Western Railroad Discussion > UP Work Train at Work

This past January I captured some hand-held (you've been warned!) SLR video of a UP work train
dropping ballast for the new second main track in Stafford TX (MP 20 of UP Glidden sub).

It's not as dramatic as a run-8 runby of SD40-2's, but it's interesting nonetheless. I am especially
impressed with the high-tech tool they use to keep the new ballast from accumulating above the rail head.

Robert Pierce
Sugar Land, TX
SWRails.com

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Interesting..

doing the deed the old fashion way with bars and ties  ... we use remote boxes to stay away from the dust ... it looks like the train was watered down pretty good to keep the dust down 

Very cool video.  That really is the old hard work way to do that.  I'm surprised of how little dust there was.  Thanks for the look.
Brian Stevens

Noticed the ballast cars carry Spokane International reporting marks!

Dick Samuels

seems UP is changing all ballast hoppers to SI reporting marks.  I guess its an easy way to be able to distinguish a ballast hopper from a revenue
car on a wheel report, or in rolling stock accounting or something.  It will be interesting to se if they decide to get UP reporting marks off all non rev equipment.

Ties to spread the ballast ahead of car wheels...thats the way we did it 40 years ago.

pdt Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> seems UP is changing all ballast hoppers to SI
> reporting marks.  I guess its an easy way to be
> able to distinguish a ballast hopper from a
> revenue
> car on a wheel report, or in rolling stock
> accounting or something.  It will be interesting
> to se if they decide to get UP reporting marks off
> all non rev equipment.
>
> Ties to spread the ballast ahead of car
> wheels...thats the way we did it 40 years ago.

The way we STILL do it....but NOT with NEW ties!

Dick Samuels
Oregon Pacific Railroad

If anyone knows: what are these men paid? Is the work regular? Any possibility of advancement? Just curious. d

Thanks for posting. Better equipment now. The crosstie is a throw-back. GPS has eliminated a lot of waste from the process, but since this is new construction, may not be useful.

Obviously, the exterior designer has been laid off.  Is there no decency?  Using different colored rock cause stress among railfans!  Nothing is more beautiful along a railroad than fresh, well spread ballast but of all the same color!

Norm

Norman Orfall
Helendale, CA
TIOGA PASS, a private railcar