That part of PA has some beautiful, rugged, wild terrain. More bears and wildcats than people there. Love the brake smoke, just shows how difficult it is to handle a train on Sandpatch. That grade is legendary. It is a zero mistake zone--you simply can't let a train get out of control--there is no chance of recovery, and that mountain is unforgiving of mistakes.
Yeah, there was a fire I want to say 10 years ago down the tracks maybe half a mile down the tracks on the left from where this video was taken. I always see people watching the trains there a lot. Hey maryjewel13, I used to park at the swimming hole and go hunting up in Gooseberry.
Im in the fire department that covers this area and we have a lot of forest fires that are usually sparked one way or another by the trains. for you guys that know a lot about trains would this be from hot brakes or sparks form the engine, or burning rail grease, or what
This is not smoke from a curve greaser, it is smoke from hot brake shoes.. Nothing out of the ordinary here.. The engines are in max dynamics, but that will only keep the tonnage back for so long. Eventually you will have to get on the train brake to keep it under control, and smoking the shoes is an everyday part of railroading. Sparking brake shoes will easily start a fire along the track's. The shoes on the rail cars are designed to take this sort of abuse!!! :)
@jd651988 i don't live in the area where this video was taken, but the most likely cause with diesels is either sparks from brake shoes or when the smokestack catches fire--caused by fuel that got into the exhaust and high temperatures that would ignite the oil and cause fire to come out of the stack.
I grew up along these tracks. In gooseberry. Walked these tracks a million times. Had many very friendy train conducters wave. My son is a train freak and right now he is losing it because he know this is about two miles from grand ma's
Isn't it bad to have smoking shoes? Of corse what does CSX care, they don't know anything. Dynamic brakes should cover that hill, why have the train brakes applied? Geewiz!
Dynamic brakes will only hold a train back for so long, before you will have to get on the train brakes.. That is a steep descent, and with a heavily laden coal train you are gonna need all the stopping power you can get to hold it back.. CSX does know something, and there is nothing being wasted or abused here. It is all a part of railroading my friend.
NS typically puts 4-rear SD40-2 helpers on coal trains, I don't see any here... (of course I don't know if that is the end of the train at the end of the video) when NS goes by "Brickyard" near Altoona the train brakes on coals are hardly smoking because they don't do more than 20 MPH, this seems awfully fast in this vieo. Never in my time of railfanning on a mountain grade have I seen a train smoke this much, seems like a waste of brake shoe to me, but I could be wrong.
Basically it all depends on tonnage and grade percentage of how CSX assigns it's helper's.. If the head end power is ample enough to life the train up the mountain, and hold it back on the downgrade then they will not assign helper's.. These brake shoes are designed for high heat, and heavy usage. Brake shoes have come a long way since they used asbestos brake shoes.. Still to this day engineer's will power brake a train to keep the slack from running in. All depends on how the hogger runs it.
That part of PA has some beautiful, rugged, wild terrain. More bears and wildcats than people there. Love the brake smoke, just shows how difficult it is to handle a train on Sandpatch. That grade is legendary. It is a zero mistake zone--you simply can't let a train get out of control--there is no chance of recovery, and that mountain is unforgiving of mistakes.
UnIonPacCheyenne 2 years ago
great k5la!
norfolksouthern8941 2 years ago
ive been there. you were at the second best place.
goredskins29 3 years ago
Yeah, there was a fire I want to say 10 years ago down the tracks maybe half a mile down the tracks on the left from where this video was taken. I always see people watching the trains there a lot. Hey maryjewel13, I used to park at the swimming hole and go hunting up in Gooseberry.
KickinKilla 3 years ago
@KickinKilla ... pretty cool, been there, done that ...dived off Falls Cut trestle many times, and I know Mary Jewel too! You must be from Hyndman.
U2rocksKEN 1 year ago
Im in the fire department that covers this area and we have a lot of forest fires that are usually sparked one way or another by the trains. for you guys that know a lot about trains would this be from hot brakes or sparks form the engine, or burning rail grease, or what
jd651988 3 years ago
This is not smoke from a curve greaser, it is smoke from hot brake shoes.. Nothing out of the ordinary here.. The engines are in max dynamics, but that will only keep the tonnage back for so long. Eventually you will have to get on the train brake to keep it under control, and smoking the shoes is an everyday part of railroading. Sparking brake shoes will easily start a fire along the track's. The shoes on the rail cars are designed to take this sort of abuse!!! :)
CSXtrackworker 3 years ago
@jd651988 i don't live in the area where this video was taken, but the most likely cause with diesels is either sparks from brake shoes or when the smokestack catches fire--caused by fuel that got into the exhaust and high temperatures that would ignite the oil and cause fire to come out of the stack.
Fireheart528 1 year ago
The smoke your seeing is from the flange greaser. The wheels are pretty hot, but thats actually burning rail grease
emd64582 4 years ago
I grew up along these tracks. In gooseberry. Walked these tracks a million times. Had many very friendy train conducters wave. My son is a train freak and right now he is losing it because he know this is about two miles from grand ma's
maryjewel13 4 years ago
Isn't it bad to have smoking shoes? Of corse what does CSX care, they don't know anything. Dynamic brakes should cover that hill, why have the train brakes applied? Geewiz!
o00o00ozy 4 years ago
Dynamic brakes will only hold a train back for so long, before you will have to get on the train brakes.. That is a steep descent, and with a heavily laden coal train you are gonna need all the stopping power you can get to hold it back.. CSX does know something, and there is nothing being wasted or abused here. It is all a part of railroading my friend.
CSXtrackworker 3 years ago
NS typically puts 4-rear SD40-2 helpers on coal trains, I don't see any here... (of course I don't know if that is the end of the train at the end of the video) when NS goes by "Brickyard" near Altoona the train brakes on coals are hardly smoking because they don't do more than 20 MPH, this seems awfully fast in this vieo. Never in my time of railfanning on a mountain grade have I seen a train smoke this much, seems like a waste of brake shoe to me, but I could be wrong.
o00o00ozy 3 years ago
Basically it all depends on tonnage and grade percentage of how CSX assigns it's helper's.. If the head end power is ample enough to life the train up the mountain, and hold it back on the downgrade then they will not assign helper's.. These brake shoes are designed for high heat, and heavy usage. Brake shoes have come a long way since they used asbestos brake shoes.. Still to this day engineer's will power brake a train to keep the slack from running in. All depends on how the hogger runs it.
CSXtrackworker 3 years ago
NICE MAN!
BRIANamtrak 4 years ago
Nice foliage and of course, it's even better with CSX!
CP5677 4 years ago