Thanks for posting this! I live in the area and like to ride motorcycles, many times stopping in Newburg, Rowlesburg, Tunnelton or Terra Alta just to see if I can catch a NS train going either way. Once in a while it works. Much of the small yard in Rowlesburg has had many of the tracks removed but the single track trestle over the Cheat River is still in use. There is a tunnel in Tunnelton, though one has to trespass on RR right-of-way to see it. Terra Alta is Greek for "higher ground". Thanks again!
I was working for the B&O at the time the blue, yellow lettering with Capital dome logo was being used. By the time I left many locos had been painted with the C&O yellow "kitty cat" logo but many Capital dome logos remained but were being replaced. The C&O management did not want to associate the operation with the US Government. That attitude lead to Reaganomics and the corporate destruction of the past.
Brakemen would go along the train and 'set up' 'retainers', the percentage set up depending on the grade and train size. Retainers keep the car's brakes on when the car's air tank is 'recharged' (re-pressurized) from the train line. Without retainers, the car's brakes would fully release when the air tank was re-pressurized...not a good idea heading downhill with a tonnage train...!
SD50s first showed up in three-unit sets in the spring of 1984. They were C&O units that went straight from EMD to the West End. I remember one of them had some sort of odometer device on a journal cap and it read less than 5,000 miles in early May 1984. Those 1983 scenes of the helper cut-off and Terra Alta are absolutely priceless!
@@jeffreymcfadden9403 Those SD-50's had some special modifications for running coal trains. DRGW had the same kind I believe. Positive Traction Control, electrical upgrades and better Dynamic braking
It wasn't just the WM SD35s that were assigned to M&K as helpers. B&O, C&O, and WM SD35s were assigned there and were also used on the Cowen Subdivision. There was an article in the B&O Historical Society "Sentinel" about 30 years ago that discussed this.
Interesting how in them days the crew were outside the cabs doing things on the engines. Now, I understand the cab doors don't open on class 1 RR's when in operation.
I think you are right about that, also you can't jump off and on any moving engines anymore when changing crews or switching! They got you pretty trapped in the cab these days for sure. No more dead head crews traveling in the 2nd or 3rd unit either!
This is from our full length DVD "Mountain Grades of the B&O" available at www.cspmovies.com
Thanks for posting this! I live in the area and like to ride motorcycles, many times stopping in Newburg, Rowlesburg, Tunnelton or Terra Alta just to see if I can catch a NS train going either way. Once in a while it works. Much of the small yard in Rowlesburg has had many of the tracks removed but the single track trestle over the Cheat River is still in use. There is a tunnel in Tunnelton, though one has to trespass on RR right-of-way to see it. Terra Alta is Greek for "higher ground". Thanks again!
Those people had some real skills to pay the bills back then great video
Agreed, real men running real railroads. Safety to a back seat to moving trains for sure!
Now that Iv seen them again I remember seeing the chessie an the blue b&o units when I younger
Great video, I enjoyed it very much, thanks. I remember the old days of dropping the pusher power that way.
Wow, garyburke you were a skilled railroader to pull that off at speed. Pretty cool stuff!
@charlessmileyvideos Yeah, it was cool. It was fun to do those jobs back in that time period. Real railroading days.
Absolutly love you refer to them as Pushers. A true railroader
What video is this
@@tonydobbs2349 This is from our full length DVD "Mountain Grades of the B&O" available at www.cspmovies.com
Yellow, blue and vermilion..one of the best paint schemes.
Agreed, really refreshing to see and a sharp scheme for sure!
Great Video ❤ Watching 😊
Cool, thank you TigerDominic for supporting our channel!
I was working for the B&O at the time the blue, yellow lettering with Capital dome logo was being used. By the time I left many locos had been painted with the C&O yellow "kitty cat" logo but many Capital dome logos remained but were being replaced.
The C&O management did not want to associate the operation with the US Government. That attitude lead to Reaganomics and the corporate destruction of the past.
I often think how skilled those engineers were in the steam era when they were descending those steep grades without dynamic breaking
They did it slow and ran up hill fast as possible
It was a real test of nerves and skill! Running trains in this Mountain Territory something could go wrong for sure!
Brakemen would go along the train and 'set up' 'retainers', the percentage set up depending on the grade and train size.
Retainers keep the car's brakes on when the car's air tank is 'recharged' (re-pressurized) from the train line.
Without retainers, the car's brakes would fully release when the air tank was re-pressurized...not a good idea heading downhill with a tonnage train...!
WM SD35s were assigned to M&K as helpers not long before CSX. They didn't last long after CSX.
SD50s first showed up in three-unit sets in the spring of 1984. They were C&O units that went straight from EMD to the West End. I remember one of them had some sort of odometer device on a journal cap and it read less than 5,000 miles in early May 1984.
Those 1983 scenes of the helper cut-off and Terra Alta are absolutely priceless!
@@B-and-O-Operator-Fairmont 3 of us were at MK in 1990, saw the SD50s everywhere.
@@jeffreymcfadden9403 Those SD-50's had some special modifications for running coal trains. DRGW had the same kind I believe. Positive Traction Control, electrical upgrades and better Dynamic braking
@@jeffreymcfadden9403 They look sharp in the Chessie Paint! Must have been a grand sight to see in person!
It wasn't just the WM SD35s that were assigned to M&K as helpers. B&O, C&O, and WM SD35s were assigned there and were also used on the Cowen Subdivision. There was an article in the B&O Historical Society "Sentinel" about 30 years ago that discussed this.
Interesting how in them days the crew were outside the cabs doing things on the engines. Now, I understand the cab doors don't open on class 1 RR's when in operation.
I think you are right about that, also you can't jump off and on any moving engines anymore when changing crews or switching! They got you pretty trapped in the cab these days for sure. No more dead head crews traveling in the 2nd or 3rd unit either!
Are those Chessie system locomotives
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A +++++++
Narrator pronounces Rowlesburg incorrectly.
Yep, he did...sounded odd to these W.Va. ears...!
Yup, we say that towns name as Rollsburg