Nostalgia & History > Ballast Tamping Machine

Picture 1 is from the website,

http://digital.denverlibrary.org/cdm

Picture 1, “Call Number: Z-10922. Title: 9:35 A.M., Santa Fe ballast tamping machine at work near Tomah, Colo. Creator(s): Trout, George A. Summary: View of an Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad ballast (gravel) tamping machine at work near Tomah (Douglas County), Colorado. Men stand or sit on the machine which has a storage tank and large pistons. The machine is pulled by a diesel locomotive. Date: 1955 July 18. Photographers information stamped on verso of print with: ‘negative no. 1984.” Title inked and penciled on verso of photographic print with: ‘1/125 @ F20, 1/125 @ F11, Kodak Royal Pan, K1 filter.’ Physical Description: 1 photographic print ; 8 x 10 cm. (3 x 4 in.).”

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That's NOT a tamper. That's a Ballast Cleaning Machine.

Thanks PHall for the information.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballast_cleaner

Right, not even close to a Tamper. And obvious too.

This is ATSF 199210, a ballast cleaner built by the O.F. Jordan Company (same people who built the spreaders) in 1945.

While it is obvious the main machine is a cleaner, over to the far right is what looks like either a track lifter or possibly a primitive tamper head. Is that part of the cleaner, or is it another MOW device sitting next to the cleaner?

lwilton Wrote:

> While it is obvious the main machine is a cleaner,
> over to the far right is what looks like either a
> track lifter or possibly a primitive tamper head.
> Is that part of the cleaner, or is it another MOW
> device sitting next to the cleaner?

It's part of the cleaner. Flynn posted a blow-up of part of the image; you can view the whole thing here:

http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15330coll22/id/82548

This company photo of the machine in service shows the piece you were wondering about a bit better:

http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/307122/page/1

The description on the back calls that piece an "automatic tie blade...pushing rock away from end of the ties toward retainer, to make path for edge of wheel frame so that the ballast can be picked up by elevating wheel."

http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/307122/page/2

The September 1947 issue of Popular Science had a one-pager on the ballast cleaner that indicates it was pulled rather than pushed by the locomotive:

https://books.google.com/books?id=miQDAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA96&ots=i4edBOjeML&dq=santa%20fe%20ballast%20cleaner&pg=PA96#v=onepage&q=santa%20fe%20ballast%20cleaner&f=false

Other pictures of the 199210 when it was new are at the bottom of this page:

http://www.trainweb.org/JordanSpreader/otherproducts.htm