Tehachapi_(1991) SP "Oil Cans" Exit Tunnel #5

³³ Happy New Year!!! A New Years treat for all the railfans out there.³³
Southern Pacific's "Oil Cans" exits Tunnel #5 in Tehachapi Aug '91. Lead units put out more smoke in contrast to helper units, usually it's the opposite.

[@stripervince1]

We were THE most awesome railroad back in the 1980s and 90 until the merger. Our locos might have been dirty, but we slugged it out up the mountains and thru valleys carrying coal and oil. The good old days

[@Steamytheme419]

You worked on sp?

[@joshthetrainfan]

SP was the most awesome railroad. I just purchased an SP SD45 at a train show and I think one of my next videos is going to be an Espee train through Tehachapi in the 1990s

[@user-wu1ds2sz3w]

I read in Diesel Era magazine how the Southern Pacific would order them new with all the bells and whistles but then run them into the ground. It got so bad that EMD had to threaten SP to void the warranties. But that is part of what made SP so interesting to me!

[@joshthetrainfan]

@@user-wu1ds2sz3w They did run those suckers into the ground. The SD45R I just purchased has grime all over it.

[@user-lq4mo8dw1p]

​@@user-wu1ds2sz3wfalse, my mom worked at bay 6 at EMD. They would ship just as much if not more to other railways ....

[@grayswandir47]

If you watch closely you can see the engines stop smoking as they emerge from the tunnel. I suspect the engines were starved for air which caused the plume of unburned fuel in the exhaust.

[@DavidC1]

100%

[@andyharman3022]

That's exactly what I was thinking! The exhaust of each loco cleans up as it exits the tunnel. The engines must have sucking all the air out of the tunnel.

[@simonedwards5070]

Dream on it’s because America is the worlds second largest polluter

[@alexandergrube6437]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I do believe tunnel noted units were designed to recycle exhaust into clean air, hence the big radiators on the side

[@alfyxgames2271]

+lightnindash 3804 I'm not sure if they "recycled" the exhaust. I'm pretty sure it's to reduce emissions.

[@Mondego_H]

"Use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area" GM-EMD owner's manual

[@raymondbermudez2920]

I love the smell of diesel exhaust in the morning

[@user-ih1mo8vv7o]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@TrainTrackTrav]

And THAT, children, is why Southern Pacific's diesels we so dirty. For goodness sake, smoke comes out of the cab at 0:53. LOL!

[@nekomasteryoutube3232]

You'd probably be dead or passed out if the tunnel was long enough, thats basically what you'd call being gased (like what some people do with cars in a garage)

[@BenjaminEsposti]

Whoops! They screwed up that cab by leaving the window open ...

[@mattbrozowski1660]

That's why you wear your scuba gear!

[@highhorsesproductions1177]

And Rio Grande for that matter.

[@wazookazoo]

to the new guy- "put on your oxygen mask". new guy- "what?"

[@VirtualRailfanProductions]

And the award for "The Most Realistic Steam Locomotive Impression" The Southern Pacific and their SD40-2Ts. XD

[@therealsnow]

Most of those engines are SD45T-2 actually

[@Ottos_ScLm_Race_videos_2009_on]

@@therealsnow Yes that is what I was thinking reading all the posts.

[@deloreanman14]

Wish this video was available in smell-o-vision.

[@livingroomset2084]

deloreanman14 I get your reference.

[@EdmontonRails]

Even smoke pooring out of the one engine's windows

[@lexturner2365]

pouring*

[@briggsjos]

Only the front units would house the crews. The others are just power units which help move the loads.

[@marka.bilinski1961]

Joshua Briggs That was when they used manned helpers. The midtrain had a crew.

[@TarHeelBrit]

Woah, instant cab window tinting for those sunny days.

[@espeescotty]

DROOL..DROOL..DROOL!! My absolute favorite of yours, Kevin. The SP that I love, the one that just slugged it out and kept on working no matter how tough the challenge. The one that went to EMD and said: Hey fella's, we've got this smokin' hot bitch...oh yeah, and she's a tunnel! Also, I think the 6873 is going to need a pine tree air freshener in the cab, maybe two.

[@sharkheadism]

spergin'

[@bigdick7793]

I’ve watched this video so many times and I still can’t get enough

[@stevenr3169]

It's easy to imagine what a freight grinding up the mountain with 3 or 4 sets of steam helpers would've looked like

[@monkeydoctor1966]

Man ain't nuthin sounds better than a herd of smoking 645' s in notch 8,,,,,,, now that was railroading!....... Awesome video!

[@SunsetRailMultimedia]

my dad grew up in Bakersfield around this area. He grew up with the SP. he saw those smoking SD40s almost everyday. he is a railroader now.

[@MrEricmopar]

LOL! I've watched this vid several times and just today realized there are people above the tunnel's portal, trying to get away from the fumes. :D

[@amessman]

Yeah, absolutely had to watch this one a few times over. It doesn't get much better than this.

[@zeonace101]

and that kids is why SP uses tunnel motors

[@TheKoups]

wrong. SP used tunnel motors for cooling reasons. the smoke level is no different between sd40-2 and sd40t-2.Hence why no "t" units where made there after. all later release EMD units have the air intake drop down the side of the loco. sd50 and sd60 is really noticeable. The cooling arrays went back to high mounts in favour of larger cooling arrays and more efficient designs.

[@zeonace101]

TheKoups lol dude I think your taking my post a little to seriously.

[@TheKoups]

my mistake. sarcasm and stupidity are much harder to separate when text is the only means of conveying said message.

[@kleetus92]

On the SD 50-60-70-80-90 the air intake is still right behind the cab up high... what are you talking about?

[@Piequest1]

Interesting to see how the DPU's exhaust clears up as soon as they get fresh air outside of the tunnel. Great video and thanks!

[@The_Lincoln_Penny]

Nothing that a few bottles of NOS couldn’t cure 😀😀😀

[@theblackstigx92]

A big happy family out there is making a great barbeque session. There is no EMD's turbocharged dinosaurs also known as 'a damn good diesel locomotive starving for oxigen rich air':))))... Another good way to get rid of any mosquitoes within 300 ft. Good job sir. You made my day a little bit better. Love these EMD 16-645 powered beasts.

[@artiedelimitros9443]

Mostly 20-645s. A couple of 16s though.

[@dennisyoung4631]

Soot!

[@likestallwomen]

It was always nice seeing trains go out of tunnel 5 like that, never got any better than that!

[@Tharsis320]

Hope the crew is still alive? Jesus.......

[@armasters9390]

Anybody notice the two people on top the tunnel, more smoke than they expected...

[@robertengelhardt7593]

Ya prett funny.. I drove diesel tractors, we smoke each other out,,stuff has solid matter in it

[@ferbsnissan]

They use up a great deal of the available oxygen in that tunnel, which causes more smoke.

[@MP34.9]

gives a new meaning to "rolling coal" dont it lol

[@dennisyoung4631]

Yes, these engines have their *SOOT!*

[@robertengelhardt7593]

One of the coolest videos on KZbin. The environment took a beating back then. But they’re cleaning up these big engines… thanks for shareing

[@beeble2003]

No, modern units make just as much smoke when running hard through a long tunnel. The smoke is purely because there's not enough oxygen in the tunnel to burn the fuel fully -- doesn't matter how good your engine is. If they'd filmed that train away from a tunnel, there wouldn't have been a whole lot of smoke. A little more than a modern locomotive, but not a huge amount.

[@greasypetes]

I like the smoke puffing out the last lead s window, gotta be really filthy in the cab

[@davidpoor8638]

Must have been pleasant in the lead cab smelling all that diesel smoke!!! WOW!

[@nxtyrjrslm]

the stories of tehacapi ,are trutly not exagerated, best vacation spot in California,lol, viva EspEE!!

[@gretel013]

smoky diesels what a concept. Love the SP forever.

[@keving7546]

You took a lot off the highway for the comfort of us , shivers ... Thank you for the footage rip sp

[@viceroy43443]

I miss the old Southern Pacific

[@stevenspaziani9159]

Damn, never seen EMD's smoke like that, I imagine it was a lack of oxygen to the locomotives making them burn rich. Hope the crew had oxygen masks on.

[@user-xy9fj3jt9b]

Американские кочегары постарались на совесть. Мощного медведя дали.

[@bradjames6748]

I bet the freighthoppers loved that

[@SunsetRailMultimedia]

Ive always loved the sound of SD40s at work

[@therealsnow]

Actually on the head end, all of those were SD45s except for the lead engine, all tunnel motor variants of course.

[@beeble2003]

@@therealsnow Correct. The easiest way to tell is that the SD40T has two horizontal doors above the side air intake, whereas the SD45T has three.

[@WestCoastRails]

Woah .. Holy Smoke!! literally!! get the chalks out if you wanna weather these units. Check out the last unit on the head end, windows must have been left open, watch the smoke pour out as it passes!!

[@paradiseroad6405]

...man I miss those days...spent a lot of time there in the 1990s...oil cans were the best...

[@santeebandit3246]

Paradise Road ditto that. Loved watching the oil trains with all the power on em. 6 lead, 6 or more mid train, 6 shoving on the rear. Good times.

[@paradiseroad6405]

@@santeebandit3246 ...I drove from Colorado twice a year back then to watch the oil cans...I'm glad I did...you think things will never change...but blink...and they're gone...fossil fuel power hauling fossil fuels in California without much EPA interference...gotta love it...

[@eduardogallegos8645]

Que fin tuvieron esas locomotoras ya están muertas o todavía siguen en la lucha alguien me puede decir que paso con ellas eran fuertes díganme donde las puedo encontrar esas locomotor y en que estados gracias por todo mi gente

[@323railfan4]

My goodness no wonder sp locos were always dirty. Nonetheless, amazing video.

[@vega660]

can you imagine how worse this would look if they were alco units instead lol

[@stuartk.9104]

Holy crap I couldn't imagine

[@stevenlamb3971]

The smoke would have solidified and they'd have to re-dig the tunnel lol

[@Elliottblancher]

@@stevenlamb3971 The crew would have probably most likely been smoke screened or dead

[@AC-ro6ib]

EPA: Trucks are bad for the environment. SP: Hold my beer...

[@markhayes6407]

They were the dirtiest and dingiest locomotives ever not to mention the smokiest

[@nigelterry9299]

I love the black fog being blown out from the traction motors!

[@MrPummi88]

In den Tunnels braucht man ja eine Sauerstoffmaske, wahnsinnig wie geil das aussieht!

[@nigelterry9299]

I'm more fascinated by the black smoke coming from the traction motors. That is thick, chewy clag!!!!

[@beeble2003]

Is it, though? That smoke's only visible close to the tunnel. To me, it looks more like the train is just dragging exhaust smoke out of the tunnel at ground level. The same smoke is visible around teh tank cars.

[@phillipmorales8886]

That's a hazard to the train crew inhaling that toxic smoke in the tunnel!

[@robertburkland9659]

Who ever gives this a thumbs down just doesn't appreciate what the Espee did so well. Sure she was looking sketchy by this time, but that doesn't matter. Things we miss.

[@stevenmichael2845]

Tunnel motors doing their job!

[@CoalChrome]

I have never seen an EMD put out black like this

[@beeble2003]

Purely because of oxygen starvation in the long tunnel.

[@bigdick7793]

One of my favorite videos

[@alexandergrube6437]

Even though there tunnel moters, I'm still amazed at the fact that they didn't choke out in all that exhaust.

[@UnknownIdaho]

Sd40T-2s my favorite diesel to hate as a kid!

[@scottkew6278]

Someone left a window open in the 6873 and the as the engines clear the tunnel smoke the smoke is POURING out of that cab...YOU D have suffocated in that cab! I don t think that was survivable. Wow!!!! GREAT SHOT!!!!! LOVE IT!!!You can also see the railfans on top of the tunnel getting out of the way of all that smoke. WOW!!!!

[@MrHenreee]

Must have been awful driving those things on that route lmao

[@Cessna-er4je]

That's the tunnel motor for you, either they work hard enough or work too hard, they can cough up plenty of smoke.

[@TheNomadicRailfan]

Good lord, it's like they're steam locomotives....but that was awesome. Outstanding video!

[@Goetterdaemmerung86]

I never really knew why locomotives looked all sooty in these old videos, well, I guess I just found out lol

[@Nicola636128]

Absolutely impressive!!

[@sp8553]

Wow, great exhaust action!

[@nigelkthomas9501]

This tunnel is seriously claustrophobic!

[@CCTCanada]

The smoke coming out the cab haha!

[@MrPummi88]

Beautiful!

[@nigelterry9299]

I think I can work out why the locos are so blackened.......

[@trainfan4449]

"And now we're Blackened."

[@joeseymour4073]

"None more black." 😆

[@RailwayWorld]

Great way to start out the year ! Awesome Exhaust ~

[@chrisg7160]

Loved those SP and SSW units! They remind me of my youth.

[@pqhkr2002]

Is there only me feel funny when smoke get out of the tunnel before locomotives get out?

[@beeble2003]

The smoke is forcibly ejected from the locomotive and will spread out in all directions. Except that it's constrained by the tunnel, so can only go forwards or backwards. There may also be a breeze blowing in the same direction that the train is moving, pushing air through the tunnel.

[@Ds3211995]

Definitely up to tier 4 regulations. Lol!

[@marioxerxescastelancastro8019]

0:52 Smoke comes from the window of the 4th locomotive.

[@JosePerez-cg9hb]

Excelente video saludos desde Querétaro México buena velocidad y mucha contaminación 😮😮😮😮😮

[@rendezvous65]

Awesome rail video and I loved seeing the black smoke.

[@johnmilliard2696]

Thats why the espee never had and clean locomotives. Awesome

[@gretel013]

surprised the engineers did't get black lung from all that smoke. Nice video anyway.

[@charlesroer972]

Most likely a Scott air pack or bottled air

[@Elliottblancher]

@@charlesroer972 O'hare bottled Air

[@mikeday62]

Great raging gander nads! It's the choke master express pulling 90 tank cars full of highly explosive liquid rocket propellant.

[@kive33]

Southern Pacific a environmentally friendly Railroad.

[@sharkheadism]

*an

[@Bass_man1997]

kive33 lolikr

[@jeffbutler5274]

Wow...and they said steam locomotives were hard on crews in the tunnels...and these diesels were not even ALCO products !

[@nigelterry9299]

I'd love to see one of the Krause Maffeis through here. They smoke like that at the best of times!

[@H60HAWK]

OMG, the forth Engine (Cotton Belt) leading in the front had black smoke pouring out of the crew cab window......WTF? Why weren't all those windows shut closed?

[@beeble2003]

'Cos somebody forgot to close it. Only the first locomotive has anyone in it.

[@RailFan1981]

Now that's awesome!!

[@sarahkraynak4858]

Someone left the winders open on the fourth unit!!! LOL. I also noticed there were a couple of regular sd40-2's in the helper set. I bet those crew members pry try not to breathe much inside the tunnel I know the cabs had to get smoky.

[@Hunter_Dawso]

Sarah Kraynak I believe those two were SD40R's. SP didn't have SD40-2's.

[@sarahkraynak4858]

I did not know that thanks for the clarification. I was using my wife's account before lol. This video is really making me wanna buy a Tunnel motor for my HO scale layout!

[@scottclark7439]

Best Ever!!!!

[@soarinskies1105]

Environmentalists: *AUTISTIC SCREECHING*

[@amtrak706]

And that is why SP painted their stuff grey

[@robertgardner8680]

Talk about a headache!

[@greenriverrailfan]

The era before buffer cars

[@easyamp123]

damn, you could almost swim in that it's so thick

[@lancereagan3046]

Ha ha ha, the last engine of the lead group had its cab window open! Did you see the smoke billow out...!!!

[@CatonsvilleCentralRwy]

Southern Pacific: Saving the environment one blown turbo at a time.

[@Bass_man1997]

Woody Ridenour 😂

[@vega660]

if southern pacific bought some pissed out Penn central units it would look like this, with out a tunnel even lol

[@MetroVick]

Fantastic.

[@willyphast2509]

dont wash them boss southern pacifics new paint schemes. soot coverd beauty's. its epic. a picture for above the mantal. good job my friend,,

[@slashmaster2]

Units were making a JACKASS sound!

[@artiedelimitros9443]

Very mean aggressive looking and sounding SP sd45t-2's.

[@ohioandnortheastern]

My local railroad: that's cute

[@TommyZTrains]

"ONE OF THE B E S T CLIPS HERE" !!

[@TomSpurlock]

Holy smokes, literally. Hope those engineers had a good health plan.

[@TCFan30]

True diesel power...doesn't need to look pretty!

[@joshjones3408]

Ooooohhhhhhh .... how dear you👍👍

[@Fitch721]

Sublime! Don't really fan todays modern locomotives much, but I have to ask if the 4400 gevos/ SD ACes and the like emit half as good of smoke show per unit as the 645 engine series locomotives.

[@beeble2003]

They can still kick out some prety good smoke. Look at videos of, er, that tunnel on the Montana Rail Link (he said, vaguely). Bozeman Tunnel?

[@bigern32480]

They sure give a beautiful roar. I love to take wiff of some diesel exhaust, This might take me over my quota

[@kc8rbk73]

Aaahhhhhh the good Ole days