Sierra Northern’s report mark is SERA. SERA 50 is the correct reporting mark for the locomotive. Glad you enjoyed the video. It was a pleasure to capture and share something others can enjoy too.
Thank you. Significant work will begin later this year on the rebuilding of many of the bridges and rehabilitation of the track. I am looking forward to documenting the work.
Great video, I love branch line railways, especially as the human element always seems more important in keeping them running, which you showed beautifully following the small track crew doing the washout repairs.
Sierra Northern leased the branch line from UP for two years until December 31, 2011. The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission will be the new owner of the branch line in the next two weeks and the Santa Cruz & Monterey Bay Railway (Iowa Pacific Holdings) will be the new operator.
I attended the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission Transportation Policy Workshop this morning and Iowa Pacific was approved as the new operator for the Santa Cruz Branch Line. Working together, Iowa Pacific, Roaring Camp and the Golden Gate Railroad Museum could turn Santa Cruz County into a destination for rail fans. The future is looking very bright for the Santa Cruz Branch Line. All Aboard !!
Thank you. There are two locations on the Santa Cruz Branch Line where the track runs down the street. One is Beach Street in Santa Cruz and the other is Walker Street in Watsonville. I have video from the cabs of different locomotives running up and down both streets.
I learned a lot about this type of work during the 16 days I was on site. Looking forward to the rehabilitation of the bridges that will start later this year.
Thank you. Pleased you enjoyed it. There has been a lot of exciting railroad activity in Santa Cruz County since October 2012. You can stay up to date with the latest activity at my thread on the Santa Cruz & Monterey Bay Railway on the West Coast Rail Forums. Click show more in the description panel above and click the last link at the bottom of the description.
Glad you enjoyed the video. Observing the rebuilding was very educational for me. Not sure how to respond to your comment about the foreman. He made all the engineering decisions and coordinated all the activities. The line would still be out of service without him. Regarding the use of two locomotives. For this particular day having two locomotives allowed Sierra Northern to cut two cars out at ProBuild without going all the way to the wye in Santa Cruz. It was an interesting move.
@AptosStation Thanks. Its a very good thing the Santa Cruz Branch line was photographed/videoed and documented while UP still owned it. Very nice work with your shots as well.
Don, Today is the one-year anniversary since the reopening of the line. Glad you enjoyed the video. It was a unique opportunity to document the repair. Sorry to report Sierra Northern and their GP20 are gone. Currently Union Pacific is doing repairs to the line before ownership transfers to the SCCRTC and the SCCRTC is expected to select a new operator by this summer. Howard
@CoastStarlight11 Glad you enjoyed the video. I have viewed and enjoyed your videos of the Santa Cruz Branch Line in the past. Thankful I have been able to document this period of branch line ownership before the County takes possession. The line is in good hands with Sierra Northern as the common carrier.
It's time to repair another washout. It's time to upgrade the tracks from one to two, and get that Tig-M moving commuters on weekday hours and tourists on weekend mid-day to evenings.
This is the Santa Cruz Branch Line and it is currently owned and operated by Union Pacific. Sierra Northern was the operator when this video was taken and Iowa Pacific Holding’s Santa Cruz & Monterey Bay Railway will be the new operator when the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission takes possession later this year.
I haven't rail work like this since I went to work for ATSF in 1945, great looking former ATSF GP20. A days work is what a fella needs. Great film. Don :-)
Nice video! I used to live in Aptos, California and I graduaited from Aptos High School. I remember when Southern Pacific and then Union Pacific owned the Santa Cruz Branch line. I have videos on my youtube account of Union Pacific's Santa Cruz Local running on the Santa Cruz Branch line in year 2003 and year 2004.
Thank you. Good to hear you enjoyed the video. Check out the last link in the show more description above. Page 17 has some very nice photographs of the line. On May 4th and 5th Motorcar Operators West will be running up to 80 motorcars on the branch line. Hopefully I will be able to do a video of the event and post it here.
I worked on the railroad as a locomotive fireman and engineer never saw a track gang that couldn't pick up a spike maul and spike by hand without even thinking about it there are a lot of repair jobs on the track where you don't have the modern machinery so old school by spike maul,lining bar and hand track jacks and rail tongs are the order of the day. Most track crews like to stay in shape.
Thank you. It is always nice to hear you enjoyed the video. The Santa Cruz Branch Line in located in Santa Cruz CA. Check out my latest thread on the Santa Cruz & Monterey Bay Railway. Click show more in the description panel above and click the last link at the bottom of the description. I post under the screen name 1TrickPony.
@andrewbnsf The location shown in the video is Probuild’s Thompson Street yard. Due to a recent significant increase in refrigerated shipments from Americold and Terminal Freezer in Watsonville, SERA 50 is currently parked on the beer spur in Watsonville to better serve their customers. SERA 50 will return to Santa Cruz before the celebration for the acquisition of the Santa Cruz Branch Line by the County of Santa Cruz in September.
of the advances in travel. But, the reason why you still see rail lines in urban areas is because trains were the life-blood of this country. Look up the "Golden Spike". This was a pivotal moment in American history that joined the east coast of this country with the west coast and that's why some U.S. cities (especially those that are historically relevant) haven't removed those tracks, while the rest are vialbe because those (rail) companies are still in business. I hope Iwas able to shed
BTW, this is how America was built. Trains played a major part in the expansion of the territories. If you're not a train fan, this probably isn't the video for you.
@coldtrain666 Thank you. The three centerbeam and three boxcar loads of lumber products were delivered to the ProBuild yard in Santa Cruz and the empties returned to Watsonville Junction the following evening. You can view images of the delivery at the link provided in the description above. Click “show more”, then click the link for New Sierra Northern Power On The UP Santa Cruz Branch.
Well done video! Great views! "SERA"? At 2:20 I would like to have seen where the engine and railcar were heading when it went out of view. (Always show crossings in case of a mishap.) Does the foreman conrtribute any physical labor? Appears that he is uneeded. At the end, why TWO engines for 5 cars? Thank you
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video. If you like seeing MOW work you can view tunnel rehabilitation photographs I posted in a link located in the video description above.
A lot of the in city lines were originally trolley lines that both serviced passengers and freight. And the next time someone curses a semi on the highway, they might think about rail freight and local delivery companies.
CSX Rail Fan The new Santa Cruz Wharf roundabout has a design error in that it has the railroad tracks going parallel to the roundabout. There has been some serious bicycle accidents and we are looking to move Roaring Camp Railroad pickup to underneath West Cliff Trestle. Boardwalk seems to be ok with it because it takes the big train out in front of them. SC City is ok because it lowers liability. RTC is a bicycle advocate so it is a slam dunk.
That's the difference; France, as I understand it, didn't have a "cultural" revolution where trains were the main mode of transportation and commerce.Many cities from about 1860 to about 1965 depended on trains for trade and travel. When highways and planes began being used to transport goods and services, the clock started ticking on the need for trains thus, spelling the doom for trains. Today, several once prominent rail lines have either sold their lines or had to shut them down because
Seems that railway owners in the USA forgot to modernize their way of transportation. They didn't invest in high speed (passengers) trains. The EU is covered with a network of high speed passengers trains which run >300km/h or more. Same with freight. In the Netherlands f.e., are special freight tracks, state of the art. Double or tripple tracks, 25kV overhead wires, high speed, no signals. The engineer receives all the info on his screens in his locomotive. So there are no fixed blocks between the signals. The distance between the trains are measured by computers and the speed adjusted to keep distance.
Trains are not THE ONLY mode of transportation for Americans. Besides, because of the "Fast Food" mentality that we suffer from, no one is that interested in trains. Do it, now. Get it, now. We are moving at the speed of life....
Sierra Northern’s report mark is SERA. SERA 50 is the correct reporting mark for the locomotive.
Glad you enjoyed the video. It was a pleasure to capture and share something others can enjoy too.
Thank you. Significant work will begin later this year on the rebuilding of many of the bridges and rehabilitation of the track. I am looking forward to documenting the work.
Great video, I love branch line railways, especially as the human element always seems more important in keeping them running, which you showed beautifully following the small track crew doing the washout repairs.
Sierra Northern leased the branch line from UP for two years until December 31, 2011. The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission will be the new owner of the branch line in the next two weeks and the Santa Cruz & Monterey Bay Railway (Iowa Pacific Holdings) will be the new operator.
I attended the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission Transportation Policy Workshop this morning and Iowa Pacific was approved as the new operator for the Santa Cruz Branch Line.
Working together, Iowa Pacific, Roaring Camp and the Golden Gate Railroad Museum could turn Santa Cruz County into a destination for rail fans.
The future is looking very bright for the Santa Cruz Branch Line.
All Aboard !!
Thank you.
There are two locations on the Santa Cruz Branch Line where the track runs down the street. One is Beach Street in Santa Cruz and the other is Walker Street in Watsonville. I have video from the cabs of different locomotives running up and down both streets.
I learned a lot about this type of work during the 16 days I was on site. Looking forward to the rehabilitation of the bridges that will start later this year.
Very Nice to see how some of the work was done prior to today’s mechanization. Thanks!
Thanks for this great video with total overview. Fun watching it. Nice track.
Great Video! Used to live in Santa Cruz. I miss it.
Thank you. Pleased you enjoyed it.
There has been a lot of exciting railroad activity in Santa Cruz County since October 2012. You can stay up to date with the latest activity at my thread on the Santa Cruz & Monterey Bay Railway on the West Coast Rail Forums. Click show more in the description panel above and click the last link at the bottom of the description.
Glad you enjoyed the video. Observing the rebuilding was very educational for me.
Not sure how to respond to your comment about the foreman. He made all the engineering decisions and coordinated all the activities. The line would still be out of service without him.
Regarding the use of two locomotives. For this particular day having two locomotives allowed Sierra Northern to cut two cars out at ProBuild without going all the way to the wye in Santa Cruz. It was an interesting move.
@AptosStation Thanks. Its a very good thing the Santa Cruz Branch line was photographed/videoed and documented while UP still owned it. Very nice work with your shots as well.
Don,
Today is the one-year anniversary since the reopening of the line.
Glad you enjoyed the video. It was a unique opportunity to document the repair. Sorry to report Sierra Northern and their GP20 are gone. Currently Union Pacific is doing repairs to the line before ownership transfers to the SCCRTC and the SCCRTC is expected to select a new operator by this summer.
Howard
@CoastStarlight11 Glad you enjoyed the video. I have viewed and enjoyed your videos of the Santa Cruz Branch Line in the past. Thankful I have been able to document this period of branch line ownership before the County takes possession. The line is in good hands with Sierra Northern as the common carrier.
It's time to repair another washout. It's time to upgrade the tracks from one to two, and get that Tig-M moving commuters on weekday hours and tourists on weekend mid-day to evenings.
This is the Santa Cruz Branch Line and it is currently owned and operated by Union Pacific. Sierra Northern was the operator when this video was taken and Iowa Pacific Holding’s Santa Cruz & Monterey Bay Railway will be the new operator when the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission takes possession later this year.
I haven't rail work like this since I went to work for ATSF in 1945, great looking former ATSF GP20. A days work is what a fella needs. Great film.
Don :-)
This video is awesome on so many levels. Thank you for sharing.
I just love the ATSF GP20, great video
Nice video! I used to live in Aptos, California and I graduaited from Aptos High School. I remember when Southern Pacific and then Union Pacific owned the Santa Cruz Branch line. I have videos on my youtube account of Union Pacific's Santa Cruz Local running on the Santa Cruz Branch line in year 2003 and year 2004.
Thank you. Good to hear you enjoyed the video. Check out the last link in the show more description above. Page 17 has some very nice photographs of the line. On May 4th and 5th Motorcar Operators West will be running up to 80 motorcars on the branch line. Hopefully I will be able to do a video of the event and post it here.
I worked on the railroad as a locomotive fireman and engineer never saw a track gang that couldn't pick up a spike maul and spike by hand without even thinking about it there are a lot of repair jobs on the track where you don't have the modern machinery so old school by spike maul,lining bar and hand track jacks and rail tongs are the order of the day. Most track crews like to stay in shape.
You are correct. SERA 50 was ATSF 3030 previously.
Just so glad they didn't rip out the tracks in town.!
Loved to see the track work!
Glad you enjoyed it.
great video.very nice job.thanks for the post
Nice video and photos. I loved watching every minute of it. Thanks for posting.
Johnny's Train Videos the
Pleased to hear you enjoyed the video. The new operator, Santa Cruz & Monterey Bay Railway, will begin operations in the beginning of October.
Great footage!
very nice video i enjoyed watching it thanks
thnx for the great upload, nice quality
Love the street running
Thank you. It is always nice to hear you enjoyed the video.
The Santa Cruz Branch Line in located in Santa Cruz CA. Check out my latest thread on the Santa Cruz & Monterey Bay Railway. Click show more in the description panel above and click the last link at the bottom of the description. I post under the screen name 1TrickPony.
@mylargebreasts
Thanks. The Watsonville customers are Americold, Terminal Freezer, Del Mar Foods and Big Creek.
@andrewbnsf
The location shown in the video is Probuild’s Thompson Street yard. Due to a recent significant increase in refrigerated shipments from Americold and Terminal Freezer in Watsonville, SERA 50 is currently parked on the beer spur in Watsonville to better serve their customers. SERA 50 will return to Santa Cruz before the celebration for the acquisition of the Santa Cruz Branch Line by the County of Santa Cruz in September.
Interesting to watch the old school track work labor.
cool video and I liked the photo essays as well.
Nice sound on the start up
Thanks for Sharing ! !
Great video!
of the advances in travel. But, the reason why you still see rail lines in urban areas is because trains were the life-blood of this country. Look up the "Golden Spike". This was a pivotal moment in American history that joined the east coast of this country with the west coast and that's why some U.S. cities (especially those that are historically relevant) haven't removed those tracks, while the rest are vialbe because those (rail) companies are still in business. I hope Iwas able to shed
@bigtrees2600
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video.
Awesome video!
@anderberger
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video.
BTW, this is how America was built. Trains played a major part in the expansion of the territories. If you're not a train fan, this probably isn't the video for you.
Archie,
The video played fine for me.
@coldtrain666
Thank you. The three centerbeam and three boxcar loads of lumber products were delivered to the ProBuild yard in Santa Cruz and the empties returned to Watsonville Junction the following evening. You can view images of the delivery at the link provided in the description above. Click “show more”, then click the link for New Sierra Northern Power On The UP Santa Cruz Branch.
We love street running here.
Very nice Startup :D
Thanks
Good stuff, . . . .
Yes, I did.
BTW, the branch line should have a new operator in a few months.
Well done video! Great views!
"SERA"?
At 2:20 I would like to have seen where the engine and railcar were heading when it went out of view. (Always show crossings in case of a mishap.)
Does the foreman conrtribute any physical labor? Appears that he is uneeded.
At the end, why TWO engines for 5 cars?
Thank you
Correct me if I'm wrong, but that diesel is wearing a Leslie RS3.
Great picture at 11:11! I didn't know that UP had a branch line out there! Also, why were they using Sierra Northern equipment?
Miss that sound! From Danish DSB type MZ.
Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video. If you like seeing MOW work you can view tunnel rehabilitation photographs I posted in a link located in the video description above.
A lot of the in city lines were originally trolley lines that both serviced passengers and freight. And the next time someone curses a semi on the highway, they might think about rail freight and local delivery companies.
Thanks for watching.
That is a ballast tamperer.
What company owns that locomotive??
Thanks.
thanks!
Where does SN keep their engines? Looks like an industrial spur? If so, where is that at?
I could use that guy with the spike maul on my MOW gang.
very nice vid
CSX Rail Fan The new Santa Cruz Wharf roundabout has a design error in that it has the railroad tracks going parallel to the roundabout. There has been some serious bicycle accidents and we are looking to move Roaring Camp Railroad pickup to
underneath West Cliff Trestle. Boardwalk seems to be ok with it because it takes the big train out in front of them. SC City is ok because it lowers liability. RTC is a bicycle advocate so it is a slam dunk.
I love it
The color scheme looks like Santa Fe colors.
+Bill rouleau It was BNSF before Sierra bought it. They just changed the name and number and put their own reporting marks on it.
that don't sound like no 567... what kind of motor is in that thing
What size is the small engine?
Those guys had to be fit eh.
a spot tamper for those little jobs
A little fast around that curve in the first clip.
What business is on this branch? Still, a great video!
Good'ol Gandy Dancers!
That's the difference; France, as I understand it, didn't have a "cultural" revolution where trains were the main mode of transportation and commerce.Many cities from about 1860 to about 1965 depended on trains for trade and travel. When highways and planes began being used to transport goods and services, the clock started ticking on the need for trains thus, spelling the doom for trains. Today, several once prominent rail lines have either sold their lines or had to shut them down because
Seems that railway owners in the USA forgot to modernize their way of transportation. They didn't invest in high speed (passengers) trains. The EU is covered with a network of high speed passengers trains which run >300km/h or more.
Same with freight. In the Netherlands f.e., are special freight tracks, state of the art. Double or tripple tracks, 25kV overhead wires, high speed, no signals. The engineer receives all the info on his screens in his locomotive. So there are no fixed blocks between the signals. The distance between the trains are measured by computers and the speed adjusted to keep distance.
I agree !!
The guy hammering the spikes has done that before.
whats that machine at 7:04 and whats its use.
Sierra Northern
Most unusual Tamping Machine, as seen at 7:03...looks like a malformed Tarantula (lol)
shanta cruz is in india in bombay
what rr is that
36°58'52.79" N 121°55'20.32" W
hey guys i m an Master Welder from Germany, is it possible to come to the USA and Work there as welder ?? can someone Help me pls
I don't work for the railroad but go ahead we need welders here
can you give me an adress or a campany wo is searching ? if its possible please
arg film went blank wen let gravel out
awesome, at&sf gp20
is that like a ex santa fe or something [dont call me stupid i just dont know]
some light on this subject so you don't think we're just a backwards nation.
Shocking. Americans doing the work Americans won't do.
trains by the sea shore O_o
NS & CSX would have locked you up for being that close to the rails.
Trains are not THE ONLY mode of transportation for Americans. Besides, because of the "Fast Food" mentality that we suffer from, no one is that interested in trains. Do it, now. Get it, now. We are moving at the speed of life....
AWW DIDDY DASH 9
3:03 The site foreman has very bad posture.
.
But a good sense of humor. :-D
Great video!