I saw something cool roll by the other evening. It was a Dakota and Iowa rock train where most of it was cars that said GREX Slot Machine on the side. Towards the end was a backhoe that rides on top of the side rails of the rock cars. From their website, it’s described as having “a series of short gondolas without end bulkheads”. That matches what I saw. What’s not apparent from their phots is what keeps the rocks- in this train it looked like ballast- from falling out if there are no end bulkheads? Bonus-The train was a biggie. It had 3 UP SD70’s and 3 D&I Geeps on the front end. I wish I’d been able to run across that on the Dell Rapids D&I tracks.
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
The cars appear to be articulated, and there's some sort of "curtain" system between the cars. Not sure how that works, though.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
According to the Georgetown Rail Equipment website, the equipement doesn't ride on the side rails but on the floor of the car.
https://georgetownrail.com/Material-Handling/SlotMachine-and-SPS
MurphyS: According to the Internet: LORAM and GREX[Georgetown Rail] merged in the first couple of months of 2018.
link@ https://georgetownrail.com/Material-Handling
In this area BNSF has had reguar visits from the HERZOG 'slot train', their version appears to have 'power' that sort of, resembled a highly, 'reworked' 'SW'- style engine on one end, and an operator/control car on the opposite end. Simerly, the LORAM slot train, has been a less frequent visitor in this area. There was a back-hoe that rode on the sides of the cars on those trains, also. The GREX version is shown on this link:
@ https://georgetownrail.com/Material-Handling/SlotMachine-and-SPS
The GREX [self-unloading, and balast stacking] trains seem to appear around here a couple of times a year(?). BNSF seems to have a couple of their ballast trains of their own, they appear to be solar powered, and GPS site-directed for unloading(?). I am sure Mudchicken could describe them better than I.
I think I saw Murphy's train. I was going west about that time frame and it was going east. I think it was going to turn the corner at KC Jct and head south. I don't remember the power, other than it was UP and the back hoe was sitting about two or three "cars" from the end.
I've seen that type of train once in a while. More common for placing ballast at spot locations is the conveyor belt dump train.
Jeff
Sam - That's a seriously reworked SW-1 under that cowl. (question why the people at St Joseph did that, but I guess the marketing bubbas got a plaything.)
Slot trains have plenty of uses. They rarely stay idle. Sounds like it was getting ready to place rip-rap based on where it was going. Assume that backhoe on board had an opposable thumb with the bucket. Often wondered how serious the patent fight is between Herzog, Georgetown and Loram over the intellectual property over the years. (and I've been in Herzog and Loram's assembly shops)
Interesting, but how would it pick up materials and still be able to ride on the floor of the cars?
"Floor of the car" might be misleading... it means that it runs on tracks or wheels that are on the commodity (gravel/ballast/etc.) that is held in the car on the floor. It would pick up material that is in front of it, (moving it to where it is to be deposited, such as beside the railcar) until there was no more and then run forward, down and off the pile it is/was on, then turn around and remove the material it was on while picking up the first material. It would then move to the next car to remove that material.
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.