I was on my way to work this morning and passed over Norfolk Southern’s line on the north side of Columbus, Ohio, heading up to Bellevue. It looked like they were doing tie replacement from the looks of the machines that they had out. It got me to wondering something. Has anybody ever modeled track maintenance on their layouts like ties getting replaced, panel/new track sitting along a mainline to simulate a second track going in, etc.?
Kevin
The closest I came was sort of modeling building track into existing scenery. It wasn’t an intentional plan on my part. I had laid a portion of my track (handlaid in place on the layout) and wanted to try some scenery for the fun of it.
I got carried away. I cookie cuttered my plywood and Homasote, and filled in all the open space with window screen wire and a layer of plaster-dipped paper towels. I colored the plaster mix with some food coloring so it wouldn’t be a stark white. It came out nicely unevenly colored in various greens and browns, again by accident.
The result was that the Homasote where my track was going to go now had a feel of graded roadbed in the wilderness. Since I ballast at the same time as I lay my ties, but before I spike the rails down, I now had a scene where the ballast and ties were in place, waiting for the track crew to come lay down the rail. Added some prototype length rail pieces on an MOW gon and on the ground, and I had a scene ready to photograph. It was a lot of fun.
I noticed John Allen did the same in a lot of photos of the G&D. The scenery was in place, and ties were being laid for some new track. It might well be that those photos (and the PH&C project layout) gave me the idea to try building scenery before the trackwork was complete.
On the next layout I’m planning, I will be more deliberate about creating the track laying scenes. Scenery will be more extensive before I go beyond the bare Homasote roadbed stage. I just have to keep trees, foliage, and structures about 4"-6" back on either side so I can get my clumsy hands in to perform the actual trackwork.
just my experiences
Fred W
Kevin,
In my case I chose to model rail being removed. I had the figures for a long time and decided to build a scene around them.
Guy
Man, those are some STRONG guys on your track gang! That rail weighs well over 1300 pounds! [:D]
Seriously, nice job on the scene!
Yeah, that was back in the day when men were tougher, women were prettier and children were brighter[:-^] Each guy (five total) must be lifting 250lbs+.
Guy
When the time comes to detail the right-of-way of the Japan National Railway, I will model a phenomenon I saw during my chosen era. Concrete ties had been installed, except for two wooden ties at each pair of squared rail joints. The one concrete tie which would replace them was temporarily positioned just outside the ballast line. On the opposite side, long strings of new welded rail awaited the lull in the traffic that would allow the MOW crew to pull the well-worn jointed rails and install the welded replacements.
According to my fictional history, the wooden ties were pulled out during August, 1964. The new rail was delivered on the last Friday of August, but the schedule won’t allow a rail swap until early October. Since I model in a time warp, when midnight of September 30th arrives the whole world resets to the first second of September. That welded rail will never move onto the concrete ties.
I also intend to model the work being done to double track the single-track between Tomikawa and Takami. That will include a working ple driver (that never finishes driving the pile) and, if I live long enough, a window in the end fascia opening on a working TBM chewing its way through Haruyama. (Yes, Matilda, the JNR was using TBMs in 1964.)
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
There are no models on the market for modern MOW equipment. You will have to scratchbuild. I have extensive drawings, photos and other detailed information concerning modern rail maintenance and work in that capacity every day. It won’t be easy as even simple tie replacement requires 2 spike pullers, 2 tie plate pullers, 2 tie inserters, 1 nipper tamper or pup tamper, 2 tie plate inserters, 2 spikers, one tamper, one stabilizer, at least 1 broom, and at least one ballast regulator. These machines are in any quantity or combination depending on the RR rules or the specific job. In addition there is at least 1 pick up high rail, one high rail service truck with crane, and one or more mechanic trucks. This may even be followed by a “smoothing gang” that has a double broom, a ballast regulator/recycler (BMS) a UNIMAT high production tamper, and another stabilizer such as a PTS 62 or PTS 90. If the gang has any kind of MDZ (mechanized work train) such as an undercutter, then that is a modeler’s nightmare and a challenge I have not seen anybody step up to the plate on yet.
It’s a challenge to model even a simple machine, there are lots of small fidley bits and everything is open to view, so a modeler will have his or her work cut out. I am building a G scale tamper, and it’s taking me far too long to do far too little. At the rate I am going I’ll be done in 2016.
MOW scenes are wonderful but do have the disadvantage of having track that is unavailable for operations.
A shoofly scene is interesting but doesn’t limit operation. A shoofly track is a temporary detour such as to go around a collapsed tunnel or over a temporary bridge where the “permanent” bridge has been washed out and its replacement is unfinished. These detours were subject to severe speed limits so will give the modeler a reason to slow down those trains for a longer run.
Mark
What was I thinking?: perhaps over-influenced by the model scenes showing torn-up track. There are lots of maintenance operations which don’t have dismantled track such as piecemeal replacement of ties, working on the signaling system, track inspection, and so on.
Mark
Well, if you’re in HO scale at least, there is plenty of it. For example, the various models by Custom Finishing.
Mark
I sit corrected. According to the prices, an HO tie gang will cost you about $490. Funny I never could get an internet search to come up with any of those models in the past. Oh well, on we go…
Well, actually it just illustrates the law of squares or whatever it is, how mass increases at the square of the linear dimension. An insect’s proportionate strength would be superhuman, at human size. So, those little guys could EASILY hold the rail!
But now, I’ll put my disbelief back on suspense. Which is easy to do with that scene, especially the first photo, which just looks terrific!
If you’re really interested in modeling track maintenance, the German magazine MIBA has a new special issue on this topic: http://miba.de/verlag/15087437.htm
It’s in German but the photos are excellent. There are many similarities between modern American and European maintenance equipment, so you can get some great modeling tips from it.
Good luck!
Terry
In the case of Plasser equipment, there is no difference between European and US machines apart from the fact that the labor unions would never allow certain European machines on American work crews. Other than that, there is no noticable difference apart from color and some lighting.
Maintenance of Way work is relatively simple to model as better than half the work is in distribution of materials, preparation and cleanup.
Now, as in the 40’s and 50’s when non-mechanized track work was more common, section foremen or track inspectors/supervisors mark ties for spot replacement and it was not uncommon to see ties scattered along the right of way in areas where spot replacement was ongoing. Barrels of spikes and burlap sacks of tie plates and anti creep bars could be found nearby as well. Men could be engaged in doing that kind of work, using transits if the job is realignment or new railroad being put down, or even spot treating for weeds with ugh, Agent Orange or other select herbicides of your chosen era. Large scale operations would require a work train, made up of some of the most antiquated, modified and beat up rolling stock available. Placed on a siding near the work, camp cars would have employes all around them.
If the railroad is manned by section gangs, don’t forget the section foreman’s residence, tool house and speeder shed. The buildings were all part of the MOW scene. An employee or two rummaging around in a tool shed or supply house adds visual detail and demonstrates that the railroad is not all machinery. At a work location, don’t forget men with spike mauls, spike puller, jack bars and jacks. Protect slow ordered track with yellow flags and green flags; within the limits you might place sections of rail, used crossties and fresh, untamped ballast as a sign that work has been performed recently. In completed areas of trackwork, men would be manually moving old ties or in some cases, burning them, spreading ballast and doing general cleanup, actions that should not interfere with normal operations.
I have (had) several sections that had lengths of discarded old rail along the ROW.
I eventually plan to have a section where track crews have recently finished working. There will be a short slow-order zone, with crews milling about next to the tracks near their Hi-Railers and other support equipment.
Since I’m modeling a modern-day shortline, there wouldn’t be any fancy MOW equipment, and what rail-mounted equipment (a small tie crane, maybe) would be carried to the work site on a flatbed truck rather than tying up the already-congested mainline. Ballast dumping and large components would be carried out by the small MOW fleet (two 34’ hoppers and a 40’ flatcar) but I’m not modeling that, just a tie replacement program.
Not exactly. A modern short line may have a contractor come in and fix some track if they cannot afford thier own MOW equipment. A jackson tamper, ballast regulator and a TKO tie crane would fit the bill very nicely, maybe throw in a high rail pick up truck for the track foreman. Ties are almost always laid out along the right of way were tie replacement is going to happen, sometimes days or weeks ahead of time, usualy in loose bundles of 5 or 6 ties at intervals approxamating the number and desity of ties to be replaced.
Make sure your track workers have on hard hats and reflective vests and give them plenty of water…