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| Ballast cleaning trains 11/10/2010 at 10:37 #1888 | |
GeoffM
6288 posts |
An interesting story here about a ballast cleaning train passing overhead and dropping ballast into the park, road, and river below. I've never heard of this before yet either it must happen a lot, or something is done to prevent it - if so, what?
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| Ballast cleaning trains 11/10/2010 at 10:37 #11972 | |
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GeoffM
6288 posts |
An interesting story here about a ballast cleaning train passing overhead and dropping ballast into the park, road, and river below. I've never heard of this before yet either it must happen a lot, or something is done to prevent it - if so, what?
SimSig Boss Log in to reply |
| Ballast cleaning trains 11/10/2010 at 11:15 #11973 | |
UKTrainMan
1803 posts |
This is also the first time I've heard of something like this. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any bridges like that here in Great Britain / United Kingdom where that sort of thing would happen as I think most of our bridges are brick-work with no gaps for ballast to fall through. But then again if we did have a bridge like that then surely there would be no ballast on it anyway or if there was then I can easily see machines like a HOBC not being allowed to work over it for safety fears. If however there was ballast and they were were allowed to work over it I'd imagine (and hope) that someone would assess it before starting the work (i.e: during the planning stage) and if needs be have the area underneath the bridge shut during the time. Then again, surely a HOBC would work overnight anyway (unless part of a day-time possession) so passing 'traffic' underneath (including a boat if the bridge goes over water) would likely be down to a bare minimum, or even none at all. Of course as that video is from/in America, rules and procedures are bound to be different. HOBC = High Output Ballast Cleaner. Any views and / or opinions expressed by myself are from me personally and do not represent those of any company I either work for or am a consultant for. Log in to reply |
| Ballast cleaning trains 11/10/2010 at 14:20 #11978 | |
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Noisynoel
989 posts |
Actually a large proportion of our bridges are girder bridges and therefore have gaps in them. Ballast falling between the gaps of the bridge on the road below is a regular occurance, certainly in SE London. And it is not always with a HOBC working above. Ballast can become doslodged just by someone walking along it. I recently had an incident near Blackfriars where a car windscreen had been been smashed by a single piece of ballast which had fallen from a girder bridge.
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| Ballast cleaning trains 11/10/2010 at 18:17 #11981 | |
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Foulounoux
26 posts |
On a similar vein in Italy I noticed when driving from Rome to Pescara across the mountains that at the bridges there was a red sign showing a snow brusher then at the end of the bridge a green sign I assume stop snow brushing and then re start - just to stop snow being dumped on the road/railway or whatever below. So a simple manual system - Only of course following a snow storm the signs get covered in um snow ! Log in to reply |
| Ballast cleaning trains 17/10/2010 at 08:39 #12026 | |
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Haraubrad
103 posts |
I can remember many years ago in British Rail days, ballast cleaning was taking place between Heyford & Somerton Crossing one Saturday night. The spent ballast was being tipped down the embankment. When daylight arrived it was discovered that a quantity of ballast had been deposited in the Oxford canal & was just visible above the surface of the water. Some men were dispached and they poked around with shovels etc: and pushed the top of the ballast just below the surface so it could not be seen. What happened to the next boat that came along I do can only guess. Aubrey Log in to reply |
| Ballast cleaning trains 17/10/2010 at 09:12 #12028 | |
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GeoffM
6288 posts |
Thanks everyone.
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