I admit, that would be cool!

Yes please!

Big Jim Video Productions I presume you could flag it down(getting on a moving train is very dangerous)

A flag stop in every backyard...that would be cool

My dream

HAHA - as long as you worked it out with the railroad ahead of time, I imagine they wouldn't mind!

Beer run..

@@BAZZAROU812 you bet

If that track ran through my backyard I'd get a rail bike and have a ball

If you use the track and get caught, you might be trespassing and get fined...but then again I'd rather say sorry, than ask permission...Hold my beer!

There you go! I'd save a stall for something train-related though...

Yes his priorities are definitely straight that's for sure

Being 43 and successfully dodging the parent trap for this long, that is pretty much my dream house.

Absolutely! Makes me want to live there...

The Vanderbilts were that powerful. People couldn't say a word.

Hmmm. Nope, I’d still love it!

@@cagedtigersteve actually, that railroad line was built in 1885, and most likely predates every house in that video.

it's really funny how they do the crossing horn signal when they go through people's driveways

Just because the rails may look rusty, doesn't mean they're not used. If they are used heavily, then they will be shiny. If they are used infrequently or every so often, they may still look rusty - but still can be used as well. So while you're right, it's not always the case.

@@Saucy-ws6jc Here in the UK we have stupid quite zones too. A few years ago a teenage girl was hit and killed by a train running late at night. The line comes out of a tunnel and round a fairly sharp curve going downgrade, so the loco is not making much noise. The drive at the inquest said he would have normally sounded his horn as soon as he exited the tunnel, but as it was after 10:30, he was not allowed to. All because of moaning people buying houses next to an active railroad. Selfishness causes death.....

But if there is a railroad then there is the possibility that usage will increase. I know that when a lot more crude oil started being shipped some people started complaining that they now have traffic on the rails by their house. Well, the rails were there before they bought their house. Just because they haven't seen much use in the past few years is no guarantee about the future traffic.

Exactly! Unless the rails get ripped up, then never assume that a train will never pass by there again...

@@TIMMEH19991 Here in the UK we do not have "quite zones". While its true to say that the requirement for using the horn on approach to or exiting a tunnel no longer exists, the horn is still there to be used as the driver sees fit...even during the 2300-0700 restriction....provided the driver can justify it. Given how loud some horns are its not a surprise people complain...I can often hear the horn when the railway is over two miles away.

I'm glad you like it (and thanks KZfaq!)

I love trains too (explains why I have this channel...)!! Thank you!

The rail road I work at calls you people foamers, because the insane love for trains make you foam at the mouth.

@@mikejudge3239 yes of course !

So could I! At least with the possibility of returning those lines to full service...

Definitely cool - thanks!

There's an old line in Duluth MN, now for scenic tours but it runs real close to people's homes too.

Welcome to the Real World Matthewkzfaq.info/get/bejne/g6t-namcqqfOaZs.html

Take the airport shuttle train in Cambodia from the airport to the colonial station. You can steal stuff inside people's houses by grasping it from the train window. Literally window to window

LOL!! I’m not sure I’d want to try that in a foreign country...

Pretty much! I imagine some do or would. But that's their own fault if so, for not doing the proper research before buying the house. As for me, I'd enjoy the heck out of it...

They only run these a few times a year - probably not enough to complain about that much. These are also probably only about as loud as a car horn, not a typical train horn. It's not like the new commuter train line (G Line in Denver/Wheat Ridge/Arvada, CO) I'm anxiously waiting to open (two years late and counting) where the trains run by 15 minutes each direction at all hours of the day, and have extremely loud horns (they will be quiet zones once they figure out some software glitches, but they've not figured that out after two years apparently). While I'm glad that's going in, I can understand why people living along the line are quite irked. Most people are okay with something that's only every rare once in a while.

Hopefully it will become a little more frequent some day - as in a few times per weekend sort of deal and occasionally a weekday. But nothing like a commuter service or mainline freight...not THAT busy...

Take my money on those houses..

Wethepeoplevoted@gmail.com, ,,,,,,, THEY ELIMINATED THE DAMN HORN BLOWING IN ACWORTH GEORGIA USA, BECAUSE IT DISTURBED THE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT DRIVERS LICENSE HOLDERS, ,,,,,,, NOW IT'S LOOK BOTH WAYS OR DIE, ,,,,,,, Acworth Georgia USA, ,,,,,,,

I would love to have it in mine too!!

Someone actually had a fruit stand set up, I think, during one ride. So yeah, that or a food truck along the line would be sweet!!

Here in Limerick, Pa, people bought homes on a golf course, then went to township meeting complaining about golf balls hitting their homes!

U know who would complaint about it ,, Karen...Soo don't be like Karen..

It's very quaint, not too far from bigger towns/cities, and it is indeed a beautiful area.

I thought the exact same thing. A really nice place with character.

It is nice in some areas. Unfortunately a lot of development in southern York County has brought a lot of city folk from Baltimore looking for cheaper housing. Its changed a lot over the years. It’s lost a lot of it’s small town/rural charm, especially Shrewsbury. Not the slow kind of country life I remember from my youth.

Indeed! I'm not sure which is which with regards to different houses nearby - but yeah, some of these places are REALLY close (and those are the places I'd love to live in)!

Railroad real estate in the east is complicated. Almost all the land was already owned by someone so there was none to grant or homestead.

You’ve got that right, it’s all complicated out here...

You should watch film about trains in Warsaw oraz Praha (east Europe countries) IT is very common

Me too!!

in the village I live in, there's a bunch of houses like that right behind a double track CSX main, and it ain't a quiet zone either!

@@cpufreak101 Sounds awesome!!

Same

@@Bigjimvideo I don't know how excited I'd be at 3am in the morning when they're rolling through with horns blaring.

You're welcome! I'm always glad to see lines like this being kept alive and restored - you folks across the pond do more than your fair share of railroad restorations, which is always amazing!

Indeed it is!

We have one here in Idaho that runs through the mountains and along the river, apparently it’s not financially viable as they have ceased operations. It used to move timber for the log mills, but being that federal government has upended logging, the mills all closed down and so did all the ancillary business.

@@tedcarl5382 The business model here is clear to optimize the revenue. They do not use huge commercial locos and trains!.

Said Bakr I believe when they were doing train rides here it was an F8? Instead of using the loco diesel, they had a flat deck with a generator/power pack on it. It always seemed to have multiple car loads of people on the weekends.

Yeah logging railroads have suffered a lot lately, sadly. A lot of great ones closing.

LOL - reminds me of a Top Gear sketch from a few years back, but that's a different story... :D

With those caravans lol

LOL it's only a speeder/motorcar - so it doesn't have the power (or the need) for a big locomotive horn. :P

70s car horns sound the best on these things.

It would need a better air compressor to run a horn

@@laffey.chan_ Motorcars don't really have air compressors as stock equipment. You could put one on but the standard 12 volt power won't run a very powerful one. Personally, I like my motorcars simple but I am not opposed to work related auxiliary systems. I've seen diesel horns used with too little air. Even a GE 44 tonner (albeit with leaky air lines and only one of two compressors working) didn't produce enough air for big five chime horns to sound right.

Stick a steam whistle on it and run it on a compressor. Be a cool vibe at least...

Definitely!

I'd love to see the pop-up barriers here in the US. Mostly just to see more videos of people being idiots and wrecking their cars thinking they can run through the crossings... :P

Me too!!!

And hop on the train!

Absolutely! You should come out for a ride sometime...

I’m not sure, probably because of the slow speeds they were going...

With a vehicle that small you don’t sound the horn 20 seconds out like a typical train. You typically make sure the crossing is clear FIRST before you cross. Then you can blow as an additional safety measure. People barely stop for trains. If they see this thing they won’t care. It’s really all about how loud your horn is and how safe are you if you get hit by a negligent driver.

My thoughts exactly, its a bit late to sound the horn when you are nearly on the crossing. Drivers need to hear the horn on approach.

I know right you should be in charge of that train

I agree. I thought regulations required train horns/whistles to be sounded such that the fourth and final blast occurs just as the train is entering the intersection.

Since it's only a motorcar/speeder, they don't need some big loud horn - what they have right now is good for their purposes.

@@Bigjimvideo Good thing it's not a car horn

Indeed, that would only be even more confusing...

@@valsthom491 Every motorcar with its original "patina" that I've seen had a regular serious car horn. I saw one with an additional horn and separate button so that the operator could "feather" it like a train horn.

European horns don't sound bad?

If I wasn't chasing the trip, I would have been riding in that car, for sure! Hmmm there's always 2019... :D

Provided it isn't raining...

It's a lot of fun!!

So do I! And thanks!

I'd love to have a speeder of my own too, to take everywhere! Sadly, I"m nowhere near mechanically-inclined to do anything like that, so a dream will have to do for now.

same but I have a friend who could help me update one

@@Bigjimvideo I think if I did enough research I could likely fix one up haha, though the closest I've ever seen for sale was a custom built hi-rail conversion on a GMC Jimmy. unfortunately the dude ended up taking the hi-rail off after it sat on the market for 2 months without a sale

@@cpufreak101 if you go on the NARCOA website - www.narcoa.org/forsale/4sale_want.htm - you can find other motorcars if you really wanted to buy one and fix one up...

@@Bigjimvideo oh Thanks haha

These are indeed cool - if you ever get the chance to visit a place that has "railbikes", those are a lot of fun too. When they were offered over a portion of the Wilmington & Western Railroad in Wilmington, DE a couple years ago, I did that - they were awesome. Rail Explorers USA was the company: www.railexplorers.net/

I always wanted one of the clamp-on third wheel attachments for bicycles seen in old catalogs.

@@tomwells1143 There are still rail bikes out there, if you know where to look...

@@Bigjimvideo hope I get strong enough to do this someday.

Cory M hello fellow Piedmont Triad citizen! The Greensboro branch tracks were so awesome back in the day I have to agree

Thank you so much!

Well I don't know about "mad" - they either enjoy it or will get used to it.. :)

Yep, regs are that the last blast on the horn should be sounding as the train first begins to traverse the grade crossing.

Exactly my thought. Your supposed to end the last note as you enter the crossing.

Deffinently needs to blow before the crossing. Looks like it would be a fun ride though.🚂

Could just be the field of view of the camera. The bottom of the viewing frame could be several feet ahead of the speeder.

@@raoulcruz4404 the train is seen from other perspectives besides from within the cab.

You're very welcome - glad you enjoy it!

Absolutely, it's a treasure to me!

I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

@@Bigjimvideo I showed it to my aged father, and he enjoyed it too.

Awesome!

That would indeed be awesome! They're working on it, restoring all 7.4 miles of track - just depends on time/money/volunteers.

Wow that's cool! Yeah, the Stewartstown was always a small line - but it does at least live on. Who knows, one day it will hopefully get back to having some freight again...

I'm sorry did you say Cockeysville?

Yes, when much of the Northern Central line in Maryland was abandoned after Agnes in 1972, the part heading north out of Baltimore terminated at Cockeysville where it crossed York Rd. on an overpass. Most of the customers were in the Timonium/Hunt Valley area, and there were at least two customers in Cockeysville - one was offline and received tank cars at the station team track(not sure what was in them) and the other was Williamson Veneer Co. which was reached by a short spur curving off to the west. Williamson received gondolas loaded with hardwood logs and shipped out veneer products in boxcars. There weren't any active customers of importance between there and New Freedom, PA that I can recall, so no reason to restore the track any farther north. The freight business eventually dried up and a light rail line uses this right of way now. The Cockeysville station still stands just north of Cockeysville Rd. but the active light rail trackage ends a bit south of the former road crossing.

@@chessiesystemrailfanman3741 Yes - "Cockeysville". There are plenty of other similarly interesting town names in Pennsylvania...

@@Bigjimvideo Okay thank you, I just chuckled a bit with that name that's all.

Yes it was! These trips are still offered if you're ever in the area!

So far I haven't heard of any really ticked off people, but I know the RR is aware of some of them who aren't 100% thrilled when it happens. However, the railroad owns a certain length of space on either side of the rails, which they're allowed to spray, etc as they see fit. They are conscious of the neighbors and try to be good about things, however, to reduce/minimize/get rid of any animosity.

You are very welcome!!

Sounds like my kind of party, sign me up!!

*_*Thomas the Train Engine sounds intensify*_* Everyone: "Uh oh."

Very cool!

I'm thinking it's just the field of view of the camera. The bottom of the screen could be 10 feet in front of the speeder.

@@raoulcruz4404 Buddy you've got no clue what you're talking about. Other people have tried to explain it to you. Watch the video again and actually pay attention. The horn is being over used and misused.

You're very welcome!! Never say never, maybe one day you will, or something like this will happen near you. But yea, it's definitely unique with how many backyards and front yards this goes through...I'd be right there enjoying it too on a front porch!

There are various ones for sale online, you just have to know where to look: www.narcoa.org/forsale/4sale_want.htm

Thanks! But if you're asking about what they blow at the crossings, two long horns/whistles, one short, and one long, that's standard in the US for any train going across a public or private road crossing, regardless of the train's size.

The horn pattern is correct, but. . . It's too late! By the time it is sounding, the lead car is already in the crossing. The idea is to let others know you are coming, not that you are already there!

@@nicholasragusano2284 Correct Sir. the third long (final) horn should be sounding AS you enter the crossing.

morse code, few RRs use it anymore for signalling. Q for crossings (so the last note can be drawn out, unlike C), B for backing. maritime law requires morse code maneuver signals still, though. i agree, on bad timing and a serious safety issue. the last note should be drawn out as the lead car enters the grade crossing.

Indeed he did! They get a professional crew to do it these days.

Big Jim, can you pass the word about how to blow the horn at Xings? the Long, Long, Short are supposed to be COMPLETED prior to entering the Xing... so the the final Long can be carried across the Xing. in this video.....every one was too late. please and thank you.

According to the FRA: § 222.33 Can locomotive horns be silenced at an individual public highway-rail grade crossing which is not within a quiet zone? (a) A railroad operating over an individual public highway-rail crossing may, at its discretion, cease the sounding of the locomotive horn if the locomotive speed is 15 miles per hour or less and train crew members, or appropriately equipped flaggers, as defined in 49 CFR 234.5, flag the crossing to provide warning of approaching trains to motorists. Since they are flagging every crossing, technically, the horn isn't even needed.

Full-sized trains ran over parts of the line in the video as recently as 2004. The railroad, by then, was running into some financial hardships when a few other things happened to cause trains to stop running and maintenance to stop along most of the line. So parts of the line were definitely in disrepair. However, a few years later, volunteers started to chip away at the tracks, and things started improving. The entire line is now safe for motorcars like the ones seen here - and the first 1.5 miles of the line (mostly not in this video) have been upgraded/rehabbed for full-sized trains to run again. The plan is for the entire 7.4 miles of track to be refurbished, but that's as funding/materials/volunteer labor allow. The faster the railroad gets those three things, the faster the railroad gets fixed up again.

You're welcome! If you're ever in the Pennsylvania area, feel free to check them out!

LOL no, but I can see how you'd think that! The speeders/motorcars don't seem to have a problem getting through here, even with the tracks that much embedded in the "road". You definitely should check this out (once all of this COVID-19 subsides a bit and the railroad re-opens) - and take a trip on one of the New Freedom Specials!

You're very welcome!!

Glad you enjoyed it!!

Yeah, it's literally a car horn lol

It’s not even a full sized train, these would probably be able to brake much faster. Just for the record, I’m from Australia and I find it strange how America uses their train horns so much. In Australia (most parts), trains only need to use their horns once at level crossing and to warn trackwork workers on the track, when entering or leaving a tunnel, and at their discretion. Is running the light at level crossings really common in the US? Then, maybe I would understand.

Well, I didn't show the whole line - but there were various farms and such, the Mann & Parker Lumber Company in New Freedom still exists - they don't ship via rail right now, but that could change one day...

According to old maps, there were also a few sidings near the Hungerford/Turnpike station just south of Shrewsbury, one for a cloth factory, one for a feed mill, and such. That was back in 1940, however.

@@Bigjimvideo from their own website though, it seems that they plan on just running excursions for now, but it would be awesome if that lumber mill decided to ship by freight.

I would miss it too!

Yes we once ran full size equipment over the whole line, that stopped in 1992 as track conditions deteriorated and money wasnt avalible then to fix. We are slowly rehabbing the line and will someday be running full size trains over the whole railroaf again

Yes - switcher locomotives in general, most likely.

Thank you!

HAHAHA....that would be fun to see!!

I could imagine the looks on motorists' faces if that speeder had a Nathan AirChime K5LA! ;o)

Just use a truck horn and mini compressor.

@@KandiKlover why is it we seem to constantly run into each other? how many years has it been now? lmao

Pretty much!!

You're very welcome!

Indeed - and the future is only going to get better with the projects they have coming up!

Good question, I'm not sure.

Probably a V Twin 25 horse industrial engine

The Wickham trolleys (same sort of design) used by British railways had a 4-cylinder Ford engine.

Ok - that stuff is way out of my knowledge base :P

Most have gasoline engines. Some were rebuilt with diesel engines. I know Fairmont used a lot of Ford stuff.

The waters do rise up under there, and yeah, it can get up to the rails (and higher), but the tracks are relatively easily repaired when it happens.

LOL - I can't wait to see full-sized trains come by some of these places, and the looks on homeowner's faces... :D

They'll be running Easter trains at the end of the month!!

@@Bigjimvideo very cool! I’ll make sure to get some footage of that 😬

That's exactly what they're trying to do! They're continually working to expand the line beyond the mile or so they have restored already - all dependent on volunteer labor and funding: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/iLNmgLuB3peUiY0.html

A small yard engine like a Plymouth or GE 44 Tonner would be the right size for that line.

It still runs though, which is sweet!

@@Bigjimvideo not a bad little train thing

I agree, and I'd buy a house there if I could! Thanks!

Yup, but they'll be fixed up before the regular trains get there.

Yeah, with the speeders, they actually turn them at the end point - you can jack the speeder up and turn it where it stops, since they're small and lightweight. Then they take you back to Stewartstown.

And yeah, maybe owning a house that close to the tracks isn't for everybody - but it sure would be for me. :D

@@Bigjimvideo Thanks Big Jim, a nice video and thanks for explaining the turnaround of the little train that does, LoL.

Your'e very welcome, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Maybe in March or April!! Depends on when they start running trains again, maybe for Easter? Keep checking back on their website for when the schedule is posted: www.stewartstownrailroadco.com/

@@Bigjimvideo where is this located at, that thumb nail pic is an awesome part of the rail line

This is in Stewartstown, PA.

If interested, the 2019 schedule is out - it's mostly finished, although there may be another special event or two added on later in the year... www.stewartstownrailroadco.com/train-rides/

Absolutely, one I look forward to re-visiting quite a few times in the future!

It sure is!

Thank you!!

@@Bigjimvideo your welcome

There are a few areas where they do have to tread a little gingerly, depending on recent weather or other outside factors. But they're also making various repairs as necessary to fix/upgrade the trouble spots when they pop up.

ever heard of the ND&W?...the text definition of sketchy road

Sounds like they want to keep the line in their back pocket, so to speak, just in case they want to re-activate it.

You're very welcome!!

Thank you very much!!

This is just a speeder/motorcar, powered by a diesel engine - it doesn't need anything fancy since it's mostly used to transport materials and crews up and down the line for work, and sometimes passengers for trips.

Horns are cheap at the junkyard, buy 4 or 5, mount them onto a piece of 6" grey PVC pipe about a foot long, one end open, aimed forward. Experiment with muffling stuff in the tube, and making open end smaller. There aren't many speeders around running around anymore, give that one a voice....ohh, instead of a horn relay, you can get a 250 watt 75 ohm rheostat rigged to sweep on a pull-lever. Horns will pull in and let go at different voltages, and you can play up and down like old steam whistles...cheap fun.

You're very welcome - I'm glad you enjoy it!

Some of them are in the process of being updated, but otherwise, no. There's no money available to get crossing gates and flashing lights everywhere, and for a line this small, flagging the crossings is the way to go for now.

Maybe for just the major roads. Just Crossbucks should be good enough. But even just new signs are expensive.

The signage could and should be a lot better than it is. But, yes, it costs money. The railroad has to foot the bill for that, not the owner of the road. I'd guess a single, new, up to code crossbuck sign is going to run $200+ dollars. Installation won't cost anything of it's done by volunteers. Automatic crossing signals are many-tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars, so that's not really a practical option.

I did see one cross buck at 5:08

@sed6 Yep, one... and it's not in great shape, nor up to current standards.

I know, right??

It's definitely a bit of a hidden gem - you should hit them up one day and go out to take a ride!!

Back in the 1880s, the Stewartstown Railroad originally cost a little over $50K to build the entire 7.4 miles of the line.

10,000 rupees

LOL that's a long driveway!

Me too!!

Thanks! It's definitely a fun and unique place to visit.