Western Railroad Discussion > It's Big Time Rio Grande...Check out The Welder's Expre

I caught this funky welder's MOW speeder and trailer at Soldier Summit one summer's morning in 1987. The steel gang was working the D&RGW main and this critter was parked in the yard for the weekend. Note the all weather cab and the small vertical flaps to knock material off the rail head.

James

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GrandeGold Wrote:
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> I caught this funky welder's MOW speeder and
> trailer at Soldier Summit one summer's morning in
> 1987. The steel gang was working the D&RGW
> main and this critter was parked in the yard for
> the weekend. Note the all weather cab and the
> small vertical flaps to knock material off the
> rail head.
>
> James


Are you sure that the vertical flaps are to knock material off the rail? I have seen wire brushes used and I always assumed it was to get good electrical contact to trip the signals but probably someone out there on TO positively knows the answer.

The speeders had a certain character that the high-rail trucks certainly lack but I think I would prefer riding in one of the trucks. Anyway, nice picture.

Those little "flaps" are to make sure there is nothing on the rail that will derail the motorcar. At around 1500 lbs +\-, and the flange of < 1/4 inch, speeders are pretty easy to derail. Heck, at the Freighthouse Museum in Greeley, CO, I drove a velosipede (mix between a bike and handcar) right off the track due to a small chip in the rail head. As far as tripping signals, gates, and such, you have let the dispatcher know where your at all the time and flag crossing.

Rick Bacon 3
Greeley, CO

The "little flaps" are actual called "Sweeps" to sweep debris off the rails. Motor Cars and even Hi Rails will not shunt track circuits to activate signals.

Those 'flaps' are generally made of used brooms from a ballast regulator. They are flexible but still stiff enough to do as the gentleman said, " knock things off the rail to prevent derailments".
'Wire brushes to make signal contact', oh man that's a bit far out there. If there's that much rust on the rail, you don't need signals.

I've never seen a 1/4" flange on such equipment. At 1/4", that's not enough left to be called a flange, more like an irregularity in the metal. The motor cars I've run all had flanges the same depth as on any other wheel.

      This motor car has the ' used broom attachments ' also as sweeps to knock small debris off the rail, all of them I ever saw had these. No such thing as a 1/4" flange, these wheels have the same flange as a railcar other than the wheels are not solid but press formed.

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dcfbalcoS1 Wrote:
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> 'Wire brushes to make signal contact', oh man
> that's a bit far out there. If there's that much
> rust on the rail, you don't need signals.

That concept isn't too far out there. BNSF hyrail trucks are now coming equipped with a shunt system to activate crossing gates. A thick wire brush rubs on the steel rail wheels to complete the circuit.