

[@brianhickey5949]

I think electronics are great when they work. I haven't paid close enough attention to the various switches you folks have, but I have seen some of the ones on the commercial railroads have. I don't know if there is any similarity, but this gives me a better idea of how frustrating your work can be at times.

[@ccrx6700]

We have 4 electric switches her Brian. The other 3 give us almost no problems at all. This one has given us fits since it was first put in. Go figure. Our electrician will have to come up there and put the computer on it to diagnose. Really appreciate all your nice comments and for the excellent support you have given our channel my friend.

[@wilburroth5150]

I could watch this all day. You`re the man Dave!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Wilbur, really glad you enjoyed and appreciate your stopping by and watching my good man.

[@shirleyharrington-moore9657]

Excellent presentation, Dave.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Shirley for the kind words, So glad you could take the time to stop by and check out the presentation.

[@stretchlimo7275]

That was very interesting Dave, that’s the problem with technology, when something goes wrong u have to call in a tech guy to diagnose the issue. Do you guys ever have issues with it freezing in winter? That SD40 sounds so mean, love seeing it in action, the 38’s definitely sound mean too. Thanks for posting 👍🏼😎🇺🇸

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Stretch Limo, really glad you enjoyed and appreciate your stopping by and watching my good man. Bout the only problem with switches in winter is ice buildup. On the electric switches we have to keep snow and ice off the solar panels and with the often lack of sun, batteries don't charge, so we have a 110 trickle charger in each switch box.

[@thomasjunkins6491]

Worked @ Ford Electrictronics here in Connersville Indiana we were always troubleshooting proximity switches.

[@ccrx6700]

Please come on out and do some consulting for us Thomas! We could use someone with your expertise.

[@grvolans]

Great video Dave...hope you get that switch fixed!

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you and really appreciate your taking the time to stop by and watch the video today my friend.

[@ocsrc]

Buy yourself a QYT KT-8R 2way radio. They are cheap and a really great lightweight radio The stock antenna gives you 6 miles in UHF easy The display has 4 frequencies and easy to switch between them. Great to have a radio for each truck that you can grab and go.

[@declanmoran1894]

Cool to be able to see some of the mechanics of a railroad 😁👍

[@ccrx6700]

Always a fun time here when they running 2 trains!

[@ssweeps]

Also carry a large white umbrella with you for some shade.

[@ccrx6700]

I need one of those umbrellas that fits on top of my hard hat! :-) Or, stay in the air conditioned truck.....

[@rickcooper6817]

Well Dave I checked my ACME book of electric railroad switches and it said that if all else failed to use a rubber hammer on anything that looked like it needed it. If you want to check that out, it is on page 11 across from the picture of the coyote holding the stick of dynamite. That's railroading, thanks for the video Dave, stay safe and cool brother!

[@poowg2657]

Bucket of water works wonders too. .44 mag. if it gets really obstinate.

[@rickcooper6817]

@@poowg2657 Yes sir that will also do the trick!!

[@ccrx6700]

LOL... loved the pic of Wylie Coyote! I used to love watching that show. A few others suggested taking a sledge hammer to it.... Thanks for the great comment, you certainly put a smile on my face, which was very welcomed tonight after a hard, long day of tamping track today. So do appreciate all your excellent support you have given the channel my friend.

[@ericcoffedgp40]

Very neat! The switch machine is a very interesting device! Of course it was fun to watch the EMD in action!

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed watching Eric. I will do a much more in depth video maybe next year on these electric switches for you. Really appreciate all your nice comments and the great support you have given our channel my friend.

[@ericcoffedgp40]

@@ccrx6700 Awesome! Sure thing Dave.

[@stanbrow]

Yes, I would really like to see a video describing the operation of your switches.

[@ccrx6700]

I will get to it Stan, but please be patient, it may be a year or more before I get to it. Got tons of other videos already made and waiting to be posted. Lot's of cool stuff to come your way in the meantime. Always a pleasure to have you visit with us and write in my friend.

[@trailwayt9H337]

My engineer sir. I am really happy with interested by your this different video from other videos.. I think these views from the video. How train replacing and working of switch and railway track changing in automatic and Manuel are viewed..your this video is differently impressed to me. carry-on your greate videos with your greate duty.. ❤️🧡💛💚

[@ccrx6700]

Really pleased you liked this one Thomas. Very much appreciate all your kind words and support you are giving the channel my friend.

[@kennkrizsanitz7820]

Great video Dave, tried watching in surround sound tonight, loving it

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Kenn, really glad you enjoyed and appreciate your stopping by and watching my good friend.

[@russelltrupia4479]

Hi Dave this was another awesome video. I always love when you take us to school on railroading thanks😄👍👍

[@ccrx6700]

Sweet to hear you enjoyed Russell. Thanks so much for watching today my friend.

[@thomasjunkins6491]

You do an excellent job bringing the Railroadin to 🇺🇸

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Thomas and very glad you are enjoying. We do appreciate your taking the time to tune in and watch my friend.

[@davebrock6618]

never realized that popping noise was from the coal. a guy at work said certain brands of rock salt/ice melt make a horrible squealing when left on the rails.

[@ccrx6700]

I can believe that Dave. Thanks for taking the time to write in and for watching the video today my good man.

[@TriGogglin]

Awesome Dave, love seeing the inner workings of things, man technology sure is great when it works, keeps those guys from up and down outta the cab. But the old manual switches barely ever fail. You should parked your truck closer and sat in the A/C stay cool, thanks for another great video... stay safe my friend...

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks for tuning in and checking out the show Pappy. Not enough room with some coal piles by the load out to get my truck down there, alas or I would have. We have 4 electric switches and none of them give us any problems except for this one, it has been a perpetual pain since it was put in.

[@2xrpm]

Enjoyed seeing that manual switch action. Wasn't expecting that. 👍😊

[@ccrx6700]

Really glad you enjoyed and appreciate your stopping by and watching my good man.

[@PlanetMojo]

I never knew you guys ran two trains. Hopefully you can catch-up for downtime that way! The wiring in that switchbox is pretty insane. I would have never imagined that level of complication for a switch! Too bad it had to go haywire while two trains were running and it was in the 90's, but at least you had the manual option. Not a great day to be pumping anything, but lucky it's there! 😊

[@ccrx6700]

There used to be 3 permanent jobs for operators for the second train, then a muriad of problems with many different aspects of the operation occurred and they did away with the second train jobs. We only run a 2nd on occasion to try and keep the plant running if they are over run with coal or problems with the first train. I'll do a much more in depth video sometime next year on the solar switches, lot's of interest in them I see. Thanks so much my friend for all your great support you have given the channel for a very long time now.

[@PlanetMojo]

@@ccrx6700 I will definitely watch that video! A nice guy doing videos of train stuff - how could I not support the channel 😊

[@valeriebassett3107]

Great video, it was interesting to watch. Thanks for sharing.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Valerie, really good to hear from you and we wanted to say how much we appreciate all your nice comments and the excellent support you have given the channel my friend.

[@Paw95]

I like watching them coal and coke cars pass by on the rail lines. This winter on my lay-off season ill go film them.

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed Preston. Really appreciate your visiting with us today and watching my friend.

[@richardaustin2640]

They can always rely on you to keep them rolling Dave!

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks Richard, gotta keep that coal movin! Really glad you enjoyed and appreciate your stopping by and watching my good man.

[@paulsmith5398]

That was a very interesting tutorial!, as with most electronic devices, "off", then wait a minute, then "on"! I found the issue wiith my switch/crossing, it seems like some of the locomotive details are interfering with the truck swing, will have to trim them gingerly, to avoid destroying the details if at all possible.

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed tonight Paul. I subbed to your channel and hit the notification bell, however You Tube does not always send out notifications, so if I miss one of your posts, please let me know you posted. I like Catzilla movies. Glad you found your problem!

[@paulsmith5398]

@@ccrx6700 will have to spread some treats once in a while to get more Catzilla videos, sometimes he gets a little cantankerous unless theres a treat under his nose. The videos on my test track......he hopped right on up, just like he owns it! And i still cant figure out how he traipses through the trains without sending them 42 inches down to the floor. I have an interesting full size switch malfunction story for you, will post it when i get a little exra free time. You will get a good laugh out of it!

[@paulsmith5398]

@@ccrx6700 wonder if the heat has anything to do with the electronics that control the switches? We went from the oven to the freezer here in Illinois, or so it seems, and now the fog. That switch issue that i mentioned, when i was a crew driver several years ago, i had to transport a crew some 40 miles distant to bring a loaded coal train to a power plant. When we arrived, one engine was on the fritz, and had to be reopsitioned. However, the switch for the siding just would not cooperate, either remotely or with manual override. (The conductor tried his best, but it just wouldnt budge.) The dispatcher then asked if the switch heater was working...........this was in January of 2018, and we had to deal with blowing/drifting snow and quite cold temperatures.........the conductor checked the heater, and told the dispatcher to send a MOW crew to turn the heater on. It seems like someone forgot to do their job to keep the switch heater in operating condition, and another hour or two was wasted. But i got about 4 hours of overtime pay from it, just in case the crew timed out.

[@20molecula]

A good video Dave! You may not think this is a big deal but to those of us who have never seen these things done on the rails it’s fascinating. Thank you Dave! RayG

[@ccrx6700]

Well thank you very much Ray for you really nice comment. Railroading is a big deal with me, it's the central preoccupation of my life. I'm so very blessed to be able to share a part of what I do here with you guys. it is amazing. Certainly do appreciate your watching and writing in my friend. your comment means a lot to me.

[@stephenroberts4895]

Ain't it lovely when technology doesn't want to work? Interesting video in showing some of the issues railroaders have to face.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Stephen, really glad you enjoyed and appreciate your stopping by and watching my good man.

[@stephenroberts4895]

@@ccrx6700 You're welcome, sir.

[@jimhammer2012]

You have a great job when the weathers nice, but it's hardest when the weather turns foul..

[@ccrx6700]

Southwestern Pa, winters can be unkind sometimes, but what is harder on me than cold is the extreme heat and humidity. Thank you Jim for tuning in and taking in the video.

[@jimhammer2012]

@@ccrx6700 Right now we have plenty of thunder storms and heat and humidity. yuck

[@ccrx6700]

@@jimhammer2012 gotcha Jim

[@briankemp5206]

Great video Dave! A lesson in every video.

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Brian. Really appreciate all you nice comments and for all the great support you have given the channel my friend.

[@rodchallis8031]

Great video Dave, thanks.

[@ccrx6700]

Your welcome Rod, really glad you enjoyed and appreciate your stopping by and watching my good man.

[@tzadik36]

Thank you for this very informative video! Just emphasizes that one has to be prepared when in a pinch to fall back to the old methods. With the coming of Artificial Intelligence, a connected computer on the network will diagnose the problem, find the solution, and if possible, fix it itself in milliseconds, or direct a technician to the site with a step-by-step solution. Reminds one of how the Apollo 13 crew jury-rigged a sorution with duct tape and plastic film.

[@ccrx6700]

Duct tape is an important tool here on the RR also Robin! AI scares me. Those humanoid robots learn about our habits and share that with other AI robots and like you said they can learn and calculate in milliseconds and gather information, it's incredible what our future could hold in store for us. Appreciate all your great comments and for all the wonderful support you have given the channel for a long time now my friend.

[@michaelpass2176]

Dave’s exercise for the week!

[@ccrx6700]

Better than going to the gym! LOL Actually Michael way back I farmed on the side and baling hay all summer long kept me in pretty good shape, I was a lot leaner back then, but no way physically could I do that now.

[@michaelpass2176]

@@ccrx6700 I have watching a friend hay for the past four years as a safety person. It has worked twice saving my friends life!

[@michaelpass2176]

@@ccrx6700 for you who needs the gym, you get pID DOING YOUR EXERCISE.

[@ccrx6700]

@@michaelpass2176 😊👍

[@jefftoft5568]

Excellent video Dave, I just subscribed didn't realize you had your own channel. I will have a lot of videos to watch now.

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you enjoyed Jeff and thank you so much for subbing. Very much appreciate your watching the video and hope you will continue to enjoy my friend.

[@johndanaher6371]

Electronics - The weak link in the process. I would think the manual method would have been easier when the electronics fail. But Dave saves the day again. Stay safe and hydrated on those hot days sir.

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks John, but just doing my job. We have 4 electric switches and all of them except for this one work very well almost all the time. This one has given us fits from the very beginning. Must need an exorcism or something. Really appreciate all your nice comments and all the great support you have given the channel my friend.

[@dcw1540]

Thanks Dave for sharing

[@ccrx6700]

Your certainly welcome DCW. Thank you so much for watching and for all the great comments and support you are giving the channel my friend.

[@TheyCallHimDietSeth]

Wow, Dave, thank you for sharing. As always, I love seeing so many of the aspects of railroading that I never would have even considered a thing. When you mentioned at the beginning that the switch was malfunctioning I somehow pictured that it was out of adjustment and cars were threatening to hit the ground... didn't even think about the electronics that would be contained inside that box. Thanks for showing the manual override process! That's a surprising amount of technology crammed inside that control box, too! Also, it's great to see the two coal trains running in tandem. Will the long train finish unloading and meet the short train back at the top of the hill? Or would the short train be loaded and end up meeting on the dock end of the line? Also also, you've mentioned in the past how the runaround added a lot of extra time to the operation - and I can definitely see where that would become a problem if you had to do that on each end of the trip, every time! Thanks for sharing, my friend. Good to see Russ working the train again, too.

[@ccrx6700]

Thanks Seth and glad you enjoyed. The small train will now wait at the harbor for the big train to come in before departing again. Yep the push pull system saves about 20 or more minutes on each trip, remember they used to have to run around at the harbor also. So add that time up over 6 trips a day and it sure saves a lot of time daily. Russ was off for past week and half with covid. he came back yesterday which we were all happy to see him back in action.

[@TheyCallHimDietSeth]

@@ccrx6700 Thank you for the extra information, Dave! Running the locomotives on either end makes so much sense! And I'm glad to hear that Russ is back, though having missed time like that is no fun. Mrs. Diet and I hope he's feeling much better now.

[@garymessina1609]

Great video Dave last time I saw something like that the battery was bad so the controller didn't have the proper voltage

[@ccrx6700]

Very glad you enjoyed Gary. Am going to take my meter up there this weekend and check voltage, and yes low voltage will throw a fault code. Codes are dummy and don't give you any info other than it being in fault unless you have a computer to plug in and diagnose and I am not trained on doing that yet. Very much appreciate your watching tonight and for all the wonderful support you have given the channel my friend.

[@TurboTimsWorld]

Thanks and Happy Rails Guys x

[@ccrx6700]

Really appreciate your taking the time to stop by and watch the video today my friend.

[@joshuam.6404]

This has to be the most educationally informative railroad channel on the ‘Tube ✊ if you’re not available to throw that switch for them, can they dismount and throw it manually themselves until a technician can come repair?

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you very much Joshua for the very nice words. Really glad you are enjoying. Yes the operators can do that if there is no one there to do it for them. Our electrician will have to come and put the computer on the dang thing to diagnose the problem.

[@thomasjunkins6491]

This is so cool you bring the Railroadin to my Lazy boy I love this.

[@ccrx6700]

We are so glad Thomas you are enjoying my friend.

[@petezapadka]

You never cease to amaze me with your videos, Dave! Thank you!!

[@ccrx6700]

Perhaps I should start charging an admission fee..... :-) Thanks so much Pete for all your great comments and for all the support you have given us my friend.

[@tpobrienjr]

Nice of a tagger to put a mural on one of the cars.

[@ccrx6700]

Those OFAX cars we got out of Denver in 2013, all graffiti on those cars were on them when they came, we have zero vandalism here Thomas, isn't that really nice to find out. Glad you could stop by and check out the train action my friend.

[@andrewavvenire116]

That was great!! All the resources being out, cool seeing the other cars getting there wheels shined up! All the rails and run around tracks being woken up. The second train is still pretty long. Didn't count them though. Great video

[@ccrx6700]

Thank you Andrew, really glad you enjoyed and appreciate your stopping by and watching my good man.

[@davidstansbury3204]

And thanks for your knowledge and time, love your videos

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you are enjoying the home movies David. Thanks so much for taking the time to write in and for checking out the video on running 2 trains my friend.

[@TaffyMegan1]

Thanks for the great videos Dave. Really interesting seeing stuff from your point of view. 😊 I was just reading up about your little RR on Wikipedia. I've watched a few of you videos now which are great. I didn't realize you were a detached small coal rail line. I hope Biden doesn't put you out of business with his insane energy plans. Looks like you have a good amount of workers from watching the bridge tie replacement videos.

[@ccrx6700]

Glad you are enjoying them Rob and your welcome. There are only 2 of us who work track maintenance here but we do rely on contractors for a lot of the big work like bridge deck replacement. Thank you very much for visiting with us and may you have a really good day my friend.

[@MarkInLA]

PS. I wholeheartedly agree with your view on lights !!! Because even in broad daylight we can still see it glaring up the tracks + may thus forget to turn 'em on at dusk ..Why not just turn 'em on on all your tricks and fuggheddaboudit !!!

[@ccrx6700]

Very often you can see lights before you can hear a train. Those lights have saved many a track man's life over the years even in the daylight hours. I try to keep telling these engine men to run with their lights on during the day, they don't always listen, or perhaps just don't think it's important, or they forget. Thank you very much for your nice comment and for watching my friend.

[@larrysierens1029]

Thank you for sharing this I really enjoyed it 🙂

[@ccrx6700]

You're very welcome Larry. Thank you so much for visiting with us tonight and taking in the presentation my good man.