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Ballast covering ties a no-no?
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Remember, ballast costs $$$$ and any railroad is going to use as little of it as they can get by with; enough but not too much!!!<BR><BR>I'm not really that acquainted with track maintenance equipment but I do know that railroads have lots of it and one thing they have is machinery to spread ballast after one of them thar ballast hoppers has dropped its load onto the roadway. Most ballast is, therefore, going to be found between but not on top of the ties; some will, inevitably, wind up on top of the ties but probably not in profuse amounts. The railroads are not going to send out men with brooms to sweep the right-of-way.<BR><BR>Much hand work, including "brooming/sweeping" will be done around switchwork and their was always a couple of brooms - in addition to more than just a few shovels - on my uncles "put-put" - he ran a maintenance crew out of St Anthony, Idaho for close to thirty years. I do remember that the railroad (UP) had replaced a switch one time - when they were done it was my uncle's responsibility to do the clean-up/housekeeping at the site and one thing I remember that they were cleaning ballast from out of the points and flangeways.<BR><BR>As someone has mentioned, leaving a little too much ballast in one (limited) area on the right of way would make a good effect; think I'll try it and see just how it looks.
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