The Congressional Limited Wreck 80 years later

[@Thunderbolt_1000_Siren]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mHe6eH-dYs6oY5Ysi=V1d5-oJtvW3QQrZ5 Full news interview with me can be found here

[@Elliottblancher]

I just watched it and its great, this is something that needs to be shown everywhere

[@RyansColoradoRailProductions]

And here it is. Thanks Thunder as always for the opportunity to collaborate!

[@julyanroldan3837]

I never heard of it before

[@jacobdubielak]

​@@julyanroldan3837me nether

[@Keystone1906_Productions]

Hey Thunderbolt are you gonna do a video on 90 crash. Great western 90 crashed on November 7th 1944 and it hit a truck at a grade crossing and ended up derailing and landed ON the fireman side and killed the fireman and the truck driver. So I hope you make that a video sometime

[@AngelBrockTubbyBodSupporter888]

I haven't heard from you in a long time, @RyansColoradoRailProductions

[@lachlanjenkin1659]

Nice to see you guys Colab with each other again

[@82accs]

My Dad was home on leave, going out for a last night out with his friends before shipping out for Europe. He borrowed his Dad's pickup truck for the night. He didn't know what had happened yet, but he was stuck in the traffic jam as emergency vehicles converged on the crash site. A Police officer came up and told him they needed his truck to transport some of the crash victims. The worst memory of his story was the woman he helped load in the bed of the truck. In his words, "She was missing both legs and screaming for her baby"... Later that night, he went home, parked the blood stained truck in the garage, and went to bed. The next morning he was awakened by his Dad yelling BOBBY, WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY TRUCK??? News didn't travel as fast as it does today, they had no idea he was at that tragic scene the night before...😔

[@Thunderbolt_1000_Siren]

Incredible! Thanks for sharing and thank your father for both his heroism at the crash site and service in the war. God bless his soul

[@CedarCreekAssoc]

That woman may have been my aunt--one of the most tragic things are family has been coping with for generations--I am grateful for the kindness of your father and have some comfort in knowing she was surrounded by that kindness, if that was her...she did have a baby but he was not with her.

[@82accs]

@@CedarCreekAssoc Oh wow, I can't even imagine how that affected your family! So sorry to hear that, but if it was in fact your Aunt, she couldn't have been in any better hands than my Dad's. All my life growing up he was always the first to jump up and help someone else. My main inspiration for the way I live my life as well. He saved a Philadelphia Evening Bulletin, full of photos and stories about the crash. I have looked over the list of passengers many times, wondering who the people were that my Dad helped that night, and wondering if they survived their injuries...

[@MightyMezzo]

I can’t wait. My grandfather was a track supervisor for the PRR, and had to clear up after this wreck. My mom and my uncle say that he was away from home for two days.

[@HistoryintheDark]

The truth is that trains are, frankly, the safest way to move hazardous materials. The only other economical option is truck which...I mean one person doesn't use their turn signal and you see how that can go. But Class 1's must be held to a higher standard to make sure these accidents do not happen again. I am still patiently waiting for the NTSB's findings for East Palestine since I'm sure we don't know the whole story regarding it.

[@penginator89]

yes prob ns was being negligent with the maintenance of their rolling stock

[@SadisticSenpai61]

We already know it was a hot box that caused the derailment. That much was obvious from the various security footage. Unless it was an old journal box (and I don't know if it's been established if it had roller bearings or not), a hot box is only really likely if Norfolk Southern was extremely deficient with maintaining their rolling stock. And given we do know that NS had been cutting back on maintenance just about everywhere... Tanker cars should be able to handle a violent derailment without leaking, but the added presence of the fire does add some complexity to the situation. After all, the fire would heat the liquids and gasses and cause them to expand which would result in failure of the tanker cars. I'm not entirely sure there's much that could be done to prevent something like that other than quickly removing the cars from the fire's vicinity - which is very difficult to do if the cars are on the ground. There's also the question of whether all the tanker cars were up to modern safety standards. All of the old cars that aren't up to the new standard were required to be replaced by the time the accident happened, but we also know that there are still older non-standard tankers that have continued to be used - usually because the companies that own the cars have not actually gone through all of their stock to double check each tanker car. Add in that a lot of rail stock is leased these days and... Who the duck knows how many dangerous tanker cars are still in service.

[@Doll.The.Solver]

Hello Darkness The Curse, I Am One Of The Members Of Your Channel

[@heatherakers1230]

Love this guy

[@darkadmiral106]

How are YOU here?😂😂

[@FellowManofAggieland]

The fact you were on the news talking about the situation is remarkable!

[@Thunderbolt_1000_Siren]

It was pure luck. I was only gonna be out for a short amount of time (hence my hideous bed hair) but they were looking for railfans to talk to about the situation (as Wyomissing is a hot spot for railfans) and they found the perfect guy. By chance an ethanol train was coming so I was like "this is what you're after! It's a boom boom train!"

[@Gojira160]

​@@Thunderbolt_1000_SirenCan I help you in the next train wreck documentary?

[@alan6832]

@@Thunderbolt_1000_Siren Kudos on that doorbell video of the Palestine train. Do you think you could have raised the alarm if you had been beside the track and seen that? or do you lack communication? How about a big block of graphite powder laden wax mounted above the bearing that just sits there under normal conditions, but any abnormal heat and it melts, releasing wax and graphite powder into the bearing, of whatever type? And mounted in a position in which a quick glance from anyone trackside can see that the wax has melted. Perhaps this wax could also contain another powder, molybdenum? that can keep lubricating when red hot? What do you think of conspiracy theories about herbicide companies wanting to poison the Amish? What regulations should be added to hazmat trains?

[@KyanCamaro-yd7le]

From roachdale Indiana

[@ValentineHolbert]

I remember I read a story of a group of kids that watch trains from the trackside. One day, as a freight rolled by, the kids saw that one of the cars had a hotbox. Warning the crew on the caboose by lantern, the train stopped and the crew checked but found nothing. The kids knew they had it, when a railroad detective came to their house. But to their surprise, the detective came to congratulate them instead. The stop had actually cooled the hotbox down enough that the crew and the following hotbox detectors had missed it. It was only when pulling into the yard that the car was again making smoke.

[@JJTHE88FAN]

Wow that must've been perfect timing that those kids happened to know what a hotbox was and had the train stopped. True heros of that day

[@leehuff2330]

My late uncle actually prevented the derailment of a high speed passenger train on the Fort Wayne line near Canton, OH back in the late 1950s. He worked in the old yard located at Canton and noticed the telltale smoke. He ran to the nearest phone and called the tower, identified himself, and warned the operator who stopped the train. Uncle John went about his job and didn't think anything more about it until he was told to report to the office one morning. When he got there and saw all the big shots from the Pennsylvania Railroad, he was sure he was getting fired for stopping a priority train. He was instead presented with a letter of commendation. When the affected car was removed from the train and taken to the repair shop, the mechanics saw THAT bearing was on the verge of seizure. The big bosses told my uncle that they shuddered to think how many lives could have been lost had the axle failed at speed.

[@JJTHE88FAN]

Jeez that must've been scary to think about how he would've felt if he didn't get the message out in time😬 Those passengers were very lucky that he saw it and immediately gave the warning. I hope he enjoys/enjoyed the rest of his life and God bless him for making that call

[@leehuff2330]

@@JJTHE88FAN To the day he died, that letter was one of his most prized possessions

[@JJTHE88FAN]

@@leehuff2330 I'm so sorry for your loss. He must've been one of the greatest people you ever knew. May he rest in peace😔. Try and have a good rest of your day or night.

[@teddyguerrero1235]

Glad to see the documentaries are back! Always very informational and entertaining!

[@sirrliv]

Well There's Your Problem podcast covered this wreck some time ago. They emphasized that all of the second series of P70 coaches, mostly numbered in the 3000 series, had been refitted with Timken roller bearings, but the older first series, numbered in the 1000 series, had not. They posited that #1860, being an older car, was not rated for the high speeds on the Congressional and may have been rostered into the consist by mistake.

[@CNYRF97]

It's awesome to see you back, man. And it was nice seeing that news clip with you being interviewed. Great content as always, my friend. ^_^🍻

[@northpennvalleysteamrailroad]

Great video Thunderbolt! That was cool seeing you on the 69 News Channel!

[@dabulphilly]

It's always a good day when thunderbolt drops a video. Especially when the story is in my home town of FKD. That FRANKFORD curve is a doosey

[@Metrolinkguy865]

Cant belive you were on the news, if a complete investigation on the Palistine Ohio train derailment is released, i will be looking forward to your documentry on it

[@solarflare623]

So “friction” bearings are actually called plain bearings or journal bearings. This is a common misconception that was started by timkin. They wanted to convince people that journal bearings were inferior to their new roller bearings (which they admittedly were) so to do this they began referring to journal bearings as friction bearings in their advertising. Eventually the name stuck and people casually began calling them friction bearings.

[@BazNapper]

Indeed, the term 'friction bearing' is a contradiction in terms. The French 'Athermos' plain bearings were actually excellent, I have some experience of them. The preserved SNCF electric locos CC7107 and BB9004 had them, and featured in their record-breaking runs of over 300km/h.

[@truracer20]

And Timkin had to pull out all the stops because they were the first ones fighting the "they'll take our jobs" mindset. Feel free to reference South Park to learn how to say that quote with authenticity...

[@matthewpowell2429]

You do such a great job on these documentaries! I hope to see a documentary on the 4 Aces, and hearing more about its accident.

[@rochellethomas5591]

you just don't give a damm

[@lilcattythewildnorwester7786]

Welcome back, Thunderbolt! I'm Very Excited for this documentary. I'm Also hopping you do remastered of Big Bayou Train Disaster it's 30 years Of Anniversary.

[@railfandepotproductions]

He is as seen by the teaser at the end

[@MarvelMTs]

Yayyy! New wreck doc! How I tired of rewatching old ones. Thank you Thunderbolt 1000, thank you

[@NorthwestDaylight]

One thing you missed when explaining detectors: Though not so often these days, Steam locomotives trigger them all the time, so the old-fashioned method of lineside human eyes combined with eyes on the train has to be done, even if the train is all rollers

[@Thunderbolt_1000_Siren]

That's cause the heat of the firebox confuses the Hot box detectors for a hot box due to the vast difference in temperature

[@Thunderbolt_1000_Siren]

That's cause the heat of the firebox confuses the Hot box detectors for a hot box due to the vast difference in temperature

[@Gojira160]

​@@Thunderbolt_1000_SirenIs the 1950 Richmond Hill Train Crash coming next?

[@Benthetrainkid]

​@@Thunderbolt_1000_SirenAlso, the Congressional Limited was a nonstop service making stops at only Newark, NJ and its terminus, NY Penn Station

[@GrandCanyonStudios844]

That teaser actually gave me the chills alittle bit.

[@notexan182]

Im a returning subscriber, which was subscribed at your 2k mark, WHOAH YOUVE CHANGED!! Im vibin with the new style too much! Keep this work up!

[@vishouscat]

roller bearings require grease to be pumped in at regular intervals, if a roller bearing seizes, it's likely due to lack of lubrication, that's my best guess, awesome video as always, and congrats being on the news!

[@Stale_Kracker]

You guess correct. Im a mechanic and old style require grease and and have to be taken apart. Inspected and repacked. New style are sealed oil types

[@RailsofForney]

Nice to see a collab between two of the most prominent railfans on KZbin!

[@Herlongian]

When a train is in a siding waiting for another train, the head brakeman gets out of the engine and walks across the main line to observe the passing train’s far side. The engineer and conductor stay put and observe the near side. The rear brakeman walks forward inspecting the train in the siding and if there long enough, may end up walking all the way to the head end. It’s called “walking the train.” It’s why I preferred working the head end.

[@Voucher765]

Nice video Thunder, It's interesting how operation train cars with hotboxes can still cause accidents back then even during WW2 with all the wartime traffic

[@dmgibbs1997]

In reference to when you mentioned a Key Train... In Norfolk Southern rules, a Key Train consists of 20 or more loaded dangerous cars, OR one or more cars loaded with an Inhalation Hazard.

[@THE_IRON_HORSE]

Bro has arisen from the dead, great documentary none of the less ❤

[@CNTrainMan5762]

He's not dead. He's just busy.

[@stubell2363]

Great job, as usual, and very time appropriate. Enjoy your trip and stay safe!

[@brandomgamingandtraining777]

I’ve always loved the excitement around these premiering.

[@NHNProductionsYT]

I know right

[@jordanstrains7267]

Ive seen videos of hot boxes they are no joke very dangers on railways big or small, Be very carful on the railway you never know what might happen. Videos and documentary's like this show the dangers of the lines keep safe when you're around them.

[@Tyron-fc8wv]

We need this to understand more history about the railroads, and how they really shaped into the modern railroads and modern day

[@deaddevilxd8473]

Thank you bro I was waiting for it And happy Janmashtami to everyone 🎉

[@traingirl09]

Hi Thunder! Great video! In regards to the Ohio derailment earlier this year, I saw posts on Facebook on how rails needed to be regulated. As if they are already not. I saw some posts about how the rails were tempered with and conspiracy theories about them. While I may not know a lot about railroading and trains, I do know more than most of the people who were posting and commenting. I have long thought this to be an equipment failure issue. Even thinking that a flattened axle was to blame too. Hopefully, the end finding will tie up all the loose ends.

[@saulgodinez3667]

Fantastic video

[@jacobvincent2705]

I still remember when he made his 2015 Frankfurt junction wreck he mentioned this one

[@thealmightyblaze4405]

Glad to see another one of these documentaries! Thank you Thunder!

[@MightyMezzo]

Thanks!

[@MightyMezzo]

I just shared this with my siblings and cousins. Thank you.

[@Thunderbolt_1000_Siren]

Thanks for the donation!

[@theamazingtrainkidproducti6865]

Hey thunder glad your back again hope your doing well

[@Iamarandomdude24-7]

Thunderbolt Productions your videos are the best keep up the great work!

[@williambryant5946]

The journal boxes didn't have grease in them they had very thick oil in them which the cotton wadding sat in rubbing the axle and appling the oil which ran back between the axle and bearing to keep it lubricated and cool.

[@calebtrains2261]

Great to see you again and great video, keep up the great work. If and a when a full report of the East Palestine derailment comes out, will you do a documentary on that?

[@KLM747_Fan]

Its awesome that this series is back!

[@Arkay315]

Yay another video about horrific train wrecks.

[@chrisbarkerthefirst1982]

Awesome documentary

[@Thunderbolt_1000_Siren]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@chrisbarkerthefirst1982]

@@Thunderbolt_1000_Siren Thanks and I Hope I Will see you on the Colebrookdale Railroad again

[@Giratina575]

Glad to see you again. Would love to see the 1993 Longview junction Collision or the Cotulla tx collision. Always look forward to these

[@Connorprime29]

When I was young I watched your videos still watching them😊

[@richardjayroe8922]

The practice of "passing inspections" are still used in modern service

[@catreader9733]

I lived next to multiple high-speed tracks as a child in the 1950s and 1960s; they were used predominantly for freight. In my earlier years, journal box bogies predominated. We would occasionally observe hot boxes, especially after dark. At times, one of my parents would call it in. (There was a telephone number by our telephone, to contact some authoritaty for our section of PRR tracks. I only knew the number was a serious thing, never for me to dial.) I recall watching with interest as roller bearings increased and predominated.

[@TrainBoy2004-fkr8]

Hey Thunderbolt1000t Siren Productions, your videos are freaking awesome😎

[@rus0004]

Roller and ball bearings most definitely require lubrication. Prolonged metal on metal contact, especially in high stress applications like this, will eventually cause the bearing to disintegrate.

[@RailsofMichigan]

You know this incident that happened with the Pennsylvania railroads congressional I had no idea of, but I thought it was the similar incident that happened on the New Haven railroad in the 1950s or the '60s and that wasn't even more devastating passenger trained development on an electrified line. I don't know if you know about this derailment but it's almost as bad as the congressional I'm looking at here if you ever decide to do a video on that one. There's never been a whole lot. I told about what caused that incident but it would be interesting to know what happened. And as always another great historical video you did on a famous wreck and event that I had no knowledge of

[@RyanthePArailfan6947]

I’ve been waiting for this video and yay.

[@canucksfan2024]

Fantastic video!!

[@suzannej7237]

You're such a handsome young man, thank you for all your incredible, well researched content. I enjoy it all greatly!

[@rockstar4life200]

Great as always, never fail to inform and impress. Side note, is there going to be a remastered Sunset Limited video for the 30th anniversary of that wreck?

[@garysprandel1817]

Cupola is pronounced coo-poe-lah as opposed to cup-poe-lah. They're probably all gone by now even in MOW service but pretty much post 1980 any of the old style friction bearing trucks were converted to roller bearing. These were most easily spotted because in most cases the journal box lids were removed and one could spot the 3 bolt end caps rotating inside though some retained the lids making them indistinguishable from the banned friction bearing.

[@TransNatAirTNA]

Oh boy ever since the remastered of Cajon pass 1989, I've been waiting for a while

[@uhlijohn]

When I started working on the CNW RR at Proviso Yards in 1974 the roller bearing conversion was still on going. There were still brass bearings journal boxes to deal with and the car inspectors had 55 gallon drums of oil placed along the the sides of the departure tracks where outbound trains were made up and inspected. When inspecting the old brass bearing journal boxes, if the reservoir was low on oil they would take a large oil can, fill it with bearing oil, and then replenish the oil inside the journal box. Part of the equipment on every locomotive or caboose was a packing hook. This was a thin steel rod with a loop handle on one end and a hook on the other so the trainman could extract any smoldering or burning cotton wadding without burning his hands. Today, wayside detectors, every 10 to 15 miles or so, warn passing trains of any overheated bearings/wheels. I believe that journal boxes were outlawed long ago and the entire fleet of all types of cars in rail service have been converted to roller bearings.

[@10KPremium]

Thanks for finally uploading a train crash documentary my dream is to collab with you

[@LemonSpacebirb]

love the new mic bro

[@michaelbenitez539]

I'm not surprised that the Norfolk Southern accident is brought up here, makes total sense

[@marchelinogeorge]

You being interviewed for real at 13:43 was HILARIOUS to watch!😂

[@Thunderbolt_1000_Siren]

Why because I look like a mess? Lmao

[@marchelinogeorge]

@@Thunderbolt_1000_Siren No, because it kinda makes you famous. Plus, I wasn't expecting that.

[@ALCO-C855-fan]

​@@Thunderbolt_1000_SirenNah not really. It was exciting to say the least. Though with every summer getting hotter than a hot box you should really get a haircut.😉

[@csxtrainfan319]

Like seeing documents of old accident, speaking of I’m wondering if you can do a document of that train collision in Greece earlier this year.

[@anotherHelldiver]

Just in time To catch the premiere ending. Cool!

[@SilkyTrains]

I really love this documentary!

[@caboose.20]

"I'll sit in the middle of the train that'll maximize my chance of survival in a rear/head-on collision."

[@CHNplayz]

Let's go! A new train wreck video.

[@maxprotz3512]

Yo bro please keep the old train crashes up there the best

[@TrainBoy2004-fkr8]

This video is freaking awesome 😎

[@samuellaird5184]

Can’t wait to see the 1111 video!

[@Stale_Kracker]

Roller bearings live on lubrication. Ive grease packed hundreds of roller bearings including timkin. They live on lubrication. Some are grease and some are oil but if they dont have it will fail and ruin the bearing and race. They absolutely are not self lubricating that needs to be fixed. Other than that great content

[@Hired_49.-ri]

great story as always

[@robertsutton5169]

Good job!

[@SOU630Fan]

It's seems a bit of a coincidence, but both the wrecks involving PRR GG1s included the Federal Express Runaway Incident and the Congressional Limited Wreck.

[@ALCO-C855-fan]

13:43 / Wait... IS THAT REALLY YOU???😮❤

[@rolandvonthun1403]

Hey you should make a documentary about the LeClaire, Iowa derailment. It happened a few years ago

[@PhoenixTheEIRC8205]

Hey I saw your deviantart account and you make great content and art!

[@michaelgreene4748]

I notice that you say the train was the Congressional Limited. That train did make the stops you made. However, the train that wrecked was "The Advance Congressional", a train that basically ran non stop from Washington, DC, only stopping in Newark, NJ, then Penn Station in NYC. I also note a few other things: the observation cars you show did not run on the PRR until 1949, and then, on the Broadway Limited and The Spirit of St. Louis, both of whom made their Philadelphia stop at North Philadelphia. You show the PRR EMU cars, called MP-54-E1/6(in 1943, the subclasses were E1 to E3. Their sounds were similar to New York City's IRT Lo-vs, along with Philadelphia's Broad Street Subway cars, except the PRR cars made a grinding sound on start-up, due to their having to step down the overhead wire voltage (11kV, 25 Hz AC)) to 800 VAC for the motors on the cars.

[@jasonligo895]

I thoroughly enjoy your videos. The biggest question I have about the East Palestine accident is how, in about twenty miles, did the crew not stop the train? As you said, we'll have the await the findings from the NTSB.

[@patrickhuot001]

10:02 My father and I visited the Colebrookdale Railroad several years ago.

[@Thunderbolt_1000_Siren]

That's the very shortline I work for (the footage was taken 3 years before I got hired out) It's an alright little line close to home.

[@patrickhuot001]

@@Thunderbolt_1000_Siren Nice. Based on a recent Trains magazine article I read a couple weeks ago, they’ve really expanded their operations.

[@thestolenmhrproperty2102]

10:28 you guys still use cabooses!?

[@Bucket_Noob12]

I was about to say why thunderbolt voice sounds different in the intro until I realised that it's a collab

[@erikalafrance7227]

I like train wrecks so that’s why I watch your vids

[@wilburfinnigan2142]

To start with in 1943 roller bearings were in wide spread use in automotive and trucks either lubed from an outside source or prelubed sealed bearings and there was no reason a sleeve bearing train should be going 80 MPH...... the Ball was dropped hard !! !

[@crazyrailfan]

Can’t wait to see this documentary

[@MichaelMitchRailfan2009]

I’m surprised that this wreck happen back in 1943 during WW2

[@yogabumm]

Its good to be here

[@WeirdAndrew789]

R.I.P to the people who die in the accident.

[@chrismrugala6696]

never thought we would get a thunderbolt1000 face reveal.

[@railfangarrett6313]

He's done a face reveal before in one of his previous documentaries

[@Thunderbolt_1000_Siren]

My face shouldn't really be a secret anymore at this point XD but to be fair people spot me for my voice more than by how I look

[@OG-Productions]

I love this video

[@peterfoxon5498]

I would love to see a remaster of the Frankfurt junction incident in the future.

[@michaelbenitez539]

9:58 Nice to see the Colebrookdale being featured in videos like this

[@Thunderbolt_1000_Siren]

Especially considering I work there ;)

[@julyanroldan3837]

Hey thunderbolt 1000, can you do the 2015 Rosewell train collison?

[@NateCraven318]

For a second I thought you got the Mustard narrator to help annotate the video.

[@Thunderbolt_1000_Siren]

I wish

[@E60guy101]

A train disaster that's on my birthday, interesting

[@robertkoch-oz9lt]

Happy birthday E60guy101🎉

[@Jeremiah_Rivers76]

Best wishes as you navigate another year!

[@lefthandstudios]

Man, I liked the old disturbing content music, btw what was it called?

[@pollyjackson-dzacchaeus1342]

this year is 120 years since the wreck of old 97 on september 27th

[@BrendanQuinn-f1s]

My aunt was killed in this train wreck. It sent my grandmother to a breakdown & died in mental hospital a year later. She was told my aunt her daughter was pinned alive. Terrible

[@Ohiorailfan205]

Nice video

[@f-1492]

I’d love to see a video on the Timken 1111!