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Not Exactly Atlas Snap Track

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  • Member since
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Not Exactly Atlas Snap Track
Posted by ChuckCobleigh on Tuesday, August 25, 2020 1:05 PM

Interesting show on the Tehachapi museum railcam this morning as a UP crew is replacing a stretch of track in the Green Streeet grade crossing. The replacement is a panel with concrete ties and what is interesting is the activities shown getting joints ready for joint bars.

The crew is using an interesting piece of equipment which incorporates two hydraulic drills properly spaced to put holes in the web of the rail. It takes about a minute to actually drill the holes. Cooling fluid is supplied from a Stanley garden sprayer connected to the drill assembly by probably its original hose.

Holes drilled, a little creative sledgehammer work and the joint bars are in place and bolts are tightened.

In any event, I hope the Tehachapi folks clip this out for a persistent YouTube video.

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Posted by Flintlock76 on Tuesday, August 25, 2020 1:46 PM

Wow.  It ain't Lionel FasTrack either!

Fascinating stuff though, a part of railroading we don't think about too often.

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Posted by MikeF90 on Tuesday, August 25, 2020 2:37 PM

ChuckCobleigh
In any event, I hope the Tehachapi folks clip this out for a persistent YouTube video.

While they're at it, they should also clip out the early morning event that I saw. Just after midnight today, a WB intermodal on the north track was moving unusually slowly through the crossing and then came to a stop. After that, the train reversed, moved a few car lengths then moved forward a few and came to a stop again. This action was performed several times before the WB continued on its way.

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Posted by tree68 on Tuesday, August 25, 2020 3:48 PM

When CSX replaced track in the crossing on Main Street in Deshler, OH, they built the new track panel on the west side of the diamond, and when the roadbed was ready, they dragged the entire 100 foot (?) section down the mainline, over the Keyser Street crossing, and over the diamond to its destination.  

This was pre-railcam, so no video.  I was there, but didn't document it at all...  Duh.

Here's the location: N 41.20800 W 83.89900 .  There is a camera (two, actually) there now.

 

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Posted by ChuckCobleigh on Tuesday, August 25, 2020 4:35 PM

MikeF90
While they're at it, they should also clip out the early morning event that I saw. Just after midnight today, a WB intermodal on the north track was moving unusually slowly through the crossing and then came to a stop. After that, the train reversed, moved a few car lengths then moved forward a few and came to a stop again. This action was performed several times before the WB continued on its way.

I wonder if this was another case of an IM setting out a couple of BO cars onto the siding east of Green Street, which happened a week or so ago. The cars were there for about five hours, then got picked up and headed west, before dark.

EDIT: I just looked at replay and see that there is one well car with two containers in the siding at dawn and maybe still by 2:30 in the afternoon, when traffic starts coming through, even though Green street is closed to rubber tires because all the crossing panels have been picked up.

FURTHER EDIT: It's actually three wells in the siding, which headlights of a WB BNSF IM train pointed out before dawn. It's gonna be part two tomorrow as they do the other panel in the crossing.

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