I don't care what anyone says, I am 101% thankful you folks do all that you do. I also think it was a VERY nice jesture for the UP to donate the loco. The SD40T-2's are getting old and rebuilding can only happen just so many times before cost negates it. And I understand the reasons not to have a physical connection to the BNSF. Been to the museum only once but I need to come back. Look forward to seeing the progress you folks have made! I commend you!!!!
@@ROKuberski If I could I sure would!! You see, I live in northern Vermont about 60 miles south of the Canadian Border. I am planning to be out there this coming summer. Have 3 narrow gauge places to visit!!!!! I WILL look you up to say hello!!!
The same kind of 'side boom' lifts find a lot of use in clearing wrecks, the amount of weight each can lift is impressive. I watched a track clearing operation in North Chicago in 1981 or 82, a freight train operating on the same tracks that the commuters had to operate on derailed (speeding believe it or not) dumping 30 or so loaded grain hoppers, smashing a lot of rolling stock and tearing up about 2 miles of the line, two tracks BOTH wiped out. No one hurt and all three SD-40s (C&NW) stayed on the track. The clearing contractor crew had everything cleared up so the track gangs could rebuild the line in just a little over 36 hours. Two side boom units working in concert could pick up a relatively intact loaded hopper and make it look easy. I knew about the wreck as soon as it happened, I had the duty at the Great Lakes Training Center Boot Camp and the wreck occurred just the other side of the fence from my office in the middle of the night. As impressive as an earthquake!
Great job moving that heavy chunk of iron! And thank all those that still value our past and preserve it for future generations. Awesome filmed video too!
Okay folks, this is all you will get from the museum director on the cost of the move. Please don't ask for more information on this subject. I won't post any more guesses on cost. Donald Tallman, Executive Director noted “We got an excellent price for it. All parties involved were excited to be able to participate in this historic event.”
I was just there in June and the nice volunteers running the goose that day told me all about how much effort it was getting that tunnel motor over there. I understood them but this really shows the effort more clearly, thanks for posting this!
A fitting display. I used to watch the helpers on the coal trains at Palmer Lake when I lived there. Modeled my first layout on D&RGW. My ex took me on a surprise visit to the museum in the 90's. I will make it back there. Thanks to UP for saving this work horse.
Thanks for posting this awesome footage of a very complicated move. Also, thanks for dealing with all of the experts here that obviously know more than anyone involved with the successful move. Maybe next time you do something as complicated as this, seek input from the comment section of UA-cam. It is the single best source of inexperienced experts on every topic imaginable. Just ask them.
Thank you for sharing this great footage, Mr. Kuberski! I'm glad that a diesel locomotive was spared from what could've been a trip to the scrapyard. All locomotives deserve to be saved from the scrapyard, as they have so many stories to tell. Have a great day, sir, and take care! Regards, Joseph cheeseinthepie. 2/7/2019
Thanks for posting this. I've heard the term "tunnel motor", but I never knew how a locomotive got that distinction. You learn something new every day.
This unit was prepped for the move to the museum at the UPRR Jenks Shop in North Little Rock, Arkansas. It sat on the shops Loco display tracks for the longest of times. UP's new PSR policies in there Unified Plan would have seen the loco scrapped or traded in to PRLX this year had the transfer of ownership not occurred. I'm glad this loco has found a permanent home at the museum.
@@AbelG8781 FRA rules only apply to major railroads. You can still have a connection to a mainline and not fall under FRA rules. For example every single industry serviced by rail. They really should have a connection.
Glad to see a few tunnel motors are being saved, I was worried at one point that in our obsession over steam and early diesels, we might end up forgetting the 2nd gen diesels are themselves on their way out... They are essentially today's version of the steam locomotives in the 50s.
Hi from in England in my opinion and other people who follow u.s. railroads tunnel motors sd40 t-2 and the 20 cylinder sd45t-2 are absolute legend's!!!!
You did a great job showing those side booms in action. Generally when the side booms are working on the railroad it's because something has gone terribly wrong. Not the case this time though.
Would it cost the same to build track to the rail line from the museum? This would have been an investment into future moves. future moves. What happened to the original tracks that connected to the museum trackage?
There never was a permeant connection to the rail line into Golden.We are beating a dead horse here. The people that had all the facts and knew how much various options would cost made a decision and carried it out.
Gotta' love how everyone keeps forgetting the two DRGW SD40T-2 units in operation on the Wheeling And Lake Erie (WLE) in Ohio (of all places), and the unit in Ogden, Utah.
That's just awesome. Glad the UP appreciates railroad history and donated it to the meseum. So much of the equipment gets scrapped at least some is going to be around for future generations of railfans!
You ought to see the multiple sidings in this one yard where they have thousands of retired locomotives just sit. I don't know where this is, but the scope of this place will blow your mind.
Is it only the special engine cooling system design for tunnel usage that differentiates it from others engines of its era? will the average rail fan likely appreciate this nuanced difference in engine design?
Someone else will have to chime in on this. I did a brief internet search and this model and one variant was all I could find. Can't speak for all, but the museum feels it is important enough to have one in the collection.
way back in june(?) 1978, I made my first stop to the old CRIP yard,,chicago,,,Burr Oak. there on the turntable was a brand new from EMD,,, a SD40T-2 in DRGW paint. the rock employees were all over this loco. even on top of it! my guess being delivered by rock. nearby were C415s working the yard. engine terminal were U28Bs, switchers,GPs and even one of those re-powered RS3 mutants.an E7and F7in the roundhouse! later in 1983 when photoing the end of the MP, we caught an east bound coal train in Mo. with 4 DRGW tunnel motors.
No, you are not. But if you would read some of my previous responses to this issue, you would no longer think this is "kinda weird." Twice in 60 years large standard gauge equipment was delivered to the museum. The majority of our equipment is narrow gauge. There is no operable standard gauge locomotive on site. So, there really is not much that we would do with a standard gauge connection if it were possible to have one. Which, by the way would be very difficult to make this connection. There is a canal in the way, significant elevation difference between the nearby spur and then there is the issue of not owning some of the property necessary to make an unneeded connection.
I wonder why the loc wasn't lowered onto the tracks in the pavement of the parking, and rolled in, but placed via panel track. Or was it too costly to clear that track, or is it the wrong gauge or not suitable for the load? (not an expert)
If it has been put on that track, and it is a three rail track, they would have had to roll it onto the turntable and then rotate to put it on the track designated for display. I don't think they were confident that our turntable would support the weight of this unit. It would be a minor disaster if it would not. Would you want to then retrieve that unit off of a broken turntable? Avoiding the turntable took less than 1/2 hour of maneuvering. Well worth the effort.
@@johntapp9670 Only road damage was at the entrance to the museum where they had to rotate the unit 90 degrees. The city of Golden did the repair work at no cost to the museum.
@@ROKuberski oh, good. It must have looked worse than it really was. I knew it was reparable. But I am very glad the locomotive got there in one piece and in good shape. Whatever you do, keep the UP emblem on it and even fix it. They believe in history, and I find that in terms of variety, they are the present "Standard Railroad of the World," like Pennsylvania Railroad was. For motive power, they're second to none. If you can find a DDA40X, GET ONE!!!
Great, come on a Saturday and take a ride. Also on special weekends there will be a steam train running. Check the website www.coloradorailroadmuseum.org/events/ for the schedule.
With the right equipment and the skill to operate it, it's not so hard. There was consideration of laying panel track all the way, but once you have it in the air and can travel with it, will, lets go!
There are two units running out east on a short line hauling coal trains, since the railway already bases their paint schemes off the Rio Grande, they have been preserved with their original markings and paint.. So far as I know, they're the only unpatched tunnel motors still running.
The museum must have had a spur connection at one point to make these maneuvers far easier? I remember seeing photos of the Burlington locomotive being moved there.
If we did have a physical connection to the standard gage track running into Golden, it would cause a significant change to our operating rules. And, we don't have very much standard gage track and the loop is narrow gage. So, there is no way to run standard gage equipment
@@ROKuberski, you might want to contact the NC transportation museum. They do have a connection to the BSNF tracks and they dont seem to have a problem. Infact, they have excursions with Amtrak trains about 4 times a year, and the trains come on to the Museum property. I think all of those things are manageable. I personally think what you lack is the space to do a rail road museum properly. Both the NC Transportation and the B and O museum are larger and they can get connections when they want. Chip
According to FRA, a physical track connection between a common carrier railroad and a railroad museum does not make the museum trackage part of the General system of Railroad Transportation as long as it is not used for revenue (e.g. freight or passenger) interchange moves. So such a connection would have minimal impact on operating rules and would have the benefit of enabling equipment like this to be run off the property for special events. There may be other good reasons (including cost) not to have such a connection, but I felt it important to clear up this common misconception. I suspect Warren Buffet could find the money to build a connecting spur, and I'd bet the highway authorities would prefer not to have side boom Cats driving on their asphalt. /s/ A former manager of training and operating practices.
Also for only 1150' from the museum to the main line, they ought to just have a permanent spur track for past/future endeavors like this. Tell me why not?
There are numerous reasons why this is neither feasible or desirable. The elevation difference is significant, there is no room between existing canal/road/rail line into Golden, the museum is primarily narrow gauge, a standard gauge connection has very limited use (twice in 60 years), we don't want to be connected to a FRA rail line. CRRM is an operating railroad, but only as narrow gauge. Please read through older posts.
That was interesting, especially how the tractor operators used the sidebooms to move the locomotive around the corners. Even the music was tolerable, reminded me of the music used on the Doc Martin BBC series.
Hulcher services is who the museum contracted with for the move. Their specialty is doing this kind of work. I'm sure that several options were discussed before selecting this one. The museum is not flush with surplus cash. I doubt that there was a less expensive option.
I think rain shelters should be looked into for museums that have vehicles and equipment outside. I imagine it helps reduce water building up inside as well as reduce rust and slow down sun bleaching of the paint. I'm not expert on this topic, but I imagine 4 poles and the sheet metal for a roof wouldn't add up to unreasonable amounts.
Please accept the fact that the museum site does not lend itself to a connection to the nearby standard gauge track. Much of the display track is isolated, some is connected enough that you can get back to the roundhouse. It is NOT a problem for our museum. I've ridden many of the other narrow gauge tourist trains in Colorado. If any of them are connected to standard gauge, I am not aware of it. There was a whole network of narrow gauge in the late 1800's up through about the 1950's in Colorado/New Mexico/Utah and maybe other places too. All that's left is isolated sections still operating as tourist trains, such as; The Georgetown Loup, Durango & Silverton and Cumbres & Toltec.
That source was very helpful thank you! Sad to hear most of them ended in scrap yards, if only a museum saved 2 sp 40t's and repainted them to their paint schemes
That must have cost a fair amount to move that loco. Amazing piece of work. I like the action of the counterweights on the CAT hoists, kind of surprised they were able to operate on a regular blacktop road without mashing the surface. Great video!
Actually, they did do some damage to the road surface. At the entrance to the museum, where they had to rotate the locomotive 90 degrees, some minor damage was don to the road. The City of Golden took care of this at no charge to the museum.Look carefully at the tracks on the side boom dozers. They have huge rubber slabs mounted on the tracks. They were actually pretty easy on the pavement.
I can't say 100% for sure, but I don't think they ever set it on pavement or dirt. They did put wood blocking under the wheels if they had to set it down. Mostly, It was in the air, on panel track or on museum track.
Hard to say. All they'd need to have running really are switchers. This is a special duty machine that has seen mountain service. However, if any repairs are needed and not too expensive, they could rent it as a ride to go up and down a side track. But more likely, it's just gonna sit.
She's probably way to big and heavy for their track. I honestly don't know if they have any standard guage to run her around either. If anything I will love for them to cosmetically restore her with the gyralight and her original number. If they are able to get her to run then I give them props. More than likely it will be like the UP SD40-2 in Pomona, CA. It runs but it will never move unfortunately.
@@ROKuberski It's not the volume issue, its that it tends to drown out whats being said. Turn down the volume and you have the same issues. Other then that it's unique video. 👍
You and me both. Been watching the Virtual Railfan feed for Belen, NM and BNSF has SD-40s doing yard work. I guess I can be happy that they are still in daily use, but oh how the mighty have fallen.
Hear is a way you can do it. Just build the track up to the museum property and leave out a section of track, then when you are adding a new piece of equipment, just add the section of track long enough to move the equipment and then remove the section of track. Save wear and tear and resurfacing the road. BTW what are those tractors normally use for?
The tractors have rubber treads, and as I am sure you know, a tracked vehicle spreads it load over a much greater area than a wheeled vehicle. But, there was some damage on the road at the entrance to the museum where they had to rotate the locomotive. Minor damage was repaired the next day at no cost to the museum by the City of Golden road crew. One reason they used the panel track on part of the route was when they crossed a box culvert. That reduced the load and spread it out over a greater area. The other reason to use the panel track was that there was not enough room between the edges of the culvert for the dozers and the locomotive to pass as a unit.
Looks like a newly paved road just got torn up! 3:55 I don’t think I’ve been to a railway museum, big or small, that didn’t have direct access to an active track. Still a neat operation to watch. Thanks for sharing!
Check out previous comments on the road. It did not get torn up.Have you been to a railroad museum that specializes in Narrow Gauge equipment? I can't think of one that does have a connection to standard gauge rail. Please look at previous comments from the museum director on this subject.
A retired GM designer on the Rio Grande List told us quite specifically that the tunnel modification was NOT for pulling more cold air in the tunnels. He pointed out that there isn't any air in a tunnel that isn't choked with exhaust, it's just too small. The tunnel modification was to increase cooling *between* tunnels so the engine temperature could recover before the next tunnel.
One thing I know for sure, there is no shortage of experts.www.drgw.net/info/TunnelMotor www.american-rails.com/tunnel-motors.html If you have more information, please provide a link to the source, not just your opinion.
Robert, there are many good reasons that we are not connected to the BNSF line near the museum. PLEASE take the time to look through previous comments.
Have you looked at the video I made of my 1957 Ford Fairlane and of a 1937 Chevrolet? I restored both of those cars and still have the Fairlane. Look for the video of my 2002 Chevrolet Corvette where I go 200 KPH.By the way, glad you like the old trains and cars. On May 4th of this year I will go to Cheyenne, Wyoming and watch the rebuilt Big Boy U. P. Locomotive 4014 start off for Ogden, Utah for the 150 anniversary of the transcontinental railroad.
There is very limited standard gage track at the museum. Our loop track is narrow gage. It cannot be run on the grounds. Likely a cosmetic restoration in its future, but I don't believe it is high on the priority list. I work in the roundhouse on Thursdays and we have about 100 years worth of stuff to do right now.
intermodalman123 it’s better than where it was, inaccessible and nearly invisible. I’m glad to see she’s found a home but will always remember the time I saw her when I was a kid, thundering up the famous Tennessee Pass! Those were the days.
Some nearby standard gauge mileage would be nice to have. It sounds like the facilities is all replicas. Is there any long term attachment to it? Because some day the value of that Golden land might well pay for a move to somewhere with more room.
@@MilwaukeeF40C They are pretty landlocked where they are. I lived near Denver for 27 years, and I have a friend that volunteers out there. What would be nice if they could move to the Federal Center nearby, but I doubt that will happen. With the little reactor right in the middle of a large civilian population, the security must have went up there. Land prices are insane in Colorado now. What would be great if they could move out by Strasburg Co. and merge with the Comanche Crossing Museum, where the Transcontinental Railroad really met.
And why can't we make a permanent line to the museum?In Berlin, this is done, for example. As a result, this would allow the equipment to participate in various shows outside the museum, and it would be easier for the equipment to enter the collection.
First and foremost, the museum does not want or need a connection. Our operations are all narrow gauge. Twice in the history of the museum a large standard gauge locomotive was brought in. Once by laying panel track and once as you saw in the video. Other things like boxcars were brought in by truck. There is a significant elevation difference between museum track and the track that runs near by. Also not enough room to make the turn, and then there is the canal that is also in the way and land that the museum does not own to lay the track. Narrow gauge equipment is not as heavy as standard gauge equipment. Currently, our recently restored engine #20 is at the Cumbres & Toltec railroad for special events. This too is a narrow gauge railroad. Our engine was trucked to their location. It could not get there by rail. It does not handicap the operations at the museum because it does not have a connection to standard gauge track.
Sometime in the future, this unit will be restored to look like it did when it was operated by the D&RGW. I very much doubt that it is the last one in existence, but I have no personal knowledge about the location of other units. Much of the collection at the Colorado Railroad Museum is D&RGW equipment, so is this locomotive. It's a natural fit for us. And, our director got it donated to the museum, but the museum had to get it moved to the property. After donation, it sat in the Coors Brewery rail yard until the museum could arrange for the move.
It is explained in the video. As I understand it, the air intake for the engine is at walkway level instead at the top of the machine. Better air lower in the tunnel.
This was a very impressive operation, with great co-ordination between the machines, but perhaps someone can tell me why it could not have just been winched onto a heavy lift low-loader trailer and driven straight to the museum, a system that is very common in the UK (without tearing up the asphalt on the highway with the CATs). I am really surprised about this as most railroad operations that I have seen posted on UA-cam seem more efficiently carried out in the USA than the UK.
US locomotives are far larger than UK locomotives and are much heavier as well. Loading a locomotive onto a flatbed would require that the engine be disassembled some to lower it's height for bridges and to lower the weight. It takes many, many, axles to hold the weight of a locomotive that's pushing 400,000 lbs when a typical 18-wheeler is limited to no more then 80,000 lbs fully loaded under federal law. Some Freightliner locomotives were actually built here in the US for the UK. And they are hauled out on flatbed rail cars and shipped to port on the back of US freight trains. To see the size difference was quite cool. The UK locomotives when raised up on the flatbed rail cars that had rail embedded onto the deck of them, only then stood at about the same height of the US locomotives pulling them once they were on the flat cars. So quite a size difference.
We had to upgrade the rail bed for our Locomotive 491, a large narrow gage unit. It caused problems in several areas. The tunnel motor weighs about double what 491 weighs. Likely could be done, just lacking $$$$$ for the job. A lot of the equipment at the CRRM is late 19th century and early 20th century narrow gage equipment. There is a lot of other stuff there too. Check out the museum website at CRRM.org.
So, Why is the Museum not still hooked up to a siding? It would make sense to me to be hooled up to a siding for those few times that cars and motors need to be brought in or out.
Please take the time to read other comments on this subject. A connection to standard rail is neither desirable or possible for our museum. Once you understand the reasons, it will make sense to you.
Where should I read those other comments? I didn't see a link, not an explanation. It was just me wondering. The museum Was hooked to a siding or main line at one time... Right?
No, never. We have mostly narrow gauge equipment, a total mismatch. It just does not work. Consider this. Narrow Gauge equipment is smaller and lighter than standard gauge equipment. Just load it on a lowboy and haul it directly from place to place. To see the other comments, you have to scroll down through previous comments.
It will get repainted to restore it to the way it looked when it was run by the D&RGW. The UP donated the unit to the CRRM and that will forever be part of its history.
I don't care what anyone says, I am 101% thankful you folks do all that you do. I also think it was a VERY nice jesture for the UP to donate the loco. The SD40T-2's are getting old and rebuilding can only happen just so many times before cost negates it. And I understand the reasons not to have a physical connection to the BNSF. Been to the museum only once but I need to come back. Look forward to seeing the progress you folks have made! I commend you!!!!
Thanks for the comments. Stop by on a Thursday at the roundhouse and say Hi, I'm almost always there.
@@ROKuberski If I could I sure would!! You see, I live in northern Vermont about 60 miles south of the Canadian Border. I am planning to be out there this coming summer. Have 3 narrow gauge places to visit!!!!! I WILL look you up to say hello!!!
Exceptional video documenting a very interesting move. Good job Richard!
Thanks.
I'm glad the unit wasn't scrapped and that the Museum was able to obtain it from the UP.
Nice! It's wonderful to know that some tunnel motors are being preserved.
What coordination between boom operators. Great video .. you're a good man for us foamers.
The same kind of 'side boom' lifts find a lot of use in clearing wrecks, the amount of weight each can lift is impressive. I watched a track clearing operation in North Chicago in 1981 or 82, a freight train operating on the same tracks that the commuters had to operate on derailed (speeding believe it or not) dumping 30 or so loaded grain hoppers, smashing a lot of rolling stock and tearing up about 2 miles of the line, two tracks BOTH wiped out. No one hurt and all three SD-40s (C&NW) stayed on the track. The clearing contractor crew had everything cleared up so the track gangs could rebuild the line in just a little over 36 hours. Two side boom units working in concert could pick up a relatively intact loaded hopper and make it look easy. I knew about the wreck as soon as it happened, I had the duty at the Great Lakes Training Center Boot Camp and the wreck occurred just the other side of the fence from my office in the middle of the night. As impressive as an earthquake!
Great job moving that heavy chunk of iron! And thank all those that still value our past and preserve it for future generations. Awesome filmed video too!
Thank you, I appreciate the kind comments. While I've been making videos for some years, it is a hobby for me.
Okay folks, this is all you will get from the museum director on the cost of the move. Please don't ask for more information on this subject. I won't post any more guesses on cost.
Donald Tallman, Executive Director noted “We got an excellent price for it. All parties involved were excited to be able to participate in this historic event.”
I was just there in June and the nice volunteers running the goose that day told me all about how much effort it was getting that tunnel motor over there. I understood them but this really shows the effort more clearly, thanks for posting this!
Glad you had a chance to visit our museum and get a ride on the Goose. I hope you had the time to wander around and see the different equipment.
This is amazing! I'm so thankful to all whom made this possible.
Grandpa always said, “with the right tools, you can do anything.”
A fitting display. I used to watch the helpers on the coal trains at Palmer Lake when I lived there. Modeled my first layout on D&RGW. My ex took me on a surprise visit to the museum in the 90's. I will make it back there. Thanks to UP for saving this work horse.
Wonderful. Great mix of video, drone, music and live sound.
Absolutely fascinating! Amazing precision "choreography"! Thanks!!!
Thanks for posting this awesome footage of a very complicated move. Also, thanks for dealing with all of the experts here that obviously know more than anyone involved with the successful move.
Maybe next time you do something as complicated as this, seek input from the comment section of UA-cam. It is the single best source of inexperienced experts on every topic imaginable. Just ask them.
My favorite locomotive, sd40-2. A wonderful addition to the museum.
Thank you for sharing this great footage, Mr. Kuberski! I'm glad that a diesel locomotive was spared from what could've been a trip to the scrapyard. All locomotives deserve to be saved from the scrapyard, as they have so many stories to tell. Have a great day, sir, and take care! Regards, Joseph cheeseinthepie. 2/7/2019
This is amazing! Just saw the museum today and saw this locomotive. Didn't realize how much work it was to get it there!
Great video good music. It's great to see an example of railroad history preserved. Good to see videos from a fellow Jarhead.
Semper Fi
Amazing service !!! Team united and accurate. Congratulations to all who participated in the project and execution.
Thank you for your kind comments.
I was one of the 4 sideboom operators on this job. I’ll never forget it!!
I've operated this locomotive many, many times. Engineer on helpers out of Helper, UT. Theses T-2's ran like no other. I miss em!
This exact unit or one like it?
Thanks for posting this. I've heard the term "tunnel motor", but I never knew how a locomotive got that distinction. You learn something new every day.
pumpkinhead625 I think the tunnel motors are distinguished by the cooling as he said
This unit was prepped for the move to the museum at the UPRR Jenks Shop in North Little Rock, Arkansas. It sat on the shops Loco display tracks for the longest of times. UP's new PSR policies in there Unified Plan would have seen the loco scrapped or traded in to PRLX this year had the transfer of ownership not occurred. I'm glad this loco has found a permanent home at the museum.
George, Thanks for providing this additional information.
With my railroad empire, I just reach down and pick up my locomotives with my hand. Awesome job.
CRM needs a direct connection to that BNSF main.
That's a no go ghost rider. Too many FRA rules will ensue
@@AbelG8781 How close to the BNSF track could they lay track. Maybe it already is. I almost posted the question you answered. thanks.
@@AbelG8781 FRA rules only apply to major railroads. You can still have a connection to a mainline and not fall under FRA rules. For example every single industry serviced by rail. They really should have a connection.
the state would go crazy over that proposal. Colorado is becoming a crap fest.
Thank god this Tunnel Motor was saved and a 16 cylinder yet. Bravo ! ! !
Richard, thank you for sharing this. The 'Tunnel Motors' are indeed fascinating units, truly a 'custom' design for specific purpose.
Oh wow, I was at that museum once! Very cool to see how that engine got there.
Glad to see a few tunnel motors are being saved, I was worried at one point that in our obsession over steam and early diesels, we might end up forgetting the 2nd gen diesels are themselves on their way out... They are essentially today's version of the steam locomotives in the 50s.
There's a tunnel motor on display in Ogden Utah
Loved the dance of the Sidebooms! The "Caterpillar Shuffle"?
What an incredible effort to save an old workhorse locomotive from the scrap yards! BRAVO ZULU!
Hi from in England in my opinion and other people who follow u.s. railroads tunnel motors sd40 t-2 and the 20 cylinder sd45t-2 are absolute legend's!!!!
Love it. I will be coming to visit next summer while trucking hopefully!
If you are there on a Thursday, stop by the roundhouse and say Hi.
@@ROKuberski I will! We'll be dropping by in our Kenworth W900.
Park that rig on the south side of the main entrance. Should be plenty of room for you.
I will have to take my grandson to the museum..
I think that's a good idea. If you come by on a Thursday, stop by the roundhouse and say Hi.
@@ROKuberski will do.
Great viewing and very enjoyable over breakfast on Apple TV
AHHHHH, The Waltz of the steel-clawed felines. Great music choice!
You did a great job showing those side booms in action. Generally when the side booms are working on the railroad it's because something has gone terribly wrong. Not the case this time though.
BNSF should've power washed that beauty for its debut onto the museum grounds. They could always add dust, dirt and grime later.
Those pipe laying side booms had rubber shoes on their tracks like those found on a main battle tank. They were very kind to the road pavement.
Would it cost the same to build track to the rail line from the museum? This would have been an investment into future moves. future moves. What happened to the original tracks that connected to the museum trackage?
There never was a permeant connection to the rail line into Golden.We are beating a dead horse here. The people that had all the facts and knew how much various options would cost made a decision and carried it out.
Gotta' love how everyone keeps forgetting the two DRGW SD40T-2 units in operation on the Wheeling And Lake Erie (WLE) in Ohio (of all places), and the unit in Ogden, Utah.
Great video of this event! Thanks!
That's just awesome. Glad the UP appreciates railroad history and donated it to the meseum. So much of the equipment gets scrapped at least some is going to be around for future generations of railfans!
You ought to see the multiple sidings in this one yard where they have thousands of retired locomotives just sit. I don't know where this is, but the scope of this place will blow your mind.
Wait was that a CB&Q northern in the background
Yep, CB&Q 5629 part of the O5 class of Locomotives built by the CB&Q themselves.
Sd40t - 2 there's something magical about that electro-motive division build
Is it only the special engine cooling system design for tunnel usage that differentiates it from others engines of its era? will the average rail fan likely appreciate this nuanced difference in engine design?
Someone else will have to chime in on this. I did a brief internet search and this model and one variant was all I could find. Can't speak for all, but the museum feels it is important enough to have one in the collection.
way back in june(?) 1978, I made my first stop to the old CRIP yard,,chicago,,,Burr Oak.
there on the turntable was a brand new from EMD,,, a SD40T-2 in DRGW paint.
the rock employees were all over this loco. even on top of it! my guess being delivered by rock.
nearby were C415s working the yard. engine terminal were U28Bs, switchers,GPs and even one of those re-powered RS3 mutants.an E7and F7in the roundhouse!
later in 1983 when photoing the end of the MP, we caught an east bound coal train in Mo. with 4 DRGW tunnel motors.
Very cool video. Thanks for posting and have a nice day too.
I love these types of locomotives I may just visit the place
We would love to have you come for a visit.
Am I the only person who thinks that having a rail museum without an active rail spur to the property is kinda weird?
No, you are not. But if you would read some of my previous responses to this issue, you would no longer think this is "kinda weird." Twice in 60 years large standard gauge equipment was delivered to the museum. The majority of our equipment is narrow gauge. There is no operable standard gauge locomotive on site. So, there really is not much that we would do with a standard gauge connection if it were possible to have one. Which, by the way would be very difficult to make this connection. There is a canal in the way, significant elevation difference between the nearby spur and then there is the issue of not owning some of the property necessary to make an unneeded connection.
Great question, understandable answer.
However, I've seen whole houses moved with way less effort. Enjoyed this video very much.
Amazing molecule bonding. Cable strength. This was fascinating.
I wonder why the loc wasn't lowered onto the tracks in the pavement of the parking, and rolled in, but placed via panel track. Or was it too costly to clear that track, or is it the wrong gauge or not suitable for the load? (not an expert)
If it has been put on that track, and it is a three rail track, they would have had to roll it onto the turntable and then rotate to put it on the track designated for display. I don't think they were confident that our turntable would support the weight of this unit. It would be a minor disaster if it would not. Would you want to then retrieve that unit off of a broken turntable? Avoiding the turntable took less than 1/2 hour of maneuvering. Well worth the effort.
How much blacktop did they destroy?
Looks like quite a bit. But hey, just get an asphalter, trucks, and rollers and it'll be fixed in no time.
@@johntapp9670 Only road damage was at the entrance to the museum where they had to rotate the unit 90 degrees. The city of Golden did the repair work at no cost to the museum.
@@ROKuberski oh, good. It must have looked worse than it really was. I knew it was reparable. But I am very glad the locomotive got there in one piece and in good shape. Whatever you do, keep the UP emblem on it and even fix it. They believe in history, and I find that in terms of variety, they are the present "Standard Railroad of the World," like Pennsylvania Railroad was. For motive power, they're second to none. If you can find a DDA40X, GET ONE!!!
My grandpa worked on that locomotive!!! So cool its been saved.
Well, you better come and visit it. It's waiting for you.
@@ROKuberski I live right at I 70 and kipling. Its super nice being so close to this museum. Ill go check it out. It looks great with the new paint
Pretty cool stuff. I'll have to swing by and take a look at the museum.
Great, come on a Saturday and take a ride. Also on special weekends there will be a steam train running. Check the website www.coloradorailroadmuseum.org/events/ for the schedule.
Makes it look so easy with the strength of the side lifts
With the right equipment and the skill to operate it, it's not so hard. There was consideration of laying panel track all the way, but once you have it in the air and can travel with it, will, lets go!
To watch these Pro's working as one in a smooth ballet of tonnage is a must see if you ever can
The drone video really gives a different perspective of the action.
And my friend said that all the Rio Grande units had been repainted
There are two units running out east on a short line hauling coal trains, since the railway already bases their paint schemes off the Rio Grande, they have been preserved with their original markings and paint.. So far as I know, they're the only unpatched tunnel motors still running.
that's the wheeling and lake Erie railroad
The Arctic Gamer I think there's a few more than just two I know of two on the wheeling and Lake Erie alone and I think Ohio Central has one or two
@@trainknut This is true, it is the Wheeling and Lake Erie, and I have seen one of them.
@@plymouth-hl20ton37 , I think RJ Corman owns some.
The museum must have had a spur connection at one point to make these maneuvers far easier? I remember seeing photos of the Burlington locomotive being moved there.
I was not there when that was done, but it was on temporary track. To the best of my knowledge there was never a spur into the museum.
Great Vid. How come the RR museum doesn’t have it’s own connection to the local RR spur?
If we did have a physical connection to the standard gage track running into Golden, it would cause a significant change to our operating rules. And, we don't have very much standard gage track and the loop is narrow gage. So, there is no way to run standard gage equipment
@@ROKuberski, you might want to contact the NC transportation museum. They do have a connection to the BSNF tracks and they dont seem to have a problem. Infact, they have excursions with Amtrak trains about 4 times a year, and the trains come on to the Museum property. I think all of those things are manageable. I personally think what you lack is the space to do a rail road museum properly. Both the NC Transportation and the B and O museum are larger and they can get connections when they want. Chip
According to FRA, a physical track connection between a common carrier railroad and a railroad museum does not make the museum trackage part of the General system of Railroad Transportation as long as it is not used for revenue (e.g. freight or passenger) interchange moves. So such a connection would have minimal impact on operating rules and would have the benefit of enabling equipment like this to be run off the property for special events. There may be other good reasons (including cost) not to have such a connection, but I felt it important to clear up this common misconception. I suspect Warren Buffet could find the money to build a connecting spur, and I'd bet the highway authorities would prefer not to have side boom Cats driving on their asphalt.
/s/ A former manager of training and operating practices.
Richard Kuberski I understand. Thanks for the reply.
@@evanstauffer4470 I am telling you what our FRA guy told me. I'm not the expert.
Also for only 1150' from the museum to the main line, they ought to just have a permanent spur track for past/future endeavors like this. Tell me why not?
There are numerous reasons why this is neither feasible or desirable. The elevation difference is significant, there is no room between existing canal/road/rail line into Golden, the museum is primarily narrow gauge, a standard gauge connection has very limited use (twice in 60 years), we don't want to be connected to a FRA rail line. CRRM is an operating railroad, but only as narrow gauge. Please read through older posts.
I might have missed it but, where was it removed from. When did it last run under power?
Just prior to being donated, it was at the Denver rail yard. I don't know its history before that.
That was interesting, especially how the tractor operators used the sidebooms to move the locomotive around the corners.
Even the music was tolerable, reminded me of the music used on the Doc Martin BBC series.
Great effort by all concerned! 👍
Interesting. Museum tracks usually connected with rail network, looks like this is not?
You are correct. No connection to the outside world. I'm wondering if that is more common with a standard gage railroad museum?
Thought a train got derailed by the vid picture but verry impressive vid. Now I know how they move them off the tracks
Why was not the crane and car platform used for transport?
There are no cranes in the US? So many hours and fuel were wasted.
Hulcher services is who the museum contracted with for the move. Their specialty is doing this kind of work. I'm sure that several options were discussed before selecting this one. The museum is not flush with surplus cash. I doubt that there was a less expensive option.
I think rain shelters should be looked into for museums that have vehicles and equipment outside. I imagine it helps reduce water building up inside as well as reduce rust and slow down sun bleaching of the paint. I'm not expert on this topic, but I imagine 4 poles and the sheet metal for a roof wouldn't add up to unreasonable amounts.
Something like that is under consideration, but they need to be well designed for our conditions. 100+mph winds are not unusual in our area.
So the railroad museum does not have a rail connected to the railway! What?
Why wouldn't a railroad museum not have track access to just bring it into the display track by rail?
Please accept the fact that the museum site does not lend itself to a connection to the nearby standard gauge track. Much of the display track is isolated, some is connected enough that you can get back to the roundhouse. It is NOT a problem for our museum. I've ridden many of the other narrow gauge tourist trains in Colorado. If any of them are connected to standard gauge, I am not aware of it. There was a whole network of narrow gauge in the late 1800's up through about the 1950's in Colorado/New Mexico/Utah and maybe other places too. All that's left is isolated sections still operating as tourist trains, such as; The Georgetown Loup, Durango & Silverton and Cumbres & Toltec.
Did UP scrap all their sd40t-2? Ive been researching and I cant find any information where they all ended up
Someone else will have to weigh in on this subject. I have no idea.
check this out.
cs.trains.com/trn/f/741/p/190703/2082102.aspx
That source was very helpful thank you!
Sad to hear most of them ended in scrap yards, if only a museum saved 2 sp 40t's and repainted them to their paint schemes
That must have cost a fair amount to move that loco. Amazing piece of work. I like the action of the counterweights on the CAT hoists, kind of surprised they were able to operate on a regular blacktop road without mashing the surface. Great video!
Actually, they did do some damage to the road surface. At the entrance to the museum, where they had to rotate the locomotive 90 degrees, some minor damage was don to the road. The City of Golden took care of this at no charge to the museum.Look carefully at the tracks on the side boom dozers. They have huge rubber slabs mounted on the tracks. They were actually pretty easy on the pavement.
Each time it touches a surface other than tracks, it gives me a strong “NOOO-OOO-OOO” feeling.
I can't say 100% for sure, but I don't think they ever set it on pavement or dirt. They did put wood blocking under the wheels if they had to set it down. Mostly, It was in the air, on panel track or on museum track.
That's a lot coordination between the four side lift operators.
Will this unit ever run again is it just "stuffed and mounted" now?
Hard to say. All they'd need to have running really are switchers. This is a special duty machine that has seen mountain service. However, if any repairs are needed and not too expensive, they could rent it as a ride to go up and down a side track. But more likely, it's just gonna sit.
She's probably way to big and heavy for their track. I honestly don't know if they have any standard guage to run her around either. If anything I will love for them to cosmetically restore her with the gyralight and her original number. If they are able to get her to run then I give them props. More than likely it will be like the UP SD40-2 in Pomona, CA. It runs but it will never move unfortunately.
IMHO "stuffed and mounted" beats repurposing as Chinese razor blades any day :D !!!
@@rogercox369
Agreed!
background music is too loud
I wonder why someone would complain about the volume when you have the ability to control it at your finger tips.
@@ROKuberski It's not the volume issue, its that it tends to drown out whats being said. Turn down the volume and you have the same issues. Other then that it's unique video. 👍
SD40's are getting retired to museums, I must be getting old.
You and me both. Been watching the Virtual Railfan feed for Belen, NM and BNSF has SD-40s doing yard work. I guess I can be happy that they are still in daily use, but oh how the mighty have fallen.
Hear is a way you can do it. Just build the track up to the museum property and leave out a section of track, then when you are adding a new piece of equipment, just add the section of track long enough to move the equipment and then remove the section of track. Save wear and tear and resurfacing the road. BTW what are those tractors normally use for?
to fix derailments
Build the track where? We don't own any right of way for track construction. Buildings and a park between the museum and the track crossing.
@@ROKuberski Being I live in the socialist state of California and not Colorado, I can only offer suggestions.
They can put that much weight on the asphalt without destroying it? We’re looking at close to a million LBS between the T-2 and the tractors
The tractors have rubber treads, and as I am sure you know, a tracked vehicle spreads it load over a much greater area than a wheeled vehicle. But, there was some damage on the road at the entrance to the museum where they had to rotate the locomotive. Minor damage was repaired the next day at no cost to the museum by the City of Golden road crew. One reason they used the panel track on part of the route was when they crossed a box culvert. That reduced the load and spread it out over a greater area. The other reason to use the panel track was that there was not enough room between the edges of the culvert for the dozers and the locomotive to pass as a unit.
who else thought the thumbnail was a derailment 😂
I guess no one else did.
Looks like a newly paved road just got torn up! 3:55 I don’t think I’ve been to a railway museum, big or small, that didn’t have direct access to an active track. Still a neat operation to watch. Thanks for sharing!
Check out previous comments on the road. It did not get torn up.Have you been to a railroad museum that specializes in Narrow Gauge equipment? I can't think of one that does have a connection to standard gauge rail. Please look at previous comments from the museum director on this subject.
I guess there's no SG track, except temporary track, to drive the engine right to the museum.
She's beautiful. And looking right at home.
A retired GM designer on the Rio Grande List told us quite specifically that the tunnel modification was NOT for pulling more cold air in the tunnels. He pointed out that there isn't any air in a tunnel that isn't choked with exhaust, it's just too small. The tunnel modification was to increase cooling *between* tunnels so the engine temperature could recover before the next tunnel.
One thing I know for sure, there is no shortage of experts.www.drgw.net/info/TunnelMotor www.american-rails.com/tunnel-motors.html If you have more information, please provide a link to the source, not just your opinion.
That is really awesome. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for the video I always wondered how they moved those around.
Why did they NOT build the railroad museum next to the railroad tracks?
Robert, there are many good reasons that we are not connected to the BNSF line near the museum. PLEASE take the time to look through previous comments.
As graceful as a ballet. Nice camera work as well.
Thanks for the kind comments.
Nice video! Love Rio Grande logo and colors) Many years ago I was made 3d model the SD-45 locomotive from this railroad)
Where are you from? Are vintage American trains popular there?
@@ROKuberski from Russia) We love old US trains and cars)
Have you looked at the video I made of my 1957 Ford Fairlane and of a 1937 Chevrolet? I restored both of those cars and still have the Fairlane. Look for the video of my 2002 Chevrolet Corvette where I go 200 KPH.By the way, glad you like the old trains and cars. On May 4th of this year I will go to Cheyenne, Wyoming and watch the rebuilt Big Boy U. P. Locomotive 4014 start off for Ogden, Utah for the 150 anniversary of the transcontinental railroad.
@@ROKuberski ah yes, saw this videos about cars, it was nice! And me like how you restored it!
Will this loco run on musem grounds or be restored cosmetically
There is very limited standard gage track at the museum. Our loop track is narrow gage. It cannot be run on the grounds. Likely a cosmetic restoration in its future, but I don't believe it is high on the priority list. I work in the roundhouse on Thursdays and we have about 100 years worth of stuff to do right now.
Oh wow, better than scrap but that's disappointing to hear
intermodalman123 it’s better than where it was, inaccessible and nearly invisible. I’m glad to see she’s found a home but will always remember the time I saw her when I was a kid, thundering up the famous Tennessee Pass! Those were the days.
Some nearby standard gauge mileage would be nice to have. It sounds like the facilities is all replicas. Is there any long term attachment to it? Because some day the value of that Golden land might well pay for a move to somewhere with more room.
@@MilwaukeeF40C They are pretty landlocked where they are. I lived near Denver for 27 years, and I have a friend that volunteers out there.
What would be nice if they could move to the Federal Center nearby, but I doubt that will happen. With the little reactor right in the middle of a large civilian population, the security must have went up there.
Land prices are insane in Colorado now. What would be great if they could move out by Strasburg Co. and merge with the Comanche Crossing Museum, where the Transcontinental Railroad really met.
That is 395 gallons to change oil
Yeah, but 1,580 quarts sounds like so much more. It's also about 7.2 55 gallon drums.
And why can't we make a permanent line to the museum?In Berlin, this is done, for example. As a result, this would allow the equipment to participate in various shows outside the museum, and it would be easier for the equipment to enter the collection.
First and foremost, the museum does not want or need a connection. Our operations are all narrow gauge. Twice in the history of the museum a large standard gauge locomotive was brought in. Once by laying panel track and once as you saw in the video. Other things like boxcars were brought in by truck. There is a significant elevation difference between museum track and the track that runs near by. Also not enough room to make the turn, and then there is the canal that is also in the way and land that the museum does not own to lay the track. Narrow gauge equipment is not as heavy as standard gauge equipment. Currently, our recently restored engine #20 is at the Cumbres & Toltec railroad for special events. This too is a narrow gauge railroad. Our engine was trucked to their location. It could not get there by rail. It does not handicap the operations at the museum because it does not have a connection to standard gauge track.
@@ROKuberski
Thank you for the explanation, now your position is clear.
1) Will the cab paint be touched up to restore the D&RGW number?
2) Is this the last tunnel motor in existence? Why was this one picked to be saved?
Sometime in the future, this unit will be restored to look like it did when it was operated by the D&RGW.
I very much doubt that it is the last one in existence, but I have no personal knowledge about the location of other units.
Much of the collection at the Colorado Railroad Museum is D&RGW equipment, so is this locomotive. It's a natural fit for us. And, our director got it donated to the museum, but the museum had to get it moved to the property. After donation, it sat in the Coors Brewery rail yard until the museum could arrange for the move.
Theres two tunnel motors in of SP orgin in Claremont mn
@@needsmetal Huh... I _really_ need to get myself up to Claremont. :P
Did this /was this still capable of moving on it own power?
Probably, since it was given a yellow panel w/red numbers, means it was slated to be re-painted to UP colors.
It could not. It sat outside Coors mechanic shop it was pulled down the track. Fun fact it has a toilet in the nose
@@Directgeekfilms so does every other locomotive...
What is. “tunnel motor” as opposed to a regular locomotive?
It is explained in the video. As I understand it, the air intake for the engine is at walkway level instead at the top of the machine. Better air lower in the tunnel.
This was a very impressive operation, with great co-ordination between the machines, but perhaps someone can tell me why it could not have just been winched onto a heavy lift low-loader trailer and driven straight to the museum, a system that is very common in the UK (without tearing up the asphalt on the highway with the CATs). I am really surprised about this as most railroad operations that I have seen posted on UA-cam seem more efficiently carried out in the USA than the UK.
US locomotives are far larger than UK locomotives and are much heavier as well. Loading a locomotive onto a flatbed would require that the engine be disassembled some to lower it's height for bridges and to lower the weight. It takes many, many, axles to hold the weight of a locomotive that's pushing 400,000 lbs when a typical 18-wheeler is limited to no more then 80,000 lbs fully loaded under federal law. Some Freightliner locomotives were actually built here in the US for the UK. And they are hauled out on flatbed rail cars and shipped to port on the back of US freight trains. To see the size difference was quite cool. The UK locomotives when raised up on the flatbed rail cars that had rail embedded onto the deck of them, only then stood at about the same height of the US locomotives pulling them once they were on the flat cars. So quite a size difference.
would it be great to see that diesel run if the museum installed a standard gauge third rail on the loop of track
We had to upgrade the rail bed for our Locomotive 491, a large narrow gage unit. It caused problems in several areas. The tunnel motor weighs about double what 491 weighs. Likely could be done, just lacking $$$$$ for the job. A lot of the equipment at the CRRM is late 19th century and early 20th century narrow gage equipment. There is a lot of other stuff there too. Check out the museum website at CRRM.org.
Nice video. But why doesn't the museum have a track directly connecting it to the main rail system? The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania does.
Please read other comments. This question has been answered many times.Thanks.
Those side booms are hella strong. What is that, 90k lbs each?
So, Why is the Museum not still hooked up to a siding? It would make sense to me to be hooled up to a siding for those few times that cars and motors need to be brought in or out.
Please take the time to read other comments on this subject. A connection to standard rail is neither desirable or possible for our museum. Once you understand the reasons, it will make sense to you.
Where should I read those other comments? I didn't see a link, not an explanation.
It was just me wondering. The museum Was hooked to a siding or main line at one time... Right?
No, never. We have mostly narrow gauge equipment, a total mismatch. It just does not work. Consider this. Narrow Gauge equipment is smaller and lighter than standard gauge equipment. Just load it on a lowboy and haul it directly from place to place.
To see the other comments, you have to scroll down through previous comments.
@@ROKuberski Ahh.. makes sense Darn gauge and weight issues....
Will it repainted to get rid of the Union Pacific Emblem?
It will get repainted to restore it to the way it looked when it was run by the D&RGW. The UP donated the unit to the CRRM and that will forever be part of its history.