Sperry Rail Service

[Anonymous]

I spotted a Sperry Rail Service car sitting on our local (central Illinois) tracks a few days ago. Can anyone fill me in on what types of services this company provides? Is it work that is subcontracted out from the main (Class 1) railroads?

[kenneo]

Basicly, look for flaws in the rails so that derailments from borken rails can be avoided. They do other things, too, and I believe they have a web site, but it is "private", customers only - you need a log in.

[Anonymous]

Check out www.sperryrail.com. Under the employment section it tells all about what they do. Believe me it is a very boring job. Any time it came to Detroit I would mark off.

[mudchicken]

Boring?

Dispatchers trying to bury the thing in a siding to keep it from getting out and creating new slow orders. Roadmasters and Track Supervisors losing sleep over which rail to replace first and then which one next(?). Where is the material (rail, welding material, OTM, etc.)to change these rails out? Track gangs & welders getting run ragged trying to replace failed rails as fast and as safely as possible, all the time wrestling with a DS for track time in order to do the work. Superintendents & trainmasters trying to keep everything moving and not getting tied-up in knots.....

Scheduled Bedlam?- YES! Boring?-Hardly....

Somebody has a sheltered existance up in Detroit.
(Sperry uses electromagnetic detection, others (Like Herzog, old ATSF System developed by ICRRin the 1960's) use sonic coupling or both (DAPCO)....If those old Brill doodlebugs in Sperry's fleet could only talk!......UPRR is one of the few that still has its own rail detectors and also has contractors out there...

Dirty Bird

[CShaveRR]

Get your pictures of the doodlebugs while you can...all of the latest Sperry vehicles I've seen are of the Hy-Rail truck variety.

Sperry...for when good rails go bad.

[Anonymous]

I have pics I will send of the Sperry Hi-rail truck, and CP rail 3 car detection train that ran the MNS line this spring. Just ask. [e-mail]

[Anonymous]

I saw my 1st Sperry Rail Service car in Ashdown AR,in 1988. It was a Brill ! wish I could have gotten picture of it, but I didn't have a Camera back then. Haven't seen one sense

[Nora]

I was wondering what they did too -- now I know. There's a Holiday Inn near our new place and there was a Sperry Rail Service truck in their parking lot for two or three weeks. I don't think it moved at all. Now it's gone.

--Nora

[yellowducky]

Nora,
Did you see it there at all times of the day? Sometimes they only work "off-traffic" hours and come and go when you don't. I've known this happen in Garrett, because my wife or son would tell me they got delayed at a crossing, but I would have sworn they never moved !

[JoeKoh]

QUOTE: Originally posted by yellowducky

Nora,
Did you see it there at all times of the day? Sometimes they only work "off-traffic" hours and come and go when you don't. I've known this happen in Garrett, because my wife or son would tell me they got delayed at a crossing, but I would have sworn they never moved !

I got a Csx work tram in the yard in Defiance.
stay safe
Joe

[adrianspeeder]

I saw one when I was little, and had no idea what it was at first. I thought Conrail was doing passenger service.

Adrianspeeder

[louisnash]

The Sperry car was just in the past week in Nothern KY on the NS line running from Cincy to Danville.

As it went by our work and they were blowing the horn at the crossing there were a whole bunch of geese following it.

My the surprise they were about to behold.

We usually see it at least once a year go by our work. It will usually go North first and then within a few days head back south. It is sometimes parked at Richwood KY or at Williamstown KY when they have it in this area.

Brian (KY)