I didn't see any railfans. Crossing gates at one highway crossing! Pretty fancy. The kudzu grows right across the ballast! Maybe even between the rails, eventually? I think it stops growing in the winter and loses the leaves. Then it just picks up where it left off in the spring. That is, it doesn't freeze back to the root. Is that correct? Great videos. I'm getting used to the power and dynamics.
Yes, that stuff is fast growing and covers everything! If you have to walk your train for any problem, this stuff is a snake hide-out! It has a tendency to grow over the rails, which constantly gets cut after every train, but a few make it under the rails and actross the ballast. If the rail pulses up and down it will kill it too, but if not, it will grow between the rails. It does come back every year where it left off. It does get a nice pretty flower on it. Yea, very few railfans this time of the morning. There are a few flashlight waves from windows at a couple locations, and Irondale has one die-hard fan that rides a 10 speed to the tracks 24/7. After my court date in Nov. I am going to post some of these in the Engineer Classes section....maybe a cab ride along class. No studying required.
Your conductor cracks me up... Thanks for sharing! These vids are almost as good as a real cab ride!:tb-cool:
Does the kudzu create a destructive problem to the ballast and tracks? A snake problem? In the deep south? Naw...... Do you get issued snake chaps, or snakebite kits?
