Why Locomotive Numbers Are Important

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Why Locomotive Numbers Are Important

Рет қаралды 172,749

2 жыл бұрын

An often-asked question is about the large numbers on locomotives. Are those the train numbers? Why are they all over the engine? Why are they so big. Here's what I found out.

Пікірлер: 787

@karenebarker9244 2 жыл бұрын

I was telling my grown son that I dearly love trains. Something he didn't know about me🙂 He pulls out his phone and says, " you need to follow Distant Signal" So I pull out my phone and show him my subscription to your channel. Nice laugh between us and we have a new topic to chat about. Love having my grown sons as my friends too!

@distantsignal 2 жыл бұрын

Wow! That's a crazy coincidence. Many thanks to you both!

@karenebarker9244 2 жыл бұрын

@@distantsignal Just shows that we know good stuff when we see it. Thanks for your great channel.

@DavidTrejo 2 жыл бұрын

Awwww 🥰

@7thsonofa7thson80 Жыл бұрын

Im a newer railfanner i share my hobby with my grandson. He loves trains. Hes autistic so we watch from in my truck mainly but sometimes we watch from the side. Usuallly if there are not a lot of people around.

@josephschuster1494 Жыл бұрын

Mr. Harmon does an excellent job carefully describing every aspect of the topic he’s presenting. I’m learning a lot, as well as being entertained. Thank you, sir! 😊

@ShawnTheDriver 2 жыл бұрын

Danny: “Hello again railfans…” *everyone liked that*

@zephyrstrains2842 2 жыл бұрын

I also liked your comment. That too.

@DOTD7382 2 жыл бұрын

relatable

@vlogarchives702 2 жыл бұрын

csx

@TheRealDannAlexander 2 жыл бұрын

@@vlogarchives702 I appreciated this reply.

@philhoward4466 2 жыл бұрын

that's how i know i'm in a good place.

@brvfd822 2 жыл бұрын

A mid day, mid week posting by the best rail enthusiast ever… My day has been made!

@ericjohnson9119 2 жыл бұрын

Agree 100%

@pbh17 2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely!

@rudolphguarnacci197 2 жыл бұрын

Mine too!

@noahater5785 2 жыл бұрын

Ah, so that’s how you were able to easily recognize what hazardous materials were in those tank cars, making a note of the 4 digit UN numbers on the placards

@ebnertra0004 2 жыл бұрын

There are resources to identify any UN number you encounter, the ERG (Emergency Response Guidebook) being, in my opinion, the best. I have a free .pdf version on my phone, and have referenced it numerous times. I only hope I never need it for its intended purpose..

@25mfd 2 жыл бұрын

haz mat tankers are some of the FEW railcars that have the commodity they haul stenciled on it

@Brandon-wf8ew 2 жыл бұрын

Literally just landed in LAX with an hour sit. Thanks for planning this out Danny.

@ut000bs 2 жыл бұрын

Happy traveling, Brandon. Let's go! 🙃

@freedomfan4272 2 жыл бұрын

"Let's go Brandon"😁.

@neilcrawford8303 2 жыл бұрын

Amtrak is 50. Happy Birthday Amtrak. As a none driver, I appreciate how important good public transport is. Here in the UK it's 50 years of the Merseyrail brand. It brought together various commuter lines around Liverpool into one brand. It is now part of Merseytravel. It is the busiest commuter network in the UK outside of London. Not bad for a city region with a population of just 1.4m compared to London. The key being frequent and affordable trains, every 15 or 20 minutes, more frequent where two destinations share a common route, with 30 on a Sunday, and all the stations are staffed all day, everyday.

@AbelG8781 2 жыл бұрын

There is a UP 4555, a BNSF 4555, a CSX 4555 a KCS 4555. Dispatchers look at both the number AND the locomotive owners initials. This is how the same numbers are kept in order by who owns what.

@DOTD7382 2 жыл бұрын

There's even an FXE 4555 lol But that's an interesting fact

@AbelG8781 2 жыл бұрын

@@DOTD7382 true!! Weird that NS still doesn't have that number. Maybe if they rebuild more Dash 9s into AC44CMs then they should be able to get up to 4555.

@qwertyTRiG 2 жыл бұрын

So if companies merge, they have to either renumber their locomotives or retain the separate prefixes?

@joshpack7330 2 жыл бұрын

@@AbelG8781 NS 4555 will be a thing in 2022!

@AbelG8781 2 жыл бұрын

@@qwertyTRiG most of the time yes, they renumber the locomotive however sometimes theyll keep the original number but change the locomotive initials to the new RR.

@pacirr 2 жыл бұрын

At night, the identifying engine’s number boards are to be the only ones lit on the consist. This can sometimes get overlooked by the engineer. Also, I work for a different Class 1, but whenever we get a CSX engine, there is discussion as to whether it’s id is CSX or CSXT. The blue card in the cab is supposed to be the proper id, and it usually says CSXT, even though the outside of the engine always says CSX.

@Old_Foxy_Grandpa 2 жыл бұрын

We used the same basic practice on the Santa Fe. However, we added the Railroad and the engine number. OS I believe you said "on station" and out west, OS was "on Sheet" meaning that it was recorded in the train register by the op when the train passed. Good video.

@distantsignal 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks. Yes, I think it was "on Station" with some railroads. "On Sheet" with others. Have heard it both ways.

@billmorris2613 2 жыл бұрын

Danny; I’m a retired road locomotive engineer off of the UP, via Texas & Pacific, then via Missouri Pacific through mergers. My home terminal for my whole career was New Orleans, Louisiana. I always ran trains over the same territory, which was most of Louisiana. On our railroad the preferred ID locomotive was the lead unit, and was about 97% of the time. But it could be the rear unit in a multi unit consist. If so only the rear units number boards would be lit up. If it was one of the mid units it’s number board would be lit up. All the rest should have their number board lights turned off. Also the company reporting mark, UP, KCS, CSX, GATX, etc, etc, is part of the trains ID. The reporting mark would precede the number on train orders, track warrants, clearances, etc, etc. In most cases like this the engineer would tell trains they were meeting or passing, that the rear or mid unit was their ID unit. I’m not positive about all railroads but most of them worked under the same rule. I’m not sure if the DPU on the rear of a train could be used for the ID. I never worked with DPUs. This situation happened quite often on locals that turned during the same tour of duty. The dispatcher would sometimes use the same unit number for the return trip which would make it the rear unit on the return trip. Also to make sure the whole train was there, there must be something to indicate the rear car is there. Like a caboose, flag, or FRED.

@colinmulder6806 2 жыл бұрын

For railfans who grew up railroading around Florida between 1993-1996, the only time you'd see AMTK 160's paint scheme on Amtrak's DASH 8'S was when they were pulling the SUNSET LIMITED between Los Angeles, CA - Miami, FL three days a week in both directions.

@kingjames8283 2 жыл бұрын

I don't come here to watch trains, I come to hear Danny talk. Danny Harmon and Mike Rowe, two of the best and most recognizable voices in broadcasting.

@distantsignal 2 жыл бұрын

Oh, now...that's a crazy nice compliment! Mike Rowe is one of the best voiceover narrators ever. He and Will Lyman are my all time favorites, along with Art Gilmore and Robert Montgomery.

@ebnertra0004 2 жыл бұрын

Engine numbers are still regularly used for Track Warrants (or Track Authorities if you're on CN's US lines) on GCOR railroads to grant authority to run on mainline track. It works great, since while there may be more than one section of U789 out there at the same time, there will only ever be one CN 2031at any given time. I actually have an old track authority that fell from a passing train, addressed to BLE 903 North

@robinmorgenstern9927 2 жыл бұрын

Great video :) For anyone interested: Here in Germany DB Engines have a 6 digit number. The firsrt number classifies the type of engine: 1 for electric engines 2 for Diesel engines 3 for small engines (shunters) 4 for EMUs 5 For battery EMUs 6 For DMUs this is followed by 2 or some times three numbers specifying the engine model and the rest counting up the units in the fleet. So basicly Class + #in fleet. So 182 010 is a BR 182 (Siemens ES64 U2) and the 10th unit in the fleet.

@thomream1888 2 жыл бұрын

Hey Robin - hate to ask a dumb question, but what is an "EMU" vs a "DMU" vs a "Battery EMU"? Thanks for the info.

@robinmorgenstern9927 2 жыл бұрын

@@thomream1888 EMU stands for electric multiple unit (i.e the Bombardier Talent 2), a DMU is a diesel multiple unit (i.e the Siemens Desiro Classic) and a Battery EMU is a Normal EMU with batteries to cover on parts of track without catenaries (i.e the Siemens Mireo +B)

@thomream1888 2 жыл бұрын

@@robinmorgenstern9927 Thank you, Robin for the quick response, and the education. One of the benefits of watching a class guy like Danny is the good people that watch him! I appreciate you taking the time to help me understand more of the German way of doing things. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours!

@SgtGoodGaming 2 жыл бұрын

I work in Downtown Tampa, And on the way home, I walk past Union Station with an Amtrak at the station. You can always hear them blowing their horns as they approach the station and leave the station. Everyday

@johnrussell3981 2 жыл бұрын

Danny, you are THE MAN when it comes to the world of railfanning. I find it funny that when I railfan the Union Pacific line through Ontario Oregon, the police dont know what it is we do out here. It's all for the love of the trains. Keep up the good work.

@distantsignal 2 жыл бұрын

Wow, thanks John!

@tonyburkhart888 2 жыл бұрын

As a novice rail fan I have found your videos to be incomparably the best produced and informative rail videos online. I well understand these productions aren’t nearly as easy as they might seem to achieve this level of production values. Thanks for your dedication and commitment to your railroad and media passions!

@matthewolson9704 Жыл бұрын

And you also get good lunch insights if you're in the area 😆

@jovanweismiller7114 2 жыл бұрын

I grew up in a division point on the UP. My grandfather, my dad, and two uncles all worked for the UP. When I went to work on the railroad, I ended up on the Santa Fe. Needless to say, I subscribed before I got around to hitting the like button! LOL!

@pickfairguy 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent as always. DH and Distant Signal never disappoint. 👍👍

@AmtrakTBL 2 жыл бұрын

Ayyy nice video Danny I was wondering if you caught 160 too. Seemed like everybody in Florida was out for that unit.

@KDubielak 2 жыл бұрын

He sure did

@sofreak6 2 жыл бұрын

Ready to learn

@martinfaland4712 2 жыл бұрын

I can also say from Personal experience that locomotive numbers are crucial for keeping tabs on the locomotives for all maintenance and performance needs from the builder, as Wabtec/formerly GE Transport has their own systems and maintenance programs that are issued through contract for servicing and rebuilding the engines and other components.

@gragor11 2 жыл бұрын

Interesting information Danny. In early 1900s on Vancouver Island there were many railroads, some privately owned logging and coal mining operations and one public one which shared portions of the same tracks. Two of these railroads had a locomotive with the same number. One lousy, rainy, foggy winter day the switch master in a track side tower saw a south bound locomotive go by showing the number 13. Thinking it was the expected passenger train he called the section clear and let a north bound coal train proceed up the track where it promptly had a head on collision with the real south bound #13 passenger train. A number of people were killed in the worst train collision in the history of Vancouver Island. The train he had seen was an extra coal mine train which had a locomotive also numbered #13. As the operator of the public railroad and the mining railroad were the same, the liveries were very similar. Just the names on the side were different. After that accident the coal mine locomotives underwent a number change (they added a 1 in front of the existing numbers) and they changed the colour of their liveries. Just an example of what can happen when two locomotives on the same system share the same number.

@just_kos99 2 жыл бұрын

I'm a railfan neophyte and I greatly appreciate your tutorial videos! I'm getting better and better at spotting something and thinking, Hey, I know what that means!

@DC4260Productions 2 жыл бұрын

I was pleasantly surprised by how well-made and informative this video is, considering this is the first Distant Signal video I've ever watched.

@jovetj 2 жыл бұрын

Danny is the best.

@gusfring9895 2 жыл бұрын

Don't know if I complimented you on your narration of the 4501 documentary: it was outstanding!! Your own videos display your skill and professionalism in all the areas one must master to produce successful content. You're so comfortable in front of the camera, very welcoming to the viewer, and your commentary is clear and concise. Plus, you don't make things up. If you don't know something, you say so. That's so refreshing! I have watched too many documentary-style videos on YT and TV that are riddled with factual errors, most of which wouldn't have been made if a little time had been taken researching the topic a little more thoroughly. One example: I saw a British-produced doc on the Saturn V rocket that stated there were jet engines used in the upper stages (I jokingly commented on Amazon that their next offering would be about the D-Day invasions on the beaches of Portugal). It's sad and frustrating that some people who claim to be educating others, especially young people, don't care or take pride to be accurate. Thanks for taking the time and putting in the effort to make such wonderful videos. God bless and happy railfanning!

@distantsignal 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Gus for such a nice comment!! Yeah, I had a mentor when I first got into the business who would read my scripts and take his big black pencil and make a giant mark and loudly shout out "FACT ERROR! 50 PERCENT OFF YOUR GRADE!". It was a callback to his days in journalism school. I never went to J school, but neither have I ever forgotten his lesson. Plus, it's so easy to find information today. Please let me know if you ever hear any fact errors in my work. I know I make them occasionally, but try hard not to. Thanks again.

@gusfring9895 2 жыл бұрын

@@distantsignal I doubt that will ever happen; I firmly believe it's not in your nature to do shoddy work. Are you planning to ride Brightline when they get the Orlando line fully opened?

@steventurner9744 2 жыл бұрын

Rail fanning 101 withe Professor Harmon. Thank you Danny, you are an excellent teacher. I enjoy your videos so much. Always a learning experience.

@thomream1888 2 жыл бұрын

The only class I don't mind remediating! I'm not even stressing about the final exam... I think.

@richardbause2453 2 жыл бұрын

Maybe do a Fallen Flags 🏳 🤔 test at the end of the year 🤔.

@bradklingensmith 2 жыл бұрын

This is like a bonus holiday gift from Danny.

@meme-xn6wr 2 жыл бұрын

6:43 “let’s gooo toooo tampaaaaa ova” I absolutely love that Amtrak crews always seem to be having a blast. When I took a train to NYC each crew seemed to have a lot of fun. I went to the last car on that trip, where the crew was hanging around, and they all had a bunch of fun with me.

@railfannerjs6308 Күн бұрын

I love that. Amtrak is always the choo choo motivation

@BBT609 2 жыл бұрын

Another S O L I D video DH! That 160 sure is purdy! You and I saw the same train that day cause 17 was in trail. I started to pick up how railroads group their locomotives when I started railfanning the CSX, the 3300 were ET44AH mixed with ES44AHs, the 100-600 are AC44CW, 700-900 are ES44AHs as well, 7300 were ExConrail Dash 8s and so forth. It’s very helpful! Thanks for the great video!!

@tonyrebel63 2 жыл бұрын

And you confuse the hell out of me. But I love the enthusiasm.

@hfx4evr276 2 жыл бұрын

I'm surprised you don't have way more followers Danny, you're content is the best narrated I've seen, im glad I have my notifications set to all for your channel.

@distantsignal 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks very much!

@tuddley 2 жыл бұрын

Your voice is what makes this channel so enjoyable. Takes me back to a railroad show that was on RFDTV in the mid '90s, he sounds just like you.

@amfwelsh 2 жыл бұрын

Totally! I could listen all day

@jovetj 2 жыл бұрын

It's everything. The voice, the accessible presentation, the great views and shots, the information and details, and the professionalism. We ❤Mr. Danny Harmon!!

@tuddley 2 жыл бұрын

@@jovetj you nailed it

@AbelG8781 2 жыл бұрын

I remember Trains and Locomotives on RFD TV in the early 2000s, I was a very little kid then lol

@kenwiggins2699 2 жыл бұрын

Made my day Danny. Great video!👍👍

@distantsignal 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

@captainkeyboard1007 2 жыл бұрын

In addition to locomotive numbers, I like (to read) the numbers off the freight cars. The numbers on the trains represent the characteristics of each locomotive and railcar, like the personality of a person. I have had the likings of the numbers, especially the 4-digit numbers on the New York City subway cars since I was a youngster. This was a nice show. I enjoyed it a bit more than the other railroad channels I have watched on KZfaq.

@WestVirginiaRailfan 2 жыл бұрын

Just when we needed him most, he delivered. Thanks Danny!

@SMichaelDeHart 2 жыл бұрын

Danny, 2 videos this month...FANTASTIC!! Thank you very much, enjoy them All!!

@daf827 2 жыл бұрын

Fascinating video! Locomotive numbers have always been puzzling...until now. Where things get confusing is renumbering, e.g., a former Conrail unit moving the CSX, or old Pennsy, NYC and NHRR units to Penn Central. The radio chatter sounds like a foreign language to my ears, being so fast. Thank you for demystifying it! And your voice! Radio worthy!

@BeyondtheRailz 2 жыл бұрын

Today is a fantastic day, I'm eating lunch with America's Favorite Railfan, I saw a train today, and the weather up here in Upstate New York is perfect.

@macmedic892 2 жыл бұрын

Oh, my day just got better!

@Triplebuc50 2 жыл бұрын

Enjoy your very informative Train Videos. I live in Michigan, we have a few main lines, but sadly many R.R. have become Trails for Bikes, Horses and Walker's, etc. I suppose they consider it Consolidation, but unless you live in the right in place, the only Train you might see is the one you ride on.

@charlietrain 2 жыл бұрын

Just in time for lunch break!

@brianhickey5949 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent explanation of engine numbers! I continue to enjoy my education on railroading :) BTW - I was listening to a show on MotorTrend TV and I kept listening to the voice over - after a minute I said - Yes! That is Danny Harmon's voice! Kudos to Danny - you have such an excellent voice and I am glad the folks on that show found you!

@buttongod 2 жыл бұрын

I discovered your channel recently. Since I retired a month ago, I've spent a lot of time watching various railroad videos. My granddad was the station master for UP out in Ellsworth Kansas when I was growing up. I spent plenty of time playing in the back of the depot and watching the trains go through town. I haven't ridden in decades, but look forward to getting out on the rails during my retirement. Keep up the great work. It sounds like you have experience in broadcasting, that's my old line of work.

@edinnorthcarolina--ovelhog5786 2 жыл бұрын

Interesting. I am a recently retired airline pilot and we had similar tail-number groupings by aircraft type at my airline (American). The train order sounds a lot like a flight release we were issued. A release is a flight plan plus a whole bunch of other stuff. The release is specific to the tail-number, date, time and flight number. We also had "see and avoid" as primary, even though we always flew on an Instrument Flight Rules flight plan and mostly in positive control airspace.

@lzh4950 2 жыл бұрын

Think some other countries' aircraft/airlines do the same e.g. Singapore Airlines' A359s have tail numbers beginning with 9V-SM while A388s begin with 9V-SK

@still_guns 2 жыл бұрын

In the UK, we used to run the train headcode (the full train's number, not the locomotive number) in lit panels on the front of the lead unit (be it locomotive or multiple unit driving car). That practice died out in the 60's/70's. UK trains obviously still run with identifying numbers for the specific unit, but it to my knowledge the unit number is not used in radio transmission to assist in identifying a particular train on the network. It probably helps that much of our network is electronically tracked, so signallers will always know where a train is.

@trainlover123trainsrock 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah the FEC does that. I hear it all the time on the radio like “FEC train 105 lead engine 805 has permission to pass traditional stop milepost 261.43. No additional restrictions track is clear you may proceed over.”

@davidkalbacker6033 2 жыл бұрын

Danny - excellent - chock full of interesting information- the contents of the freight train cars - so detailed . You are truly one of the best KZfaq authors I have viewed . Keep the good stuff coming !

@RailGeekWeek 2 жыл бұрын

While listening to your two videos on NW Georgia yesterday, all the sounds you hear from squealing in turns to car defects (flat wheels) to the air pressure relieving came to mind. All these sounds are part of what makes train watching (or listening) so interesting. It might be interesting to do a video on all these sounds, many of which I have never been able to identify.

@cjuice9039 2 жыл бұрын

Perfect timing! Now I can watch this while eating lunch!

@isaacmr.trumpetmanbobonis 2 жыл бұрын

Locomotive numbers help make many railroad avoid confusion and delay, and can really make locomotives really useful. As Sir Topham Hat said.

@jacobwalker6092 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome video Danny! My grandpas neighbor gave out train orders between 1948 and 1979 on the southern up here at Sheffield AL, my grandpa knew him forever since he worked on the southern and later NS between 1971 and 2011 as a MOW worker. We’re glad to have his neighbor with some information from when they didn’t have radios or other modern things we take for granted in the 40s and 50s

@distantsignal 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Jacob. It would have been awesome to have a neighbor like that... though after a while he probably would get tired of all my questions and turn out the lights and close the curtains when he saw me coming. Ha!

@edwardconlon4810 2 жыл бұрын

My favorite railfan channel !

@brenthopley874 2 жыл бұрын

Hi there Danny, I'm slowly but surely catching up on watching your long list of youtube clips and yet to watch one I haven't enjoyed. You put a spin on these that few others do or can and this despite that fact that you live in an area that railroading wise doesn't really interest me. You have a knack as we say here in NZ, to make even the mundane RR activity really interesting and therefore very watchable so thanks for taking the time to entertain us..

@CSX500 2 жыл бұрын

Another fantastic video Danny! For us horn lovers, numbers are very important, and we all have certain locomotive numbers memorized that have good or special horns. Some of us also like to make note of how many times we've seen a certain locomotive. The railroads are full of numbers, so it's always fun to analyze every aspect of them.

@dmorgan28 2 жыл бұрын

Danny I love your videos. They never get old to this ole retired engineer. Thanks and keep them coming. 👍👍👍❤️

@distantsignal 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Don. That's much appreciated.

@munchkin8742 2 жыл бұрын

Found your channel a few months ago..love it. I've seen each video at least 2x. So much to learn and some I watch multiple times and catch the information I missed the first couple passes. I wish I could spend a day on the road with you.

@FranzFerdinandVIII 2 жыл бұрын

*05:55* Same with the Northern Pacific's 4-8-4 steamers. For example, their A-2 Northerns were numbered 2650-2659. 27.Oct.2021

@smilingearth5181 2 жыл бұрын

-Kindly old man with a genuine passion for what he's making -Informative but inviting videos with little overhead and no kitschy music -Sometimes shows us his lunch (and some good hole-in-the-wall places to check out in central Florida) This channel has it all!

@JrSmith-mp6tg 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Danny, going to Florida in mid November. looking forward to seeing some action from Folkston down to Plant City. Been inspired by your videos.

@distantsignal 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent, Jr! Welcome to Florida!

@JrSmith-mp6tg 2 жыл бұрын

@@distantsignal Thanks

@gaffneyrailroading1982 2 жыл бұрын

The diesel shop website is an invaluable website for someone like me who likes to see what kind of power the trains are carrying. It's got different sections, which might be made up of other websites based off of different railroads, but it gives valuable information like its road number, grouped by model designation, when it was built (or at least in the case of Norfolk Southern, rebuilt) the order number from said manufacturer, and in some cases, what paint scheme they're carrying. I'm a constant visitor on that site.

@f4t4lity0r4 2 жыл бұрын

The genuine love for this hobby is never ending from Danny and his channel. I look forward to every video. I love watching and chasing trains but I’m nowhere near as prepared for it. I kinda know what runs when but I don’t have a radio or anything like that. I usually railfan between Roseville yard and Colfax California. We have some really cool mountain spots out here.

@jwrailve3615 2 жыл бұрын

It’s so hard to railfan when your channel gives so much enjoyment to watch and I have no clue what frequency to listen to to even know when the lines I want to watch are expecting a drive by

@ARP_GA 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome Job Danny! Thanks for emailing me back. It’s been a pleasure watching your documentaries. I hope I see you one time in Northwest Georgia if you happen to come back up. Keep up the awesome work!

@blakek5llak5la 2 жыл бұрын

Sometimes we would have crews switching on the same channels due to transfers and swapping cars between each other and we used our locomotive numbers when contacting our operators for a move so there was no confusion between who we wanted to move.

@bluegrassman3040 2 жыл бұрын

Definitely a safety factor.

@johnrockstone 2 жыл бұрын

You and your videos make railfanning more fun and informative!

@kens.3729 2 жыл бұрын

Hello Danny! Your Voice is a Natural on these videos. You are Clear and the Details are Excellent.

@jackgreen412 2 жыл бұрын

I always enjoy your videos as they are very informative. Grew up in L&N country now CSX. Live now about a mile from NS Crescent Corridor in NE Tennessee. Serenaded by train horns several times per day. Hope to see you sometime on the high iron "up this 'away".

@railfannerjs6308 3 ай бұрын

6:44 “Let’s go tooooo Tampaaaa OVEUH!” 😃☝️ I really love Amtrak conductors motivation.

@scottmccullough6136 2 жыл бұрын

After another busy 24 hours at the fire station yesterday, it is great to come home and sit down with cup of coffee number 3 of the morning and watch a new Distant Signal video, THANKS for a great start to the day and thanks for the education Danny, great video as always.

@LordCarpenter 2 жыл бұрын

Danny: "Please hit the like button if you like this video..." LOL! The first thing I did as soon as the page loaded was hit the like button. Great video, as usual. And be safe railfanning around out there.

@distantsignal 2 жыл бұрын

Man thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

@willconjura389 2 жыл бұрын

Another awesome video Danny! My 5 year old son and I have been watching your videos for a couple of years and we thank you for being an awesome producer and providing amazing content! Thank you so much and see you out on the High Iron! (we love that part!)

@awizardalso 2 жыл бұрын

From what I understand. two horn blasts indicate train will move forward. three horn blasts indicate train will move in reverse. one horn blast means train will stop. I have numbered my New York Central SW9 locomotive as #9000.

@karenebarker9244 2 жыл бұрын

Wooo Whoooo! Another awesome video! As always educational and fun!

@kennethadungan3173 2 жыл бұрын

Distant signal I have learned so much from you I am very grateful for you and your videos

@HotForgeChaos 2 жыл бұрын

This channel has by far the best sound quality of any of the railfan channels I've seen so far.

@distantsignal 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I work in TV production and have learned a lot from sound guys over the years.

@sunnysiderails397 2 жыл бұрын

You have one of the greatest rail shows on youtube in my opinion, from the cinematography to your radio voice etc, this channel is awesome!!! In fact my Wife and I decided to start a small channel of our own after watching yours for a couple years now.

@distantsignal 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks very much!

@stevemawer848 2 жыл бұрын

Watching this from the UK I've realised that our railways are like toys compared to yours! Though you do have a bit more space for those very long trains ..... Fascinating information, and so well delivered, excellent!

@kevinkavanagh4479 2 жыл бұрын

Phenomenal videos! Well prepared, just the right amount of time, and a gift of voice! I grew up in Lutherville, Maryland near the former Northern Central Railroad (PRR to Penn Central, then Conrail when I was a kid). 1972 Hurricane Agnes destroyed a bridge and line abandoned from Cockeysville, MD north to PA line. When I was 17 yrs old (1988) a Conrail local freight was sitting at end of line in Cockeysville. The engineer asked my parents if I could take a ride southbound to the former Lutherville, MD passenger station (the line ends in Baltimore near Northern Ave). I did! It was an awesome experience. The engineer gave me a copy of the train order (similar to what DG displayed in this video). Living in Boston, Massachusetts and enjoy watching your outstanding videos DH!!! Keep up the good work!

@distantsignal 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much, Kevin! Wish I could have been on that trip to Lutherville in '72. I had just turned 16.

@tedmaas3588 2 жыл бұрын

Thx Danny, u r a plethora of RR INFO. Always look forward 2 ur video's. Ted

@gwilbur1 2 жыл бұрын

Wednesday evening, we passed out candy for "trunk or treat" at our church. In the lines of cars with kids, we ran across a man with two twin 5 year old boys. One of the boys had dressed up as a train engineer for Halloween; when we asked him about his costume, he exclaimed "I like trains!". The little fella was so excited to be a train engineer for Halloween. Since I watch your videos, my wife told him that I liked trains too, and I gave your channel name to the father. I have an idea you will have a new subscriber within the week.

@babyswheels54 2 жыл бұрын

I’m glad I found this channel some time ago. I enjoy your videos and I certainly learn a lot. Explain if you will the “high iron”. I like your sign off using that phrase. Keep ‘em coming Danny.

@Three_Rivers_Rail_Photography 2 жыл бұрын

I work for Union Railroad just outside of Pittsburgh, PA. We’re a class III railroad that does a lot of switching for the 3 mills still left in our area. When we use a train with multiple engines, we usually just use the one number like every other railroad. That number maybe Union 17 which can lead out of US Steels Clairton Works. Once that train takes it loads of Coke over the mainline and eventually the yard for it be yarded, Union 17 won’t lead back with empties. It’ll be a different number such as Union 17. But over the radio we still will use Union 17 for call outs, switching movements or reaching the train dispatcher. We do it that way because of the amount of switching movements we do. It’s just something we do that I thought would be weird but it all makes sense now as to why we do it that way.

@franksita4719 2 жыл бұрын

Did not know that about engine numbers. Thanks for the info!

@djburris1961 2 жыл бұрын

I really enjoy your videos. I grew up in Florida, between Jacksonville and Wauchula. I still have friends and family all over the state. So many of the places you video from or mention are places that I am familiar with.

@distantsignal 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks very much, David. Lived here my whole life and have only been to Wauchula once. So much of this state I still have to see.

@sasquatch388 7 ай бұрын

Hi Danny , I just wanted to tell you I never tire of your videos. I watched them over and over eagerly awaiting a new video. I I'm up here in Michigan and I enjoy everything about the south in Florida, I thought you might be interested I used to work for Ford motor company before I retired I worked at a place called PRC they had eight rail docks where we could work 32 86 ft rail cars in the building simultaneously and that's where I learned to operate a locomotive I Love trains and I love the way you present your story please keep up the good work your friend Joe Verosto.

@terryjennings2791 2 жыл бұрын

Always good to see a new post from you. Great as always Danny.

@jackpetrone4031 2 жыл бұрын

Wow I was a quart low of Danny's videos! Great timing. Thanks Danny

@linearfusion738 2 жыл бұрын

Hey there, Danny! Me and my dad have been watching your videos for about 3 months now, and enjoy them together anytime we can, kinda like how you said you and your son watched deadliest catch, we watch you religiously! Thank you for the time and effort you put into these videos just for our viewing pleasure, and answering everyone’s questions. Speaking of questions, I have one myself. What is PTC? What difference does it make and why do railroads basically require it in engines to allow them to run?

@neilcrawford8303 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks. An interesting video. I wondered if the numbers were random or meant more than just to identify a locomotive, just like a car license plate. Here in the UK we class rolling locomotives and multiple units by class. Take 59001. It is a class 59, built by EMD and belonged to Foster Yeoman and was part of a fleet of five locomotives, 59001 to 59005. 59101 to 104 was a later batch for ARC. A third batch was 59201 to 206 for National Power. We class these as sub classes. We know 59/0s are Foster Yeoman locomotives, geared for 60mph to haul aggregates. 59/1 are ARC locomotives, again 60mph for aggregate traffic, 59/2 are National Power geared for 75mph to haul coal traffic for power stations. Likewise class 195. 195001 to 195025 and 195101 to 195133 is a fleet of DMUs built by CAF. 195001 tells us the specific unit number and being 195/0 sub class that it's a two car DMU, while 195101 is a 195/1 sub class, so is a three car version of the 195 class.

@joshuaritchie3836 2 жыл бұрын

It did not see that you had already talked about the British Rail numbering system but I have added more information about it is name and the southern region. It is very interesting that you number your locomotives differently from Britain. Britain uses TOPS (Total Operations Processing System) for how the Locomotives, Multiple units, coaches and freight vehicles. How the trains are numbered is that with a locomotive the first two numbers are the class number and the last three numbers are locomotive number and then with a multiple unit the first three numbers are the class number and the last three numbers are the unit number. Here is an example of a locomotive number 98 001 the 98 is referring to that it is a steam locomotive and the last three numbers are it's unique number and here is an example of a multiple unit number 483 007 the 483 is referring to that it part of the British Rail Class 483 and the 007 is the units unique number. The British Rail Class 483 were is service between 1938 and 2021 with the first 50 years being on the London underground as 1938 tube stock and the last 33 years was on the isle of wight's Island line with the classification of the British Rail Class 483. We have subclasses with units and locomotives and here is an example of a multiple unit subclass 458/4's and the 458/5's the 458/4 are 4 coach version of the 458 and 458/5 are 5 coach version of the class 458. In some cases there is over a hundred locomotives in a subclass and here is an example of a subclass with over hundred locomotives 47/4's have the numbers between 47 400 to 47 699 as locomotives in the subclass. In some cases the subclass was added because of a rebuild like with the 319/0's after some had first class fitted they became 319/4's. In some cases the subclass is relating to the maximum speed of the train with the class 165/0's can only do 75 mph but the 165/1's can do 90 mph. You may find that there is only four numbers that is because the first number is the last number of TOPS class number 5749 is 455 749 and you only find that they do only put four numbers on a multiple unit instead of the normal six numbers on the former southern region part of the British rail network and in some cases you will only see 3 numbers display this is the multiple unit unique number with 002 is in fact a class 483 so if it had it's number displayed fully then you would see 483 002.

@DOTD7382 2 жыл бұрын

@@joshuaritchie3836 Most of the time RRs number their locomotives based on a group. Let's begin with the SD70 series. The standard and basis 'SD70' would have its own group, say 1022-1030. For a wide cab modified 'SD70M', a completely different number group will be chosen depending by railroad, say 9700-9999. BR numbering is different because most of its locomotive numbers is based by just class number, which the US does not do. Very interesting facts about TOPS. Thank you for sharing!

@jimsaintamour5819 2 жыл бұрын

Hello Danny, great to watch you again, great video with information for us watchers.

@alexlorenz4103 2 жыл бұрын

Always a good day when Danny uploads a new video! Hope you are doing well Danny!

@marcdenton2996 Жыл бұрын

Last week I did a cab ride on Nevada Northern #81. She is a Baldwin 10 wheeler and what a sweet ride it was! Going for the NNRy “Be the Engineer” program.

@MicahLongo 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent video!

@davidbryan1592 2 жыл бұрын

This really made my day, Thanks Danny

@distantsignal 2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@iangodtschalk5182 2 жыл бұрын

Good one Danny, good to see you back . 👍👍👍

@logancoker5205 2 жыл бұрын

Love this channel great video I have always Loved trains and you have tough me things I didn't know. The Norfolk Southern runs by my house. Thank you.

@SantaFe-wi1ve 2 жыл бұрын

I recently joined, and have been really enjoying your videos. Your channel is one of the best and most informative ones out there. Thanks for the entertainment!