Rail Grinder
- Thread starter DanRaitz
- Start date
If you really want to see sparks fly, try to catch one of these beasts in action, especially in the dark! I was fortunate to get a glimpse once. Wow!
Brian,
I don't quite understand: what is smoking on the pic?
For me it looks like the weeds on the ballast were burning
(ignited by sparks of the rail grinder???), and from the tank car ahead of the caboose (??) a water sprayer is used to extinguish the weeds again. But then the ballast in the foreground looks quite clean and not charred in any way...
Do I misinterprete the picture? Can you enlighten me?
Ron
I don't quite understand: what is smoking on the pic?
For me it looks like the weeds on the ballast were burning
(ignited by sparks of the rail grinder???), and from the tank car ahead of the caboose (??) a water sprayer is used to extinguish the weeds again. But then the ballast in the foreground looks quite clean and not charred in any way... Do I misinterprete the picture? Can you enlighten me?
Ron
Ron,
What you are seeing is the dust. When they grind the rail, besides starting fires, it puts fine particles of iron, rust and what ever in the air. Some where on the web, I saw a picture of a rail that had been freshly ground. Really an interesting pattern on the head of the rail. They have a dozen heads or so for each rail. That is how they get the proper shape back on the rail. Also, part of the dust would be the heads slowly disintegrating. Hope this explanation helps.
Greg Elems
What you are seeing is the dust. When they grind the rail, besides starting fires, it puts fine particles of iron, rust and what ever in the air. Some where on the web, I saw a picture of a rail that had been freshly ground. Really an interesting pattern on the head of the rail. They have a dozen heads or so for each rail. That is how they get the proper shape back on the rail. Also, part of the dust would be the heads slowly disintegrating. Hope this explanation helps.
Greg Elems
Running in reverse???
Looks to me that the unit is running in reverse in the picture(ie: the caboose is leading). Looking at the water the tank car is spraying, the ballast in the foreground looks dry. Ballast behind the water spray looks wet, like they are watering first to moisten(sp?) everything up, to prevent fires before they start.
Looks to me that the unit is running in reverse in the picture(ie: the caboose is leading). Looking at the water the tank car is spraying, the ballast in the foreground looks dry. Ballast behind the water spray looks wet, like they are watering first to moisten(sp?) everything up, to prevent fires before they start.
Check this out for more rail grinder pics.
http://images.google.com/images?q=rail+grinder&ie=ISO-8859-1&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search
http://images.google.com/images?q=rail+grinder&ie=ISO-8859-1&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search
Great photos Dan and Brian. A model of one of these whould look great on my layout. A shell could be used over a track cleaner.