The nearby rail line has been cleaning debris from ditches adjacent to the line. They have a small backhoe mounted cross-wise on a piece of equipment with an open bin to carry the debris. This thing trucks along almost silently, but does have a nice loud horn! For the duty I can see where any type of exhaust stack would not be advisable… but I can’t see any exhaust when it goes by. And it is very quite. What sort of power plant is drving this vehicle?
Thanks for your time,
Jim
Very likely it’s powered by the same engine that powers the rest of the backhoe, often via hydraulics to the wheels.
That sounds like a HERZOG MPM (multi purpose machine), they use an EMD Switcher genset mounted behind the control cab. The backhoe is able to move back and forth down the length of the gondolas on a crane rail system(which means the backhoe engine can’t be linked to the power trucks).
I’m thinking carnej1 may be right. Could also be their cartopper unit, although I don’t think it is self-powered. Does it look like this:
http://www.herzogcompanies.com/rrservices/mpm.php
or this:
http://www.herzogcompanies.com/rrservices/cartopper.php
Mike
Techguy57,
Well the backhoe looks like the car topper but it is mounted to a much smaller car. It is almost a flat car but has this bin (for lack of better word) for about 1/3rd the car length.
The backhoe can put stuff into the bin. I saw it again today and can’t see any exhaust
coming from it. The trucks are smaller than normal for a car. It is painted yellow…
Jim
Can you see any markings? Manufacturer or RR reporting marks would be useful.
Mudchicken may know what you’re seeing.
Does it look like the upper left picture of this link or more like a backhoe:
http://www.kershawusa.com/tiereplace.php
I agree with tree (sounds like a good t-shirt slogan) reporting marks would help. I too ambocking for the Superchicken! He would be the man with the answers. Or Ed too!
Mike
There are so many versions of this that the details are most certainly needed. Most are hydraulic, but others run off a truck PTO, a few are electric and I worked on a tunnel project in CA with two modified flatcars with diesel engines tied to a chain drive transmission.
It could be either a Kershaw Mfg. Tramm pulling the equipment, or a Hytracker Low-Bed Rail Equipment Mover (http://www.hytracker.com).
Just fixed the links - spelled-out and spaces with ‘underscores’:
http://www.herzogcompanies.com/railroad_services_mpm.php
http://www.herzogcompanies.com/railroad_services_cartopper_material_handler.php
It says he is from southern IN and the Herzog mpm has been here for 2 weeks picking up bundles of ties from the T&S work done. In the last year we have had over 200 miles of our track done. lots of clean up going on, also have some rebuilding work being done,