The one-lane bridge shared by cars and trains

Поділитися
Вставка
  • Опубліковано 9 чер 2019
  • Near Hindon, on the South Island of New Zealand, there's one of only two remaining one-lane road-rail bridges in the country. No barriers, no lights, no sirens: if you're driving across this, you need to make sure to listen out for the train horn.
    Thanks to all the Dunedin Railways team! You can find out more about them here: www.dunedinrailways.co.nz/
    Edited by Michelle Martin (@mrsmmartin)
    🟥 MORE FROM TOM: www.tomscott.com/
    (you can find contact details and social links there too)
    📰 WEEKLY NEWSLETTER with good stuff from the rest of the internet: www.tomscott.com/newsletter/
    ❓ LATERAL, free weekly podcast: lateralcast.com/ / lateralcast
    ➕ TOM SCOTT PLUS: / tomscottplus
    👥 THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: / techdif

КОМЕНТАРІ • 1,5 тис.

  • @TomScottGo
    @TomScottGo  5 років тому +7006

    I completely forgot to record my "thank you to Dunedin Railways" outro. It is a beautiful rail journey on the South Island: pull down the description for a link to their site!

    • @akankshpiasa8612
      @akankshpiasa8612 5 років тому +7

      Tom Scott hi I’m a big fan

    • @jack-er5bz
      @jack-er5bz 5 років тому +59

      another time travel comment

    • @mickmoon6887
      @mickmoon6887 5 років тому +26

      3 Weeks ago. Tom Scott is verified time traveller.

    • @dolphee9935
      @dolphee9935 5 років тому

      Time travel!

    • @hedlund
      @hedlund 5 років тому +19

      Did you record it on a Thursday? I never could get the hang of Thursdays.

  • @carriageofnoreturn.1881
    @carriageofnoreturn.1881 5 років тому +9627

    Sometimes, things are *so* dangerous that they actually end up being safe - everyone treats it with caution!

    • @cosmicjenny4508
      @cosmicjenny4508 5 років тому +374

      +Carriage of No Return. It’s like the phenomena of zebra crossings sometimes causing more accidents... because people treat it with not enough caution!

    • @magnusbruce4051
      @magnusbruce4051 5 років тому +661

      This reminds me of when my entire city had no power for about two days meaning that all of the lights at crossings were out. A taxi driver was telling me that nothing happened and the traffic actually flowed better than usual because people were being more observant and letting people in when they needed to rather than when the lights told them to.

    • @theotherwalt
      @theotherwalt 5 років тому +166

      @@magnusbruce4051 In the states any traffic signal that has malfunctioned must be treated as a four way stop.

    • @fetchstixRHD
      @fetchstixRHD 5 років тому +275

      That actually ends up being quite common apparently. When something looks dangerous, people tend to be more cautious, which some road layouts actually exploit.

    • @OrangeC7
      @OrangeC7 5 років тому +104

      @@theotherwalt And if the traffic is flowing better when they're treated as four way stops, does this mean the traffic signal shouldn't be there? 🤔

  • @TheYoshieMaster
    @TheYoshieMaster 5 років тому +7068

    I love that the train driver waved back. :)

    • @GhostHostMemories
      @GhostHostMemories 5 років тому +302

      look like it surprised Tom a bit there

    • @wanhapatu
      @wanhapatu 5 років тому +221

      They've always waved back to me!

    • @1234567895182
      @1234567895182 5 років тому +404

      A big train used to pass by my elementary school all the time. Me and a bunch of friends would all have and try to get him to blow the train horn. 9/10 they always did! Train drivers are cool people (:

    • @sam08g16
      @sam08g16 5 років тому +338

      The countryside is different than the big city. You naturally wave at strangers and they naturally wave back. You know, like real human beings.

    • @mikeblatzheim2797
      @mikeblatzheim2797 5 років тому +65

      Once I was in Philly city centre filming a departing CSX train, and to my utter surprise (being from Germany and not used to this) the engineer waved to us and blew the horn.

  • @lforlight
    @lforlight 5 років тому +3618

    "Trains and cars don't usually combine very well"
    I'd say they combine TOO well. Once they meet, it's hard to separate the two.

    • @SeanBZA
      @SeanBZA 5 років тому +198

      Very easy to separate, the stuff still on the rails is train, the stuff on the sides that is not ballast was the car.

    • @SeanBZA
      @SeanBZA 5 років тому +24

      @@crimmy838 Generally yes.

    • @ansh0133
      @ansh0133 5 років тому

      😲

    • @Brooklyn-Manhattan
      @Brooklyn-Manhattan 4 роки тому +2

      Hirail Truck.

    • @JesseC1007
      @JesseC1007 4 роки тому +11

      As a locomotive engineer for 23 years I can relate to that !

  • @piranha031091
    @piranha031091 5 років тому +1077

    0:16 That timing with the train horn!
    You look like you couldn't believe it yourself! ^^

    • @hasanalarbash4057
      @hasanalarbash4057 5 років тому +57

      I feel like it was planned. It's too good to be true

    • @gabrielmaja6127
      @gabrielmaja6127 5 років тому +22

      Could have been sound effects edited in

    • @flashsurfing
      @flashsurfing 5 років тому +83

      More like that's where trains sound their horn, approaching the crossing, like everywhere else in the world

    • @nztphotography5758
      @nztphotography5758 4 роки тому +8

      D G Not in NZ exactly, unless a whistle (horn) board is in place, it’s just well timed.

    • @PrezVeto
      @PrezVeto 4 роки тому +15

      editing. notice the camera cuts

  • @slamalamadingdangdongdiggy5268
    @slamalamadingdangdongdiggy5268 5 років тому +2447

    Look at Tom being nice and waving at the train driver what a nice guy

    • @OrangeC7
      @OrangeC7 5 років тому +96

      Only the cool kids waved at the train driver

    • @Roooobb
      @Roooobb 5 років тому +47

      remember 2 thank ur train driver

    • @SeanBZA
      @SeanBZA 5 років тому +4

      @@OrangeC7 I do every time I see Aubrey, but some of the other drivers are long dead, or retired.

    • @eramsorgr
      @eramsorgr 5 років тому +21

      I always wave to the drivers, the usually wave back or the hit up the horn and scare the crap out of me

    • @user-sm9tk1ur8k
      @user-sm9tk1ur8k 4 роки тому +12

      and the train driver waived back!

  • @robscallon
    @robscallon 5 років тому +1046

    Thanks for such an incredible UA-cam channel Tom

  • @krovek
    @krovek 5 років тому +431

    I have a feeling you'd like Whittier Alaska. The only land access to the town is a 3 mile, single-lane tunnel, used for cars and trains in both directions. There are tolls and massive waiting areas on either end because the direction of the tunnel flips every hour.

    • @roblamb8327
      @roblamb8327 4 роки тому +9

      Hope there's a river nearby 'cos I think it'd be tricky navigating that tunnel in an oil tanker.

    • @samhansen9771
      @samhansen9771 4 роки тому +4

      That's what I was thinking. The story about the engineering that went into the tunnel is incredible!

    • @AaronOfMpls
      @AaronOfMpls 3 роки тому +18

      @@roblamb8327 It's on a coastal inlet (and was actually founded as a military harbor during WW2). I imagine hazardous materials -- and things that don't fit through the tunnel -- get barged in via the harbor.

    • @joncalon7508
      @joncalon7508 2 роки тому +11

      That tunnel (Anton Anderson Memorial) was originally hewn out of the rock for the railway. For the longest time, if you wanted to take your vehicle from Anchorage or elsewhere in Alaska to Whittier, for example to take on a ferry, you’d load it onto a train and the Alaska Railroad would transport you and the vehicle to Whittier.
      They put pavement in the tunnel a decade or so ago, added traffic controls, and made it a dual-purpose tunnel. Trains still use it to this day, because Whittier is the dock that accepts barges carrying railcars from the south (until recently, that was Prince Rupert and Seattle, now it’s just Seattle.)

    • @krovek
      @krovek 2 роки тому +1

      @@joncalon7508 Interesting, thanks. I visited Whittier in 2016 and loved it, absolutely gorgeous place. The story about it being built as a cold war era base absolutely makes sense, very defensible since there's really only one approach by land or by sea. Funny how now it's almost a social co-op from what I've been told.

  • @Ultimatro
    @Ultimatro 5 років тому +600

    On this week's episode of Tom's holiday to new Zealand: trains

    • @SakanaOtoko
      @SakanaOtoko 5 років тому +12

      We've peaked

    • @thelastcube.
      @thelastcube. 5 років тому +18

      It's interesting how Tom is squeezing every bit of his holiday-educational trip into bite sized pieces.
      I really like it tbh

  • @Ciara_Turner
    @Ciara_Turner 5 років тому +455

    ‘Trains and cars don’t usually combine very well’ - There’s an exception to every rule I guess.

    • @undead890
      @undead890 5 років тому +33

      I think the problem is Trains and Cars combine too well.

    • @beetemup1642
      @beetemup1642 5 років тому +5

      undead890 I think the problem is traincars.

    • @TheMorpheus017
      @TheMorpheus017 5 років тому +4

      Back to the Future 3.

    • @awildfilingcabinet6239
      @awildfilingcabinet6239 4 роки тому +6

      An unstoppable force meets a very movable object

    • @pisces2569
      @pisces2569 4 роки тому

      Ciara Turner the exception is those pickup trucks modified for traveling on railroads

  • @catcatcatcatcatcatcatcatcatca
    @catcatcatcatcatcatcatcatcatca 5 років тому +127

    This is one of those things that is very safe compared to suprisingly many things, precisely because it seems so dangerous and the hazard is clearly visible.
    Suprisingly, sometimes adding safety-elements is dangerous, because people tend to trust them more than they actually protect.

    • @2bfrank657
      @2bfrank657 Рік тому +2

      Also, it looks like this is way out in the wops where people are used to tight, twisty gravel roads, wash-outs, ford's, stock movements, etc. That motorist who went past was probably a farmer. This isn't in the middle of a city or anything.

  • @guyincognito.
    @guyincognito. 5 років тому +68

    Until very recently, there was a shared bridge like this south of Greymouth on New Zealand's west coast. It wasn't just some rural town either, it was the main north-south highway where both the road and train track crossed the Taramakua river over a single bridge. It has since been replaced by separate bridges but it scared the crap out of me every time I drove over it because you're literally driving on a train track for a good 20 seconds with no lights or barriers to warn you of oncoming rail traffic.

    • @DoubleMonoLR
      @DoubleMonoLR Рік тому +1

      There were bells at least from memory. It could be intimidating, but there was no risk in reality, on the odd occasion the train would end up following a car across.
      The only safety issue with it was the driving surface(presumably largely due to the actual rails), from memory I think a motorcyclist had an accident on the bridge and died.

    • @hahno455
      @hahno455 Рік тому +2

      @@DoubleMonoLR Nope, no bells, just 'Railway Crossing/ Give Way' signs. 😊 I couldn't tell you how many time I drove over that bridge, was sad to see it go to an exclusive rail bridge. Was the same with the old Arahura River bridge too.

    • @timconnors
      @timconnors Рік тому

      I rode through there on motorbike. Motorcycles don't have reverse gears usually...

    • @apveening
      @apveening Рік тому

      @@timconnors But motorcycles can turn in place.

    • @mapper7310
      @mapper7310 Рік тому

      Would that have been the one on state highway 6?

  • @GuanoLad
    @GuanoLad 5 років тому +317

    Yay! My home town of Dunedin appears again. Always interesting to see how it's viewed by an outsider.

    • @DRSDavidSoft
      @DRSDavidSoft 5 років тому +11

      I like your hometown

    • @Frog_Is_My_Name
      @Frog_Is_My_Name 5 років тому +7

      GuanoLad my dad did part of his uni there and all I’ve gathered is that it is bloody cold, and now I also know that they have a steep road and weird bridges
      I already knew about the bridges tho

    • @GuanoLad
      @GuanoLad 5 років тому +3

      @@Frog_Is_My_Name It's a great University. It's a lot like Scotland, with a lot of rain, rolling hills, and rocky cliffs on the coast.

    • @gasdive
      @gasdive 5 років тому +1

      One of my favorite places.

    • @presenttomato1060
      @presenttomato1060 4 роки тому +2

      I'm from Christchurch, I went to Dunedin for a concert, really nice place actually!

  • @Paul_Lucas
    @Paul_Lucas 5 років тому +127

    Nice work nailing that piece to camera in one take! Pressure!

    • @beeble2003
      @beeble2003 3 роки тому +3

      There's no reason to believe it's one take. As another commenter has pointed out, if you go to 0:19, you can see a ghost image where two images have been merged. There are also multiple cuts in the video: the cut away to the train at 0:20 and back; the cut to the company building at 0:24. We cut back to Tom at 0:55, away again at 0:59, back at 1:03, away at 1:06, back at 1:10, and that shot ends at 1:20. The longest continuous shot there is about ten seconds.

  • @johinder8648
    @johinder8648 5 років тому +18

    I seem to be the only one who’s impressed by Toms timing with just starting to talk and 20 seconds later the train coming out of the tunnel

    • @soaringvulture
      @soaringvulture 4 роки тому +3

      That's because Jacinda Ardern is famous for making the trains run on time.

  • @GroundHOG-2010
    @GroundHOG-2010 5 років тому +61

    This actually was a common occurrence on the west coast where the expected road traffic was light (given it was the 1930's when the roads were built) and you needed to minimize the number of expensive bridges across rivers. They are only in the last 10-20 years finally replacing the final major ones, with the Awatere Road Rail bridge (in Seddon, with it's rail over road design) only taking rail since 2007, and the two major ones on the west coast, Taramakau, which got turned into rail only last year, and Arahura which got replaced in 2009, but you can still go on a portion of the original span.
    Also good to see that at the end of the video you showed the way to go over such a bridge. You never drive on the rails, always to one side.

    • @danielcarroll3358
      @danielcarroll3358 5 років тому +2

      Thanks for the update. I went down the west coast by bus years ago and was thinking, "But what about the bridges on the west coast?"

    • @maytrestar
      @maytrestar 4 роки тому +2

      I was thinking of the one in Taramakau while watching this! They were still doing roadworks when I was there :)

    • @catherinekilgour2563
      @catherinekilgour2563 3 роки тому +2

      The Awatere Road Rail bridge was the one that came to mind for me. Just the chance of having a train cross at the same time was exciting to me as a child.
      I'm only sorry they removed the road decking it would be the perfect place to take photos.
      Would also be great as a pedestrian cycle bridge.

  • @MervynPartin
    @MervynPartin 5 років тому +55

    New Zealand can be quirky in places, but I absolutely love it. I have travelled over one road/rail bridge but a new road bridge has been built so it is now train only. Well done for showing us this one.

    • @tkara1980
      @tkara1980 4 роки тому +3

      I assume your referring to the Taramakau Bridge part of State Highway 6 on the West Coast. South of Greymouth and near the junction with State Highway 73 to Christchurch.

  • @pegeonpera
    @pegeonpera 5 років тому +563

    Dunedin ~ Dúnedain
    Guess New Zealand is really Middle-earth

    • @brandonkey181
      @brandonkey181 5 років тому +4

      Close enough!

    • @benjaminschultz8046
      @benjaminschultz8046 5 років тому +35

      Much of the LOTR movies was filmed in New Zealand, so you’re not far off!

    • @JesusJuenger
      @JesusJuenger 5 років тому +79

      @@benjaminschultz8046 I think Jetlite knew that when they wrote the comment :P

    • @gurrrn1102
      @gurrrn1102 5 років тому +14

      Dùn Èideann. It’s extremely annoying how they don’t pronounce it at all accurately.

    • @matthewamer713
      @matthewamer713 5 років тому +32

      Jetlite it’s Gaelic for Edinburgh! Scottish heritage of New Zealand

  • @backslash777
    @backslash777 5 років тому +24

    Can we just all stop for a moment and admire the perfect timing of the train coming out of the tunnel? :)

    • @backslash777
      @backslash777 5 років тому +3

      @@ragnkja Nevertheless, it had to be challenging to do it properly. And yet so minor thingy :D

    • @beeble2003
      @beeble2003 3 роки тому +3

      It's not perfect. At 0:19, you can see a ghost image where two shots have been blended into one.

  • @rogerkearns8094
    @rogerkearns8094 5 років тому +57

    It's a very acute-angled level crossing.

  • @NewbyTon
    @NewbyTon 5 років тому +126

    Now Takumi can finally challenge the train driver from polar Express in an epic drift battle, pushing both characters to their driving limits

  • @maxhoughtonmusic
    @maxhoughtonmusic 5 років тому +288

    Fully welcoming this channel becoming "The Weirdness of New Zealand Show"

    • @TommoCarroll
      @TommoCarroll 5 років тому +16

      The world didn't know it needed a "The Weirdness of New Zealand Show"....but ohhhh lord we did

    • @shiwanabe
      @shiwanabe 5 років тому +11

      I find it amusing that I'd guessed it was somewhere in NZ due to the background on thumbnail and the 'sillyness' of sharing the bridge.
      Yay for more No.8 wire logic. :)

    • @PrograError
      @PrograError 5 років тому

      well, it's in the south hemisphere...

    • @RatelHBadger
      @RatelHBadger 5 років тому +2

      I wonder if Tom will visit the Otira tunnel?

    • @Miranda-vj8yy
      @Miranda-vj8yy 5 років тому

      Yes love it!! Most of this is things i didnt know i was living close to😂

  • @BaltimoreAndOhioRR
    @BaltimoreAndOhioRR 4 роки тому +23

    That's so cool!! 👌

  • @alastairward2774
    @alastairward2774 5 років тому +59

    A new driving strategy, let the train win.

    • @MiseFreisin
      @MiseFreisin 5 років тому +4

      Alastair Ward The train always wins.

  • @Blasikov
    @Blasikov 5 років тому +7

    Grant Craig's wonderful Kiwi accent is mesmerizing.
    Thanks for the interesting segments, Tom!

  • @Not_Aaron_
    @Not_Aaron_ 3 роки тому +4

    I really love that I have watched tom scott for over 1 year now and still keep getting videos in my recommended that I haven't watched

  • @nickkokay
    @nickkokay 5 років тому +13

    Tom, I'm absolutely loving the series of videos you're putting out about New Zealand - I'm a Kiwi, but you're showing off parts of my country that I never knew existed!

  • @joppetie
    @joppetie 5 років тому +56

    If trains were invented today, we'd never have had platforms without barriers in train stations. Much like this bridge, so long as you're careful it's not a safety hazard.

    • @TWX1138
      @TWX1138 5 років тому +13

      At modern light-rail stations I've seen idiots sit on the platform edges with their legs dangling above the rails as they wait for the next train. When trains pull in they end up within an inch of the platforms.
      I personally like having my legs and feet too much to assume that I'll be able to move quickly enough when the train pulls up and that the driver would see me in time to try to stop.

    • @tobybartels8426
      @tobybartels8426 5 років тому +7

      @@TWX1138 : That gives new meaning to ‘Mind the gap’!

    • @LordZarano
      @LordZarano 5 років тому +6

      @@TWX1138 Sounds like they need to install more benches

    • @TheCandoRailfan
      @TheCandoRailfan 5 років тому +3

      The floor is also an option. Not a great option, but better than in front of a train.

    • @netking66
      @netking66 4 роки тому

      And southern England would never have had 'third rail' (750 volts) electric railways.

  • @NewbyTon
    @NewbyTon 5 років тому +44

    Remember to always thank the train driver and be a good boi like Tom

  • @Abitibidoug
    @Abitibidoug 3 роки тому +3

    I had the privilege of going over that bridge on the train in February 2017 while travelling around New Zealand. If you're in Dunedin the Taireri Gorge Railway is a worthwhile scenic trip. There was another road and rail bridge at Little Current, Ontario where you go on to Manitoulin Island, until the railway tracks were removed many years ago.

  • @KingRCT3
    @KingRCT3 5 років тому +1

    The Taramakau Road-Rail Bridge is even bigger and longer than that. We went on it not knowing it was a thing, and you can imagine how baffled we were when our GPS told us "yes yes, that's the road you gonna take". It's a really unique driving experience in hindsight, but you're not 100% relaxed when you're on it! Luckily there were other cars in front of us, because I don't know if we would have drove on it otherwise. The trains rolling on it are no small ones too..!

  • @TaranVH
    @TaranVH 5 років тому +76

    How'd you get the cameras on the bridge to so perfectly pan to follow the train? They've gotta be motorized somehow...

    • @nelsonglover3963
      @nelsonglover3963 4 роки тому +25

      GoPro Fusion 360 probably then planning around the sphere in post

    • @JohnSmith-dt1tw
      @JohnSmith-dt1tw 3 роки тому +24

      @@nelsonglover3963 Tom does a lot of neat stuff with that camera. His series "Two of These People are Lying" (a 4 people around a table panel show type thing, well worth a watch) was shot on the 360° camera, with the camera in the middle of the table. It's probably a lot easier to set up than 4+ go-pros, plus if someone moves you can track them after the fact.

    • @xtrct7303
      @xtrct7303 3 роки тому +4

      Taran, the only human being that asks about camera setup on Tom Scott’s video

    • @JonatasAdoM
      @JonatasAdoM 3 роки тому +1

      @@JohnSmith-dt1tw Wait... I never realized that there weren't any cameras!!
      You blew my mind!
      I'm so used to the cameras and microphones I just assumed they were there.
      Another reason to go watch it again yay!

    • @Skorpychan
      @Skorpychan 2 роки тому

      Probably a gyro-stabilised camera attached to one of the smoothest and most precise tracking systems available; trained human hand/eye coordination.

  • @araylaurence6220
    @araylaurence6220 5 років тому +82

    interesting stuff that we only see from you Tom keep going

    • @slipperyslytherin3470
      @slipperyslytherin3470 5 років тому

      Where are you inserting it?

    • @araylaurence6220
      @araylaurence6220 5 років тому +3

      @@slipperyslytherin3470 were the like button is

    • @joshduthie3401
      @joshduthie3401 3 роки тому

      I'm probably the only person commenting here who's actually been over it in a car and that was 30 ish years ago.

  • @xyldkefyi
    @xyldkefyi 5 років тому +47

    "Level crossings are worse"
    Well if New Plymouth is anything to go by they're a hole in a fence so yes, I suppose they are 😅

    • @gearandalthefirst7027
      @gearandalthefirst7027 3 роки тому

      At least you guys have a fence, I've lived places where tracks going down the middle of a city only have a meter's width of dirt on either side and level crossing are just when asphalt got poured around the rails

  • @jpopelish
    @jpopelish 5 років тому +1

    In 2002, I rode a motorcycle through the 2.5 mile long, one-lane Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel that connects Wittier to the rest of Alaska. It was tense riding between the two slots for the train wheels, and it was quite scary to ride unexpectedly, under the six, 75 horsepower jet engine-loud, air fans inside the tunnel, only a few of which were operating. The train schedule was not obvious before I entered the tunnel. And there was no traffic for me to blend into.

  • @peterdenk6200
    @peterdenk6200 5 років тому +11

    Your videos are always either mind-boggling or heart-warming. Thanx a lot.

  • @Mousy677
    @Mousy677 5 років тому +8

    the train coming into view over the hill is just - the most comedic image somehow

  • @lewismassie
    @lewismassie 5 років тому +6

    You did a video 5 years ago about a manual rail crossing in Canterbury. I realised it's close to my university campus, so I went and had a look the other day

  • @abbiearcher4716
    @abbiearcher4716 5 років тому +2

    I can actually think of two more examples of shared train-car bridges:
    - Porthmadog, Wales: The Welsh Highland Railway enters and leaves along a short road running section across a bridge.
    - Preston, England: The Ribble Steam Railway crosses over a shared Road-Rail Bridge.

    • @fetchstixRHD
      @fetchstixRHD 5 років тому

      I forgot about both of those for a moment! Saw another comment about the Preston one but forgot the name of it

    • @WesternOhioInterurbanHistory
      @WesternOhioInterurbanHistory Рік тому

      Theres one in Chicago too

  • @user-sc8mj5bb6k
    @user-sc8mj5bb6k 5 років тому +81

    We always thank the bus driver, but noone thanks the train driver...

    • @klaxoncow
      @klaxoncow 5 років тому +17

      In fairness, on a bus, you typically pass the bus driver on your way off the bus - so it's easy to throw a "cheers, driver!" thank you to them as you're leaving.
      But, with trains, you don't naturally pass them as you leave, so it's not an easy thing to do.
      Indeed, if everyone insisted that they had to go up to the driver's cab when they leave the train to say "thank you", then you'd get quite a traffic jam on busy stations and it'd just slow down train operations, as the driver's obliged to wait to allow everyone to offer them their "thank you"s.
      So I'd guess that the train operators and train drivers would actually say "though it's appreciated, please don't actually do this".

    • @user-sc8mj5bb6k
      @user-sc8mj5bb6k 5 років тому +5

      @@klaxoncow ...hmm,
      thank the train driver, but be late?
      *_A small price to pay for salvation._*

    • @watfordjc
      @watfordjc 5 років тому +5

      If getting off at the back of a Crossrail train, you'll be 2 football (American or soccer) pitch lengths away from the driver. When I used to get off the back of a TfL bendy bus I considered the driver too far away to thank.

    • @pdarsh3588
      @pdarsh3588 4 роки тому

      @@user-ds6jv5jf5o you must be from London I'm guessing?

  • @bladerunner162
    @bladerunner162 4 роки тому +4

    Discovered your channel a couple of days ago, and Ive been binging the whole lot. Incredibly interesting stuff. Keep up the great work Tom.

  • @mattDBTNZ
    @mattDBTNZ 5 років тому +3

    I love these videos you're doing in NZ, I've been watching your channel for quite a while and the added bonus of seeing your videos about the country I call home thrills me :D

  • @the_cheese
    @the_cheese 5 років тому +1

    This is the coolest bridge! It reminded me a little bit of the Anton Anderson Tunnel in Alaska, where cars and trains share a 4100m tunnel

    • @Genius_at_Work
      @Genius_at_Work 2 роки тому +1

      There is a Bascule Bridge shared by Cars and Trains in Germany, and it happens to be single Lane too. It's secured by Lights and Barriers though, because there is more Traffic (Road and Rail), the Trains are faster and mostly because German Drivers can't be trusted to act independently. A simple broken Traffic Light literally is an inevitable Crash, because People think it means "green" and blast into the Intersection without even slowing down or looking.

  • @CSXRailfanNick1003
    @CSXRailfanNick1003 3 роки тому +1

    I am a Railfan in the US (I film trains) and it’s nice to see other countries trains.

  • @JawTooth
    @JawTooth 3 роки тому +7

    That is cool!

  • @Opalium
    @Opalium 5 років тому +155

    New Zealand drivers better be trained in handling this road, or they might be... Well, train'd.

    • @violeteclipse3912
      @violeteclipse3912 5 років тому +4

      nice one

    • @bremCZ
      @bremCZ 4 роки тому +8

      NZ drivers are barely trained at all. You don't have to spend even 1 minute at a driving school

    • @LetsGoGetThem
      @LetsGoGetThem 4 роки тому

      @@bremCZ What you got against them, Ms.?

    • @bremCZ
      @bremCZ 4 роки тому

      @@LetsGoGetThem The lack of driver training of course.

    • @LetsGoGetThem
      @LetsGoGetThem 4 роки тому

      @@bremCZ Why, Ms.?

  • @CaveJohnson376
    @CaveJohnson376 Рік тому +1

    i love how train driver waved back at Scott, when that train was passing by

  • @mikeandtriciajohnson7241
    @mikeandtriciajohnson7241 4 роки тому +2

    We have been on that train, they stop just after the tunnel to let passengers off to walk across the bridge so that you can take pictures of the train coming at you and then the train stops just around the corner so that the passengers can get back on.
    It's a very good trip with some stunning scenery.
    Dunedin station is worth a visit even if you're not traveling, the ticket hall is incredible.

  • @JourneywithSmee
    @JourneywithSmee 4 роки тому +3

    I've visited New Zealand a couple of times. It really is a quirky weird country like no other and my God is it gorgeous.

  • @OzzyMate88
    @OzzyMate88 5 років тому +9

    As soon as you said road/rail bridge I knew it was going to be NZ. they have many awesome ones up the west coast too but sadly they are separating them as traffic increases so the experience will eventually dry up

  • @johan21mp
    @johan21mp 5 років тому +1

    I grew up near one of these in Germany. It linked Anglia and Swansea. I'm not joking those are the two peninsula. I cannot imagine not having barriers to make sure there isn't a train coming the other way.

  • @iankemp1131
    @iankemp1131 3 роки тому +1

    The Taieri Gorge railway is a great day out for those who don't know it, very spectacular. There was a one-lane road/rail combined bridge at Connel Ferry near Oban (Scotland) for many years. Since the closure of the Ballachulish branch in the 1960s, it has been road only.

  • @klutterkicker
    @klutterkicker 5 років тому +18

    Tom should do a series called Amazing Potential Disasters.

  • @ianto3540
    @ianto3540 5 років тому +36

    You basically live in New Zealand now Tom

  • @KwarterCraft
    @KwarterCraft 5 років тому

    Thanks for showing all these cool oddities Tom! The world is full of neat little features and you're allowing people to see them all.

  • @StuffWePlay
    @StuffWePlay 5 років тому +2

    As dangerous as it sounds in concept, its great to see how peaceful this is in practice!

  • @andreaaristokrates9516
    @andreaaristokrates9516 5 років тому +14

    Ah, a classic case of something seemingly dangerous making people cautions, making the thing actually less dangerous, than the safer seeming alternatives.

    • @jordanrodrigues1279
      @jordanrodrigues1279 5 років тому +1

      As long as people don't get rushed or complacent, yes.
      Once the novelty wears off and people are late to work, etc, this kind of thing rapidly becomes very dangerous.

    • @laurencefraser
      @laurencefraser 5 років тому +2

      @@jordanrodrigues1279 conveniently, in this case, the only thing on the other side is a couple of farms, so that's mostly a non-issue.

    • @joshduthie3401
      @joshduthie3401 3 роки тому

      @@laurencefraser there's also a nice river and picnic area abut you'd have to know about it, it's miles from anywhere.

  • @charlesyin
    @charlesyin 5 років тому +4

    Not dissimilar to Connel Bridge
    near Oban. The bridge wasn't wide enough for both trains and cars, so it worked more or less like a level crossing.

  • @gab_v250
    @gab_v250 3 роки тому +1

    1:08 I recall there was a bridge of this type in Novi Sad, Serbia, over the Danube, built after the previous one was exploded in the Balkan Wars, and decommisioned after the new bridge was opened.

  • @gamingwithflash7902
    @gamingwithflash7902 5 років тому

    Always happy to see a new Tom Scott vid

  • @burbanpoison2494
    @burbanpoison2494 5 років тому +72

    All bridges should be like that. I'm tired people driving into moving traffic and assuming it will stop.

  • @biponacci
    @biponacci 5 років тому +4

    Loving these videos from my home in NZ : )

  • @gasdive
    @gasdive 5 років тому +1

    Lucky to see this. They were common in the 90's. There were still a few road/rail bridges on the west coast when I was there in 2015, but when I visited again in 2018 they were all gone.

  • @firefox39693
    @firefox39693 4 роки тому

    In Alaska, there is a small town called Wittier, and it's only road link is a single-lane tunnel, and it's shares between cars and trains.

  • @GigglingChinchilla
    @GigglingChinchilla 5 років тому +8

    "Sorry, I screwed up my line. Could the train come back and drive over again?"

  • @gaius_enceladus
    @gaius_enceladus 5 років тому +5

    Good video! Hope you're having a great time here in NZ, Tom!
    Maybe you can do a video or two here in Wellington!

  • @camdynkellett6782
    @camdynkellett6782 2 роки тому

    Yessss! that timing of the Trian was perfect! Thank you for having such attention to detail Tom!

  • @tiswasthe1
    @tiswasthe1 5 років тому +2

    There's a bridge in Preston, Lancashire, UK next to the marina that's a swinging bridge and used by trains, yachts and normal road use

    • @cool110
      @cool110 5 років тому

      That thing doesn't half shake when it's a steam train going over

  • @pegeonpera
    @pegeonpera 5 років тому +7

    I can imagine some action movie scene taking place here
    A car just making it through while a train is coming from other side

  • @ScorpioHighlander
    @ScorpioHighlander 5 років тому +32

    Level crossings are worse... I can believe that, people will pay way more attention to this.

  • @hobbitilius
    @hobbitilius 5 років тому

    Mad respect for the effort put into the camerawork of this video, Tom.

  • @thehoodedteddy1335
    @thehoodedteddy1335 3 роки тому +1

    That is like my worst nightmare. I get super nervous just normally crossing tracks.

  • @lordsqueak
    @lordsqueak 5 років тому +3

    The train always has the right of way, even if it doesn't, it will make it's own right of way. The train never loses.

    • @SassyP17
      @SassyP17 5 років тому

      Ah unless there is dynamite

    • @lordsqueak
      @lordsqueak 5 років тому

      @@SassyP17 Or another train,,, loaded with dynamite.

  • @VuizTV
    @VuizTV 5 років тому +3

    Went over a few of these in Uganda, most of the trains in the country have stopped running now though.

  • @matthewmillar3804
    @matthewmillar3804 5 років тому

    Can I just say I think you have some of the best content on UA-cam? Super interesting, short (!), well made videos (!!!). Just what UA-cam is for. Well done, as per usual. 🙂

  • @jonkess2768
    @jonkess2768 4 роки тому +1

    I have to point to the Kattwykbrücke in Hamburg Germany where cars and trains share the same bridge. It has lights but it is in a major city.

  • @lukasschramm5906
    @lukasschramm5906 5 років тому +3

    The Taramakau Road-Rail Bridge south of Hokitika in New Zealand is an even weirder example of this

    • @HerrSchnapps
      @HerrSchnapps 5 років тому +1

      Sadly it's recently been replaced

    • @lukasschramm5906
      @lukasschramm5906 5 років тому

      @@HerrSchnapps Is that really true? Such a shame! are there any sources for this? Are there now to bridges?

    • @Catrope
      @Catrope 5 років тому

      Yup, you can see it on street view in Google Maps

  • @SteelSkin667
    @SteelSkin667 5 років тому +10

    At 0:24 my derpy brain read "Home of George Takei railway" for a second. Oh, my.

    • @tkara1980
      @tkara1980 4 роки тому +1

      Wrong the Taieri Gorge. Taieri is pronounced "Tie-we."

  • @dasten123
    @dasten123 5 років тому

    I love these small and interesting videos. I hope there are many more to come!

  • @brendono9
    @brendono9 5 років тому

    Great to see you are enjoying your time in our fair land Tom! Having just returned from a holiday in the UK and Italy I'm very glad to be home and extremely grateful for the simple things New Zealand had to offer, including quirky train bridges and fruit based town monuments (Kiwifruit in Te Puke, Carrots in Ohakune, L&P Bottles in Paeroa). Keep up the good videos!

  • @nightw4tchman
    @nightw4tchman 5 років тому +4

    There's a swing bridge in Preston in the UK similar to that, Tom. Although as you say it has barriers and warnings.

    • @Cookie1994UK
      @Cookie1994UK 5 років тому +1

      You beat me to it. I've seen a train on the bridge but I've never been there to see it open for a boat to go through

    • @fetchstixRHD
      @fetchstixRHD 5 років тому +2

      Oh I think I’ve seen that one somewhere! What a crazily impressive bridge it is, a combination of a swing bridge and level crossing...

    • @taygadesign
      @taygadesign 5 років тому

      @@Cookie1994UK wait then how do they make sure the railway track is aligned when the bridge is lowered?

    • @nightw4tchman
      @nightw4tchman 5 років тому

      @@Cookie1994UK I've been on trains over it and driven over it countless times. Yet to see it open for a boat in person though. There's two level crossings either side of it as well which makes it fun if you're driving.

    • @nightw4tchman
      @nightw4tchman 5 років тому +1

      @@taygadesign It locks in to place I believe. I've driven on it countless times and it looks almost perfectly aligned every time.

  • @AnthonyNaslas
    @AnthonyNaslas 5 років тому +4

    What a neat place! I wonder what the design load for the bridge is.

    • @boostin100
      @boostin100 5 років тому

      It's a rail bridge that's had a road surface added to it, so will be high.

  • @FilFee
    @FilFee Рік тому +1

    We have one of these in Bechyně, Czechia, but that one has lights and only one lane is used by trains.

  • @NicholasMaietta
    @NicholasMaietta 5 років тому

    More than the content itself, what amazes me the most his how Tom can seemingly get so much information out in what seems like one camera take. That's some expert level memorization right there.

    • @Genius_at_Work
      @Genius_at_Work 2 роки тому

      It's the other Way around. Research Informations and write a Script, so you know what to record and be efficient at it.

  • @RamsyC9
    @RamsyC9 5 років тому +41

    just one thing: How do you come up with all the ideas/places for your videos?!
    Do you have people researching for you?
    Anyways, keep up the good work!

    • @FailTorrent
      @FailTorrent 5 років тому +6

      A lot of people e-mail him with suggestions for his video's, but I can imagine a lot of companies like this also get in touch with him, because it's good promotion.

    • @TheCrowDoctor
      @TheCrowDoctor 3 роки тому

      There are only 5 cities with over 100k population excluding the lower hutt. (Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin) so there is not a large selection.

    • @TheCrowDoctor
      @TheCrowDoctor 3 роки тому

      @John Citizen Hahaha jokes on you, you live in Dunedin like I do probs not, our architecture is amazing.

  • @JJRicks
    @JJRicks 5 років тому +5

    Never expected a semi-railfanning video from Tom Scott, nice work!

  • @colinmerrilees
    @colinmerrilees 2 роки тому

    The Kazungula Bridge just opened last year on the border of Zambia and Botswana (and Namibia and Zimbabwe - 4 way border!) which is a shared rail/road bridge too.

  • @ursusss
    @ursusss 5 років тому

    Love how short but informative your clips are. Congrats, nice channel

  • @-4subscriberswithahammerad521
    @-4subscriberswithahammerad521 5 років тому +7

    I seriously hope nobody has been in a hurry and tried to go ahead of the train

    • @Huntracony
      @Huntracony 5 років тому +1

      Here's the thing, I don't think they would on a damn bridge, people do try on level crossings.

    • @TheSpaghettiKnight
      @TheSpaghettiKnight 5 років тому

      Not a New Zealander here, but someone has, I'm sure of it. :/

    • @roblamb8327
      @roblamb8327 4 роки тому

      Perhaps they ought to have added passing places mid-bridge? And/or "No Overtaking" signs? That's the/our British way of taking Health and Safety to excess.

    • @trueriver1950
      @trueriver1950 3 роки тому

      People don't usually try that a second time

  • @francoisrd
    @francoisrd 5 років тому +11

    How did they perfectly time the train horn with Tom's monologue???
    Edit: 0:18

    • @flashsurfing
      @flashsurfing 5 років тому

      Tom timed when the train would arrive, paused monologue for the horn

    • @bremCZ
      @bremCZ 4 роки тому

      Edit the horn into the monologue.

  • @thehuntfamily4651
    @thehuntfamily4651 Рік тому

    There is a tunnel in Alaska connecting Whittier to Anchorage, the tunnel is the only road and railroad way into and out of the town of Whittier, it is called the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel. the tunnel cuts straight through the middle of the mountain that separates the two cities.

  • @VirtualRailfan
    @VirtualRailfan Рік тому

    This is awesome!

  • @drlogiq1494
    @drlogiq1494 5 років тому +5

    FINALLY, a place where natural selection may continue... we need more places like this in the world :D

  • @VithorCasteloTutoriais
    @VithorCasteloTutoriais 5 років тому +33

    0:04 "the rules are simple"
    YOU LAUGH YOU LOSE

    • @shahimagesyt
      @shahimagesyt 4 роки тому

      Well you already know what happened to me

  • @deanfrench4014
    @deanfrench4014 3 роки тому

    Taramakau River bridge just south of Greymouth is a one way bridge with rail, and a major state highway for New Zealand, also with out barriers or lights.

  • @bedemiller
    @bedemiller 5 років тому

    Love the NZ videos you've made!

  • @sparkywolftail
    @sparkywolftail 5 років тому +3

    No!! Tom your greying! Its ok we still love you no matter what ❤️

  • @researchinbreeder
    @researchinbreeder 5 років тому +15

    Tourists: Trains have right-of-way? Not on my watch!
    Also tourists: _Gone. Reduced to atoms_

    • @fetchstixRHD
      @fetchstixRHD 5 років тому +1

      Train: “I’m about to end this man’s whole career”

    • @OrangeC7
      @OrangeC7 5 років тому +1

      Tourists: Tries beating the train to it
      Thanos: Snaps the universe

  • @werelemur1138
    @werelemur1138 2 роки тому +1

    My grandmother lives on an island with a one-way access road leading toward the bridge. There is an unspoken etiquette: no signs tell you to give a driver coming around the blind turn onto the inbound road a few moments to show themselves before pulling onto the road from the outbound side. Everybody who's been there a while just learns by seeing it happen, and the only time there are ever issues is when both drivers are both a) new enough that they haven't picked up on the fact that the unspoken rule gets everyone where they're going with the least amount of fuss and b) determined not to be the one to back down.

  • @Schwertsan
    @Schwertsan 5 років тому +2

    That is a great train trip in the spring. The other train/car bridge in NZ is on a main highway, lots of traffic.

    • @julianevans6486
      @julianevans6486 5 років тому

      That is now rail only. New road bridge opened. That is located just south of Greymouth