Yep and were stored many years before finding a new home and they seem well maintained. Where else in 2024, no ditch lights AND no graffitis on cars. Poor bridge couldn´t avoid it.
Wow, the only train I’ve seen without graffiti tags around SoCal for years! PS - Knew there was a railway in that area but didn’t realize it was narrow gauge. Just a desert mirage!
I have some comment answers for some commenters below. Here is the short of what I know of the US Gypsum railroad operation. It was started about 100 years ago using 2-6-0s and 4-6-0s with wooden ore gondolas. The mill is on what is left of the San Diego & Arizona Eastern. The UP is the connection (used to be the SP from the SD&AE). The first diesel-electric loco was No 1203 built in 1946 by the HK Porter Co to replace 4-6-0s, It was a 75-ton 6-axle 600 HP 6-cylinder Cooper-Bessemer diesel, A1A+A1A until between 1950 and 1953 when the center axles were replaced with powered axles making it a CC. The wheels are 36-inch spoked with tires as on steam driver practice. It was replaced by 2 50-ton GEs in the 1960s. In 1980, it was bought from US Gypsum by some financial men and donated to the Huckleberry RR at Flint, MI. It was used on the Huckleberry in case of steam loco protection for several years until a piston rod broke. It went to the Georgetown Loop RR for a while then to the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge RR where it is now. It is 10 feet wide, 13 feet over the rail top, and about 43 feet long. It is made up of steel beams, C-channels, and 2-inch thick plates flame-cut out and welded together. When the loco was being cleaned and inspected for use on the Huckleberry, I did most of the cleaning of the gypsum dust and oil out of it. I discovered a traction-motor bearing that needed replacing which meant we had to drop the wheelset from the truck to replace the bearing and then replace the wheelset. The shop was built with a drop pit for this type of repair. We had to raise each end of the loco to install HDPE discs in the bolster bowls for thickness because of wear and add lubrication to the bolsters. I was the smallest guy in the shop, so I had to go over the axles and between the frames to take the king-pins loose to be able to jack the ends up and install the discs. She was way too much locomotive for the Huckleberry. She was the only model HK Porter ever built and could not be MUed with any other locomotive. I have the USG emblem that I made and mounted on the side of the cab for railfan's weekend in 1982 or 83. The loco was painted aluminum, blue, and red. A total of 3 of the 6-axle 100-ton WP&Y diesels were bought by USG because one of them got destroyed in an accident. There was a history of the USG operation and equipment in an issue of the Narrow Gauge & Short Line Gazette several years ago.
@@randallfawc7501 The big GE is the BB40-9W; the big EMD is the SD70ACe-BB. Both have span-bolstered trucks like the U50 and early GE turbines; there was an earlier one with two four-axle trucks (DDM45)
Lots of 42 inch gauge C-C diesels on the Australian states with extensive narrow gauge networks. Same with New Zealand, Japan, South East Asia and most of Africa as well as South America.
A fascinating documentation of a very unique operation. How cool to see a large snowplow on a locomotive designed for the WPY in the Imperial Valley (last snowfall there, iirc, was 1932)! Very well done... 🤘
The white pass & Yukon is still operating but only in Alaska. It is now an american Railroad. Most of the Canadian section between Carcross is mothballed. The white pass & yukon has booming business Between roughly 350,000 bored cruise patrons looking for something for something to do. Bumming in Alas in for 6 weeks early 2010 I took it between Skagway & the divide, shorter run still fascinating. the only thing missing was Bennett lake beans lunch Next day 4 cruise ships moored at Skagway (pop 350) Where all store excepted the grocery store were owned by the cruise lines which specialise in luxury items. The small town was literally invaded, people from wall to wall in the mall treets. I bailed out in the next ferry for Haine north a few miles north (harbour to shallow for cruise ships) l was in Skagway to track down one of my great uncle who disappeared during the Gold rush of 1880. no luck so far. My guess he was robed and assassinated in Skagway
as someone who was always a big fan of narrow gauge railways, this is both cool and sad, let's hope this railway keeps running these gypsum trains for many years to come
Thanks for posting this, very nice visit to the operation. Funny, but the thought that came to mind, is that we all watch it and think "cool" and "fascinating" and such. But think of the chaps that have worked there, for the last 30+ years or whatever, making that same trip 3-4 times a day. I'm guessing the novelty wears off after a bit...
I had the same thought about a local shortline. I enjoy watching the old EMDs go by when I'm working in the area but I imagine it gets boring going up and down the same track do the same switching operations day after day.
Nice but slow. How long does it take from Split Mountain to Plaster City? Some parts of the track seem to be in poor condition. How many trains are there per day of week?
When I was a kid we would all ride dirt bikes around here and play. One day we brought a bunch of golf balls and a sand wedge for skeet practice (unsurprisingly white balls don't visually contrast the sky very much). That train was coming by and I figured "there's no way someone could wing from here into one of the hoppers that's like 100 yards away", turns out it is possible, and in only one shot to boot. haha
Man if only North America have more narrow gauge☹️ also how ironic that the locomotive is a White Pass & Yukon railroad (also that locomotive look sick as hell)
I see they have different types of hopper and gondola cars, more variety than I would have expected for a gypsum mining operation. Or is that just whatever they could get?
What a great video! I’ve seen this railroad operating only once as I was passing through on US 8. The offset headlights are really weird. Any idea why they aren’t centered? Please keep these great videos coming!
The “last freight narrow gauge railroad” title isn’t true. The CSX Toledo Ore Dock switchers are still in use and the Special Metarials Corporation still uses their narrow gauge light railway. Although, you could call it the last narrow gauge revenue freight railroad.
"Freight" is the key word......so its not the last Narrow Gauge Railroad in North America, just "Freight".....the White Pass & Yukon is "Passenger Trains"
Canada's Montreal Locomotive Works. They were actually designed and built for the White Pass & Yukon RR but never delivered as they suspended operations while these locos were under construction.
No, the track is maintained to be able to bring the ore to the mill in a timely manner. Some years ago, the railroad suffered a washout and had to truck the ore to the mill. The cost to haul the ore by truck was over $20 per ton while it cost only about $9 per ton by the railroad, so they take care of the track. They have a tamper-liner similar to those used by standard gauge railroads.
It’s a vibrator for shaking the car body to help in unloading. There’s a large steel mounting bracket attached to the car, and the actual vibrator slides into that bracket. Most are pneumatic (air) powered. Covered hopper cars often have these same brackets mounted down low on each hopper. Another vibrator can be seen in the distance. Since these cars are in captive service, they probably just leave them hanging. In fact, the one you mention seems to be piped to the cars air piping!
@@tomt9543 The last 6 cars are a variation of the air-dump cars as those cylinders are air-operated like on an air-dump car. More than likely the other cars have air-operated valves or cylinders also.
That horn is wierdly familiar, is that the nathan P5? I don't see it much in videos of american trains but where I live a lot of older locomotives have it edit: oh, different P5s sound different, I have no idea what the variant used here would be called. I'm not much of a horn expert
I guess most videos of P5 horns sound like the normal boring american "aaaaaa" whereas the P5s on the 81 class locos is like "hwaaaa", has a sorta honk to it? wonder what causes that? I think it sounds better and probably also gets the attention of people near the tracks better too
I still have a flattened nickel in my keepsake box from when I was a kid and we put them on the tracks while wheelin on Honda ATCs at plaster city. No friendly toot or wave from the engineer? Lame.
Ironic that the last Freight Narrow Gauge uses some of the last new locomotives built for the White Pass during its final year of Revenue operation
Yep and were stored many years before finding a new home and they seem well maintained.
Where else in 2024, no ditch lights AND no graffitis on cars. Poor bridge couldn´t avoid it.
Wow, the only train I’ve seen without graffiti tags around SoCal for years!
PS - Knew there was a railway in that area but didn’t realize it was narrow gauge. Just a desert mirage!
I especially like the ending comment, “Just a desert mirage”😂
Is that a US gypsum engine ?
@@brucehurst2344 yes
wow, I never knew there was still an active narrow gauge freight railroad.
Those pacing shots are fantastic
You can see the Alco DNA in these unique handsome and locomotives. Great video, thanks!
Can hear it, too! 😎
That railroad crossing bell sounds like a fire alarm going off. Had me fould that the fire alarm was coming from my condo
I have some comment answers for some commenters below. Here is the short of what I know of the US Gypsum railroad operation. It was started about 100 years ago using 2-6-0s and 4-6-0s with wooden ore gondolas. The mill is on what is left of the San Diego & Arizona Eastern. The UP is the connection (used to be the SP from the SD&AE). The first diesel-electric loco was No 1203 built in 1946 by the HK Porter Co to replace 4-6-0s, It was a 75-ton 6-axle 600 HP 6-cylinder Cooper-Bessemer diesel, A1A+A1A until between 1950 and 1953 when the center axles were replaced with powered axles making it a CC. The wheels are 36-inch spoked with tires as on steam driver practice. It was replaced by 2 50-ton GEs in the 1960s. In 1980, it was bought from US Gypsum by some financial men and donated to the Huckleberry RR at Flint, MI. It was used on the Huckleberry in case of steam loco protection for several years until a piston rod broke. It went to the Georgetown Loop RR for a while then to the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge RR where it is now. It is 10 feet wide, 13 feet over the rail top, and about 43 feet long. It is made up of steel beams, C-channels, and 2-inch thick plates flame-cut out and welded together. When the loco was being cleaned and inspected for use on the Huckleberry, I did most of the cleaning of the gypsum dust and oil out of it. I discovered a traction-motor bearing that needed replacing which meant we had to drop the wheelset from the truck to replace the bearing and then replace the wheelset. The shop was built with a drop pit for this type of repair. We had to raise each end of the loco to install HDPE discs in the bolster bowls for thickness because of wear and add lubrication to the bolsters. I was the smallest guy in the shop, so I had to go over the axles and between the frames to take the king-pins loose to be able to jack the ends up and install the discs. She was way too much locomotive for the Huckleberry. She was the only model HK Porter ever built and could not be MUed with any other locomotive. I have the USG emblem that I made and mounted on the side of the cab for railfan's weekend in 1982 or 83. The loco was painted aluminum, blue, and red.
A total of 3 of the 6-axle 100-ton WP&Y diesels were bought by USG because one of them got destroyed in an accident.
There was a history of the USG operation and equipment in an issue of the Narrow Gauge & Short Line Gazette several years ago.
Never knew there was such a critter as a 6 axle narrow gauge diesel untill I was the ones Durango & Silverton acquired!!!
Ever seen the eight axle metre gauge GEVOs and SDs that run in Brazil?
@@rallymodeller Nope never have seen one of those!
@@randallfawc7501 The big GE is the BB40-9W; the big EMD is the SD70ACe-BB. Both have span-bolstered trucks like the U50 and early GE turbines; there was an earlier one with two four-axle trucks (DDM45)
Quite common.
Lots of 42 inch gauge C-C diesels on the Australian states with extensive narrow gauge networks.
Same with New Zealand, Japan, South East Asia and most of Africa as well as South America.
A fascinating documentation of a very unique operation. How cool to see a large snowplow on a locomotive designed for the WPY in the Imperial Valley (last snowfall there, iirc, was 1932)! Very well done... 🤘
The plows serve to clear other objects from the tracks, like fallen trees, cars and human bodies.
The white pass & Yukon is still operating but only in Alaska. It is now an american Railroad. Most of the Canadian section between Carcross is mothballed. The white pass & yukon has booming business Between roughly 350,000 bored cruise patrons looking for something for something to do. Bumming in Alas in for 6 weeks early 2010 I took it between Skagway & the divide, shorter run still fascinating. the only thing missing was Bennett lake beans lunch
Next day 4 cruise ships moored at Skagway (pop 350) Where all store excepted the grocery store were owned by the cruise lines which specialise in luxury items. The small town was literally invaded, people from wall to wall in the mall treets. I bailed out in the next ferry for Haine north a few miles north (harbour to shallow for cruise ships)
l was in Skagway to track down one of my great uncle who disappeared during the Gold rush of 1880. no luck so far. My guess he was robed and assassinated in Skagway
@@marioxerxescastelancastro8019
Tagers too.
@@danielrota7491 interesting story. Thanks
This is a really cool narrow gauge railroad!
Some of the best footage I've seen of the Plaster City narrow gauge operation! Bravo.
Well ain't that a fancy tickler. Thanks for posting.
Love the Canadian cabs on those alcos
God that Alco 251 sounds glorious.
Wow I forgot about these guys!!!
Epic paint. That's my paint! Give it back!
as someone who was always a big fan of narrow gauge railways, this is both cool and sad, let's hope this railway keeps running these gypsum trains for many years to come
Let’s just hope this railroad doesn’t end anytime soon
Very cool 😎 capture 👌
That crossing bell is very interesting.
I didn’t expect this to be so relaxing. Maybe I should go on vacation in the desert …
Thanks for posting this, very nice visit to the operation. Funny, but the thought that came to mind, is that we all watch it and think "cool" and "fascinating" and such. But think of the chaps that have worked there, for the last 30+ years or whatever, making that same trip 3-4 times a day. I'm guessing the novelty wears off after a bit...
I had the same thought about a local shortline. I enjoy watching the old EMDs go by when I'm working in the area but I imagine it gets boring going up and down the same track do the same switching operations day after day.
What I find interesting is the “school bell” on that crossing
Good to see the old gal still getting it done.
Thanks for sharing.
That old cast P5 is magnificent!!!
It's the same horn the Winnipeg Jets NHL hockey team uses too 🎉
its a new cast, NOT a old cast
great vide sir ❤❤
Excellent video of a very rare railroad operation. Thank you for sharing.
As a fellow Michael who loves trains, I’m subscribing
Excellent footage
Extraordinary. I had no idea this existed! Might have to make the trip to see it one day.
Very cool catch!😊
Excellent!
16:48 sounds like an old school Easterm European/Russian railroad crossing. And it flashes slow like one.
Very nice video! 😊😊
Good Job! Mike!
Great vid. As soon as I saw the title, I thought to myself, I bet thats the gypsum plant near San Diego.
Closer to the community of Seely and the city of El Centro than San Diego.
Plaster City - US Gypsum ??
I will come back to make a worthy comment later, but damn man, you have blown my mind tonight on You Tube ❤ 💯👍👍
Pictures and videos of this operation seem to be a bit hard to come by. Thanks for sharing with us!
Those offset headlights are...interesting looking.
I'd love to build a narrow gauge railway on one of the gulf islands and use it for my own entertainment.
Nice to see some specialised air fluidification cars, also they like to wobble
Great video... I note maintenance is not a priority for this line... it's in terrible shape. Does make it interesting though.
It's an interesting operation. Cool video.
Fantastisch!!! Liebe Grüße aus Deutschland
Nice but slow. How long does it take from Split Mountain to Plaster City?
Some parts of the track seem to be in poor condition. How many trains are there per day of week?
Nice video dude!
Well I would like to say happy retirement to this fantastic narrow gauge railroad!
That is very cool
I’m actually glad I live near this
When I was a kid we would all ride dirt bikes around here and play. One day we brought a bunch of golf balls and a sand wedge for skeet practice (unsurprisingly white balls don't visually contrast the sky very much). That train was coming by and I figured "there's no way someone could wing from here into one of the hoppers that's like 100 yards away", turns out it is possible, and in only one shot to boot. haha
Is this Plaster City California- US Gypsum ? If so, I’ve hauled sheet rock out of there, back to Utah.
Yes.
I have also😊😊
Man if only North America have more narrow gauge☹️ also how ironic that the locomotive is a White Pass & Yukon railroad (also that locomotive look sick as hell)
I see they have different types of hopper and gondola cars, more variety than I would have expected for a gypsum mining operation. Or is that just whatever they could get?
Awesome stuff. Don’t see much from the USG railroad due to its rural nature
Hello my friend, nice video! What equipment did you film this train with? Hugs
Watching this with AirPods in, audio of this video is astonishing.
What a great video! I’ve seen this railroad operating only once as I was passing through on US 8. The offset headlights are really weird. Any idea why they aren’t centered? Please keep these great videos coming!
Nice Video! Are the normal gauge tracks at the Plant in Plaster city the tracks that go through the Corrizo Gorge?
The “last freight narrow gauge railroad” title isn’t true. The CSX Toledo Ore Dock switchers are still in use and the Special Metarials Corporation still uses their narrow gauge light railway. Although, you could call it the last narrow gauge revenue freight railroad.
There are tens of thousands of kilometres of narrow gauge freight railways
I believe I have seen this railroad line on motor trend car TV show called roadkill with them filming episodes of car show near location
Great video ty
Is there an estimate of how much gypsum is left to be mined? Wonder how much longer the railroad will be around.
"Freight" is the key word......so its not the last Narrow Gauge Railroad in North America, just "Freight".....the White Pass & Yukon is "Passenger Trains"
17:13 WTF? I crossing with an electric solenoid style bell, you don't see those every day! Wonder what it looks like?
@1.50 dynamic breaks 😍
When do the trains run? I‘d be happy if i could spot them too
Hyce needs to see this!
Some of that railbed looks like it needs to be re-leveled.
Who built the locomotives, GE, EMD and what do they haul? i really like them.
Canada's Montreal Locomotive Works. They were actually designed and built for the White Pass & Yukon RR but never delivered as they suspended operations while these locos were under construction.
How many different trips, or days did it take you to shoot this?
love the sign at 18:51, what road is that shot taken at?
(33.0339144, -116.0962559) maybe here, yea this desert were used as missle testplace btw
A question which might be silly, but due the locomotive is ahead/in front, how do it make to return back?
switching by long hood forward
Wow can't belive it
Any ex CN NF rolling stock ?
Good gawd those tracks need maintenance, badly
No, the track is maintained to be able to bring the ore to the mill in a timely manner. Some years ago, the railroad suffered a washout and had to truck the ore to the mill. The cost to haul the ore by truck was over $20 per ton while it cost only about $9 per ton by the railroad, so they take care of the track. They have a tamper-liner similar to those used by standard gauge railroads.
This could easily be replaced by a conveyor system and a lot less to operate.
16:50
Answer the phone! 😂
They would benefit from new GE C21 locomotives like the ones Colombia has for 914mm track.
It would have to be a one-off Tier 4 version.
I can't believe how much locomotive hangs over the rails. Do they have many derails here?
They are probably 10 feet wide and about 13 feet high over the rail. I am guessing they are 100 tons each like the others.
what horn do the locos have?
I would wish they have added subtitles in various languages!..
Hello, Greetings, what model of diesel locomotive is it?
ALCo/MLW DL535, wide cab design by Bombardier
2:10 what's the doodad attached to the side of the hopper car?
It’s a vibrator for shaking the car body to help in unloading. There’s a large steel mounting bracket attached to the car, and the actual vibrator slides into that bracket. Most are pneumatic (air) powered. Covered hopper cars often have these same brackets mounted down low on each hopper. Another vibrator can be seen in the distance. Since these cars are in captive service, they probably just leave them hanging. In fact, the one you mention seems to be piped to the cars air piping!
@@tomt9543 Thanks for the info! 🙂
@@tomt9543 The last 6 cars are a variation of the air-dump cars as those cylinders are air-operated like on an air-dump car. More than likely the other cars have air-operated valves or cylinders also.
That horn is wierdly familiar, is that the nathan P5? I don't see it much in videos of american trains but where I live a lot of older locomotives have it
edit: oh, different P5s sound different, I have no idea what the variant used here would be called. I'm not much of a horn expert
I guess most videos of P5 horns sound like the normal boring american "aaaaaa" whereas the P5s on the 81 class locos is like "hwaaaa", has a sorta honk to it? wonder what causes that? I think it sounds better and probably also gets the attention of people near the tracks better too
both of these locomotive uses new cast variant of P5
@@voidjavelin23 thank you! I finally know why ours sound different!
Nice to see some diesel smoke too lol!
When do these run?
3' or 3'6"?
3
I didn't realize this was Narrow gauge i thought it was standard gauge
You should make a video of Americans last electric coal railroad the deseret Powell railroad
desseret no longer exist
No graffiti, no ditch lights.
interesting, they have no ditch lights
the foam is strong here.......
Must be my OCD talking, but that offset headlight just bugs me!!!
Always bugged me on the CN M420s and HR616s but its only really noticeable when looking at the front head on.
It is a mining railroad.
What’s a narrow gauge railroad never heard of it in my life.
Any railroad with a track gauge less than 4 ft 8.5 inches
@@sct4501thanjs
NOT!! THEY HAVE ONE IN VICTORVILE CALIFORNIA TOO!
That operation is standard gauge. Thanks for watching!
What gauge is it?1067mm?
3 feet or 914.4 mm.
Persianas de radiadores de Alco RSD35.
The locomotive looks like a heavily modified M-420. 🤔
تبرك الله هذا سفينت البراري
I still have a flattened nickel in my keepsake box from when I was a kid and we put them on the tracks while wheelin on Honda ATCs at plaster city.
No friendly toot or wave from the engineer? Lame.
Nice catch! What time did you catch the train? I'd like to see it myself some day.