Western Railroad Discussion > Seattle TLM pics

I have just a few pics of the TLM to show now. The others, on a better day, are still in the camera. Taken with a Canon Sureshot 120, Fuji Astia 100 slide film, scanned with a Minolta DiMAGE Elite II.

This is the propulsion for the TLM: a Caterpillar 973 dozer. It is hooked to the mainframe with a rather hefty drawbar. The other end of the mainframe is hooked to it's flatcar and then the flats of concrete ties trail. You can see how the rail is picked up through the threader boxes.

http://members.trainorders.com/markgillings/tlm1copy.jpg

Next is the platform within the mainframe that picks up and drops the ties. I got this one timed just right to show it carrying a tie. In a moment it will retract it's forks dropping the tie. Then it will cycle back up to the conveyor, extend the forks, lift the next tie up and out, drop down and wait for it's timer to drop the next one. The next tie can be seen behind the red shackle.

When running in auto mode like this, all the mainframe operator does is run the conveyor keeping three ties bunched up at the end for the platform.

http://members.trainorders.com/markgillings/tlm2copy.jpg

Last is the gantry crane. This machine travels the length of the flatcars. Special bridge rails are hooked up between the cars for this to work. It can pick up 22 ties at a time dropping them onto the conveyor.

At the point of the two people on the right, you can see that the rail is just about lined in.

http://members.trainorders.com/markgillings/tlm3copy.jpg

I saw the work train was there on the new track all last week dumping ballast. It looks pretty nice. I looks that they still have a little more ballast to go.

I know they had 22 loads on the first pass. Don't know what they had on Friday, though. There's probably around 45 loads yet to dump. We're supposed to get the LH #11 at 6X Tuesday. Possibly a week after that to cut it in.

bummer it isn't going to be connected to South Seattle, I'll keep an eye on Tuesday.

BTW, Interesting retaining wall on the curve after 4.6. I like it.

Brian E. Bundridge
Seattle, Washington