There Goes a Train

everyone loves

train

s so get ready cause there's a

train

going we'll learn about trains of all shapes and sizes there

goes

the train lets say there's a change hey kids i'm the engineer dave well you know i'm not a real engineer but the real ones engineers have let me pretend for the day so you and i can learn all about trains and what they do and how they work now obviously this is not a locomotive this is what is called a speeder speeders are used on the track to make maintenance work and moving crews so what do you say you and me go for a ride let her go jack chances are you have never gotten this close to one of these big engines and you never should unless you have special permission from the railroad. and a guide to show you around you probably didn't realize how big and powerful they are they are big and powerful they weigh hundreds of tons and when they go full speed it takes over a mile to stop them so if i don't remember anything else after see a train

goes

i hope you remember this never play on the train tracks it is not only illegal but extremely dangerous well this is a typical locomotive like you would see hauling freight and let's talk a little bit about how this part works up here it's a great diesel engine has 20 cylinders very big cylinders and it makes a shaft turn which runs a turbine now the turbine is located there and it's a big generator it generates electricity for the wheels it puts the electricity between the wheels there are big electric motors so really what a diesel electric engine is, the diesel provides the power, it turns the turbine that generates the electricity that makes the engines run. turn the wheel come here i'll show you something else this is a huge air compressor because all the brakes on the train and the cars it pulls are actuated by air pressure now the engine spins this which creates the air pressure which allows the the train stops as you can see these engines are really big it's really high in the air when it's up here on the roof now if we go down here you'll notice the headlights when the train turns on these headlights they're always on for safety so anyone can see it coming i want you to look down this is the front of the train and it's some kind of plow device that's for traveling in the winter pushes all the snow off the tracks let's get in now we've got into the cabin of this great locomotive and I want you to meet someone.

This is Engineer Larry. How are you? How are you? this motor just goes right where the tracks are laid out, wherever they go, wherever they go, that's where we're going to go, okay, what about the controls? Now, believe it or not, sometimes the 4,000 horsepower that this big motor provides isn't enough, so what they do in a case like that is they plug in more than one of these big motors, as you can see there are three. hooked up here come here and i'll show you how they do it this is the coupling device that holds the two trains together it's kind of like holding hands and it keeps them from coming apart but there's enough flex in there when they go around curves and things it can move these hoses are electrical hoses here these are the control hoses and of course this is the most important this is the air hose like i told you the air hose is what actuates the brakes let's take a look at one of these brake cylinders this one it's a brake cylinder on one of these engines and as it works air is pumped in it pushes this lever and that causes the brakes to squeeze the wheels and slow the train down.

Another device that you may not be aware of is sometimes the wheels slip there is a small jet device that actually throws sand onto the track which gives the train traction and creates friction so they can go up steep hills this big wagon behind me is a wagon box you'll see a lot of those in freight trains because they're used to carry all kinds of different cargo now this next car is a tank car you'll see a lot of those too this particular one is filled with liquefied petroleum gas now this gives us a good chance to take a close look at the wheels on these cars if you look closely you'll see that that little lip there only an inch thick is actually what's holding the train on the track pretty awesome huh?

Now I know what you're probably thinking. You are thinking that we are at the airport instead of the railway. The fact is that the tower behind us looks a lot like a tower they have at an airport, but instead of controlling planes, it controls trains and many of them we are at the santa fe rail yard in barstow, california, one of the largest rail yards in the country so let's go to the tower and see what they do from the top of the rail yard you can see for miles it's from here that the controller sorts the cars maybe the easiest way to explain what What happens at a rail yard like this is to compare it to a giant post office, only instead of sorting the mail, they're sorting the rail cars, they call it a hump because they roll them over a mound on the track, drop them, and then. they actually go all the way down to the switches where they are disconnected on the different trains and different combinations of trains once they are all connected then they are shipped across the country the trains are assembled like building blocks that automatically snap together but the air hoses they have to be connected by people.

This is a dangerous job. Once connected, the trains can stretch for miles and miles. one of the largest train stations in the country this is union station downtown los angeles we are about to board amtrak so if you ready im ready come on union station is huge its almost 100 years old and its the hub of passenger rail transportation for all of southern california, this is where you can buy your tickets, check departure times and run to the platform, you don't want to be late for your train station, it's also the home of the train system la subway and this is where you will find metrolink the commuter rail subway link is designed to get a lot of people from home to work and to do it as quickly as possible thanks jackson ok jackson is one of the luggage here at union station in los angeles now this is it this is amtrak's super liner and as you can see I'm going to be the dummy driver today now a super liner a passenger train is very different than a freight train it's like a big hotel on wheels that has uh, sleeping compartments, has a restaurant on board and of course a big locomotive that pulls the train and there are lots of different jobs and lots of different kinds of cars so let's find out about all of that, huh? what do you say if we get on board let's go hello hello how's everyone on board we're leaving here the engineers have an important job it's up to them to drive the train and make sure nothing's on the tracks they honk to let you know you're on your way dave uh the job of the driver is very important you are like the captain of a ship so you really are in charge of the train yes you are in charge of everyone even more than the engineer including the engineer oh this is one of my assistants bonnie and i'm going to let her drive you back or show you exactly what I did. you're on your way thanks driver joe see you later dave one of the most important things about being a driver is collecting tickets these are the tickets i've collected so far ok keep track of those and don't lose them alright well i just collect the tickets yeah that's part of the job i think i can do that i can pick up the tickets hi are you enjoying your ride so far i'm the driver dave and i'll pick up the tickets today Perfect Santa Barbara, how is it sir, yes, how is the trip so far? here enjoying your trip as it continues and if you need anything feel free to call me very well thank you sir enjoy your trip dave where have you been go outside funny you haven't been listening to me all this time i have been listening can i pick up the tickets can i pick up the tickets hello how are you can i get your ticket ok thank you very much here let me put this here for you ok it shouldn't be down there where it might cause a problem sorry i'm so sorry ok i'll clean this up right away and pick up the rest of the tickets here it is here is your bag back sorry here we go we have the tickets one of the best things to do on a train is to walk from one end to the other you have to be careful where the carriages hook up because they are hooked up with some kind of tunnel of rubber you walk on and the floor actually moves a little bit scary but it's also fun here's something else that's fun the doors are kind of like what you'd expect to find on a spaceship you just push a button and it opens they open right away let's go hey have you ever seen a train that seems to be going the wrong way with the engine in the back and then nothing in the front well actually what's in the front is one of these cars it is called a cab car and it actually has a small control room, this is where the engineer sits even though the locomotive is at the back pushing, he actually controls the train from the cab car control room, that it is so the snack car and get something to eat or drink hello hello can i treat you i think i would like an iced tea ok ok now this is a really different kind of train car as you can see there are lots of windows everywhere this is the lounge car you come here and watch tv or have a cold drink or just sit and watch the view that's what i'm going to do right now even though i'm supposed to be working out i guess i don't care driver dave you i can't sleep at work you got need to go to the dining car oh ok get to work sorry let me get these so i dont get my tickets i will be there right away i will work in the dining car now i am angela angela is in charge in the dining car okay angela i am ready to go to work dave you know what are you going to do today you're in you're in the dining car on a train you're going to wait for people wait at tables like a waiter maybe a waiter waiter waiter waiter waiter can i do that i can do that i can do hello and welcome to the amtrak fine dining car and what are we in the mood for today maybe a little pasta a little soufflé what would it be my love a grilled chicken breast yes sir and what to drink my dear ice water please answer what will it be for you burger a burger a rubber burger or maybe i'll be back enjoy your trip and thank you very much for dining with us at what i'm trying to do today dave dave listen are you paying attention you have to wait for people dave yes yes i wasn't listening i'm ready to go to work ok so now go to work i just go to work really sorry what's going on here you don't know what i'm really really up i'm so sorry i'm so sorry sir i'll bring you something new right away there's your chicken i didn't order a chicken a hamburger ok a hamburger and some fries and a coke and i'll be there i'll be sorry this is one of the sleeping cars as you can see there's plenty of space here to sit downstairs relax put your feet up this even it converts into a bed so you can sleep in the night and it has its own bathroom there's nothing better than all the comforts of home now you and me are going to get a rare behind the scenes glimpse at amtrak you see most people never come back here.

This is the Los Angeles maintenance yard where they work on the trains. It's a very dangerous place to be and we're always very safety conscious around trains so it's time for a hat change. and we are going to put on some goggles to protect our eyes of course the helmet to protect our head now we are ready to look here you will find trains trains and war trains even trucks that act as trains these are used to repair tracks that locomotive back in the roundabout it's the newest on amtrak it's their pride and joy it's called genesis guess what they're going to take it off the roundabout put it on the turntable put it on the track and guess who's coming drive it engineer dave this is called a turntable it's used for turn the trains it's been here a long time in fact it worked just as well for the old steam engines as it does genesis today this is engineer chuck he's the engineer on genesis amtrak state of the art train and he's going to me show how to make it work so how do we do what do we play this is going to be very easy for you okay what we have here this makes the train go forward or backward and this is the accelerator it's like the accelerator pedal in a car these it's your train brakes they keep the train from going too fast and this is your engine brake here this will make the engine stop and start when you want it to i got it i can see the computer screen up here and we got all sorts of things that they tell you what's going on in the back of the train so i can do that you have a horn and a bell and you just look out the window don't do that watch out for people so that's all uh today we are all allowed to go we shouldn't go ahead andtake it away dave dave dave were you listening we're ready oh yeah it's your turn okay go ahead okay we're ready to go absolutely it's all yours head on uh okay I think I got it I break up and we're off the Engines start, engines start and, wait a minute, we're, we're going in the wrong direction, in the other direction, that's what breaks and we go well. its cool i just had to pay more attention its a good listen when people give you directions now we are moving from one of the best places to learn about trains especially old trains if you like them is to go to a railway museum.

I've come to the san diego railroad museum, so what do you say? Let's take a look. Come on, trains are fun at the san diego museum. Also, now I know you know what this is, it's a big old steam locomotive, huge, it doesn't look very nice now, it's a little rusty because it's getting ready for restoration, but I think we can use it to basically explain how it works. first this car back here is called a tender this is where they carry the water and the fuel and the fuel can be wood or maybe oil or coal now you put it in the firebox and you'll find a big huge firebox. this area here that generates the heat under the boiler the boiler is where the water is which is a big long tube there the water turns into steam and eventually ends up in that dome over there which is the steam dome and then it's pumped out through the pipes into this area here now is a big pressure chamber and what that steam does is it creates a lot of pressure which drives the big levers boom boom boom boom which turns the wheels which makes the train go it wasn't that long ago long time steam engines ruled the rails well as you can see train engines come in all shapes and sizes this little pair of babies is called an industrial commutator they are used to move lighter loads around train yards trains.

It hasn't really changed much over the years, except for one thing: you won't see any of these babies anymore - it's a little red caboose, as you may know it, and the purpose of the caboose was a place to for the conductor to live and to carry on his business of course he had a tower on top so he could go up and see all the way to the front of the train and make sure all was well no cabooses anymore because well they don't have to work the long hours so they don't have to spend the night on the train so they don't need a place to sleep and with modern electronics well it pretty much takes care of the safety of the trains one of the best things about the the san diego railroad museum is that they have a real working railroad and this is here it comes now hi kids my name is denby jones i am director of museum operations of the san diego railroad museum in campbell california come and join us we have steam locomotives we have diesel engines we have old cars we have new cars and we have an hour and a half train ride so call your parents tell them where we are and come to the field engineer dave you are going to break today i have to give you this breakman radio yes you are going to bring you will communicate with the engine i have to start like breakman i said before today ok use the radio to talk to the engineer because you are in the back of the train and not he can see you so he doesn't know what you're doing or where you are so that's an important job, a very important job, the radio keeps you safe and the train safe. good morning thank you ok first job is a break mine is to remove this this break ok this is breakman dave to the engineer we are ready to roll to take it away engine 2104 this is field dispatch emergency emergency 2104 engine come here it is an emergency call emergency acknowledgment emergency emergency emergency campbell dispatch this is this is breaking dave campbell dispatch breakman dave we can't reach the locomotive you have to get on that locomotive we have to stop that train we have a car on the tracks over the car emergency emergency engineer I'll call the engineer who it's the brakeman dave to the engineer bregman dave to the engineer we've got a car on the junk shard dave to the engineer his radio must be broken i'm going to have to go look out front they're trying to stop it myself so stop the cream forget the radio stop the trains, well we certainly learned a lot about trains today, haven't we?

We have seen big trains, small trains, diesel trains, steam trains, passengers. trains and freight trains but if you still want to learn more about trains don't forget to have lots of great books lots of great pictures at your local library or you can visit a museum for trains like this one in campbell california well I can see for my special train watch here it's time for this engineer to make his next run so until next time all aboard my name is jim a safety inspector for the federal rail administration. One thing to remember is how dangerous it is to play around the train tracks and walking on the train tracks takes about a mile and a half to stop a 55 mph train and walking on the train tracks is illegal, so be careful ride safe on the trains and don't walk on the tracks thank you so hey kids if you like to have fun look out for the live action video series and get in on the action now we put you right in the middle of the action i'm dave and i will be your guide we're there we're going thank you and i'll have a lot of fun learning some really cool stuff this is one of the biggest pieces of equipment on a construction site it's a 225 ton crawler crane of course I have a tendency to get into a little trouble along the way.

Things don't always go as planned. To be a real firefighter and there goes a bulldozer, we'll actually be driving some of the biggest machines in the world and always having a lot of fun on the road. Live action video for kids is dedicated to satisfying a child's fascination with all things exciting real. -images of life that you love to see, there is nothing like it in the whole world, so join the action now and look for these other live action adventures at your local video store coming soon there goes a train there goes a car racing there goes a boat and there goes a truck live action video for kids from kidvision kids will watch again and again