RailCowGirl gets a lot of questions every day, and many questions gets repeated.

Below you’ll find answers to the most common questions asked in the live chat on YouTube or in direct messages to RailCowGirl. The questions below are grouped together so it’s easier to find what you’re looking for.

If you for some reason can’t find the answer to your question on this page, please drop us a message via the contact page here.

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Disclaimer: Some of the links on this page might be affiliate links. This means that RailCowGirl may receive a small commission for purchases made through these links. This adds no extra cost for you, but is a way to support Railcowgirl and her work.

The FAQ has been put together with the kind help from channel subscriber Ariel T.

Contents:

General

Q: Where are your videos from?

All the train videos on the RailCowGirl YouTube channel are from Norway. They are mostly from the Bergen line (Bergensbanen) between Bergen – Voss – Ål – Oslo, but you will also find videos from the Flåm line (Flåmsbana), Southern line (Sørlandsbanen) and Dovre line (Dovrebanen). Some videos are from operating passenger trains, and some from freight trains, you will find the details in the video description. On the Flåm railway there are only passenger trains, no freight.

Q: Do you drive passenger trains or cargo?

Until the end of August 2021 RailCowGirl used to operate passenger trains only, but then she switched companies and now operates freight trains only.

Q: What type of trains do you drive?

In the YouTube videos with passenger trains you can see views from EL18 locomotives with B7 carriages and WLAB2. On the Flåm line EL18 with B3 carriages. For local services type 75 FLIRT. When operating freight trains RailCowGirl handles these locomotives: Bombardier TRAXX AC2 F140 182.2 (RE), Bombardier TRAXX AC3 F140 (BR187) (Hybrid), Stadler EuroDuale (Hybrid), T44 (diesel).

Q: Where do you go to the bathroom?

RailCowGirl has to use the bathrooms in the stations as there are no toilets on the locomotive.

Q: Do you have accommodation when you stay in other places? / Do you have to stay over?

RailCowGirl sometimes has to stay over in other places. Her employer arranges a room for her so she can rest or sleep in between the shifts.

Q: Do you ever drive the whole way between Bergen and Oslo?

No, the drivers are not allowed to drive the whole line between Bergen and Oslo because of the rest time regulations.

Q: Is there a way to support your channel?

Yes, thank you very much for asking! There are several ways to support the channel: You can either click here to donate an amount of your choice, or you can click here to become a member with a monthly membership. As a paying member, you always get early access to all videos and extra perks and you have full access to all previous issues of the Monthly Moo in RailCowGirl’s Discord server. You can also support via Streamlabs on this link, or buy merchandise on the link below.

Q: Is it possible to buy RailCowGirl merchandise?

Yes, you can find RailCowGirl merch if you click here.

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About RailCowGirl

Q: Who is RailCowGirl?

RailCowGirl is a female train driver/engineer from Norway. She used to operate passenger trains, but from September 2021 she is operating freight trains.

Q: How did you come up with the name RailCowGirl?

RailCowGirl has a fascination for cows, and she lives in the countryside.

Q: Who is HinduCowGirl / Why did you change your name?

HinduCowGirl changed named to RailCowGirl because of a huge amount of questions about religion.

Q: How long have you been driving trains?

RailCowGirl has been operating trains for more than 10 years. She started in the public owned company NSB (Norges StatsBaner) in Oslo, and transferred to NSB (now Vy) in Voss. In September 2021 she changed company and now operates freight trains.

Q: What’s your real name, and how old are you?

RailCowGirl prefers not to reply to personal questions. But her real name has been revealed in the National Geographic series “Europe from Above,” in the episode about Norway. If you are a subscriber to the monthly newsletter, the Monthly Moo, you will also get the chance to get to know RailCowGirl better.

Q: Where can I find a photo of you? / Do you ever show your face?

The channel is about train driver’s view, not RailCowGirl as a person. (Here is a photo of her, though.) No, seriously, if you want to see who is behind RailCowGirl, you can watch the National Geographic series “Europe from Above” and the episode about Norway.

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Location

Q: Where are your videos from?

All the videos on the RailCowGirl YouTube channel are from Norway. Most of them are from the Bergen line and some from the Flåm railway. After she changed from passenger to freight trains, she has also filmed on the Southern line and Dovre line.

You can find a map over the railways on this link.

Q: How many tunnels are there?

Between Bergen and Voss there are 48 tunnels in total, including all the short ones. On all of the Bergen line between Bergen and Oslo there are 180 tunnels in total.

On the Flåm railway there are 27 tunnels in total.

You can find more information about the tunnels on this page.

Q: Are there any webcams from the area?

Yes, there are several webcams from the area. Please click on each of the places to be directed to the webcams (note: none of the webcams are run by RailCowGirl nor do RCG have any connection to these websites. For any issues or troubleshooting, please contact the webcam owner.)

Bergen from mount Fløyen, webcam provided by bt.no

Bergen from mount Ulriken, webcam provided by bt.no

Finse station, webcam provided by bt.no

Q: What time is it in Norway right now?

Here is a link to Timeanddate.com where you can see the current time in Norway. You can also go to the live chat on the stream and type !time.

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Filming

Q: What equipment do you use?

(Links are redirected to Amazon product page. Note: these are affiliate links, meaning that RailCowGirl may get a small commission if you buy something using these links. This will not add any extra cost for you, and is only a nice way of supporting her work.)

You can find information about equipment used in each video in the video description.

Sony FX3

BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K (BMPCC6K)

Canon CN-E 24mm T1.5

Sony FE 35mm F1.4 GM

Sony 24mm f1.4 GM

Rode Stereo Videomic Pro

Samsung T5 2TB

GoPro HERO8 Black

GoPro MAX

Samsung 256GB SD-card

GoPro Suction Cup Mount

Q: Where do you find the music?

EpidemicSound.com – (Note: this is an affiliate link, meaning that RailCowGirl may get a small commission if you buy something using this link. This will not add any extra cost for you, and is only a nice way of supporting her work.)

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Trains

Q: How fast does the train go?

Max speed on the Bergen line is 160 km/h, and on the Flåm line 40 km/h. The freight trains has a maximum speed of 100 km/h due to the brake group they are running in because of the length/amount of axels and weight.

Q: What type of trains do you drive?

RailCowGirl operates RE (BR185), BR187, ED (EuroDual, hybrid), T44 (diesel), RC4. When she worked on passenger trains, she operated the EL18 locomotive with B7 carriages and WLAB2. On the Flåm line she operated EL18 with B3 carriages. For the local services the type 75 FLIRT (and the old BM69).

Q: How do I become a train driver in Norway?

First, you have to be fluent in Norwegian. Second, you can read about the requirements at Norsk Fagskole for Lokomotivførere’s websites on this link.

Q: What voltage is in the overhead wire?

Between 15-17 kV.

Q: If you lose power do you have diesel that takes over?

No, not really. Although the ED locomotive does have both electrical and diesel power. There is a readiness team in cases of emergency.

Q: What does the signals mean?

Here is a link to Wikipedia where you can learn about the signals. You will also find links to information in the video descriptions.

Q: What is the speed of the train?

Here is a link to the line speed (external link).

You can also see the speed of the line in the bottom left corner in (almost) all of the videos in YouTube. It is the “Vmax” or “Vmax line.” RailCowGirl will not be showing the true speedometer of the train.

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Stream & chat

Q: Is it a game?

No, it’s not a game. It’s real pre-recorded footage from a train driver’s cabin.

Q: Who is the driver/engineer?

That would be RailCowGirl. She works as a train driver/engineer and records her trains.

Q: Why does it say “live” when it isn’t?

All of the videos are pre-recorded and edited. But when streaming them in a sequence like this, YouTube mark the video as “live” because of the possibility to live stream and because the chat is live. None of the RailCowGirl videos are ever streamed live, due to liability. Imagine streaming a trespasser strike live – that would be a direct breach of the Community Guidelines (Violent and Graphic content) and Terms of Services. It could also result in serious legal issues for RailCowGirl and the company she works for, when viewers would take legal actions for being subjected to such content.

Q: Why can I not write in my language? Why is only English allowed in the chat?

English (or Norwegian) are preferred languages in the chat. English is the language most people have in common, so when writing in English everyone can be included in the chat. Norwegian is allowed because RailCowGirl is Norwegian. Please read the chat rules that are stated in the video description.

Q: I subscribed, why is my name not showing on the screen?

Sometimes the banner is delayed, or there could be technical issues with Streamlabs. Sorry about that.

Q: Why was this in my recommendations on YouTube?

YouTube is suggesting videos you may find interesting based on your recent views or search history.

Q: Does the train ever stop?

Yes, the train stops for maintenance, for signals showing stop (mostly the red ones, but a few other signals) or when meeting oncoming trains. The passenger trains also (obviously) stops for picking up passengers in the stations.

Q: Why doesn’t the train stop in all stations?

The stops are all decided in the train schedule, so not all trains stop at all stations. Some stations are even marked with an “X” in the schedule for the passenger trains, meaning that passengers will have to tell the conductor if they want to go off at that stop. The freight trains stop where they are scheduled meeting other trains or waiting for signals, but they can also be directed from the train controller to stop at stations outside of their schedule if necessary.

Q: Do animals/people ever get hit by the train?

Yes, unfortunately that happens from time to time. Such images are removed from the video as they are not suitable for YouTube.

Q: When was this recorded?

The videos are all pre-recorded, and RailCowGirl tries to always keep them as updated as possible. In the beginning of a season, there might be videos that were recorded last season, but most of them are not more than a few months old.

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Updated: 1. January 2025

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