An overlooked facet of railroading

The operation of trains and engines have always been the most popular part of railroading for many people. It makes sense, moving freight over long distances is a railroad's bread and butter.However much more goes on behind the scenes. The Maintenance of Way employee is the backbone of any railroad. It isn't flashy or glamourous, it's long hard work, under demanding conditions. Without the hard work of these employees, trains are unable to operate safely and efficiently.I enrolled in the Rail Traffic Control Program at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology because of my interest and background in communications and control systems. As a summer job between semester I applied for a job a a seasonal labourer with Candian Pacific Railway.I'm working on a Utility Crew on the Brooks Subdivision between Calgary and Medicine Hat Alberta. My crew's job is replacing turnouts and grade crossings thoughout the entire subdivision. You can see us working on replacing a turnout at the west siding switch just outside of Gleichen Alberta.Almost everything on my crew is done by hand still. We don't have any of the fancy machines you would find on the production crews, such as the Steel or Tie Crews. We spike by hand, tighten bolts with track wrenches, etc. One of our machines is a Speedswing which is used to lift ties, rails, and other heavy objects.After my first month on the job I can say it has been the most interesting and rewarding experience. I've learned about things no railfan will ever learn. It is definitely one of the harder jobs out there. Imagine working 14 hours day or night in any type of weather. Coming home after a 14 hour work day at 0400 smelling like sunscreen, insect replellant, creosote, steel dust, diesel, and two stroke is not the most pleasant experience. One benefit is the four on three off schedule. Its like having a long weekend every week But I do work about 10-14 hours of overtime a week...which is basically adding an extra day.I hope you all enjoyed a glimpse into this side of railroading. Feel free to comment or ask questions. I've got three days to answer them :p- Andrew

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RE: An overlooked facet of railroading..., RAILDOG, May-30-03, 08:59 AM, (1) RE: An overlooked facet of railroading..., kinnie_III, May-30-03, 04:44 PM, (2) RE: An overlooked facet of railroading..., nadnerb1982, May-30-03, 05:27 PM, (3) RE: An overlooked facet of railroading..., Paul1953, Jun-01-03, 01:58 AM, (18) RE: An overlooked facet of railroading..., GMOF3A, May-30-03, 07:02 PM, (4) RE: An overlooked facet of railroading..., HAC, May-30-03, 09:22 PM, (5) RE: An overlooked facet of railroading..., andrewpickell, May-30-03, 09:59 PM, (8) RE: An overlooked facet of railroading..., HAC, May-31-03, 12:48 PM, (15) RE: An overlooked facet of railroading..., heffed, May-30-03, 09:30 PM, (6) RE: An overlooked facet of railroading..., JohnNetzlof, May-30-03, 09:56 PM, (7) RE: An overlooked facet of railroading..., JonN, May-30-03, 10:08 PM, (9) RE: An overlooked facet of railroading..., John 136 6000 GO, May-30-03, 10:35 PM, (10) RE: An overlooked facet of railroading..., JonN, May-30-03, 11:34 PM, (11) RE: An overlooked facet of railroading..., John 136 6000 GO, May-31-03, 11:00 PM, (17) RE: An overlooked facet of railroading..., andrewpickell, May-30-03, 11:45 PM, (12) RE: An overlooked facet of railroading..., Gixxer86g, May-31-03, 08:18 AM, (13) RE: An overlooked facet of railroading..., shep1935, May-31-03, 09:03 AM, (14) RE: An overlooked facet of railroading..., HAC, May-31-03, 12:48 PM, (16)

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Good job Andrew!Without Maintenance of Way trains would not be running safely or be doing 70MPH!I hope it was a good Experience! I may do something Like that about Engineers or Conductors Nice Job!
Jeremy Smith West Plains,MO
BNSF Engineer (In Training)

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But if a salesman didn't sell the customer on using his railroad then what good would the 70mph rail be?It take all of the parts to make a railroad. Which one is the most important is debatable.

Kinnie

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Lets have Microsoft Maintainance of Way Simulator! The Australian version would come complete with Solitaire . . .

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Not.......spider solitaire??Paul Watson

" I hear my train a-comin'"
Jimi Hendrix

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Yep...my heart's there with ya Andrew.I worked 16 hour days in all sorts of WX too in the signal department.I too, learned many things no railfan will ever learn..like how much railroaders hate train nuts!..lolI got to where I did not like trains anymore, because that job ran me in the ground.Now that I can look back at all my experiences...I can see it was not the trains I disliked..it was the stinkin' attitude of all those who worked there, and the ones I worked with. I'm hoping for the best for you Andrew...P.

Paul...
www.mstsgmo.com

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Hiya Andrew..
Next time you're at GCS round lunch gimme a holler, buy you a beer..
Cheers
Harold

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HaroldHeading out to Brooks for the next few weeks it may be awhile. Are you coming to the CPR Spiking Competition at Heritage Park for Railway Days? - Andrew

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Yeah, might go have a peek.. Been a long time since I pounded a spike, and this year the comptetion's only open to ES folks..
Still, last time I tired, I didn't miss at all, so I guess its like riding a bike..
Then there was the time I nearly put a shop swithcer through the shop doors <G>Cheers
Harold

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Nah, not overlooked by everybody.There is more MOW stuff popping up in the file library all the time.I've sat and watched crews replacing rail many times. Very fascinating stuff! Of course, you get some odd looks from the guys on the crew though. -Jeff

Union Pacific is my drug.

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Ran the Sperry and the railgrinder through Marias once durring Multiplayer

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Dispatcher on April 18th, 2003 on the NEC. First multiplayer operation of the NEC. History is made.

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LAST EDITED ON May-30-03 AT 10:08 PM (EDT)

A few weeks ago the MOW crews were working the track in my neighbourhood, and they had all kinds of specialized vehicles and equipment with them. Mostly what they replaced were a few hundred feet of rail, some parts of a switch, and a few ties.
When they were gone, they left behind a few long sections of rail, and lots of discarded tie plates and spikes. Jonathan Nikiforovs.
Milepost 180, CP Belleville Sub.

Repainter for Yonder Locomotive Works.

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>When they were gone, they left behind a few long sections of
>rail, and lots of discarded tie plates and spikes. Hi Jonathan,Where was that? Is it accessible? I've got a couple of grandson's who just love collecting spikes and such like (not from close to the tracks). One of their favourite spots is the Blair Street South level crossing on the CN Kingston Sub. They found quite a few discarded spikes in the rubble on which a signal cabin is placed - which is a safe way back from the tracks.I'm also teaching them to be extremely cautious around railways, but so far the noise of the horns of approaching trains is adequate - they hop back into the car and close the windows!. They say the noise hurts their ears!There does seem to be quite a bit of MOW activity on the CP through Whitby. There's been work on the bridge carrying the tracks over Thickson Rd, and more activity going on to the east of there, at the Thornton Rd. level crossing (good spot to watch trains departing from the Oshawa yard onto the main line).CheersJohn

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LAST EDITED ON May-30-03 AT 11:41 PM (EDT)

It's at the north end of Dehillier Park, near the trestle going over Lynde creek. Just west of that trestle the tracks cross a smaller bridge going over a small dirt road. This road leads between the park and Rossland Road, and it meets Rossland near the new overpass over the tracks, next to the Jehovah's Witnesses kingdom hall.
On the road under the bridge, there are plenty of discarded spikes and tieplates. There is also some junk at the bottom of Lynde Creek below the trestle, but someone would have to be quite determined to try to fish that stuff out. All of the stuff on the road or in the creek can be reached without going on the tracks. Here is a pic of the bridge over the road with a train going by, as seen from south of the tracks. Although this road seems to pass through the right of way, its does not to appear to be part of it, as the railroad crews don't seem to mind pedestrians using it, although they will have something to say to those who go up on the tracks, as several trespassers found out while the crews were working nearby. Railroad trespassing is a common ocurrence on that part of the line, mostly by teenagers taking a short cut to or from school. (Why are so many people ignorant of the fact that going on the tracks is trespassing, when there are so many "No Trespassing" signs near the tracks?)
Jonathan Nikiforovs.
Milepost 180, CP Belleville Sub.

Repainter for Yonder Locomotive Works.

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Thanks for that info.I'll do a rece myself before taking the kids. They're small and young enough to need fairly close supervision, though they are learning how to behave near to railways. The biggest problem with small children is that they are sometime impulsive and just do something before they remember what they've been taught - it takes a while for correct behaviour to become a habit.I'm wondering if CP is double-tracking some of the line through Whitby. The work on the bridge over Thickson rather looks that way (the original abutments look like they were made for possible double tracking in the future - though the embankment would need widening) - there's now some formwork on the "2nd-track" side of the bridge abutments. Also, imediately west of Thornton there's a lot of ground preparation work which could be preparation for double-tracking. Next time I'm going past and see some of the workers around I'll see if I can get some info.CheersJohn

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>There does seem to be quite a bit of MOW activity on the CP
>through Whitby. There's been work on the bridge carrying
>the tracks over Thickson Rd, and more activity going on to
>the east of there, at the Thornton Rd. level crossingYou should come out to the Brooks Sub We've got the PAC1 Steel Crew (120 people), PAC3 Steel Crew (60), Utility #1 and #2 (20), Surfacing Crew (?) the list goes on. Big money being spent it seems on MOW.I beleive all the rail is being upgraded from 115 lb rail to 132 lb rail all the way from Calgary to Medicine Hat.- Andrew

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LAST EDITED ON May-31-03 AT 08:23 AM (EDT)

Great shots Andrew.I was a signalman on the NYSW for 3 yrs.I've driven my share of spikes.A lot of the track tools we used were almost a century old.It was a lot of fun.The NYSW was more like a fullscale model railroad than anything else.But I also witnessed a lot of screwed up stuff.BTW,Andrew,when the Sparta welded rail project began,there was still lots of 100lb stuff west of Butler,NJ.The L&HR had 132lb and the signals were set up for 60mph.RR crossings were built using 136lb.The Rahway Valley had extremely worn 90lb rail.GP18's and 90lb rail don't get along all that well.LOL!

"Hold tight,feel the drivers bite,hear the whistle moan.Engine rockin' to the left and right,vibratin' in my bones.Once the locomotive steals your soul,you got a Casey Jones!"---Ian"Lemmy"Kilmister

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Over many years in the North American RR industry there are two axioms that are still thoroghly imprinted in my aging memory bank:"You can have the most modern Locomotive and Car Fleets in the World, but if you don't have a railroad track you ain't got a railroad!""Be kind to your Apprentice Boy for one day he may be your BOSS!"These thoughts were true 49 years ago when I hired out and they are true today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don Shepley

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HI Don..
Email me sometime, miss hearing from you!!
Cheers
Harold

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