My Love for YouTube Railroad Clips

The vast majority of my TV time is spent on YouTube, where I’m hooked on clips of railroads—particularly railcars, like homemade go-carts fitted with railroad wheels. My favorite videos feature rides to  Goat Canyon Trestle to see the old abandoned trestle, one of the largest in the country. I love watching these rail carts in action, but it frustrates me when they fail because people don’t understand the ingenious design behind conical-shaped wheels, leading to epic derailments.

Railroad wheels are brilliantly engineered with a conical shape and a flange to navigate curves and prevent derailments. The conical design allows the wheels to self-center on the track. During a turn, the wheels lean so that the inner wheel travels a shorter distance than the outer wheel. It’s an awesome design that makes these rides possible when done right.