SFBR 23 (Alco S2) Switching With a Leslie S5T

[@kelvintorrence5994]

For some reason I like the old engines and their sounds of starting up and the noise of them working. Also like Alcos and Baldwin's .

[@philliplee980]

nice. awesome sound of this loco. nothing beats old school Alco's. sweet horn.

[@Alwaystrains]

Thanks Phillip!

[@philliplee980]

your welcome

[@johnpooky84]

In terms of Diesels, I agree that nothing beats the sound of an old Alco's engine, but in terms of trains in general, absolutely NOTHING beats the sound of the UP 4884 Big Boy's whistle.

[@ajfedor]

Beautiful! I still believe half the fun of running an Alco was the sound they made. (cept for the train line brakes, which ripped your ears out by the roots :o)

[@Alwaystrains]

haha yeah, back when engines were engines...

[@trainboy1926]

Yeah air brakes are noisy. Especially emergency

[@rockguitarist931]

It's nice to see the rails by the pier still in use, normally they're just part of the parking lot nowadays.

[@nigelterry9299]

That motor sounds just like the V8 English Electric engine in our British Class 20. Lovely sound and the 20s dislike starting from cold!

[@Alwaystrains]

Interesting parallel. Interesting how despite the differences, there remain certain similarities.

[@blackbirdgaming8147]

Nigel Terry As I understand it, the 539T is a Turbo straight 6. Also a 4 stroke engine and not a 2 stroke.

[@TrainTrackTrav]

Engineer certainly knows how to use that horn valve. He makes that S5 sound like a fine piece of poetry!

[@Alwaystrains]

Indeed that's what happens when a man knows his machine, though it certainly helps that 23 has an old school pull cord.

[@craytum6945]

Pretty darn cool stuff. Loved the start up on the prime mover. Many thx for the post.

[@dang5166]

Nice video love the lobomotive engine that used to be Northern Pacific back in the 1950ds and 60ds now a nice side yard switch engine in San Francisco

[@yayamerin]

with modern modifications these old mans become young guys once again

[@dougkubash8673]

sound of the engine is amazing!

[@TrainMedia00]

I love listening to the Alco S2 at work ❤️‍🔥👌

[@MichiganRailProductions]

Great action! That S5T is amazing!

[@Alwaystrains]

Thanks! It's owned by the current resident engineer, and he did a good job fixing it up.

[@michaelsmodelrailroading7665]

A little ALCO coughing and clatter is just the thing to stir up the morning coffee.

[@davebolyard6808]

I love to listen and watch this video with Alco S2 thanks Dave

[@Alwaystrains]

Dave Bolyard Thanks!

[@rennethjarrett4580]

I like the horn!

[@tobinrowe9558]

Gotta love a good old smoky Alco.

[@Alwaystrains]

Toby Rowe Indeed

[@tanzianempire8761]

3:41, sounds like music! I like that!🤘

[@LexAveExp]

She's a beauty, I hope they don't scrap her !!!

[@midlandcompound]

Great! Definitely a thumbs up for this one. Many thanks for sharing.

[@Alwaystrains]

Thank you! Always a pleasure to share.

[@russbay2963]

Another Great Video. Nice to see the inner workings of that cool little belt line!

[@robert_hughes1970]

Love end cab switchers

[@sarahbethsmile]

Well we can say that I guess alco’s were the best diesel switchers back then

[@RavennaRailfan4070]

What a gorgeous ALCO S2! I volunteer for a preservation railroad that runs an RS-3, she could really use a coat of paint like this one has though!

[@Alwaystrains]

The men who run this railroad put their best into the alcos, all nods to them.

[@craytum6945]

RS-2 and 3s are my all time fav road switchers. Jack of all trades they could just about do anything asked of them.

[@davebolyard6808]

I love the horn and the bell thanks for posting Dave

[@adeeponionbrah]

Great to watch!

[@patrickyu8470]

Wow! Nice Alco startup sounds at the beginning. Nice job from the crew for allowing you to see the internal operations! Also it seems it is switching the railcars from the Union Pacific Dirt train.....

[@Alwaystrains]

+Patrick Yu Thanks! I am always grateful to meet local crews that are as friendly as these guys are. Dirt is the largest of the commodities they handle. They take the UP dirty dirts in, and send them out. After the dirt trains arrive in South SF, a local called the "South City Switcher" hauls the cars up to the SFBR. The South City Switcher also comes to take outbound dirt trains to South SF, where the road power will take them the rest of the way. Thanks for viewing!

[@patrickyu8470]

+AlwaysTrainsHD Thanks! Had always wanted to see a Union Pacific train traveling on the peninsula!

[@Alwaystrains]

+Patrick Yu You're welcome. The South City Switcher runs on a regular basis, and isn't very difficult to catch. I have another video of it on my channel. Feel free to check it out if you like. The mainline dirt trains also run on a fairly regular basis as well. In addition, UP also runs a "Mission Bay Local" out of South SF. Plenty of opportunities to take advantage of. One of these days, I'll go back and try to catch them all.

[@patrickyu8470]

+AlwaysTrainsHD Oh I also do know the Mission Bay Local! I have seen it a couple of times in Mountain View Caltrain Station in the ~8:00 evening, the train which pulls Graniterock hoppers and Southern Pacific/ Union Pacific SD40/GP38 units. This is the only freight train I saw on the Peninsula Line, I also do have a couple of videos of it passing Mountain View, of which I may upload sometime soon....

[@samueltannenbaum6324]

Andrew its the rock boat that come once a month thanks for filming us awsome

[@Alwaystrains]

+Samuel Tannenbaum You're welcome man. That makes sense. I can't see any ship coming into the port for any other reason other than special recreation.

[@jppicur]

Prefer the original single-bell horn with its moo-like blat but this is one of the best-sounding, best-looking videos on KZbin.

[@Alwaystrains]

Thanks. If I recall correctly, they still have the engine's original single chime horn in a box kept in a supply closet. However, they don't use it anymore.

[@SOU6900]

For some reason I enjoy seeing the slack action in the cars at the end.

[@Alwaystrains]

So do I. I find it fascinating witnessing the physics in action.

[@eva.cassidy]

Sweet engine!

[@perrygoldstein2217]

What an Awesome machine!

[@richarddonaldson286]

This is a great video

[@williammcgeehan3424]

This is the Alameda Belt Line Alco S2 in the 1974 movie " Freebie And The Bean ".

[@davebolyard6808]

I Really enjoy a Alco S2 enjoy the video thanks Dave in Cornelius Oregon

[@Alwaystrains]

Thanks Dave!

[@trevorthefilthyrat3742]

SMOKING ALCO😀💨🔥

[@Alwaystrains]

Damn right!

[@kyleb06]

That's an awesome locomotive! Beautiful! I saw an ATI siren in the background at 0:23 as well, lol.

[@Alwaystrains]

Indeed it is. I think they use it for earthquake warning... right?

[@kyleb06]

Pretty sure they're for earthquakes, yeah.

[@davebolyard6808]

I love the sound of that horn Dave

[@schleusenmeister]

Very good video. As much time as I've spent on tugs around that area (and in Richmond Inner Harbor), I've never noticed SFBR moving around. Not looking, I guess. I'll tell you what: a) those guys work fast, and b) they keep that ol' girl looking pretty. She can be forgiven for coughing and belching some when they first fire her up.

[@Alwaystrains]

+Dan Hubbell Thanks Dan! They sure don't waste any time doing what they have to do. This video was taken just after the main conductor repainted the unit. Thanks for viewing!

[@sorshiaemms5959]

THESE S ALCOS ARE MY FAVORITE DIESELS

[@timothyboles6457]

Cold blooded beast

[@thomasweekley9209]

Love that horn. The same horn that George's Creek Railway #25 wears

[@Alwaystrains]

It's a great horn. I love hearing it when visiting the SFBR.

[@mythicmesa]

The shot at 9:20, a sight for sore eyes dear departed old San Francisco!

[@Alwaystrains]

+mythicmesa Certainly a far cry from what it used to be. Thanks for viewing!

[@aztecrobowalk]

+AlwaysTrainsHD True, but it's still cool to see. A lot of people have no idea there's still a working port, industrial areas, and freight train action in SF. The stereotype is that it's 110% gone and replaced by white collar yuppie stuff, heh. Nice video!

[@mythicmesa]

Right on!

[@NorthEasternMotionProductions]

7:53 was that used in one of the Train Sim games? It’s painfully familiar

[@NorthEasternMotionProductions]

Updated, some Transport Fever 2 trains use this horn

[@Nicola636128]

Good video!

[@Alwaystrains]

+Nicola636128 Thank you!

[@thesierrastandard7281]

Awesome footage! Do they still use #23 today? I believe one of the S2s was retired.

[@Alwaystrains]

I don't know how often they use it now, but you are correct in that one of them got retired.

[@liamskopal7516]

The engineer was like "Here we go again with the smoke."

[@CodyWolfeVevo]

yup thats an Alco

[@IceFoxTrainSpotting]

*That's the same horn on CSX 1776 1776 has a s5t Leslie*

[@advideoproductions2024]

Excellent video! It’s a shame about what happened to this locomotive.

[@IH-Harvester89]

What happened to it?

[@alcobufff]

Hi would it be ok if I used part of this footage for an up coming KZbin Video I'm putting together on early alco's

[@Alwaystrains]

Provided my channel name is listed as a source, absolutely! I look forward to seeing the end result

[@alcobufff]

@@Alwaystrains Of course! Thanks!

[@davebolyard6808]

Can I ask is there a site that has just Alco S2 videos thanks Dave

[@Alwaystrains]

Not sure. I'm sure there are some Alco-related forums on the internet, but I don't know if any of them are devoted specifically to the S2.

[@markgorney3325]

Awesome!

[@Alwaystrains]

Thanks Mark!

[@markgorney3325]

I was born and raised in SF in the '60s and '70s (Telegraph Hill, hence Belt Line, Schweitzer Malting Works etc). Fuckin' awesome! Like starting up a Hughes 500 helicopter. Deeply satisfying. And great sound! Thank you.

[@NorthEasternMotionProductions]

Honestly it’s very strange that a tabby 5t sounds so harsh.

[@michaellindsay6735]

Cool thank u

[@johncolston4758]

Mavis? Is that you?

[@agrady7216]

Are S5T’s huge, large in size?

[@voidjavelin23]

they are huge

[@Ashton351]

Why do trains often make a squealing brake-like sound, even when they're accelerating?

[@Alwaystrains]

What you're hearing is the flanges squealing. Believe it or not, only a very small surface area of the train's wheels (about the size of a dime) is actually touching the rail at any given time. The location that the wheels touch is located on the inside of each rail, a location known as the "flange." As trains go around curves, up and down grades, or pull heavy loads, the wheels will squeal as the wheel adjusts to the curvature in the rail. Heavy loads in freight cars can also further amplify this effect.

[@b3j8]

He did a super job of answering your question. Just to add that those rusty old siding tracks don't help any!

[@trainzguy2472]

How can I find out when they're running? I need to go see that for myself!

[@Alwaystrains]

The SFBR runs 5 days a week I think, if not more. As for the times, I don't know.

[@mercury7590]

Is this a diesel hydraulic locomotive? Certainly sounds like one.

[@Alwaystrains]

Nope. Just your standard diesel electric.

[@blackbirdgaming8147]

Patriot Works Might sound like that because it has a massive turbo and it’s a 4 stroke.

[@amtrak713productions8]

Heard they run them on biodiesel

[@Alwaystrains]

Yup, it's a mixture of biodiesel and standard diesel.

[@supertrens7879]

Video Perfeito

[@michaellindsay6735]

Why the lights go around like that in the head light

[@Alwaystrains]

In the intro? That's what's called a "gyra light." In the early days of diesels, units were equipped with oscillating gyra beams as a means of warning people down-line that a moving train was approaching. Gyra-lights were then phased out by flashing strobe lights, and later on, ditch lights.

[@miekahall6841]

Is this S2 only used for switching?

[@voidjavelin23]

the S is already indicates Switcher

[@sarahbethsmile]

And still are probably today

[@desertbob6835]

Well, that 539 ain't long for this world.

[@Alwaystrains]

+DeserT BoB It's remaining time is uncertain. I know the conductor, who also helps maintain this engine. Based on what he's told me, it would seem like the engine is not going to last much longer. But it's still doing well for its age, being over 70 years old and what not. It still remains their daily switcher, until they find the money for a new unit.

[@desertbob6835]

AlwaysTrainsHD The 531/539 was a pretty tough engine, compared to the lousy 244. Seems I see more of these old 539s still toiling than I do the 244-engined stuff, with the exception of the few MRS-1s out there, and they run good because they're still essentially new. Enpro still has the 251 in production, itself amazing.

[@locohog91]

+AlwaysTrainsHD sounds healthy to me. compared to others I've been aroubd.

[@desertbob6835]

***** Yeah, it's pretty amazing that some of them even run at all. I've seen them start on one or two cylinders and spew atomized fuel and smoke for almost a half hour before the other cyls start firing off. Some of that's just neglect, true, but 539 parts are getting pretty hard to come by, for sure. There ARE a number of 539Ts out there still in service that are in dandy shape, mainly because of parts gotten from MLW, who was producing the 539 for years after Alco quit building them in the early 1950s.

[@daylightbigboy]

DeserT BoB Doesn't FM still make 539s for stationary use? I know they make ALCo 251s for the same purpose.

[@davebolyard6808]

Hi Dave here I want to build a small HO scale layout I think I want to use a alco S2 for my engine and see if I can find a engine in the Portland & Western paint detailor find someone to paint it

[@Alwaystrains]

Unfortunately there's not much I can help you with in the way of detailing, as I am only learning it myself.

[@blackbirdgaming8147]

Dave Bolyard Christine Braden is the person to contact for things like that

[@richardjones3712]

What a shame. I believe the SF Belt line is no longer in existence.

[@Alwaystrains]

Yes you're correct Richard. The belt trackage is largely paved over, making the little yard that the SFBR operates the only remaining trackage from the original belt.

[@sheilasembly-crum8447]

So sad.

[@lutherbrefo9205]

Yikes, let it idle, maybe crack the throttle slightly....

[@dennisyoung4631]

Distillate-to-soot converter.

[@ReadingAreaRailfan]

Im must realing that S2's sound like GP40's

[@OntarioRailfan992]

how? no they do not

[@ReadingAreaRailfan]

@@OntarioRailfan992 the turbo charger on them thats how. It makes it sound kinda like them when there moving

[@samueltannenbaum6324]

navy will be docked at pier 80 for fleet week we have shios all the time but hey i just work there what do i know

[@Alwaystrains]

+Samuel Tannenbaum Oh yeah, I forgot about that.

[@Kermondale]

Cough Cough ...

[@billprice7515]

I have the builders plates to these engines.

[@Caltrain927]

Hey Bill would you be willing to send me some pictures of them? I'd like to create replicas of 23 and 25 builders plates to put on the engines again. Thanks!

[@alexrobison19]

No way is that a ship at the port of San Francisco 😂

[@Alwaystrains]

+Alex Robison There's no fooling you. That ship is docked at Pier 94, but for what reason I don't know. Thanks for viewing!

[@Trainlover1995]

+Alex Robison In the words of Vizzini: "Inconceivable!"

[@lippertkaleb]

Am surprised they allowed that thing to start up in heavily environmentalist San Francisco

[@Alwaystrains]

Personally I think they had forgotten such a thing was there. Well, as of now, one of the units has been replaced by a newer one. One alco remains while the retired one is set to become a static display.

[@LTDCrownVicFanakaRoyalTsnumber]

Watch Dogs 2 real life

[@gerryroach7111]

You may like the sound of an Alco switch engine but you sure won't learn much about switching watching this.

[@russbay2963]

Another Great Video. Nice to see the inner workings of that cool little belt line!

[@Alwaystrains]

Thanks Russ! Although it's unfortunate that this is all that's left of the old belt, it's still cool to have a place where alcos are still used as revenue power.