That’s a pun. I’m referring to Maintenance Of Way starting to sprout forth. I imagine they’ll be checking out the yards first, then get to mainlines, etc., to inspect and repair track now that winter’s weakening. So, has anybody seen such action in your area? Do you expect such action sometime soon?
Out here, every once in a while, a RW truck will set on the track and check it out. I hear them call for TAs to start from town and go to the Saltsburgh mainline. I haven’t got to see if they’ve done any work, but much of the time, they’re just high-railing.
Last weekend, I saw an eight-man crew with two high-rail trucks working on the crossing signal in Desloge, Missouri, on the Union Pacific’s Bonne Terre Industrial Spur. They had dug a trench about three feet deep under the rails and beyond the length of the ties on both sides of the track. I did not see any heavy equipment around which gave the impression these guys did it by hand! [:O]
I don’t think that you’d find any hard-and-fast rule about doing yards first, main line later. You fix what’s needed all the time, and winter hasn’t stopped this. If there are major projects to be done, road or yard, they’d have been planned before the beginning of the year, and they’d have been put in order of importance (opportunity, convenience, etc.), regardless of location.
On the UP, maintenance doesn’t take a winter break–the big projects just move to the south.
As for mowing the yard (recognizing the pun but ignoring it), we’ve gotten our annual notice of weed-spraying operations. When the products they use don’t work, we’d welcome a bit of mowing.
At least they were putting the signal cables down where they are supposed to. Often there are jumper cables (signal system band-aids) within easy reach of tampers and ballast regulators.
Signalmen know how to dig, it’s part of the job. There are many places where a backhoe can’t go. A little bit of time placing plastic conduit when you have the chance, can save lots of effort later.
Tree: your folks don’t have a “green monster” (hydraulic rail puller) or a ratchet mechanical rail puller plus a little fuel soaked tube socks to burn?
kolechovski: you have to inspect the main tracks at least once a week (more dependent on tonnage and passenger trains - taking care of biz as you go) and yard/backtracks/signals at least once a month or you can forget about running a railroad. FRA is not shy about shutting any operation down and letting the steel wheeled toys rust to the rail.
…It’s great to see the talk of “Spring” Carl…Our yard has already received it’s first application from the yard care people…and now light rain and moderate temps…That’s a good formula for Spring to sping…Mowing soon to follow.
Not sure what they’ve got available. Some work like that goes to the local shortline, since they do have the equipment available, one way or another.
Last I knew, our MOW guy figured on waiting until warm weather (ie, spring) before tackling the task. It happened at the end of the 2009 season, and we won’t be running any trains over it until around the week before Memorial Day, so he’s got plenty of time.
The first round of major gang curfews in Maryland and Virgina, Surfacing gang and Rail Gangs just completed their first projects of the year, they began work in the middle of February. Now they are headed West for the surfacing gang and North for the Rail gangs.
Carl: If they put down the weed spray material, hope it doesn’t rain for 3-5 days. Roundup and the surfactant need that to penetrate the weeds and the ground. If water carries it off, weeds thrive.
Around here, the ground is frozen enough to push all the extra gangs way south.
Will be aerating here before long, but grass cutting won’t really start until May. (Copcar & I live in a no-topsoil zone/ brick farm) The yard needs swiss-cheezed twice a year here and thatched in the fall.
With the economy in the mess that it is, projected carloadings are down and I would imagine the capital budgets are correspondingly small. Carloadings pay for the work in most places.