Cargil is building a new canola crushing facility near Camrose, Alberta that will be serviced from both CNR and CPR. The contractor doing the track laying is using a couple of hopper cars and a trackmobile to do the ballast work. The interesting thing is they are trucking the ballast in and using a big front-end loader to load the ballast-cars. The rock is first dumped in a loading area near the track. The wheel loader scoops it and then drives up a short dirt ramp that has been built up to the track to give loader more working height over the hopper car. Maybe this is a common working arrangement but I've never seen it done before and thought it would make a great scene on a layout.

Sounds like Opposite Day on the railway. Do you have any pictures of the track arrangement or structures?

Sounds like a quick and inexpensive solution to a temporary construction need.

MountainMan Wrote:Sounds like a quick and inexpensive solution to a temporary construction need.

It is.I've seen CSX and NS have ballast dumped from local quarries next to the work area.A backhoe spreads the ballast.This method is used for small jobs like replacing crossing diamonds,grade crossings and switches.

Brakie Wrote:

MountainMan Wrote:Sounds like a quick and inexpensive solution to a temporary construction need.

It is.I've seen CSX and NS have ballast dumped from local quarries next to the work area.A backhoe spreads the ballast.This method is used for small jobs like replacing crossing diamonds,grade crossings and switches.

Yep...I recently watched UP do just that right in downtown Canon City when they replaced an entire grade crossing. They used a Bobcat to place the ballast onto the railbed and then brought in a tamper.