Hi, posted two more pictures of rail equipment today. On my lunch I was taking some video of these machines work but couldn't get close enough to see what they really do. Picture #1 was operating outside of the rails digging. Picture operated to one side of rails and between the rails.
http://www.hbci.com/~bkuhl/RailQuestion1.htm
Thanks for any replies.
WinonaBill
The first one replaces the crossties between the rails. The second is a ballast tamper, which regrades the gravel ballast.
It did not look like it was actually moving the ties, but it was digging in the ballast in that area.
First one looks like a track geometry car to me. look at the left end. See all those vertical yellow square poles? They drop down and open up so the device behind them is about 100' behind the car. It then shoots a laser at the targets and it tells the car if the rail is low on one side or both so they know where to adjust. The second one looks like a ballast swepper that sweeps the ballast off the ties.
Photo 1. The machine lift the rails and attached ties. The finger then dig or jam ballast under the raised ties.
Photo 2 It cleans all ballast off the top of the ties.
Photo 1 is of a Tamper. It tamps the ballast under the ties ti raise low spots in the rail to level it out.
Photo 2 is a Regulater, it is used to refoem the ballast profile.
Richard Looking at MP 242 while working for the FEC Rwy.