Western Railroad Discussion > While The Trains Are Away, MoW Works

Back on Monday, I caught most of a BNSF tie gang as it worked eastward through Agency, Iowa on the Ottumwa Sub.  With only a handful of trains were left running through here with the line flooded at Pacific Junction, it made for a good time for Maintenance of Way work.  As I understand it though, this tie gang was already scheduled to be here around this time anyway.  This gang made it Fairfield by Friday where they were loaded up and sent elsewhere, the same day the line was reopened at Pacific Junction.  I was told they left three weeks earlier than the original plan.

1) The first machine I saw was a Nordco spike puller, BNSF X4700515, running ahead of the gang.

2) Some of the new ties next to Main 2.  I don't know what the "LUPU" spray-painted on the tie closest to the crossing stands for.

3) Moving the the next crossing west, I found the rest of the gang.  Progress was being held up at the moment by the first machine, spike puller(?) BNSF X4700465, needing some work done to it.

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Agent Wrote:
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> 2) Some of the new ties next to Main 2.  I don't
> know what the "LUPU" spray-painted on the tie
> closest to the crossing stands for.

Lock up, Pin up.  Secure your work heads before going over the crossing.

4) BNSF 4700471 spike puller(?)

5) With things back on the move, BNSF X0100839 a tie plate remover(?), at work.

6) BNSF X0100838 tie plate remover(?) with portable toilet.

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7) BNSF X6300105 tie remover and BNSF X6300216 Nordco Tie Remover/Inserter or TRIPP.

8) Not everything was on the tracks as there was also a BNSF van and two truck parked here.  Left to right: BNSF 27358, 23561, and 24594.

9) BNSF X6000360 Vancer CTC12E Tie Crane with cart.  This crane also stopped here to get worked on.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/31/19 14:38 by Agent.

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10) While the crane was getting looked over, an eastbound BNSF mixed freight train came by on Main 1.  This train was pretty short with only nine cars; three flatcars and six gondolas.  SD70ACe BNSF 9245 was leading.

11) Dash 9 BNSF 4540.

12) Things back on the move again with tie crane BNSF X6000229 moving the old ties.  Even the truck in the background was moving on at this point.
 

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13) Kershaw tie crane BNSF X6000366 putting a new tie into position.

14) BNSF X6000256 Nordco TRIPP with cart.

15) BNSF J0403040 was not like the other carts.

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16) Another view of TRIPP and cart together.

17) BNSF X6300184 Nordco TRIPP

18) BNSF X6300263 Nordco TRIPP

At this point, I had to go home to charge the battery.

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Returning to the crossing I started at with a partial charge, I wasn't too far behind the point in the gang where I left.

19) BNSF X5300089.  I couldn't look up what this machine was.

20) This looked like a self-propelled cart carrying tie plates.

21) BNSF X3800174 tie plate inserter?

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MP555 Wrote:
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> Agent Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > 2) Some of the new ties next to Main 2.  I
> don't
> > know what the "LUPU" spray-painted on the tie
> > closest to the crossing stands for.
>
> Lock up, Pin up.  Secure your work heads before
> going over the crossing.

Thanks.

22) Video for this one.  BNSF X3800165, I think it was another tie plate inserter, got stuck going over this crossing.  After trying to free it, they eventually has the first spiker, BNSF X4400430, come up and push it off the crossing.  At the end, I included a look at the scour marks on the road panel.

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23) The next spiker, BNSF X4400367, had a smiley face on the front.

24) Still not sure what this machine is.  BNSF X0100829 tie plate remover(?) with portable toilet.

25) BNSF X0100813 tie plate remover(?) with cart.

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I like the paint markings in the #2 photo.  If the "grffitist's" still have to do their thing with paint, I wish they'd do this rather than defacing the rolling stock and whatever else.  If only the paint buttons had a mind of their own and could operate like a 'bazooka' on these characters.

Pic 6 - Executive breakroom
...Lorenzo