What It Looks Like To Get Hit By A Giant Steam Train (As It Thunders Over the Camera at High Speed!)

The mighty SP 4449 steam locomotive, aka "The Freedom Train", aka "The Daylight" in a high-speed straight on overhead pass.
This video was taken July 3rd, 2011, in the Columbia River Gorge as it was on its way from Portland, Oregon to Wishram, Washington. The crossing we were at is located in Prindle, Washington. The Daylight was really moving this pass, chugging steam and laying on that amazing steam whistle! I laid my HD video camera on the tracks half buried in the ballast rocks and hoped it wouldn't be destroyed. I got lucky! This gigantic streamlined beauty is quite a sight to behold! Got a nice wave from the Engineer as it raced by!
Southern Pacific 4449 is the only surviving GS-4 locomotive and is one of the most recognizable locomotives of all time. She was donated to the City of Portland in 1958 and moved to Oaks Amusement Park for static display until December of 1974 when the locomotive was removed from the park to undergo restoration. From August 1975 to December 1976, 4449 shared duties with several other steam locomotives pulling the American Freedom Train throughout the U.S. 4449 is still operational and since mid-2012 resides at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center in Portland along with other preserved locomotives and rolling stock.
This video was used in the short film "The Hobo"
• The Hobo
Click here to see the H.O. scale versions of this beautiful locomotive on Amazon:
HO scale model engine in the "Daylight" colors: amzn.to/2KuxdR5
HO scale model engine In the "Freedom Train" colors: amzn.to/2DVtsns
An SP 4449 wall clock: amzn.to/37EfuRg
An SP 4449 T-shirt: amzn.to/2FH7xC5
The links above are affiliate links. This means I will earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase. This helps support the channel and allows me to continue to create content. Thanks for your support.

[@Robloxtrainbusboy]

I love steam trains just like the SP 4449

[@rainpo9fromRoblox]

Same

[@transfigur]

Me too

[@TwinerobloxYT.]

Same I love trains my fav train is the union pacific big boy 4014

[@AsherSaenz-q9k]

Because it is the south term Pacific 44,49 DUH

[@RobRepass-l9g]

I love steam trains like that too

[@RobertPlays385]

Like Dude I LOVED How The Underneath Of The Train Looked! I Wish I Was Laying On The Train Tracks! Not The Track Itself, But The Gravel And Wood Combs! That Would Look Awesome Underneath!

[@MikeLaVoie]

Yeah that would be intense

[@RobertPlays385]

@@MikeLaVoie ik Right man?! I'm Into Trains Too You Know!

[@MacJaxonManOfAction]

I keep coming back to this video, it's a thing of beauty. I love people like this dude who are so full of life and enthusiasm for what they do.

[@afly2612]

nembc6540qpcm

[@FloridaStateWX]

The power of the locomotive makes it seem like an angry beast.

[@whatthefunk05]

SP 4449: rolls over a camera 14 MILLION people: I N T E R E S T I N G

[@Upguy-tj3gv]

Well it is interesting

[@whatthefunk05]

@@Upguy-tj3gv that is true

[@Upguy-tj3gv]

@@whatthefunk05 you can say that again.

[@Upguy-tj3gv]

@Emerald Bascle lol...

[@Trainspotter_Tim]

,,wow it’s comin” ~Brutal whistling~

[@TrainTrackTrav]

4449's whistle never fails to make a statement!

[@paullsang895]

Steamment you mean?

[@patrickdumas224]

0:14 that reminds me so much of STAND BY ME. The way the train emerges into view, it's just like the scene on the bridge.

[@MikeLaVoie]

I loved that scene... of course!

[@suesmith3744]

They wouldn’t have outrun this beaut 😂

[@JunoTheRailfan844]

0:36 Bro imagine walking on the tracks with your gf at 3:00 AM and hear the tracks hissing and you look behind you and see that thing coming at high speeds with that creepy whistle

[@beeking1792]

Imagine slightly opening a hatch in your secret base, and you look & hear this 0:46

[@bigboyproductions4212]

cartoons in a nutshell

[@AlienofAndromeda]

Love the violence of the camera shaking. The power of steam!!!

[@electricgaming9914]

S t e a m r u l e s

[@MikeLaVoie]

So much bigger and heavier that modern locomotives.

[@Leatherface123.]

@@MikeLaVoie I’d hit you with a BUt wHAt abOuT THe UniON pACIfiC CenTENnial but that was built in the 70s

[@ОлександраКобилецька]

@@electricgaming9914 всчччссс

[@TheMusicMan07]

I actually went in the cab of that train once in Portland on a day that the museum that it rests at was closed! I will never forget that day

[@MikeLaVoie]

Lucky guy! And what a great memory to have!

[@BCrailguy45]

Close as in permanent or temporary?

[@TheMusicMan07]

@@BCrailguy45 temporary

[@TheMusicMan07]

@@BCrailguy45 it was on a day that the museum wasn’t open that week

[@BCrailguy45]

@@TheMusicMan07 oh ok

[@discbreakerchanel8180]

0:39 When a cartoon character opens a ramdom door.

[@saxonaudio]

Or when the aristocats learn their lesson about playing train.

[@johnwhitley2898]

Powerful and very cool 😎!!! I have this saved in my faves.... When I get a little bit jacked up at the world or "stuff", I navigate to three saved faves, and this is one of those.......!!!!!! Just blows the blues aside... Thanks for this! It's fantastic!!!

[@MikeLaVoie]

Wow John, that makes me happy! I also have a few faves that I watch for the exact same reason, one of them is this one right here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYK2f5uhaq52iqs The "Double rainbow guy" just warms my heart and never fails to uplift my spirits. And thank you for your wonderful comment!

[@johnwhitley2898]

@@MikeLaVoie WOW!! Really appreciate this!!!! He's got a whole lot of vids dedicated to his area and rainbows... very cool 👍. The circle ones at Vernal falls are crazy stuff!!! Thanks Mike 😄!! Got another fave for stepping out of the hole!!!

[@OlympiaMapping]

its a diesel powered steam locomotive and is also known as one of the most iconic steam locomotives that the world has ever known!

[@MikeLaVoie]

The 4449 actually now runs on Waste oil. It originally used a heavy oil called "Bunker C"

[@OlympiaMapping]

@@MikeLaVoie Yes i heard about that but was going on things i knew.

[@anetajohnson8446]

I never heard of a diesel powered steam engine! Thats like saying the POPE is a Lutheran!

[@MikeLaVoie]

@@anetajohnson8446 the good thing about steam power is that you can use almost anything to heat the water. You can use the most efficient or the most available fuel source. Many of the later steamships and locomotives used fuel oil instead of coal. Even nuclear power plants generate their power with steam.

[@Gearz-365]

She's a beauty. I've loved steam trains my whole life and Daylight is one of them

[@MikeLaVoie]

Yep she was the first train I fell in love with. I was 11 when I saw the Freedom Train in Portland Oregon... when she was Red, White, and Blue!

[@rickrickinhogamer]

0:36 This was the best whistle I've ever seen 😮

[@plaguepg3d642]

The quality for 9 years is amazing

[@MikeLaVoie]

Almost ten years since I filmed it... Back then "HD" video was still pretty new, and the video camcorder I used cost me over $3K! So... I was pretty nervous and taking a big risk. Now, almost every cell phone has HD video that far surpasses what that camcorder was able to provide.

[@transportfanaticsshorts]

Let's go. I remember watching means when it first came out. Holy cow that's video still gives me goosebumps.

[@chrisl2090]

Gahh that whistle gave me the chills so beautiful and such mean powerful machine at the same time @0:35

[@MikeLaVoie]

Yes! It is a very haunting sound, especially when it is echoing through the Gorge.

[@bigboyproductions4212]

0:44: Cartoons When They Open A Door Be Like

[@beeking1792]

Very true lol

[@zackaryroman1267]

0:36 ♥️

[@koreanjesus1983]

This is the scariest train horn ever. It reminds me of the Chicago Tornado Sirens. Also, the train seems to ride so low in the tracks that I thought that the camera would be crushed.

[@MikeLaVoie]

Yeah it's horn is very haunting, especially when it echoes through the gorge

[@RobertPlays385]

DANG BOY! That Southern Pacific Is As Fast As A Corvette Going Down The Road!

[@Granola_BarOfficial]

probably only more than 70 mph

[@RobertPlays385]

@@Granola_BarOfficial Well It's More Like 250,000 MPH Dude!

[@Elijah1573]

2018 And people still love this video I find it cool the fact when the day light locomotive it self ran over the camera it was shakeing ALOT More then it normally would due to the giant wheels and wheel base And the weight of the locomotive Very cool!

[@DaliDoneDusted4019]

It's been 9 years and I still watch this video

[@SuperFoxyRailwayProduction6702]

WOW

[@jsinc4511]

I love that 4449 steamer.

[@KaijuForceNeo]

Daylight is looking grand today!

[@jameshill1740]

She did say, 'get off the track the train is coming', so let's give the 'are you going to take pictures with the camera' comment a pass

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

Yeah I heard her too James

[@michaelborg5798]

Yeah same

[@Liveandirec]

She said get off the tracks the train is coming now

[@alejandroroldan7427]

0pá

[@jabrown04]

She said wow its coming comment pass

[@sirbader1]

That whistle doe. Damn Daylight, you go hard.

[@DistanceNsVeterans]

Nice catch of the GS-4

[@MaxTheKiller1915]

0:42 THE SPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED

[@AndrewTheRocketCityRailfan4014]

That whistle is from an SP&S challenger

[@Rawirigabbwarren]

I love this video so much I'm probably half the views on this video

[@MikeLaVoie]

And I'm probably the other half! LOL!

[@Rawirigabbwarren]

@@MikeLaVoie amazing video dude keep up the good work

[@thebrummierailenthusiasts5329]

Great shot and that’s a fantastic loco

[@Ericland_Entertainment_Inc]

It's amazing to see what really goes on UNDER a big steam engine like that. Loved the ending "IT'S OVER!!"

[@SPRnSTWR]

That was always really beautiful and I like the train

[@saxonaudio]

Me too.

[@MikeLaVoie]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@lildebbie86328]

0:14 is when the train comes

[@MikeLaVoie]

Yeah I cut out a lot of my yappin' and made it into a short!

[@suesmith3744]

Great vid and awesome loco, but don’t try this at home kids ‼️

[@devonbranstetter9261]

That's one of my favorite steam locamotive

[@markschroeder2578]

Nice video. I ❤ SP 4449, or as I call her, The Great Lady. And...the camcorder lived to tape another day! Stay safe and healthy!

[@a.m11558]

0:40 A few very unfortunate souls have seen this as their last view of the world

[@MikeLaVoie]

Hopefully not with the 4449.

[@swagboyspeedrunner_mario8996]

Omg i love daylight 4449

[@sajilabeevi8920]

That was SP 4449 boys!

[@MikeLaVoie]

Heck yeah!

[@bjkaye9918]

One of the many beautiful steam trains in the world

[@Thomasthetankengineandfriends]

0:45 EXPRESS COMING THROUGH

[@andrewtheberkshireengine4385]

That steam engine is called the southern pacific GS-4 daylight express 4-8-4 northern type steam locomotive built by Lima locomotive works

[@nathanielpatterson-rc9dq]

I've seen that locomotive when I visited Portland in September 2022.

[@EdWhizAviationTrains]

LOVE that Locomotive and Stunning footage - I Liked & Subscribed 👍😎

[@MikeLaVoie]

Awesome, thank you!

[@ZerryBerrytheSpaceRaccoon]

POV: You manage to survive being run over by a train by ducking between the rails.

[@MikeLaVoie]

I've always wondered if a person could do that... Not gonna try though! lol

[@elijahprasad7884]

That is the most sickest thing I ever seen in my life. Awesomest video of my most favorite train.

[@MikeLaVoie]

Wow, thanks! My favorite too!

[@Anders7109]

Love that horn and whistle

[@MikeLaVoie]

Me too!

[@turtlegamer7213]

Agree

[@UNIVERSE_X_STUDIOS]

That’s epic looking!

[@danni1993]

Cool video...I didn't even know that was a thing.

[@khansahabkeadventures]

OMG at 0:37 train sounds so scary. By the way nice video.

[@HENRYTHEBLUECOMST831FAN]

4449: GAS GAS GAS!!!!

[@gemmahaines3039]

Holy cow man

[@thebigsandyrailfan]

Just saw this on like davidsons tiktok and had to come back because this is a amazing memory and a great video to see someone else use

[@EngineerDaylight]

If I'm Correct, 4449's whistle in this video is from A Northern Pacific Z6 Challenger

[@MikeLaVoie]

I did not know that Jake! Where did you learn that?

[@EngineerDaylight]

@@MikeLaVoie I Learned it from A Friend of mine

[@class56trainsrock62]

0:36 I like that whistle

[@MikeLaVoie]

I do too!

[@calebmack4544]

Imagine this same exact thing but instead of the 4449 g-s daylight but with the Norfolk & western j class 611 (Like if you agree) 👍🏼

[@josseqikegrivera2993]

That was amazing🎉🎉

[@adventuresofamtrakcascades301]

DAYLIGHT IS MY FAVORITE STEAM LOCOMOTIVES!!!

[@MikeLaVoie]

Mine too! And has been since I saw it back in 1976 when it was the freedom train!

[@cellogirl11rw55]

That was awesome with my stereo headset!

[@phillipsfilms8023]

Hey! I work on the locomotive in portland at the oregon rail heritage center. Im one of the volunteers.

[@MikeLaVoie]

That's awesome! I hope you realize how much we appreciate the wonderful work you all have done, and do!

[@Tigerz_VR]

Wow this is how it’s like to die by the 4449 southern pacific steam locomotive

[@MikeLaVoie]

Yeah, but then you wouldn't be able to enjoy the video!

[@EerierFish16]

Nostalgia. i watched this back in the day.

[@MikeLaVoie]

Do you mean when I first posted it? Way back in 2012?

[@EerierFish16]

Nope. Somewhere on 2016-15

[@elliottlewandowski6115]

That's just awesome!

[@adventuresofamtrakcascades301]

I LOVE USA TRAINS!!!

[@emanuelnunezlazo]

Amazing! 😮

[@MikeLaVoie]

Glad you like it!

[@emanuelnunezlazo]

@@MikeLaVoie 😁👍🚂

[@joshuasmith1724]

This is why I'm sometimes scared of trains they are big and can easily hurt you

[@BeeSwarmLegend]

Yes Soo true I am also kinda scared if they Crash

[@BryanKoneful]

I don’t care what anyone says... That’s cool! Thanks for sharing this.

[@MikeLaVoie]

That's a very nice comment, Thanks Bryan I'm glad you liked the video!

[@unamed668]

This (is) perfect

[@danycota824]

Yes

[@chickenoraria7559]

And Norfolk and Western 611!?

[@josep5565]

Buen vídeo Mikel de la voie

[@No.419Fan]

Perfection

[@bryanperez2685]

I think that train is going really fast 🚆🚆🚆🚆🚆🚆🚆🚆🚆🚆🚆🚖

[@MikeLaVoie]

Yes Sir! Don't know exactly how fast it was going but... sure seems fast.

[@ophthodoc]

This doesn’t even look real. If it is that’s one mean looking train!

[@MikeLaVoie]

It's real, It's definitely real.

[@Java_Dude25]

it is, it is the Southern Pacific 4449, its home is right here in my home city of Portland, Oregon

[@o-tuathail]

Cut out a little bit before and after and this lucky man has himself a KZbin intro

[@AdmiralColdhead]

10k people thought Southern Pacific 4449 would run over the camera as in break it.

[@MikeLaVoie]

Well that's what I thought too, but I got lucky!

[@pinhead8075]

Of how fast the train went over it and how the camera shaking I think it have

[@suzcant3320]

Well NOPE IT DID NOT BREAK

[@RandomRetroTrainGuy82]

0:40 🔊🔊🔊

[@henrybrightonmusicuploads]

I love how excited you were and how concerned your mother was for you 😂😂

[@CSXEMDTrainLover]

Awesome train video

[@andyknightwarden9746]

Second video of a camera looking at the underside of a train. I have learned that there is no way to survive a train passing over you if you are on the track. Unless you are, like, 2-3 inches thick.

[@adam62060]

Wow! Great shot! LOVE THE 4449!

[@stellahambardzumyan6502]

NS Railfans .

[@nolanstrange2452]

Can you make another video about the same camera but underneath the train tracks a Union Pacific big boy locomotive 14 number four 4014

[@CHOCOLATEDADDY28]

That's was🔥🔥🔥. Great job

[@jimyang9805]

Big Hit for SP 4449

[@saramartinezgandia310]

Y love the sound of train

[@MikeLaVoie]

Me too!

[@woody1236]

love this....awesome bud!

[@enzoeatstrainz8967]

Why do people dislike this??

[@MikeLaVoie]

I have no idea! Probably other KZbinrs that are jealous? I don't know😒

[@enzoeatstrainz8967]

Mike LaVoie that’s probably a good answer because it’s only on these daylight videos

[@bonnieskelton968]

Bruh I feel bad u work so hard to catch 4449 coming

[@KreativeFotoVideo]

Nice video my friend

[@MikeLaVoie]

Thank you 👍

[@ironrailphotography1253]

Love this

[@Vibe69909]

This was Awesome! 😊

[@MikeLaVoie]

Glad you think so!

[@nolanstrange2452]

I love trains and also assess of it

[@Anormalperson250]

SP4449 is my fav

[@class56trainsrock62]

I like the whistle

[@JBShorts10]

DAYLIGHT!!!

[@elgvr32]

Bro why r u in the rail

[@rbd1303]

0:45 Birds screaming at my window at 3:00

[@JasonBlack66]

On some cars around the world you see some have no regular brake blocks. I always wondereed what ghey did for braking. it couldnt possibly be the loco only braking for the wole train. This video shoed some of the cars had disc brakes mounted on the axels between the wheels out of view from the outside, you can only see the if underneath ;D "The more you knkow" lol

[@bekaertdanielle]

0:36 i would have gotten ready for a full blown sprint

[@WorkerOfEbay]

Imagine if you and ur friend Hang out in a train tunnel Then a A half acre train comes and then you hear "oh fuck the devil and Pim pom"