Looks like a mobile generator or something; perhaps a part being delivered?
caption:
Maj. Herb Joliat, Brigade Civil Affairs OIC and Soldiers of A Company, 490 Civil Affairs Unit attached to 1st Battalion, 66th Armored Brigade visited the North Baghdad Electrical Power Transfer Station as part of an Economic Assessment on 29 January 2006. Projects such as this are part of the ongoing civil affairs mission to help restore infrastructure to local communities. (Us Army photo by Spc. Charles W. Gill) (Released)
Dave- From the picture (even in the larger version) I’m not 100% sure whatever it is is actually on rail trucks. Look again. It could be that the rails end just before this object and the generator type object is actually on the ground past the end stops of the rails. The positioning of the photo allows for some trickery to the eyes and it could make it appear that the object is supported by small supports keeping it off the ground. To me it seems a very large object for such a small base to be supporting it. But I’ve been wrong before.
I agree with Miniwyo, Mark Hemphill is your best person to ask since he has some particular insight to the rail operations in Iraq.
It’s a transformer. It’s mounted on wheels on rail for easy changeout if it should fail. I never saw one with so much space around it on wheels, usually they are mounted on wheels in tight transformer yards in major cities.
The one in the picture must be a spare. If you look at the curb in the left side of the picture you can see cut outs, most likey where the operating transformers are. If one fails you disconect it and winch it out, get it out of the way and winch the replacement down and into position.
Alot of powerplants and transformer yards I’ve worked in also had a rail spur at one end to load/unload the transformers.