Eastern Railroad Discussion > Operating With A “Form-Y” & A Drone Tamper

With T&S gangs working the Double Tracks south of Austell Jct it requires each train to go through the necessary steps required as a result of a “Form-Y” in place. Train crews must first receive approval from the RWIC to proceed through the limits of the work area. After exchange of information as to train ID, lead engine # and engineers name the crew then contacts the dispatcher to obtain permission to proceed with their movement.

Thursday afternoon I ventured out to Austell and positioned myself atop of the double tracks on the overpass just east of downtown Austell. Interesting to watch the operations from above as the T&S gang replaced ties on track #1 working their way northward toward Austell Jct. The number of hydraulic hoses and valving applied to each type of equipment is amazing. What was new for me was seeing the Harsco Drone Tamper working in conjunction with the Mark IV Tamper. I had seen this tamper before but never in action especially from this vantage point.



#1 NS 22N (MEMPHIS, TN - ATLANTA, GA) on Main #2 roll past the Mark IV & Drone Tamper.

#2 NS 92G ? Rolls south past a team of TR10 Tie Exchanger's working on main #1.
(This train ID continues to puzzle me. All IM transfer jobs between Whitaker & Inman Yards begin with the letter G. ie.G88 to G98. The assigned power here just doesn't fit a transfer job???)

#3 NS 92Gs colorful steam boat containers roll past the work area. 

Phil Maton
Villa Rica, GA

---

---

---

the slave tamper allows the master tamper to skip ties and will tamp everything the master skips ... essentially enabling the non CAT tamper to surface track close to the speed of a CAT tamper ...