I took the photo below of a piece of MOW equipment that was parked for a few days on the siding in my town of Otterville, MO along UP’s Sedalia sub. I have seen a similar piece of equipment here before, but I’m not sure what it is called. This one has a cab on each end, what appears to be a large generator or engine housing on the far end, and a permanently attached backhoe on tracks. I assume it is used to carry ties and other supplies, but exactly what is this thing called?
Ron
…I certainly am no expert on what the equipment is named but I do note it is of famed Herzog Co. track maintenance work. It {the back hoe}, sure must have the ability to work along the length of it to load or unload track materials.
It’s a HERZOG ditcher. They use them to clean up ditches and other areas along the right of way. The backhoe rides on a track mounted to the car, and deposits the debris in the car as it goes along.
Although, I’ve never seen one that used well cars. Normally, they use gondolas.
Nick
I was holding out for Melvin.[(-D]
nbrodar is correct. I’ve seen the same thing, (maybe not the same one,) on the ex-Frisco River Line which runs behind my house on the BNSF.
They make some nice, clean efficient ditches, which soon get filled up with leaves, trash, and such.
I have also seen tie pick up trains with the same (or nearly the same arrangement of double stack well cars and back hoe or crane running along the top. Dave H.
Its like this: http://www.herzogcompanies.com/rrservices/mpm.php (I dont know how to make it clickable)