What does a rail ballast regulator do?

A ballast regulator (also known as a ballast spreader or ballast sweeper) is a piece of rail transport maintenance of way equipment used to shape and distribute the gravel track ballast that supports the ties in rail tracks. They are often used in conjunction with ballast tampers when maintaining track.

What size stone is railroad ballast?

Railroad ballast is typically graded from 1 ¾” or 1 ¼” to ½”. Ballast is open graded and washed over a screen as part of the production process. The load that rail cars place on the track is large. Each axel on loaded rail car places a load of up to 71,500 lbs.

What is railroad ballast rock?

Railroad Ballast is a larger cut rock, like a gravel type rock though much larger in size. The Railroad ballast is about the size of a tennis ball. It comes in both the gray or darker bluish-gray color.

Why is railroad rock called ballast?

A variety of materials have been used as track ballast, including crushed stone, washed gravel, bank run (unwashed) gravel, torpedo gravel (a mixture of coarse sand and small gravel), slag, chats, coal cinders, sand, and burnt clay. The term “ballast” comes from a nautical term for the stones used to stabilize a ship.

What is a train regulator?

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) is the independent safety and economic regulator for Britain’s railways. It is responsible for ensuring that railway operators comply with health and safety law.

What is ballast profiling?

The ballast shoulder is profiled using shoulder ploughs which ensures that the correct angle of the embankment is produced. The shoulder ploughs draw the ballast into the upper area of the ballast bed towards the ballast crown.

How much railroad ballast do I need?

On average, though, you’ll need about one cup of ballast for each 6″ of track. That’s a rough guide, but 30 lbs of it will cover a lot of track (30-40′?) That’s quite a range: 32 oz to 40 lbs.

What does the ORR regulate?

We regulate health and safety for the entire mainline rail network in Britain, as well as London Underground, light rail, trams and the heritage sector. We want to make sure that our railways are safe not just a safe mode of transport but also a safe place to work.

How is the railway regulated?

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is the independent safety and economic regulator for Britain’s railways and monitor of National Highways. It is responsible for ensuring that railway operators comply with health and safety law.

What is a railroad snow plow?

The railroad snow plow itself was usually attached to the front of either a customized rail car of some type with a pilot house attached to the top for the spotting crew. One of the most common types of wedge plows were those built by the Russell Snow Plow Company, which began manufacturing the machines after World War I.

What tools do railroads use to plow tracks?

Historically, this would mean either the venerable wedge plow or legendary rotary plow. However, while of those plows still find work today, railroads often use other tools at their disposal such as flangers, Jordan Spreaders, or a ballast regulator equipped with a plow.

How does a Russell Plow work?

Developed with a bit of versatility, Russells were equipped with wings attached to the outside of what was known as the “tongue” (the wedge device that actually plowed the snow clear of the track), which could be adjusted. All wedge plows could not propel themselves and required being pushed by a locomotive.

What is a wedge plow?

As its name implies the wedge plow used a simple wedged design, in later years made from reinforced iron or steel. The railroad snow plow itself was usually attached to the front of either a customized rail car of some type with a pilot house attached to the top for the spotting crew.