Weird ballast question

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

On the BNSF main through town there is a spot close to a bike path that has something weird about the ballast. It caught my eye. At the center of the track the ballast is about level with the ties, but only for about a foot wide. From there the ballast tapers down so that under the rails the ballast is level with the bottom of the ties. This extends outside the rails for about a foot. Then, there is a windrow of ballast about 6” high parallel to the rails. This isn’t somewhere that has flowing water. What’s that about?

No- I don’t have pictures, sorry.

2

Ballast regulator will be back after a fresh application of ballast. Being you are on a branch, there is a fair chance that the location will be manually placed (the automatic gates cars stay pretty much with the production gangs.)

Surfacing gang must have had issues getting surface to hold in place and exceeded ballast needed to finish. The fact that the ends of the ties are exposed tells all. Hope the surfacing gang is still close by (probably is on its way to Doon?)