MOW to Repair a Disused Siding

[RedDogF5]

I would like to model a railroad reparing an old, disused siding to bring it back to working order - something that hasn't been used in decades, is overgrown, etc.

What kind of equipment would they use for a task like this, and what would they be looking for and doing?

Thanks!

[MisterBeasley]

What era are you modeling, and what sort of topography are you dealing with?  My MOW equipment is definitely old, and kind of generic, while modern equipment is very specific to track-laying.

[doctorwayne]

RedDogF5

I would like to model a railroad reparing an old, disused siding to bring it back to working order - something that hasn't been used in decades, is overgrown, etc.

What kind of equipment would they use for a task like this, and what would they be looking for and doing?

Thanks!

If you're planning to model the rehabilitation of the track, tie replacement might be high on the list, along with, perhaps, new heavier rail to support the heavier rolling stock of today.
Weed control might be done with chemical sprays or simply by a couple of employees with scythes or weed-whackers.

A very good friend, who managed a shortline railroad, said that track maintenance on older track needed a lot of ongoing maintenance...you'd fix something, then a couple days later, another problem would crop-up...maybe the same type or something completely different. 
A big problem on that line was control of weeds, as the track, originally owned by the Pennsy, used Knotweed to prevent degradation of the fill used to support the track.  You could spray it regularly, but it always came back, healthy than ever.

I'm uncertain if there's a model available (you haven't mentioned the scale you're using), but a rail-worthy tamper machine, (for ballast) would really enhance the scene, and maybe a hi-rail pick-up truck, too.

Wayne

[dknelson]

RedDogF5

I would like to model a railroad reparing an old, disused siding to bring it back to working order - something that hasn't been used in decades, is overgrown, etc.

What kind of equipment would they use for a task like this, and what would they be looking for and doing?

Thanks!

 

 

I think it would all start with attacking the vegetation both between the rails and beyond the ties.  It is surprising how quickly even genuine trees can grow on railroad ROW when the track is unused and no weed control is taking place.  And yet I have seen old and unused sidings still look OK for years because the ballast was doings it job.  But there would undoubtedly be some vegetation to clear even if no trees or big shrubs.   

 

Indeed it might be that they would not be in a position to evaluate what is needed until the vegetation is cleared and they can actually view the siding's roadbed, ties, and rail.  Depending on the use of the siding perhaps very little more needs to be done, but if sizable trees have grown between the rails (likely altering the tie placement, or if erosion or even rampant woodchuck burrowing have taken place, it might mean everything has to go and the roadbed has to be beefed up again.  Whether any old ties and rails can be reused is another matter.  Even old and neglected rail still has use.  

 

For a variety of reasons - and local property taxes can be a big one -- railroads have been quick to remove the turnout to a siding even when they leave the siding intact.  It might be that reinstalling a turnout would be the last step in the rehab project, but if the siding is a long one and they'd want to use their mechanized track laying rail-wheeled vehicles to do the work, it might be that reinstalling the turnout off the main would be the first step. 

 

Another point to keep in mind is that even sidings that no longer serve a customer might be used for parking MOW equipment during a work projecft, shoving a bad-order freight car, or even money making storage of surplus freight cars (or locomotives) during off seasons or downturns.  So even a disused siding might have been considered "in service" and used now and then if still connected to the main.  If still technically in service it likely would get some level of weed control.

 

Dave Nelson    

[jjdamnit]

Hello All,

All great responses to your question.

A few questions I would add are...

Just like prototypical railroads, what's the budget? Who's footing the bill- -the railroad or the industry(-ies) being served and what are their requirements for rolling stock/motive power?

If a cement plant is reopening and wants to run switchers to make up unit trains those needs are different than a feed and seed Co-Op that just wants to have single grain cars spotted to fill their silos.

Modern era MOW is made up of million-dollar trains that have several specialized cars from tie (sleeper) removers/replacers, ballast distribution, and tamping to rail removal replacement and welding cars.

Traditional construction equipment can also be employed to perform the same tasks as these "all-in-one" unit trains.

When the budget is "rock-bottom" manual labor and a few pieces of construction equipment would be used.

These factors play into your decisions to rebuild these tracks.

Hope this helps.

[RedDogF5]

Thanks for all the replies!  To answer the questions, the era is current day, and the scale is HO.

The industry not a specific one, just "manufacturing".  Not something that would take unit trains, but theoretically something that needs more than a hopper a week.

The specialized train is beyond the scope of what I'm looking for, but I want more than a backhoe, pickup, and a couple of guys with shovels.  The tamper and a hy-rail pickup sound like a good spot, if that's realistic, along with a crew clearing brush. 

[Lee 1234]

Check out Custom Finishing.  Lots of MOW equipment

http://www.customfinishingmodels.com/Maintenance.pdf

 

[NHTX]

     Spur track rehabilitation in today's railroading, even if it were owned by the railroad, would probably be done by an independent contractor, vs. railroad employees.  There are many firms, regional and nationwide that specialize in such work and use very little rail-borne equipment.  It is mainly cranes, trucks, and dozers.  And panel track.

     A spur that was constructed before car capacities jumped from 40, 50 or even 70 tons to 125 tons-and that does NOT include the weight of the car-would probably require rebuilding anyway.  A spur that has been allowed to go to seed, and built over fifty years ago, would probably have been constructed with jointed relay-as in "used"-stick rail.  Having rail joints every 39 feet under today's equipment puts your potential derailment points 39 feet apart on rotted ties.

     The specialized train has been replaced by mostly rubber tired, or crawler  tracked equipment that doesn't even run on rails.  Once brush and other growth has been removed and the sub grade cleared, ballast will arrive by truck and be dumped in place.  Front end loaders will grade it to receive prefab panel track that also arrives on trucks.  Once the track is in place, final grading takes place and the rails are joined either by bolting but, sometimes by welding, just as on a main line.  Final grading is then done and the track put into service.

     There are many videos of modern track replacement on youtube.  Just look up subjects such as railroad track construction or derailment cleanup to see how it is actually done.  A most interesting video on how R.J. Corman got his start is very enlightening.